Circus Diabolique: Lost Souls

Coming soon from Siren Publishing

“Please, help me!” the please came again from his lips. The look in his eyes was one of pure agony like he was trapped, lost maybe like she was.

“How can I help you?” she asked the man in the mirror.

“Free me from this never ending hell. Please, the original mirror was shattered. Help me before he comes back?”

Selena stared into the mirror and noticed that not only did the reflection not show herself, but there were other things behind the man as well. He seemed to be in a cramped space, and there were clothes strewn around him from what she could tell. “Before who comes back? Where are you?”

“No time! He’s herrree—” the word was drawn out into a hissing and garbled sound. The man in the mirror covered his face and bent down. A pang of worry went through Selena as she wondered what was going on. Somehow this man was hurt and needed her help. She got the sense she had to help him even though she had no idea how. She stepped closer to the mirror and reached out to touch the glass.
When her hand was inches from the glass surface, the man jumped and uncovered his face. He pressed it up against the glass, like he was trying to get through and looked like a squashed bug. However it was no longer the image Selena had first been introduced too. Instead of the handsome stranger, in his stead was a joke with a white, painted face, jagged, brown teeth, no hair, and glowing green fire had been replaced for eyes. His suit was now dirty and torn. His fingers where bony and there were holes in his white gloves. He looked like he belonged in a living dead circus. She screamed and backed away.

“You can’t have him bitch! He’s mine. MINE!” The entity yelled. He backed away a few steps from his side of the mirror and made a running leap like he was going to crash through it. Selena instinctually covered her face with her arms and cowered on the floor. However, there was no crashing glass, just a thud. And then the sound of pounding on heavy glass.

When she peeked through her arms, the jester was banging on the mirror and nothing was happening. He couldn’t get through. Relief washed over her as she looked back at the joker. His lips were pulled up in a perpetual smiled so she could see all of his teeth, but someone she got the impression he was seething. He wanted to come through and get her even though she had no idea what was going on.

“What do you want?” she whispered to the thing in the mirror.
The joker had had it’s back turned to her and she watched as he turned his head all the way around and peered at her. Some force pressed against her mind like it was trying to break into her thoughts. Her head began to swim as she watched the fire in his eye sockets dance and grow brighter. An image flashed in her mind like a silent film flickered against a screen choppy she could barely make it out.

“No. You can’t have her!” There was a scream she heard in her mind and in her ears. Suddenly the image was gone and when she blinked watched as the reflection of the jester flickered and the man returned. He was clutching his head and staring intently at her. She could see where one side of his face had been horrible scared, probably from a fire. “Run. Get out of here now! Leave the house, please!” The tone in his voice was filled with panic it touched her heart.

“But I want to help you.” She found herself saying.

“No one can help me. I’m damned. I should never have asked. Please go.” He reached to the glass and laid his palm flat. Selena copied his gesture and instead of the glass she felt his flesh. She watched as the green flow from around him enveloped her hand as well and zinged up her arm. A look of disbelief moved across his face. Selena desperately yearned to stroke his skin and see it was rough or smooth. She would have thought the burn scar would have made him seem less handsome, but it one enhanced his features.

“It’s not possible,” he heard him say.