Roll Up

As we fade into shot we find ourselves on a dimly lit street in the middle of unknown America. There is a small dusty street scattered with people of all ages queuing by the side of the street like they are waiting for someone of importance to arrive. Suddenly in the distance, some old creepy carnival music starts to play in the distance, two men holding flame torches slowly walk down the street. As they walk slowly they tilt their heads slowly to the right with a blank expression on their face and stop before a young family on the left-hand side.

 

Young Child – “Mom! Look the carnival is coming!”

 

Mother – “Calm down child we will see it tomorrow”

 

Young Child – “But I want to go today”

 

The young boy breaks his hand from the grasp of his mother’s hand, he looks up at her slightly disappointed that he is unable to go today.

 

Mother – “Maybe later child”

 

Young Child – “Please mummy!…”

 

Suddenly the young boy shows excitement on his face.

 

Young Child – “Look the animals are coming!”

 

As the torchbearers start to walk slowly forward down the street the sound of horse hooves begins to get louder, as the crowd starts to see two old shire horses pulling what can only be described as gypsy caravan behind it. The colors are bright and stand out in the musky dark night it is really a great sight to see.

 

As the caravan passes the young family we see another horse being led by its owner who resembles a nightmare freak with a clown mask on, the horse finds it hard to walk as it only has three legs.

 

Young Child – “But that one doesn’t have all its legs! Is it okay mummy?”

 

A worried look of confusion and despair approaches the young child’s face. He slides his hand up and grasps his mother’s hand this time as he appears to be scared.

 

Mother – “No child, This is not okay, let us leave these now”

 

The mother and child leave through a crowd of people as the carnival continues to walk through the streets. It is a mixed reaction as some are fond of the Carnival however others like the mother and child are disgusted and do not want to associate themselves with an outside community.

 

Next down the dusky track are six dwarfs, each more mutilated and deformed from the next, like they go in appearance order the first was only missing an eye, the last leaves people wondering why he was not killed at an early age, they skip with balloons in their hands, slowly handing them out to the terrorized looking children in the streets.

 

After waves and waves of clowns, mutated people, and animals have passed by there is one lonely carriage being pulled by a man in shackles. The man looks like he has been starved for years, with hardly a strain of hair on his head, he walks slowly with his head down, not acknowledging anyone as he pulls the carriage down the street, as he passes us by you can see welts on his back and scars from where the man has suffered mass torture over the years.

 

As the man walks off into the distance the carnival has now reached what they would call their home for the next few weeks, an empty grass field which has stood habituated for the last couple of years is now their new playground.

 

As we follow a man dressed in a red and black jumpsuit we are brought into a big top tent, from first look its a grand tent, looks like it would be dated back to the early nineteenth century, there is a high trapeze artist practicing her routine in the rafters. On the ground, there are two clowns setting up a box on the floor.

 

The ringmaster who we saw last week at high octane wrestlings refueled seems to be sat in the crowd watching his minions set up this grand production for him. Tapping his cane on a metal barrier the clowns turn and look at him.

 

Ringmaster – “You have two minutes until they come”

 

With those words the clowns seem to work double-time, shaking in their boots they struggle to attach some lights to the lighting rig which is being set up next to the box. As one man drops a light on the floor he nervously turns around to look for the ringmaster who is no longer sat down.

 

Crack!

 

The sound of wood smashing against a clown’s head is heard all around the tent. There is laughter at the man’s misfortune as the ringmaster leaves his mark on the other’s head. Without hesitation, the clown just accepts his fate, motions that he is sorry to the ring leader, and carries on with his job in a more efficient way.

 

As we look to the right we can see Lucian Santangel walk into picture carrying a suitcase, he is dressed in an old raggedy suit, grey from dirt, unwashed in years and ripped at the seams. He places the suitcase on a chair and slowly opens it. As he bows his head when he reappears from looking in the suitcase he now has a mask on his face. A horrid looking mask somewhat of a pumpkin but with eyelets to see baby blue eyes gazing out of it.

 

A young lady dressed as a harlequin with a jesters hat on walks up to Lucian and whispers something into his ear. He looks at her and quickly they depart the big top tent. As we look back to the ring leader he stands in the middle of his tent looking up at the trapeze artist showing off some very technical moves in the air.

 

Ringmaster – “Bravo”

 

He shouts as a lady jumps off and swings across from one trapeze to another.

 

Ringmaster – “Keep that up and maybe you will not get sworn in half this week”

 

He looks around the tent and smiles to himself as his creation is coming to fruition. As we leave the big tent we can see many other stalls are being set up. There is a cage in a sphere being set up for the walls of death motorbike ride however this wall of death is a little twisted as the metal is old and frail and has old rotten flesh from those who have failed on the ride before.

 

There is also a water tank that has been set up, with only small air holes drilled into the top, there are chains and shackles at the bottom of the tank, one can only assume this will be used for an escapism trick by one of the many magicians that we suspect are in the carnival.

 

Suddenly we see a man walking with a mask on his face that resembles a pig, a very mutilated pig to say that, he walks slowly and lashes out a whip across the back of a worker who is placing some mirrors on the floor.

 

?? – “Work Faster, they are coming soon”

 

He says before slashing the whip across the workers back once more.

 

As the wind blows a curtain in a small tent we can see the back of Lucian’s head as he is sat down at a table with his back towards us. As we pan closer we can see that he has a needle and thread in his hand and he is sowing something together, its another mask, this time in the shape of country sensation Kelsea Ballerini. However, instead of having her famous flowing blonde hair, this has been replaced with black hair with red streaks. Also, her eyes have had X’s carved with a knife in what can only be seen as human disfigurement

 

“Stay what you are”

 

Lucian says before slowly scratching a knife blade across the face of the mask.

 

“You don’t belong here and neither does Zeb”.

 

Another slash across the face making poor Kelsea even more deranged.

 

As Lucian places the knife down stabbing it into the table he can see a reflection of someone behind him in the knifes blade.

 

Lucian – “I knew you would come, I knew you would want to see for yourself. I know you have heard the rumors. So what have you got to say for yourself? Do you like what you see? Do you see what I have become? It is all your fault!”

 

As Lucian slowly stands up from his chair and turns around there is the silhouette of a figure standing behind him.

 

Lucian –” You finally came to see the freakshow, did you? You wanted to see with your own eyes did you?”

 

There is silence for a moment as the figure just stands there looking at Lucian he remains all silent and motionless.

 

Lucian – “They say that silence speaks volumes, and I believe that it does. You stand there in front of me after all these years. I remember growing up and all I ever wanted was to see your face, to ask you how you were doing. Maybe to see if we could play ball, however, no it never happened because you weren’t there.”

 

Lucian starts to get angry with a snarl appearing on his face.

 

Lucian – “All I ever wanted was a father, someone to be there for me but you couldn’t give me that could you. No! You had to travel the lands as a famous wrestler with the worse history in the world. You are a sadistic fuck not giving a damn about your opponents! your family or me!

 

Lucian screams at the figure, he reaches over to the table picking up the blade and throwing in the direction of the figure, as it slowly spins in the air it lands in some wood to the right-hand side of the silhouette.

 

Lucian – “You see, I could hurt you if I wanted however let that be a warning, what you see before you is not your son. No its Lucian Santangel, the resident blade master, the dossier of knives, the man who can cut literally anything from humans to animals, to objects and also to trunks, you name it and I can cut it.”

 

Lucian chuckles to himself before tugging at his hair.

 

Lucian – “I bet you came here to warn me about my match with Zeb this week didn’t you. Well, don’t you worry I plan on showing Zeb a new side to me, one that he can focus on so nothing more of his beautiful prized possessions get cut up into a million pieces. You see we are similar in some aspects and a hell of a lot different in others. He is a man with a focus on life, of course, many doubt him that should he really be wrestling in Chicago and maybe its time he cut his losses and went back home.”

 

Lucian pauses

 

Lucian – “Home. That is a good word. But I don’t know what it means, I remember being told that your home is where your loved ones reside, so the home could be anywhere that love is. But you never gave me that love, did you. No all you gave me was empty hope that I would one day see your face. You abandoned me when I needed you the most, you left me to think you never loved me. You did not even send me a happy birthday card or anything. Nothing.”

 

Lucian starts to pick up another blade from the table, he paces forward a few more steps towards the still figure.

 

Lucian – “With this knife, I have all the power I need to finally cut you out of my life, but will that stop the memories or will it create nightmares? Thinking of which are they really nightmares if you enjoy them?”

 

Lucian throws the knife in the air before catching it and holding it up as he pauses to throw it.

 

Lucian – “My nightmares have followed me all my life! because of you! Every time I step into that ring I look across and see myself fighting you. It doesn’t matter who I am against its always you. This week Zeb is down as my opponent but I can guarantee you that I will see through what he is, as really it is just you in a mask of Zeb. I will end you once and for all!”

 

With that Lucian throws the knife directly at the silhouette. Shattering glass on impact and falling to the floor, Lucian had just taken all of his energy out on a mirror. Lucian screams out in frustration as he turns back towards the desk picking up the mask he was creating.

 

Lucian – “Zeb, welcome to the carnival of horrors”

 

–FIN–