Snippet #2168840

The day was bright, hot with a light breeze moving through the city. Many people have chosen to wear loose fitting clothes for such a day, but others were stuck in thicker, professional attire. The city of Hallowbrook was more active than usual, holding a unique energy that comes with a hosting a famous circus in town. Businesses were booming, many people from surrounding towns have come just because of the rare occasion. The chance to see with their own eyes the talented and bizarre members of the group of a misfits was too tempting to pass up. The hotels were booked, restaurants were packed and the local speakeasies wouldn't have to worry about money issues for quite awhile for their stay.

But if you really wanted to be in the center of all this energy, then you better hurry and get in line. Even several blocks away you could see the large, colorful striped tents that rose taller than the trees in the city's largest park. Booths, stands, stalls and trailers alike filled the property. Yet by far the most exciting attraction to the event were the people themselves. There were clowns that covered their faces in paint, women with large beards, a man who could lift a car. People here could preform acts that may shock their audience; showing off coordinated flying through the air, or a blind man who threw knives at a lovely assistant, and exotic animals that would jump through rings of fire.

For many people in the area, it was unlike anything they have ever witnessed in their entire lives. Even walking through the circus gave them a sense of magic, as if they had stumbled upon a completely different world by accident. They were surrounded by the strange, people who weren't tied down by the norms of society and lived so differently than what was expected of them. The feeling consumed them, and squeezed coins and dollars out of their pockets. Odd wares and food tempted the guests, not to mention opportunities that seduced them to take part in the madness. A photo with a group of grown men that were only three feet tall, to touch a tiger, participate in a dazzling magic tricks were all used to get the patrons to empty their wallets and purses.

Like the entertainment they gave, everything about the Torture Circus was an act. It may live up to it's name too well; too many of the smiles of the workers were fake, hiding the weary, tired and fearful emotions within. It was true that many people were here by choice, to live a life that wasn't bound to the rules the average American was forced to uphold. However, the vast majority were stuck here for more unfortunate reasons. To escape a life of poverty, to get away from an abuser, and orphans that had no where else to go would name a few. The Circus would treat them well as long as they behaved. You would get a roof over your head, a family, food. It may not make up for the exhausting work hours, or from being exploited and mistreated by both the higher ups and the guests, not to mention the safety risks and health hazards. Nevertheless, it's not like they could easily leave this life.

This was exceptionally true for the people that were more abnormal than the rest. Anomalies, abominations, children of demons are just a few words that are used to describe them. Although, most of the time they are simply known as mutants, the true freaks of this world. With appearances and abilities that deviate from the usually human code, there was literally no where else for them to go if they couldn't find a way to hide what made them so different. If they were to escape, they were to be dragged right back to their 'home', battered and broken if needed.

So amongst the happy customers were people who were treated no better than animals. They were put on display, amused the masses, all while being gawked at and having harsh, mocking words thrown at them. Threats hung above them, away from the circus they would be murdered, and here they would be beaten if they so much showed a hint of disobedience. Yet it was all okay to the people who payed to witness the foreign creatures, it wasn't like they were human or anything. The fear of the unknown had taken over them. If it couldn't be understood, then it was better off dead, with making use out of them through slave labor and entertainment being the next best thing.

Families, friends, couples and individuals all stood in line to experience the delirium that was the Torture Circus. It was seen as a wholesome affair, something you should show and teach your children if you could. No one was going to stop it, and the cycle would go on. As groups started to stand up to obtain equal rights, the people trapped within a world of cheap tricks were ignored, and it would never be any different.

That is, unless, you want it to be.