“Mornin’, Merrick,” Leon and Dante said in unison.
“Yes sirree, boys,” Merrick said. “The gods are smiling on The Barlow Brothers’ Circus today. Damned if they ain’t, sending us such a splendid young specimen. Isn’t she stunning?”
The men nodded in agreement, and Merrick and Viktor made their way over to Lilly. She pressed herself against the back of the cage.
“Let’s get a look at her in the daylight,” Merrick said.
Viktor unlocked the padlock, knelt down, and reached into the cage. Lilly scrambled into a corner, away from his giant hands. He swore and stuck his head inside, stretching and reaching for her. She kicked him in the face. Her shoe collided with his already mangled nose and she heard a bony crack.
“Bloody hell!” Viktor yelled. He put his hand to his face and moved backward, out of the cage. Blood trickled over his lips. Then he reached in again, grabbed her by the arm, and yanked her out the door. Lilly twisted and screamed and tried to get away.
“Don’t just stand there gawking!” Merrick shouted at Dante. “Help him!”
Dante grabbed Lilly’s other arm and held on. Lilly thrashed and kicked and fought to break free. It was no use. She was no match for two grown men, and her lungs were closing again. She stopped struggling and gasped for air.
Merrick moved closer, his eyes gleaming. “You’re a fighter,” he said. “That’s good. But I don’t appreciate you kicking my star attraction in the face, even if it’s already a mess.”
“Let me go!” Lilly shouted. “I . . . want . . . to go home!”
“I’ll say it one more time,” Merrick said. “You are home. And you might as well learn to play nice, because you’re not going anywhere.”
“Yes . . . I am,” Lilly cried. “My daddy is coming to get me and . . .”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen, sugar.”
Lilly coughed and gulped and tried sucking in more air. Then, for some reason, she suddenly remembered that cats hiss and llamas spit when they’re afraid. She took the biggest breath she could muster, closed her mouth to gather her saliva, and spat at Merrick. A white blob landed on his cheek and slid down his face, leaving a wet trail.
He flinched as if slapped, then reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and, glaring at her, wiped his face. Then, without a word, he went over to the wall and yanked what looked like a short black whip from a nail, his expression getting darker and darker.
“Turn her around,” he ordered Viktor and Dante.
“Come on, Merrick,” Dante said. “You don’t have to do this. She’s just scared.”
“Shut your damn pie hole and do as I say or I’ll have you red-lighted!” Merrick yelled, spittle flying from his lips.
The men turned Lilly around and held her by the arms. Viktor’s fingers dug into her flesh, but Dante held on with gentle hands. Leon watched with sad, worried eyes.
“I’m sorry ’bout this,” Dante whispered. “Just do what he says from now on.”
Then the whip lashed across her back, ripping like fire over her shoulder blades. She arched her back and cried out. Merrick grunted and whipped her again. Once. Twice. Three times. The pain was hot and strong, like the flame on Momma’s lantern. She writhed in agony and something warm ran down the inside of her leg. Her vision started to close in and her knees buckled, but Viktor and Dante held her up. Merrick grunted and she sensed him lifting the whip again.
Dante moved between them, blocking her body with his. “That’s enough,” he said in a calm voice. “You’re going to kill her.”
“He’s right,” Leon said. “She’s just a little girl.”
“Put her back in the cage!” Merrick snarled.
Viktor dragged her over to the cage and threw her inside. She landed on her back and hit her head. Pain shot up her spine. She rolled on her side in the straw, her shoulders burning and her breath hitching in her chest. Viktor closed the door and slammed the padlock shut.
Merrick hurled the whip down the aisle and paced the floor, his fists clenched. Then he bared his teeth and kicked the cage, denting it.
“I’ll leave you in there for as long as it takes,” he said. He pointed at Leon. “Old Leon here can bring you food for weeks. Got it?”
She nodded and gasped for air.
“Now you see who’s in charge here?”
She nodded again.
“You’ve got a lot to learn, little girl,” Merrick said. “And if you think we’re something to be afraid of, try escaping and see who you run into. There are men out there just waiting to examine someone like you. More than one freak has been cut up and had their brains and body parts pickled and put on display.” He paced the floor again, then stopped and addressed Leon, who had gone back to pulling apart another bale of hay. “Hey, Leon. What do you think the good people of this fine town would do if they saw this young lady wandering around their neighborhood?”
Leon busied himself putting hay into a stall and avoiding Merrick’s eyes. “I can’t say for sure.”
“Of course you can,” Merrick said. He smiled a mean, snake-like smile. “Come on, tell Miss Lilly the truth, for her own good.”
Leon stopped working and eyed Lilly, a sad look on his face. “I suppose the folks in town might be frightened of her. Probably make fun of her too.”
“That’s right,” Merrick said. “Or some damn fool might try to kill her just ’cause she looks different than they do. Ain’t that right, Leon?”
Leon shrugged.
“Come on, old man. Tell Lilly what happened to your daughter.”
Leon’s shoulders dropped and he gripped the top of a stall door with one hand. He stared at his feet for a long time, then made his way over to Merrick. “He’s right, Miss Lilly,” he said. “It ain’t safe out there for people like you.” His saggy eyes brimmed with tears.
“Tell her why,” Merrick insisted.
“’Cause people are afraid of what they don’t understand. My daughter and me, we worked for Merrick and Mr. Barlow for three years. She was the most beautiful bearded woman you ever saw. Her eyes were blue as the sea, her blond hair soft as silk. But she made the mistake of falling in love with a townie and thinking she could live a normal life. I warned her against it and, well, it didn’t work out so good. The other townies weren’t never going to allow a freak to marry one of their own.”
“Finish the story,” Merrick said.