CHAPTER 5: The stranger

She didn't listen to Jio's advice not to search deeper into the maze. Maybe Jio had lied to her about there being no way out. After all, she had fallen through a hole that brought her to this place. Maybe there was a similar hole somewhere that could take her back. Jio clearly didn't want Madalen to leave, so why wouldn't he lie about there being no escape? Perhaps that's why he kept her from searching the maze, so she wouldn't discover the exit.

She began to move deeper into the maze quietly, afraid that Jio's dog would notice her. So far, it hadn't—not yet, at least. As she moved forward, she realized she needed to leave marks to find her way back if necessary. But what could she use? She thought for a while and then had an idea. It might not be the best, but she couldn't think of anything else. She took her keys out of her jeans pocket, sharpened the edge of one key against the wall, and then cut her palm with it. A red line appeared, and small spots of blood began to drip. She marked the wall with her blood on the white tile. At every corner she turned, she marked the wall or floor with her blood, just enough to leave a touch of red.

As she progressed, the maze grew denser, with massive corridors branching out in all directions. She wasn't worried, though, because she knew how to turn back if needed, although she had no intention of doing so. Suddenly, a strong smell wafted through her nostrils, making her gasp. It smelled like rotting flesh.

When she turned another corner, the smell disappeared, and she suddenly saw a white rabbit with red eyes looking at her, twitching its whiskers. Madalen was taken aback and approached it, but it didn't wait for her. It hopped away, running down the corridor and turning left at a fork. She followed it.

 At the fork, she saw the rabbit waiting for her again. It looked at her with its blood-red eyes and continued heading deeper into the corridors. Madalen, in her rush to catch up, didn't have time to mark the rest of the corners.

Chasing the rabbit reminded her of the fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland." Maybe if she followed it, she would find the hole she was looking for to escape this awful place. After all, just like Alice, she had found herself in the circus through a hole. Her T-shirt, which read "We are all MAD here," made all this even more ironic.

The rabbit continued to run, occasionally turning its head to see if she was following. As she ran to catch up, the maze gradually grew darker. There were no lights; the walls emitted a light that brightly illuminated the corridor. But little by little, the light began to fade. She felt that she would soon reach total darkness. She paused, wondering if she should continue. Hesitantly, she stood as the rabbit disappeared down the dark corridor. She was about to leave when she heard something... or thought she did. Uncertainly, she turned and looked. She took a step forward in complete silence and finally heard it: a metallic noise…

The rabbit appeared to be coming toward her. It stopped and stood looking at her.

"How much longer are you going to play with me?" she asked, waiting for it to answer her. By now, nothing would seem strange to her. The rabbit simply shook its whiskers and disappeared back into the darkness. Taking a deep breath, fear overwhelming her, she stepped deeper into the darkness. She rested her hand on the wall as she walked so she could orient herself. In the darkness, she came to a crossroads. Where to go now? 

Looking straight ahead, she couldn't see anything; complete darkness prevailed. Right and left were the same. Then she heard the metallic noise again. It was coming from the left side. She followed the corridor with bated breath. She came to a dead end, but something stood out in the wall—a metal door. She could barely see it in the dim light.

It sounded like someone was tapping it from the inside, but not with their hand; it sounded like something else was making the sound. It was as if metal was touching metal. She hesitantly stepped forward. There were two small windows in the door, one above and one below, like those in maximum security prisons. In a split second, she saw the rabbit enter through the lower window into the door. The little window made a small metallic click as it closed.

Should I open it? Shouldn't I open it?

Suddenly the knocking stopped, as if the one behind the door realized that Madalen was standing in front of it. She reluctantly reached out and slowly opened the upper window.

Everything inside showed an abysmal darkness.

"I see you!" came a faint male voice through the window. Madalen was startled and jumped back. She looked at the window from a distance.

"Don't be afraid," came the voice again.

Easy for you to say, she thought.

"Who are you?" the man asked politely.

"Madalen… Who are you?"

"Hmm… Apparently, Jio didn't send you."

"No. I was following a rabbit, and it led me to the door." She felt she sounded crazy.

"Ah! Is this cute friend yours?"

"He's not mine; I just followed him."

"It'll probably be Purple's."

The stranger seemed to know the whole group of madmen well.

"Are you a member of the circus too?"

The voice laughed faintly.

"You could say I was."

"You were?"

"Do you want to open the door so we can talk?"

Madalen paled.

"And why don't you open it?"

"I can't," he answered somewhat sadly.

"Why?"

"I'm bound."

Madalen thought about it for a moment.

"If you don't want to, I won't insist, but I would be happy if you would come and hang out with me every now and then," said the voice before Madalen made up her mind.

"Why are you bound?" she finally asked.

"Ask Jio! He tied me up and locked me in here!" His voice betrayed anger.

"And since the door is locked, how do I get in?"

The man laughed.

"It's not exactly locked; I just can't open it… Anyone else can."

"Why did he lock you up?"

"Because I disobeyed his rules."

"Yeah, I know what that's like," she admitted.

"Jio has a ruthless way of keeping people away."

"I can see what you mean…" she agreed. She had no idea why she was talking and agreeing with this stranger.

"I get the feeling you don't like him very much," remarked the man.

"And that's an understatement! After what he did, how could I?"

"What did he do?"

"He kills people for fun! He's a psycho!"

Madalen couldn't find the words to describe him. All possible words ran through her mind: crazy, paranoid, lunatic, but none seemed to fit.

"Looks like I found an ally," he said, clearly excited.

Madalen hesitantly reached out and slowly opened the door. Inside was a room. It was quite dark, but she could make out the corners and the chains hanging from the ceiling and walls, ending in a half-naked body with long, straight black hair. The stranger's eyes glittered in the darkness. He was squatting down, holding the white rabbit in his lap, stroking it.

"What rule did you break for Jio to lock you in here?" she asked hesitantly.

"He just hates me because I go against everything he does. And he doesn't like that at all."

"If I free you, can you get me out of here?"

"What do you mean?"

His hawkish black eyes locked on hers.

"I came accidentally to this awful place. I just want to go back home."

The stranger's eyes searched her up and down.

"I see." He paused. "Maybe I can help you. However, it will not be easy."

"I don't care how hard it will be. I just want to go home..." she said, glaring at him to show how determined she was.

"Very well, free me, and we will be allies. I will help you. What do you think?"

He stretched out his hands and gave her the rabbit.

"I don't know if I should trust you," she said, taking the rabbit into her arms.

"It is wise to say this in the place where you are. But I assure you I am not like Jio. In fact, we are complete opposites."

"Fine, let's say I free you, what's the plan next?"

"Leave that to me, young lady!"

Madalen thought about it for a moment.

"How can I get you out of here?"

"Bring me Purple's chainsaw. It can cut through anything, even my chains."

"Okay. I'll be back," she said and went to leave.

"I can't wait to see you again, Madalen!" the man said as the door closed behind her.

 She walked the chaotic corridors thoughtfully. The marks she had left on the tiles were fortunately still there. It didn't take her long to find them.

Reaching the corridor with the rooms, she met Purple, quite by accident. He was a little surprised to see her.

"What are you doing cuddling my rabbit?"

"I caught him because he was running in the corridors." She made the move to hand it to him.

"Yes, he has a habit of running through the maze." He took him in his arms and stroked him. "But how did you get out?"

Madalen froze for a moment.

"I didn't go too deep and I remembered where I turned."

"I see... But you should know that sometimes the corridor changes."

"What do you mean?"

"Actually, the maze is not that big, it just changes position every time. But this does not apply to the corridor with the rooms."

"How is that possible?"

"I do not know. Jio knows. He is the only one who can cross the labyrinth without getting lost."

Strange.

"Thank you for finding my rabbit. I'll need him for my new trick."

Madalen paled.

"I hope you don't…kill it," she said.

Purple laughed and left without answering. She did not want to worry about the fate of the unfortunate rabbit. But since Purple had used it in his tricks for so long, she figured it wasn't in his plans to kill it. At least not soon...

As Purple left and Madalen was thinking about how to get his chainsaw, she heard an irritated voice.

"Where were you?"

Madalen stepped back defensively, looking behind her.

"Jio! You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Not the first time, not the last," he scoffed. "Where were you?" he asked again in the same tone.

"Why? Were you worried about me leaving this awful place?"

"No, I'm not worried, I was just looking for you."

"Why?"

"We are preparing a show, and I would like you to do us the honor of participating in our rehearsals."

"What? No!"

She had turned pale as cloth.

"You don't have a choice," he smiled crookedly.

"I'm not going to come to any show, no rehearsal after the last one... I can't stand it."

"For your own sake, you will have to bear it."

"And why?"

"You are all questions and questions," he commented without giving an explanation.

"And you're having all the fun."

"Yes," he grinned defiantly. "If you tell me where you were, you might even skip the rehearsal."

So there he goes…

"You are threatening me?"

"No, I'm giving you a choice. And it's good to take it when I give it to you."

"I was in the maze."

His eyes narrowed.

"What were you doing in the maze?"

His voice trembled, and he seemed to grow angrier.

Madalen was embarrassed to see him like this. She was afraid to answer.

"I was chasing a rabbit." Her voice cracked.

"How stupid do you think I am?"

"For as stupid as you take me for too, but I was indeed chasing a rabbit. Ask Purple!" she steadied her voice forcefully.

"And how did you get out?"

"I didn't go very far."

"How far did you go?"

"What do you mean?"

"How far did you go through the maze?"

"I don't know, all corridors are the same, aren't they?"

"Yes and no."

"Why are you acting like this? What worries you?" she raised her voice.

"Are you telling me you didn't go far?"

"Yes, after all, as you said, it's chaotic, I wouldn't find my way back."

Jio looked relieved at her answer.

"You will not enter the labyrinth beyond the rooms again! It's the last warning! Am I understood?"

"And if I don't listen to you, what will you do? Will you kill me?"

His eyes clouded over, and he clenched his hand into a fist as if trying to control himself.

"No," he finally said, "I have other ways to keep you away."

"Yes, of course you have," she quipped with a hint of innuendo.

Jio didn't answer, he just looked at her with his most murderous look and then left in exasperation.

Madalen waited for a while, until the corridor was so deserted that only her breathing could be heard. She headed to Purple's room, hoping to find the chainsaw, but it was more likely that he had taken it with him to rehearsals. She opened the purple door and entered the room after making sure no one was inside. It was bright, simple, and austere. The sofa, wardrobes, and even the bed were in purple shades. Across the room in a corner, she saw an old, faded trunk. She ran to open it, but it was locked. Then she opened the wardrobes; the clothes were almost all solid colors—the chainsaw was nowhere.

"What are you doing here?" came a voice behind her. A mirror hung next to her on the wall, so she didn't have to look behind her to see who it was. Purple was standing in the doorway, holding a simple saw in one hand and the rabbit in the other.

She had to think of something fast.

"Sorry, I was just looking around the rooms," she said awkwardly.

"Haven't you been taught not to enter someone else's personal space without asking?"

"Speaking of which, I came here without anyone asking me, so I thought there would be no problem," she answered, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Don't be cynical with me," he said and came at her menacingly with the saw. "So what were you looking for?" He came so close to her that she stuck to the wall.

"Nothing. I was just bored and looking at the rooms."

"Nice excuse, but I don't believe you."

"I know it sounds dumb. But I didn't want to come to the rehearsal, and everywhere I go, I feel exposed. So I decided to take a walk around the rooms."

Purple raised his saw and brought it to her neck, cutting her slightly. A red line appeared on her white neck. A red drop rolled onto the saw. Purple licked the saw where the blood had fallen, looking intently at the horrified Madalen.

"Purple!" a voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Yes?"

"Come on, Jio is looking for you."

It was Red.

"I'm coming now." Madalen was out of breath. "I'll let it go this time, but if you come into my room without permission again, then you can be sure my saw will go through your throat," he chuckled.

Madalen really didn't know if he was joking or not. And what was all that had just happened? She felt that she had another person in front of her. Did everyone suddenly change personalities like that? Perhaps each had a good and kind personality, which at any moment turned murderous. That would be crazy… Or wouldn't it?

The day passed without Madalen being able to find Purple's chainsaw. When everyone went to bed, she stayed up. She could see Jio's room open with the light on. She looked as discreetly as she could into the room. Jio was reading a book. She was frantically thinking about how she was going to get Purple's chainsaw. Maybe if she asked him for it? But what would she say she wanted it for? She walked into Jio's room thinking about what to do.

"What do you want?" he asked without looking at her, continuing to read his book. Then Madalen noticed that he was reading Peter Pan.

"Well, I… I thought about it again. I want to come to rehearsals," she added, "As long as there are no people..."

"Okay," he said simply, continuing to read. Madalen headed to her room to sleep. Maybe tomorrow at the rehearsal she would manage to get the chainsaw.

In the morning, she felt a hand shaking her to wake her up. It was Pink. His sweet face was smiling; he looked like an angel. The clown mask hung to the side of his face, and his curly pink hair fell casually over his forehead.

"Pink?"

She had never heard him speak. Maybe he was deaf- mute or just mute.

"What is it?"

He motioned for her to follow him. She couldn't tell what time it was in the morning, but when she went outside, she felt the morning breeze. It was freezing. She followed him to the circus, where everyone had gathered.

"Rehearsal time, guys!" Jio said and clapped his hands once. Everyone was impeccably dressed, as always. Jio was wearing a white jacket and checkerboard pants this time. When he saw Madalen, he smiled. It was a strange smile; he was not hiding anything behind it.

"I see you're awake."

"Yeah, Pink took care of that."

"Nice, nice!" He seemed to be in high spirits; certainly, his mood was changing quickly. "So guys, let's get started."

An incredible sight unfolded before her eyes. It had nothing to do with the bloody show they had given the first time. They performed acrobatics with dangerous poses and tricks as strange background music played on stage. The twins performed strange and dangerous stunts above her head on a rope or on swings that hung high above the stage. Choreographies and plays brought life to the stage. Madalen, for the first time, saw another side of the circus—one more enchanting, not so terrifying.

"So you're doing regular shows as well," she commented, looking at Jio who was coming toward her.

"It's our talent."

"Why don't you do it more often?"

"As I told you at the beginning, it depends of our moods."

"So you're in the mood to kill or put on a normal show?"

"Yes," he replied matter-of-factly. Madalen did not ask further.

At the end of the rehearsal, everyone left, but Madalen stayed behind, looking at the stage, thinking about the spectacle and what she would do with the chainsaw. She went backstage, hoping that Purple might have left it somewhere. And yet, fortune smiled on her. The chainsaw was on a bench. She took it and, as quickly and quietly as she could, ran to the box of madness. All the doors were closed, except for Jio's. How could she go without him seeing her? Finally, she went to her room, hid the chainsaw under the bed, and waited for Jio to leave or close his door.

"Where the hell is my chainsaw?" she heard a voice from the hallway.

"I do not know. Don't look at me; I didn't see it," Green was heard saying. Jio came out of his room.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I lost my chainsaw!"

"Come on, calm down, it'll be behind the scenes," Jio reassured him.

"It is not! I looked."

"Don't act like that, we'll find it."

Why did he care so much about a saw? But why did she wonder? Weren't they all crazy? There wasn't much logic in this place anyway.

"Wait a minute!" came Jio's voice as if he had thought of something. Madalen heard his footsteps heading for her room. Panicked, she sat on the bed and pretended to read a book. Then she heard him standing at the door. She turned and looked at him.

"I don't suppose you're involved?" he asked her.

"Involved with what?" she asked indifferently.

"With the saw."

"What saw?"

"Purple's."

"Are you crazy? What would I do with it?"

Jio looked at her suspiciously. She didn't know why, but Madalen felt like he could read her like an open book.

"Very well..." he said at the end and turned to leave.

"And why on earth does he care so much about a saw?" Madalen wondered aloud.

Jio turned to answer. "Because we all have some personal items that we're attached to."

Yes… a saw, she thought, but said nothing.

After everyone left looking for the chainsaw, she pulled it out of its hiding place and headed for her mysterious ally's cell. But the maze had changed, and her signs were gone.

"Where's the rabbit when you need him?" she murmured.

For a while, she wandered the corridors, again leaving trails of blood behind her, until she saw a dark spot glimmer in front of her. She went forward but saw that there was no longer a crossroads, but a straight line. At the end of the corridor was the metal door! She couldn't believe how lucky she was. The door had changed position along with the maze, as if someone wanted her to find it.

She opened it.

"You're back!" came the man's voice strongly, betraying excitement.

"Yes."

"And you brought the chainsaw too!" he noticed.

Madalen gave it to him willingly, and he started cutting the chains like a maniac. For a moment, she believed that once he cut them, he would turn and cut her in two. After freeing himself from his bonds, he put down the chainsaw and rush at Madalen. She was taken aback and didn't budge. But finally, the stranger hugged her tightly.

"Thank you!"

"Nothing," she said, not knowing what to say or how to react. "I better leave now. You can come out later so no one sees us together," she told him and turned to leave.

"Yes, young lady, yes! Go and don't worry, you did the right thing!"

The stranger smiled at her with a very bright smile. Under other circumstances, she would have found it charming, but she didn't pay that much attention.

She easily found the exit and the rooms thanks to the blood marks she had left. But a thought made her turn back. She had forgotten Purple's chainsaw in the cell. She started to go back again when she heard a voice stop her.

"You lied to me!"

It was Jio, coming furiously from his room towards her.

"Jio? What… What do you mean?" she stammered.

"For the maze!"

She wanted to make an excuse, but she couldn't escape him anymore; he had seen her coming from there.

"While you have told me the whole truth?" she finally said, challenging his words.

"I may be hiding things from you, but I'm being honest!"

"I highly doubt it!" she was getting on her nerves. What? Was he playing nice and honest with her? Who, Jio? Where they killed and locked people in cells?

"I saw the marks you made! You will not go near this cell again, or I will lock you in too! Did you hear me?"

His nerves had taken another turn; she had never seen him like this before.

"What is it that scares you? That I will free someone you fear?" she smiled vigorously.

" You didn't dare!" His eyes widened.

"And if I say yes, what will happen?"

She felt like she had him in her hands. Nothing gave her more pleasure, even if the plan went awry. Jio approached her and raised his hand to hit her, but another hand stopped him abruptly by grabbing his wrist.

"Jio… Since when do you treat women so violently?"

Jio's eyes narrowed. He turns his head to see who was talking to him and had stopped his movement. His eyes flashed with surprise and rage as soon as he saw the face standing behind him.

"What's wrong? Have you forgotten my face after all these years of imprisoning me?" the man asked and released his hand.

"Joe…" Jio mumbled.

"Same and unchanging!" he grinned. "Aren't you glad to see me?"

The tall man was smiling happily.

"Should I be glad to see that you have succeeded in your cunning once more in escaping to destroy me? No, I don't think I'm happy."

"Oh, don't be afraid, you can keep your little circus folk, I don't care. I care about something else."

"Yeah, I know… The circus."

"Of course! I've always been interested in that and I'll always be interested in that."

"I'll never give it to you!"

Was all this hate and ranting about the circus? But why? What was the point? thought Madalen, who was not missing a word of what they were saying.

"Then, since you won't give me the circus, I'll get something else from you!" His eyes looked at him wickedly and cruelly. Then he looked at Madalen. "Miss, would you like to come with me, please?"

"You wouldn't dare! Madalen will stay here!"

"That's not your decision," Joe said, looking at Madalen again. He walked over to her and offered her his arm. Madalen then noticed a huge, deep scar on his neck. She hadn't noticed it before because the room was dark and she hadn't seen Joe that close.

"So, miss? The decision is yours. As you can see, I am not possessive like my brother!"

His hawkish black eyes fixed on her intensely.

"What?" Madalen was startled. "Are you brothers?"

"Don't you see the resemblance? Don't look at me because I'm older. Actually, we are the same, but we don't look alike on the outside, nor are our inner worlds the same," he smiled strangely. "Or it might be."

What he was saying made no sense.

"But how is that possible?" she was even more confused. Did he mean half-brothers?

"Such as can this circus of insanity exist, miss," he replied matter-of-factly.

"Madalen, don't go with him!" Jio begged her.

"Why didn't you tell me he was your brother in the first place?" she asked Joe.

"Because you didn't ask me. And unlike my brother, as you can see, I don't hide it. But he didn't tell you about me, not even that I exist. He obviously didn't want to show you how hard he is on his family."

Madalen glared at Jio.

"I'm not impressed; he's already shown me what a monster he is," she said angrily.

She turned her back to Jio and grabbed Joe's arm ostentatiously.

"Let's go," she said.

"No, Madalen! You do not understand! It's a big mistake to go with him!" Jio called after them. Joe, as he walked, turned and looked at Jio, showing a dark smile full of meaning.

"My mistake in the first place was listening to you," Madalen replied without turning to look at him.