THE DEAD CIRCUS

† flashback.

❝ WHY DO YOU WEAR SO MUCH MAKEUP? ❞

FLASHBACK;;

─【 † 】It had been six days since Dread was released from the hospital. He could hardly remember anything but that didn't stop him from having nightmares. One night he woke up in his apartment, staring at the ceiling. He had a nightmare that left him feeling violated and disgusting. A nightmare that made him sick to his stomach.

In his nightmare, Dread was a boy. A boy sitting on a table in a place with dim lighting and a musty smell. And in his nightmare there was a man. Dread couldn't see the man at all, though. But he could feel him and he could hear him. He could feel the mans hand moving up his thigh before his fingers touched things they shouldn't. And then he felt the mans hot, disgusting breath against his ear as he whispered, "You're such a pretty boy." Dread didn't really remember what happened after that in the dream but he remembers the pain and the crying and begging and screaming.

Even after he woke up... that phrase played over and over again inside of his head. You're such a pretty boy. Dread looked around and took a deep breath, hugging his knees to his chest. He started to blame himself for what happened. It was his fault. It was all his fault. And he figured that it happened because he was such a "pretty boy" like the man had said. He stood up and went to the bathroom, looking in the mirror. The longer he stared at his face, the more he hated it. The more he wanted to change what he saw. Dread wanted to make himself look so creepy and ugly that no one would come near him. He didn't want anyone to touch him like that man from his nightmares did. He wanted to do everything in his power to keep people from calling him pretty.

Soon after that he bought some makeup and he made himself look like a scary looking circus clown. Dread wears this makeup at all times, unless he's alone or with Gore whose the only circus member to see him without it. He's somewhat self conscious of how he looks and uses the makeup to hide how he really looks.

❝ BECAUSE IT MAKES ME LOOK UGLY. ❞