The fog is thick and dense, obscuring my view of the ground beneath my feet and when I’ve made my way through the maze of trailers, I slow my pace, aware that I'm nearing TheHollow's trailer. Deep male voices drift from that direction, and I stop, pressing myself against a trailer. Carefully, I peek around the corner and see all three of them—Hell, Soul, and Wrath—talking, with Soul perched on his bike.
My mind races, trying to plan a way around them, when suddenly Hell spins around. I jerk my head back into the shadows, flattening myself against the trailer while my heart hammers in my chest. How the fuck did he spot me?
The murmurs of Soul’s voice continues, but Hell's sharp instincts keep my nerves on edge. I risk another small peek, instantly seeing his glowing eyes sweep over the area, not quite looking at me but close enough to send a tremble through me.
The silence that follows becomes deafening until I hear Soul speak louder. “What can you sense, Hell?”
Hell's eyes continue to search, his posture is taut, coiled like a predator, ready to pounce at any moment.
After some time, he finally responds. “Nothing.”
I notice Soul shifts, standing off the bike, his own senses now heightened by Hell’s. His eyes dart around, analyzing every shadow and flicker of light. “You sure?”
Before Hell can answer, in the distance, a faint noise—a metallic clang—echoes through the night, drawing all their attention away from me. It’s a small distraction, but it’s enough and I take advantage of the moment, inching my way along the side of the trailer. After striding over the paths between the trailers, taking another route, I finally find myself at the edge of the carnival grounds.
The mist thins and I pause, catching my breath. The silence is heavy except for the hum of the Ferris wheel and the occasional creak of the rollercoaster. The carnival, once a place of joy and screams, now feels like a haunted wasteland.
As I walk in deeper, I slowly pass a large, eerie carousel, creaking and groaning, but it isn't the cheerful ride of childhood memories; instead of the cute creatures that you would usually sit on, it has skeletal horses. Their empty eye sockets and gaping mouths give the impression that they are trapped in eternal torment, forever galloping on their circular path.
I continue, passing by the rollercoaster, its tracks rusted and twisted, and the Ferris wheel, its cabins swaying gently in the cold breeze, empty and abandoned. I notice a huge sign that reads: The Glass Maze, but I pass it, heading toward the death rooms behind the wheel, feeling my sudden fear teetering on the edge.
My mind becomes hazy, screaming at me from the inside to turn back, to return to the safety of my trailer, but I don’t. I push forward, wanting to find out about The Death Room’s most of all. I have a feeling that I am being kept in the dark about this place on purpose. People are not telling me what Dark Night is, avoiding my questions, so, tonight I plan to get some answers.
Once behind the wheel, I find myself confronted by a tall metal fence that is locked by a heavy chain. The bars are cold under my fingertips as I peer through them, scanning the area behind it. The fog is thicker here, the air almost suffocating, but in the distance, partially covered by the trees at the forest’s edge, I notice a huge, black building. It stands with blacked out windows that have bars across them.
The building gives an aura of warning and the trees surrounding it seem to lean in, like they’re trying to shield it or perhaps to scare off intruders. The forest itself is deadly silent,the usual night sounds of crickets are missing, as if even nature is too afraid to stir in this place.
Suddenly, a figure catches my eye from behind the fence, near the building, and my stomach drops, the hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention. I squint, pressing my face closer to the cold metal bars, straining to see more clearly in the dim light.
Then I see it's her. Her outline is faint, hidden by darkness, but unmistakable.Arabella.Her dark hair shines against the moonlight, and she moves slowly, almost cautiously, as if she knows she’s being watched, but her eyes are fixed on something ahead of her. Not me.
She seems oblivious to my presence, and something awful settles in my gut. My breathing picks up, tightening my chest until she suddenly darts into the building. Not thinking clearly, I leap up, grasping the top of the fence, and climb it as quickly as I can, the metal clinking loudly with each movement. I drop down the other side before sprinting toward the building.
As I make it to the entrance, I pause, my breath ragged, my hand gripping the cold door handle. I glance back, half-expecting to see someone there, but the area is deserted. Taking a final deep breath, I pull the door open and step inside, the heavy door creaking behind me.
Inside, the air is musty, the heavy scent of decay lingering, so potent that I have to cover my nose with my sleeve to stop myself from hurling. Shadows loom on the black walls, twisting and turning with each flicker of the dim overhead red lights. Thick, silver chains hang low, clinking as I walk through, attempting to push them out of my way. My footsteps echo softly as I movedeeper into the building, my eyes scanning every corner for any sign of Arabella.
Once I am through the corridor of chains, I hear a gentle rustling ahead and I freeze, my pulse racing. Arabella's silhouette appears at the far end of the long hallway, her back to me. She stands still for a moment, then slowly turns her head, her empty eyes meeting mine. A chill runs down my spine, but I force myself to move forward, wanting to reach her.
“Arabella? What are you doing here? Are you okay?” I murmur through a shuddering breath.
As I get closer, her expression shifts—a flicker of something haunting—and she opens her mouth into a wide gape, like a huge black hole, before letting out a high-pitched scream that pierces through me.
The sound is unlike anything I've ever heard, a blood curdling wail that reverberates through the building, echoing off the walls. I instantly slap my hands over my ears, the pain in them unbearable, as I drop to my knees. The scream continues, a relentless assault on my senses, making my vision blur and my head throb. The red lights start to flicker, and Arabella's face is twisted in a distorted mask of agony and rage, her eyes wide, and locked onto mine.
I struggle to stay upright, the pressure in my head building. My heart hammers furiously in my chest, but through the daze of pain, I try to crawl toward her, to tame her, my movements sluggish.
Just as I think I can't endure another moment; the scream abruptly stops and silence crashes down around me, so sudden its disorienting. I remain on my knees, panting, my hands still pressed to my ears.
Slowly, I lower them, blinking rapidly, but I instantly notice through my blurred vision that Arabella is gone. The hallway stretches out in front of me, empty, the chains swaying behind me, and I push myself to my feet, trembling while I stagger ahead, still determined to find her. I can’t lose her again.
My legs feel heavy with exhaustion, and I have to lean against the cool walls for support. Tears stream down my cheeks as I fight to maintain my balance, but when I turn a corner, I catch sight of her once more, standing beside a door on her right.
Her crystal blue eyes bore into mine, emotionless. I take a shaky step forward, but before I can get close enough, she darts through the door, slamming it shut with a loud thud. I sprint ahead and push open the door, my mind full of desperation, but as soon I cross the threshold, I suddenly feel myself tilting forward over an edge, hardly noticing the gaping chasm below.
Terror grips me as I feel myself falling, but a strong hand swiftly seizes the back of my hoodie, keeping me suspended over the abyss. My breath is caught in my throat as I hang over the hollow floor, my wide eyes scanning the deadly spikes below while my Converse grip on the edge of the bottom of the door tightly.
The realization of how close I was to meeting my death by a trap hits me until I am yanked back to safety. I stumble backward as they release me, and I fall up against a wall.
