4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“You see, my King? Humans always act sophisticated, but whenever put to the test, they will not only let those around them suffer, but laugh in the face of the dying. Many of them are ignorant enough to believe they’re immune to the pains of this world. There are a precious few who truly stand up to injustice. It is those souls we are after. Finding them is a challenge, but well worth it. Those are the souls I offer to you, my King. The kind you would not find within the red gates.” Closing my eyes, I let out a soft sigh and casually leaned against the wall of the dark room. One of the things I enjoyed about Hell was the closeness I got with human souls.

“Which one do you think will be the best of this batch?” The Devil asked.

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I recalled the little kitten, shaking off her fear. “I’ve always been a cat person…” We’d followed the last group of humans into the attraction and got a delightful view of her pathetic attempt to escape. One little run-in with Claunid, a once proud chaos demon now disguised as a clown, and she lost all the nerve she’d gathered at the ticket booth just a short time ago.

“Something tells me she’s going to produce the most exquisite flavor. Humans drawn to this attraction have an earthy quality.”

“What’s going on? Where’s the door?” someone asked. A tall guy wearing a letterman jacket ran his hands over the blank wall as though that would make a door appear. “It has to be here somewhere. There has to be something.” My heart clenched as a man wearing a hot dog costume shoved Letterman Jacket away and ran his palms up the wall.

Even at the back of the group, I could see the wall was completely smooth. There were no cracks to feel. No handle outlined.

Steady. I needed to remain calm. A barking laugh escaped me, drawing the attention of a cheerleader on the arm of Letterman Jacket. Her look of annoyance pissed me off. I was allowed to make some fucking noise in a crisis situation. I flipped her off, watching with satisfaction when she rolled her eyes and turned back to the wall in front of them.

“Let’s go back. Maybe we went the wrong way somehow.” Letterman Jacket was a real thinker. Except there had been no choices. Just a long, winding hallway leading to a blank wall and a solid dead end.

He turned back anyway, pushing his way through the crowd and shoving me so hard I caught a whiff of stale leather

When he was two steps past me, there was an audible click and the sound of a spring being released. A white panel shot out of the wall, gliding across the hallway almost too quick for my eyes to see. It locked into place on the other side with a click turning our section of the hallway into a cramped room. There were a few nervous coughs from the people behind me as they settled into the new smaller space, but my eyes were locked on Letterman Jacket. He stood still as stone. Like he was frozen mid step.

I stared, ice pounding through my veins as I studied his immobile form.

No, he was fine. It was a trick of the haunted house. Another one of this carnival’s amazing effects. He probably was just stunned, trying to decide whether he was injured. My arms were heavy and numb, but I was the closest. Somehow, I reached out a trembling hand to touch his shoulder.

“Hey, you okay, buddy?” It was the slightest amount of pressure, the lightest touch, but he crumbled. The half of his body on our side of the panel slid down with a sickeningly wet sound to fall on its side and reveal a perfect cross section of guts and brains quickly obscured by pooling blood.

Someone screamed.

It might have been me.

A warm body collided into my back, and someone was definitely screaming now, a fucking lot of someones. I took a step and slipped on the blood, falling backwards. A combat boot came down on my arm, and I cried out, struggling to rise only to get a knee to the face. Clutching my throbbing nose, I threw myself backward onto Letterman Jacket’s still-warm body and found the space I needed to get my feet under me.

Clutching my arm to my chest, I tried to wiggle my fingers and found I could do so. Not broken then. Turning my attention to my surroundings, a sea of panicked faces greeted me. A motor somewhere over our heads whirred to life, and I watched in horror as the ceiling began to slowly lower. The cheerleader shrieked. I couldn’t help but feel bad for her.

“It’s gonna be okay. It’s a trick, somehow.” Because it had to be. None of this could be real. I assured myself, working to find a confidence I didn’t feel. I didn’t have time for her, but I couldn’t help feeling bad seeing the genuine heartbreak twisting her face. Not bothering to scramble against the smooth wall where a door should be, I used the deadly panel at my back to make my way over to the side.

There had to be something. Anything. The ceiling lowered enough that the hot dog guy had to crouch in his massive costume, his bun nearly folded in half like a squashed hot dog a kid accidentally sat on. My breaths came in quick angry bursts as I struggled to feel along the wall and keep myself away from the others lest I fall and be trampled again.

There had to be something.

Anything.

More people crouched as the wall lowered. I kicked off my stilettos, embracing my natural stature.

Thank fuck I was short. It wasn’t always my favorite thing, but just then, I praised whatever higher power had set my height at five foot three.

A groove met my questing fingers, and I paused, peering more closely to find a switch set into the wall. It was nearly flush with the plaster making it impossible to see. With nothing to lose, I pressed it.

With a click, the ceiling stopped its descent and the wall where a door should be slid upward, revealing nothing but darkness beyond. A celebratory chime rang out as if we’d been playing a game and not almost being crushed by the ceiling. People began to file through the exit and relief poured over me like a bucket of cold water, leaving me exhausted. I slouched against the wall. The crowd of party goers continued to push their way through, heedless of the potential danger despite the horrific death of one of their own. Some animal instinct drove them into the pitch darkness—a preference for the unknown over the sure danger of the room with its crushing ceiling and death panel.

Letterman Jacket’s body still quivered, his severed nerves struggling to adjust to their death. A sight which couldn’t be faked.

This place was not here to thrill and delight us.

It was here to kill us.

Reaching down to find my discarded stilettos on the floor, I held them in my palms with the points facing out. Peering around me carefully, I took a cautious step towards the open wall. When the cheerleader didn’t move from the vigil she’d taken up beside Letterman Jacket’s body, I doubled back, placed both shoes in one hand, and wrapped my arm through hers. “Get up. He wouldn’t want you staying here, right?”

Only after I yanked her to her feet did she shove me off. “Don’t touch me!” Sniffling, she stalked towards the door with me on her heels. She might be a bitch, but my conscience was clear. Once through, we parted ways.

“You killed one?” I didn’t like the puckering on The Devil’s brow. It bespoke of his wrath—the very thing I’d worked so hard to avoid. I had to play this just right.

“Yes, my King. An inferior being and not suitable for your refined palette. One such as him is easily found in any human city, and would be the first at your gates upon his death.” Obsidian eyes shot to mine, and I gulped, fear taking my breath as the anger swirled in their depths.

“You dare presume to tell me what will suit my palette,” he growled as only he could, a sound that shook my bones and made the room around us tremble. I knew those out in the carnival proper would feel it. The power of his anger was primal and a part of every being. It rippled through us like an earthquake.

Heat radiated off his body as one cloven hoof stepped forward, leaving less than an inch between us. Not just heat, but a searing one. My skin started to bubble as it came close to the furnace of his body. Licking my lips, I fought to keep the pain from my voice.

“Please, my King, the kitten. She will be worth all this trouble. There will be some deaths in the process, but I promise, she—I will please you. I swear it on the crimson gates of Galek themselves.”

The Devil reached out to run a black claw across my cheek. The sting of it cutting through the delicate flesh was greater than it should be. His venom took the sensation higher, stinging me even as it cut, but the mention of Galek the destroyer, who’d reinforced the red gates with the bones of Hell’s rebels, calmed him.

“She’d better be.”

The new room was a tiny box barely large enough to accommodate our group. Like the hallway, the room was entirely white, from the ceiling to the floor. My stomach turned, the surrounding white making it hard to tell which way was up. There was no door that I could see. Every inch of the space was illuminated by bright fluorescents overhead. The moment I crossed the threshold, the panel slid shut behind me.

There was no way out.

Fuck. Another dead end?

A petite blonde wearing an angel costume started to cry, sending her tight ringlets bouncing, and my heart clenched. She looked so lost and alone.

“Hey, don’t worry. We’ll get out of here,” I promised. A tear-stained face with wide blue eyes and rosebud lips looked up at me with hope.

“You think so? That boy, he—” With a shudder, the angel wrapped her arms around herself, shrinking inward.

“Yeah, he died, but we’re still kicking. Am I right?” Okay, maybe she didn’t need my unfounded enthusiasm right now. Wiping the grin off my face, I awkwardly patted her on the shoulder. So soft, this woman looked like she bathed in buttermilk every night. What had convinced her to come to a carnival such as this? She sniffled pitifully, hugging herself tighter.

“How come you came to The Devil’s Carnival? Nothing good on TV?”

Her brows tilted as she pondered a response. “Honestly, my sister would have wanted to. Our parents were really strict, and she loved to irritate them. After she died, they doubled down on me. I always listen to them, but since I moved in with a couple of roommates, I thought I should start experiencing more, you know? Cutting loose. Then I received that invitation, and it was like it spoke directly to me, talking about leaving the past behind and becoming someone new.” The girl hunched forward and sniffled.

A chill crept up my spine. I was absolutely certain my invitation had said something entirely different from hers, and if it had, what would it mean?

“Anyway, I guess I thought this would be a fun way to remember my sister and try to find myself.” Her voice cracked, tears brimming in her eyes.

Her story tugged at my heartstrings. The tiny angel reminded me of my cousin, Samantha, and the way my aunt and uncle had planned out every moment of her life until she decided to run away and never look back. For all we knew, she was dead on the side of the road somewhere. If only I’d listened to her when she’d said she couldn’t take it.

“I’m Mallory, by the way.” The angel’s soft voice brought my attention back to her bright blue eyes. She held up a hand and gave me a wave that sent the charms on her bracelet tinkling. She huffed out a breath, hugging herself tightly. Something about Mallory made me feel instantly protective of her, like by taking care of her, I could somehow make up for the way I’d failed Sam.

“Well, Mallory, nice to meet you. I’m Lisa.”

“‘ Nice to meet you? ’ Are those really the words you’re choosing right now?” Her face pinched .

I laughed humorlessly. She was right, there was nothing “nice” about this place. “Perhaps not the best word choice, but hey, I appreciate your company. I think it’s pretty nice .”

The phantom of a smile graced her full lips. “Earlier, even surrounded by everyone as we are, I felt incredibly alone. That probably sounds ridiculous, but anyway, talking to you does make me feel better.”

“It’s not ridiculous. I get what you mean.” The camera-clown incident flashed in my mind. Did he still have it? Was he taking pictures as he scared others outside? Pushing the oddly violating thought from my mind, I said, “Listen, Mallory, it’s going to be okay. There’s got to be a way out. This is a carnival after all, and the carnies need to be able to move around. There are probably passages or something we can use to escape.”

That brought a tentative smile to Mallory’s pinched face, and I looked around, trying to make good on my promise. Maybe there was another hidden switch in the wall. With a confidence-inspiring smile at Mallory, I squeezed my way through the group and began sliding my hands along the smooth plaster.

I’d just reached the center of the room when a rumbling nearly shook me off my feet. Only the tight press of warm bodies at my back and the wall prevented me from falling. What I’d thought of as a wall on the other side of the space rose into the air, revealing a dark cavern behind. Peering into the darkness, I strained to see what lay within. Was this the next exit? Maybe, but something about it didn’t feel right.

The darkness came to life, and I gasped as movement within the shadows caught my eye. Struggling my way through the panicked crowd back to Mallory, I took her hand and squeezed. She pressed closer. Not hard to do given how the crowd leaned away collectively.

“Just stay with me.” A clacking sound came from within the darkness and a skittering of legs across the tile made me shutter, but I couldn’t see what it was no matter how I strained my eyes. My limbs were heavy and numb, but I had no fear of being trampled here. No one could move enough to do so. Instead, we were tightly packed, and at the mercy of whatever creature lay in the darkness. I struggled to lift a stiletto up, but with the door now revealing a new threat, everyone was screaming and surging backwards into Mallory and me.

The press of bodies made it hard to breathe. Around me, I caught glimpses of wide panicky eyes, like a herd of farm animals realizing they were being led to the slaughter.

I may have been short, but I had enough substance to protect me from the jostling, while Mallory was starting to sink beneath the crowd.

Tugging at her hand, I pulled her towards me, wrapping my arms protectively around her and trying to keep the press of the people off.

A roar echoed around us as the thing in the shadows emerged.

The monster that appeared was at least ten feet long, its legs scraping the floor as it fought to bring its bulbous body closer to us, its prey. Rearing back, the creature revealed a long slit down its abdomen surrounded by sharp gnashing teeth.

A fucking centipede? The creature’s legs stretched forward and grabbed onto the thick padding of Hot Dog’s bun, pulling the helpless man towards its middle.

“Help! Oh God. Please , someone, help!”

There was no way I could make it through the crowd in time to be of any assistance, but the logical thought didn’t keep me from trying. The centipede pulled him into itself, setting down on its legs to bury him beneath its rotund body. Blood squirted out the sides of the beast, and the man’s pitiful screams cut through the panicked shouts of all the rest.

The body of the beast undulated in a pleasant rhythm as it enjoyed its meal. Tears slid down my cheeks unchecked as I continued to try to fight my way forward, failing even as the man’s screams grew fainter.

Once they stopped, I was sure the beast would rear back again and descend on a new victim, instead it turned from us and moved back into its cavern, becoming one with the darkness and leaving behind only a smear of red in its wake.

A cheerful chime rang out as a panel shot upwards beside us, leading us to our next nightmare.