As the setting sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the desolate landscape, a group of five teenagers, fueled by a mixture of excitement and youthful bravado, ventured deep into the heart of the long-forgotten Hollow Creek.
The air hung thick with the scent of decay and the faint echo of laughter, a relic that seemed to cling to the very stones beneath their feet.
Rumors of a cursed carnival, abandoned decades ago, had persisted through generations, sparking their curiosity and emboldening them on this fateful evening.
The dilapidated sign, its paint peeling like the skin of a corpse left too long in the sun, loomed before them, a beacon of the macabre that promised both thrills and chills in equal measure.
Their steps were tentative at first, a cautious tread that belied their boastful banter, as they approached the decrepit gateway.
It creaked under their collective weight, groaning as if it had not been moved in an eternity.
Beyond the rusted bars, the carnival grounds lay silent, an eerie tableau marred by the remnants of what was once a place of joy and wonder.
The once vibrant tents, now sagging under the weight of their own decrepitude, stood as ghostly witnesses to forgotten nights of revelry.
The teenagers exchanged nervous glances, their bravery wavering like the flickering of the moonlight that spilled over the forsaken amusements."
Undeterred, they pressed forward, their eyes widening with each new discovery.
The Ferris wheel, its once-colorful gondolas now scraps of twisted metal, loomed ominously over the derelict midway.
The scent of grease and stale popcorn clung to the rotting wood planks, a pungent reminder of happier times long past.
The group dispersed, each drawn to a different corner of the desolate fair, their explorations fueled by a morbid fascination that went hand in hand with their youthful invincibility.
It was Sam who first heard it-a distant, chilling laughter that seemed to pierce the stillness of the night.
His friends, alerted by the sudden hush that had settled over him, turned in unison, their eyes wide with a mix of fear and anticipation.
The sound grew louder, a malevolent cackle that seemed to mock their presence in this desecrated ground.
The group converged once more, their voices rising in a cacophony of confusion and dread.
They scanned the carnival's skeletal remains, searching for the source of the mocking laughter, their hearts racing in unison.
The air grew thick with an electric charge, as if the very atoms that composed the atmosphere were trembling with anticipation.
And then, in a flash, the lights came on-a constellation of spectral bulbs hanging precariously from the ceilings of the haunted houses and funhouses, illuminating the carnival's haunted past and promising the shadow of a menace yet to come.
The group split up, each pair of friends heading for a different area of the carnival, their voices now muted by the gravity of the situation.
YOU ARE READING
Carnival of the damned
Horror"In the grim town of Hollow Creek, a group of teenage friends stumbles upon an abandoned carnival rumored to be cursed. As they explore the eerie attractions, they unwittingly awaken an ancient evil force that threatens their lives and sanity. (Genr...
