Love & Carnage✗Noah Foster [2]

Chapter Twenty-Eight//Fun House?

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"Oh, you wish."

--Audrey Jensen

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"Oh, you're fine? You're fine?!" My father shouted. We were backstage now, with my parents watching me drink my bottled water. "Okay, calm down." My mother put a hand up to him. "No, Kass, I will not calm down, our daughter is drunk!" He said the word as if it were poison on his tongue. I had woken up on a hospital gurney. I had convinced the medics that I was fine. Which I was. Now... I was convincing my parents. Noah had caught me on stage. I was very much grateful towards him, because I felt as if it would've been more embarrassing if I had hit the stage. But the most embarrassing part of this was that he wasn't there when I woke up... "I'm not drunk, Dad! I'm..."

"AND! You embarrassed yourself and us on that stage tonight." Dad pointed at me. I hated when anyone yelled at me. When they did... I felt like I was going to cry. My phone buzzed and I jumped, looking down at it in my hands. It was from UNKNOWN. I opened the text. It was a video. I pressed PLAY. It was Emma. Walking into the funhouse. I looked up frantically at my parents. "I--I have to go!" I jumped down from the chair I was on. "Oh, no you don't!" My father blocked my exit. "Where are you going now?!" My mother crossed her arms. "I--I... Emma needs me." I spoke. It wasn't exactly a lie. I knew she'd need me. "N--what?" my mother rubbed her temples. "She needs me, Mom. I really need to leave." I pushed past my father. "ARIELLE JAYDE-MARIE COLLINS!" My father bellowed. I turned back to see literal steam coming out of his ears. But I decided against going back. So, even though my head was pounding... I ran.

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I stopped myself in front of the funhouse. I tried to catch my breath as I leaned down to pull off my heels. God, they hurt. I turned my head to look for anyone. I just saw people having fun. It was dark out, so I knew this thing must be ending soon. I turned my head back to the not so fun fun house. The clown on the front was very off putting. I sure as hell did not wanna go in there. I looked down at my phone, and began to dial 911.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"Uh--Uh... I am about to go... I am about to do something very stupid, and I'm really gonna need an officer to go in after me." I told the person. "Where is your location? What is your name?" The lady asked me. I looked down at the phone and hung up.

I didn't have time to feel bad about that. I dropped my shoes quickly and rushed towards the funhouse, pushing the heavy doors open. It was dark inside. Like, very dark.

But there were some scary looking figures at the sides of the house. God, I hated clowns. It's not that I was afraid of them... its.. just I didn't like the murder-y kind. Carnival music and automated laughter went on. "Emma?!" I called, before walking further into the funhouse. "HA, HA, HA!" A scary laugh sounded. I squeaked, whirling around to see nothing. Oh, fuck this shit. "EMMA!" I screamed. I continued walking, my bare feet patting against the hard floor. A bunch of smoke flared in front of me suddenly. I gasped and stopped. I turned my head as I heard another chuckle. This time a low one. And this time, I saw something. A dark figure behind me. I backed away slowly and then they came into view. The Brandon James mask was in my eyeview now. "Oh, shit." I whimpered. I shook visibly. The killer tilted their head at me, and neared me with their knife raised. I turned on my heel and darted into the funhouse. "EMMA! EMMA, WHERE ARE YOU!" I screamed, running as fast as I could. I turned my head again to see nothing--nobody.

"Kieran! KIERAN!" My ears perked up. Emma. Was Kieran in here, too? "Arielle Collins? Emma Duval? Are you in here?" I squinted into the darkness. I could hear people, but I couldn't see anyone. I sighed and turned again only to come face-to-face with the killer. Oh, my God. I felt my brain turn off as he stard down at me. I couldn't take it. He was going to--But before I could finish my thought, I pulled my arm back and let it loose, smacking the person in the face. He fell quickly, the knife clattering. Oh shit. I could've done that the whole time. I stared down at the person, stepping closer to them. I watched them carefully. When I saw it. The piece of brown hair sticking out of the hood. I backed away quickly when he lunged, getting up easily. I screamed, turning around to run. "HELP!" I screamed. I kept my eyes on the killer as I ran, when I hit something hard. I turned back to see Emma. "Oh, my God! Arielle, what are you doing in here!" Emma ran her fingers through her hair. "ME? What are you doing in here! I--I saw you come in here, and I--The killer's in here!" I cried. "So is Kieran!" The automated laughter echoed loudly in my ears. "This way!" Emma grabbed my arm and pulled me along with her. "Whe--?" That's when I heard the shatter. Like glass..."Emma..."

"KIERAN!" Emma screamed suddenly, pulling me towards the sound. "Emma, you don't know that its Kieran! Emma!" I screamed. Emma stopped and I bumped into her. I looked around now. Mirrors. Mirrors everywhere.

"Uh..."

"Come on!" Emma pulled me further into 'Mirror Land'. That's when I tripped. Per usual. I was pretty sure this happened way too often.

"Arielle!" Emma cried turning to help me. I shook my head, my pushing my hands together as they felt wet. "Emma..." I whispered. I had fallen in glass.

"Oh, my God! It's Deputy Newsome!" Emma cried. I looked up to see I had fallen beside an officer. There was blood everywhere. "Is--is he dead?" I whimpered, as I tried AND failed to stand up.

"I don't know." Emma whispered to me. I breathed heavily, staring down at my bloody hands. "Oh, ow, ow, ow!" I shifted slightly, turning my body to look at the back of my thigh, where a piece of glass was stuck. "Arielle, oh, my God!"

"Emm--just... just get it out!" I cried, feeling myself going into hyperventilation. "Arielle, I don't think that's how it works--"

"EMMA!" I screamed at her. "Get. It. Out!" She watched me for a moment before nodding. She reached for the huge shard slowly and grabbed it. She began to pull, but I winced and she stopped. "Please, Emma." Tears were streaming down my cheeks now. It hurt so bad. I stared at the ground as she grabbed the glass again. But then I saw it. In the small shards of glass on the floor I spotted the mask. He was in the mirror. He... he was behind us. "Emma." I whispered. She stopped touching the glass and looked into my eyes. "What?"

"Don't move." I whispered. I looked around and then my eyes landed on Deputy Newsome's gun. I grabbed it quickly, and turned my body to look at the killer in the mirror. I didn't blink as I fired the gun. But it didn't hit him. It hit a mirror. And the killer turned and ran. I looked back to Emma and dropped the gun. "Come on!" Before I could do anything, there was a sharp pain in my thigh. I looked down at it to see the shard gone. "What the--?" But then I looked up at Emma, who held the huge piece in her hand. She dropped it. "Let's go!" She helped me up, the blood from Deputy Newsome getting onto my forearms. I groaned as I stood up. Emma bent back down to grab the gun. "Emma..."

"Sh. Come on." She rushed away, and I followed after.

The things in the room began to look familiar. I limped over to Emma, who was near the--now--open doors of the fun house. Outside, cops were everywhere and the killer... the killer was on his knees with his hands up. "HANDS UP! DROP THE WEAPON!" Emma ran out of the fun house, breathing deeply, holding the gun tightly. I rushed after her. "Emma, drop the weapon!" Sheriff Acosta and all of his deputies had their guns pointed at us. I stood behind Emma, scared as all hell. "Where's Kieran?" Emma pointed the gun at the killer's head. I heard muffled moaning, and I was pretty sure it wasn't me this time. "WHERE IS KIERAN?!" Emma shrieked. "Emma, listen to me. Emma... step back and drop the weapon!" Acosta tried. Emma hesitantly dropped the gun to the ground. "That's right." Acosta cooed. Emma stepped away from the gun and the killer. She grabbed my hand in fear and continued to hyperventilate. "Both of you! Put your hands on your head! Now!" My hands were in the air immediately. I put them on the back of my messy hair. Emma did the same. A lady cop grabbed Emma's hands and pulled them behind her back. Another cop did the same to me. "Wait, what?" I cried. "Why are we being arrested?!"

I looked back to sheriff Acosta who got closer to the killer. I have been waiting for this moment. I was gonna find out who he was. "Take him." Acosta ordered. A cop came up behind the killer and grabbed his hand, pulling it up. A knife. A knife was duct-taped to his hand. The cop pulled the hood off of the person, revealing the brown hair I had seen inside. Then, then cop pulled off the mask. I gasped as I saw the face of Kieran, who had duct-tape on his mouth. "Oh, my God, KIERAN!" Emma screamed, trying to get to him, but the lady cop held her back. I felt the blood trickling down my my bare leg. I felt woozy again. I looked to my right to see Stavo standing in front of the crowd. My eyes began to shut slowly. "Hey, is that girl okay?" The cop behind Emma asked. "I--I don't know." The cop behind me said. "Arielle?" Emma cried, trying to come towards me, but the cop held her back. "I don't... I don't feel good." I whispered, before my legs gave out and I fell against the cops. "Okay, up we go." The cop released my arms and lifted me up bridal-style. "We're gonna need a medic over here!" He called to Acosta. I then let my head fall, not planning on walking anywhere for the rest of the night.