Third Person POV
The chilled autumn air engulfed her as she walked briskly through the woods, traffic cone orange, fiery red, and glistening gold leaves scattered the ground around her. Laura Hannem. Her name smelled like pine and sounded like a symphony. She spent many of her days homeschooled, and never made many friends, so she spent most of her time adventuring. She went everywhere- as far as she could. She wanted to experience as much as she could in this world but being 17, she could only go so far.
Laura particularly loved this one park, a quiet one, though most places were quiet in her small town in northern Maine, but this park was special to her. She went there ever since she was young, running and dancing playing with her father, who was now too busy in his studies to spend time with her. She walked here every morning and night to clear her thoughts.
When she came home she entered quietly and closed the door softly behind her. It was almost 11:00 and she should've been home hours earlier. She crept past her fathers office and scurried to her room. Flopping down on the bed she took out her favorite book, 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and began to read until she fell asleep.
The next morning she woke up at 6:00 so she could get a head start on breakfast, as she had plans to go adventuring today. She was going to explore a run down amusement park she used to go to as a child. But almost 15 years into production, some weird things started happening, disappearances, murders, and a series of accidents which lead to it's shut down. Now, 10 years later Laura was going to go back.
She cracked the eggs in the pan watching them sizzle in satisfaction, while putting some bread in the toaster. When her meal was done she sat down at the table and ate in the quiet of the early morning atmosphere. She cleaned her dishes when she was full and ran up to her room. She grabbed a black zip up hoodie, the kind with the thumb holes, and slipped a mini key chain flashlight in her pocket. She grabbed a granola bar to put in the other pocket in case she got hungry as she scribbled a note to her father "gone adventuring, will be back later!
Love, Laura". A small smile crept across her face as she opened the door to receive the rush of the cold wind against her face. Sighing in relief, she took a few steps out the door and began walking down the street.
She had written the directions down on a piece of paper she had folded in her jeans and she took it out and read it, navigating her way through back roads and unknown neighborhoods. When she didn't see the amusement park she became discouraged but then she saw a small path through the woods that looked promising. She checked her 'map' and it indeed was the right way. She began down the woods path admiring the beautifully colored foliage.
At the end of the trail she could see and old rusted sign, running to it in excitement. She read aloud "Layne Central Amusement Park... This seems like the place!" Laura practically jumped with joy. She followed another sign that said 'enter left' until she found her way inside the carnival. Everything she once remembered to be beautiful and bright, was now dim and rusted with darkness.
Laura walked past old carnival games like the ones where you throw a ball at some old beer bottles to win a plush animal. She looked up to see them hanging from the racks, torn and almost frightening to look at. She shuddered as she continued on her way. She walked over to one of the old roller coasters and sat down in an banged up, rusty cart chuckling to herself. She stood up on the cart to get a better view of everything just wondering where the years had gone.
As fun as this was, something about it was very wrong and made her stomach turn in discomfort. A sudden sense of panic rushed over her and she became paranoid. She shook it off as her anxiety and got out of the cart continuing on her way. She was passing one of the smaller circus tents when she heard someone talking. She peeked her head in through the flaps to see a man getting dressed up in what she could only describe as an outfit a ring master would wear. But... This park was supposed to be empty years ago. Why are people still here?
The man noticed her and gave her and angry glare, "What have I told you about running off?!" The man grabbed her and pulled her inside the tent. "Sir, I'm sorry but there is a misunderstanding I'm not with you I'm-" Laura's panicked reasoning was cut off by the man, "Put this shit on and meet me in the next tent over to do your makeup, and don't think about doing some stupid stunt like that again or you're done." He took out a .44 caliber pistol from his waist and waived it in Laura's face, making her eyes grow wide and her eyes to well up in tears. "Let's get a move on it!" He shouted as he walked out of the tent.
