24 parts Ongoing MatureRun.
The carnival is dead. No lights. No laughter. Just rusted rides and torn tents whispering in the wind. A place forgotten by time. A place that should've stayed that way.
I weave through broken stalls, my anklets betraying me with every step.
Chhan... Chhan...
"𝘉𝘦𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘳 𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘶𝘯 𝘯𝘢 𝘫𝘢𝘢𝘪𝘺𝘦..."
His voice drifts through the air. Calm. Lazy. Too relaxed.
I duck behind an abandoned game stall, pressing a hand over my mouth. The scent of rust and damp wood burns my nose.
Click.
His lighter flicks open. Shut. Open. Shut.
I peek through a gap in the stall-he's nowhere. But I know better. He's here. Somewhere. Watching.
The lights flicker. The Ferris wheel groans to life, metal screeching as it turns. My stomach drops.
No.
I spin, ready to run, but my feet freeze as I see it-cables. Thick, rusted carnival wires looping around the ground like vines. And one of them...
Tightly wrapped around my ankle.
A sharp tug-my body jerks backwards, my scream lost in the wind.
I thrash, clawing at the ground as he pulls me in. Slow. Effortless. Like I was never running at all.
"𝘈𝘢𝘱𝘬𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪 𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘮, 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘢𝘪𝘺𝘦..."
His shadow looms over me, the glow of his lighter flickering against his smirk. "Enough, Butterfly," he murmurs. "Time to come home."
(THE BOOK HAS NOT STARTED YET! THE CHAPTERS BELOW BELONG TO MY OLD BOOK!!)