DAWN

SEPTEMBER 2010

“Let’s go for the Ferris Wheel first, that line will no doubt be the longest” Maria said

“For sure, I just hope it doesn’t take up most of our day” Becky replied

“What about you, mum?” Maria asked

“I’m going to stay on the ground, because I don’t like heights” the Mother replied

“Same here, haha” the Father chimed in, with a nervous chuckle

The Avry family and Maria’s best friend Becky were all heading to the Cannivale Carnival, advertised to be a spectacular lightshow filled with tons of free food and rides for everyone. Maria and Becky, as well as most teenagers at her high school were all attending this carnival they thought was too good to be true, because how could it be? As the family pulled up into the parking lot, Maria and Becky finally got a good look at it was even better than the pictures they saw. Despite it being 7:00 pm, the whole area was illuminated by the bright neon spotlights of red, blue and yellow, with mixtures of purple and green as well.

“Okay, you guys go ahead and I’ll join you, I’m going to see if I can find a closer parking spot” the Father said as the family exited the car.

“This looks incredible” Becky squealed as they walked

“It really is stunning” Maria gleefully said as well

Maria looked around and saw thousands of children, mostly teens like herself all walking and cheering with glee towards the entrance of the carnival. As they got closer, they started to hear that classic carnival showtunes, with lots of chatter and happy laughter. Maria looked and noticed her Mother had a worried expression on her face.

“What’s wrong, mum?” Maria asked

“Oh nothing, just that I won’t find a place to sit and relax” her Mother said and quickly put on a weak smile. The Mother, Maria and Becky got in line and finally reached the cashier. The cashier was dressed as a Jester, complete with the hat and make-up as well.

“Hello there! Who do we have with us today” he said in an overly enthusiastic tune

“1 adult and 2 teens” the Mother said

“Excellent. Here you guys go” the cashier said as he handed them paper bracelets to wear. The Mother got a green one, while Maria and Becky got red ones.

The trio pushed through the turnstile and they were finally inside the carnival. Their senses immediately got overwhelmed by the lights noises and sounds, but they quickly adjusted.

“This is incredible!” Maria said as she took in the scenery.

Giant tents were set up in rows, each one offering different kinds of games, as well as trailers selling food out of and people dressed up, performing all kinds of acts.

“Okay you two, I’m going to be hanging around the Coffee place, if you need me you know where to find me” the Mother said and left to get into line.

“Where to first?” Becky asked as she looked around

“Let’s find a map first” Maria said and took the lead as Becky followed. Thankfully the two didn’t take long before they found a giant map

“According to this, the Ferris Wheel is on the blue trail, so if we follow it we should eventually come across it” Maria reasoned as she pointed out the trail

“Makes sense to me” Becky agreed and the two went off, following the blue line. As they continued to walk the trail, they took in their surroundings. Lots of children were having fun, running around and trying out different games. Most of the staff all seemed to be dressed as clowns, jesters or variations of them.

“Free glow bracelets! Come and get your free glow bracelets!” an Employee was shouting and handing out those glow-in-the-dark-bracelets. Maria and Becky went and got a few. Maria noticed they had a lovely fragrance to them and ended up putting on 5 bracelets on the one arm. “At least I won’t have trouble trying to find you” Becky laughed as she put a necklace around her. The two girls continued following the blue trail and stopped by a few attractions. They saw a few people try knocking bottles using balls, others trying to pop balloons with darks and even some trying to throw metal rings onto hooks. One attraction that did get their attention was a High Striker.

“Which one of you, is mighty enough to wield this thunderous hammer and send the shuttle high into the skies!?” the ringmaster announced, with a high and might voice you would expect from such as colorful character. “How about you young man? Please, come up!” the ringmaster asked and pointed to a classmate Maria and Becky knew, Jason.

“Please, tell the crowd your name” the ringmaster asked

“Jason” Jason said, slightly nervous but also excited

“And do you think you are worthy enough to wield this hammer?”

“Yeah, I think so”

“Good, let’s see what you got” the ringmaster said and handed Jason a giant sledgehammer. “Come on, everyone give him SOME encouragement!” the ringmaster bellowed to the crowd. The crowd that gathered began cheering on Jason as he lifted the sledgehammer, lined it up and winded the sledgehammer back, before lifting it and striking it directly down onto the target. The moment the sledgehammer hit the target, the bell immediately went rising through the tower and hit the bell at the top, making a satisfying ding noise. “WE HAVE A CHAMPION!” the ringmaster announced and held up Jason’s hand as the crowd applauded. The ringmaster lead Jason to a small table and Jason walked away with a stuffed alligator and returned to his small group of friends.

“I have to admit, he has some charm” Becky said to Maria as the two continued their path

“All the workers are overly happy, I like it. Better than those deadpan ones at the laser tag place” Maria agreed.

As the two continued walking and looking around, as well as participating in small games. After a while, the two stopped and got something to eat. They decided on a hotdog stand and after getting their meals, they finally sat down and ate.

“This hotdog is insanely good” Maria commented

“Really good. I still don’t know how they are giving this all away for free” Becky wondered as she ate

“I mean, I’m not going to complain” Maria chuckled

“Same. I’m happy not knowing the mystery” Becky said as well.

As the two finished wrapped up eating, Maria’s Mother approached her. “Hey you two” she said

“Hey mum, what’s up?” Maria asked

“Just wanted to know what you two were up to” the Mother replied

“Just getting a bite. We were about to go onto the Ferris wheel” Maria said and pointed in its general direction

“Okay, well your Father wants to head back home before it gets too late, you know how he is. Come find me when you’re done” the Mother said

“Sure thing” Maria and Becky both said

“Okay, bye sweeties” the Mother said and gave them both a quick hug, before quickly running along.

“That was… weird” Maria said to herself

“Why?” Becky asked

“She’s never hugged me before leaving, this is odd”

“Maybe she is feeling extra lovely. My mum could go from normal to super clingy every other hour”

“Yeah I guess so. Anyway, Ferris wheel?”

“Hell yes”

The two girls quickly finished up and threw their rubbish in the bin, before running over and getting in line at the Ferris wheel. Surprisingly, the line was short and after 5 minutes they were immediately on a carriage. The machine made a sound and soon the wheel began spinning. Maria and Becky managed to get a good look at the carnival as it got higher, before eventually stopping at the very top. The view was magnificent. They could see the entire sea of people going about their business.

“This is one hell of a view” Becky said as she looked around

“Fuck yeah it is” Maria agreed and the two sat in happy silence, just taking in the moment. After a few minutes, the machine began rotating and they slowly began lowering down. As they began lowering, Maria noticed the Employees were putting on gas masks and slowly disappearing. The tents were being covered up and metal gates were being set up around the area.

“Hey Becky?”

“Yo?”

“What are they doing?”

“I, I don’t know. What the…”

Soon the two got off the ride and the operator quickly directed them out of the fencing area. Once everyone was off, the operator put on a gas mask and left, locking the gate behind him and disappearing. As Becky and Maria looked around in confusion, Maria noticed that there were no more parents around, only the teens. All the cashiers and staff were also gone. Lots of murmuring and questioning was being asked around as the kids were confused. The entrance was locked and no other exit was present. The happy show tune music suddenly stopped and a voice came on.

“We’ve hoped you enjoyed your time at the Cannivale Carnival, but the time has come to an end” the voice was that of the ringmaster, but he no longer had the enthusiastic announcer persona, but rather a much more brute and sinister tone this time. The neon lights illuminating the carnival immediately went off, shrouding the crowd in darkness. Immediately, panicked screams went off and the only lights were the glow bracelets and small cellphone lights some people had.

“Maria, what the fuck is happening?!” Becky asked, holding onto Maria’s hand in fear

“I, I don’t know!” Maria responded and looked around, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

The darkness soon ended when the lights came back on, but this time a dark shade of red. The speakers came to life, blaring a loud siren. The tension and panic was setting in as the teens began running around, trying to tear down the thick metal gates, but to no avail. From one corner of the carnival people began to hear a loud roar that didn’t sound like a normal animal. Then a bunch of extremely loud thuds began hammering on the gates, before eventually the gate popped off it’s hinges and crushed several bystanders, unfortunate enough to stand near it. The crowd lost it and everyone was sent into a frenzy as a giant, dark creature suddenly entered the carnival. This creature was nothing anyone had seen before, it was on all fours and it’s body was made of metal scales, covered in blood. The creature let out a screech that summoned a breathe of fire, setting a good chunk of the crowd on fire. Bloody screams were heard as people desperately trying to run away from this creature. Maria and Becky were fortunate enough to be on the other side of the creature and immediately began running away. The creature began running and soon more and more followed, each other looking similar to the first one. The creature used it’s hands to impale people through their chests, before ripping their guts out and eating it. Others simply go on their hind legs and used their entire arm to decapitate people. Lots of lifeless bodies began falling down and piles of blood soon filled the grounds of the carnival. The fires began to spread, igniting the entire outside of the area. Maria and Becky ended up hiding behind a trailer, with a small group of other people. Maria peered out and saw two of the creatures both pulling a person in opposite directions, before eventually ripping him in half. Maria quickly turned around and had to stop herself from screaming at what she saw. Soon the screaming and panic eventually died down, as all that was heard was now the blaring alarm and heavy thuds of the creatures. A thick cloud of smoke clouded their vision, making it hard to see where anything is. Maria could just make out Becky’s shadow and the two sat silently, not daring to breathe in fear of alerting the creatures.

“AHHHHH!” a random man nearby screamed as a creature stabbed his leg, before dragging him towards it and eating him. Becky and Maria immediately got up and began bolting anywhere but where they were. In the confusion, Maria and Becky got split up. Maria was considering going to her, but she was forced to abandon the idea when the upper half of a body was thrown violently past her, just narrowly avoiding her. Maria quickly began running as she heard the creature rush past her, to the body it had thrown. Maria managed to reach the other half of the metal gates, and began following it, very quietly. The intense smoke and silence made her heartbeat insanely fast and she made her way, but eventually she reached the broken gate the creatures had made. Maria made on final turn towards the carnival, hoping to see Becky but she never showed. Maria regretfully leaves the carnival, trying not to make a sound. As Maria walks through the dense forest, the sounds of fire and heavy thuds grows quieter and quieter, Maria then hears the sounds of twigs snapping but before she can react, she is hit in the head with a metal bat, immediately falling to the ground. One of the masked employee grabs her foot and begins dragging her back to the carnival. Maria offers no resistance, as she is struggling trying to stay conscious and focused. Soon, Maria is taken back to the broken gate and left in front of it, the employee winds up the bat and hits Maria in the head again, knocking her out. The employee runs away as one of the creature notices her and grabs her by the foot, before dragging her back into the carnival.

After a few more hours, the creatures leave the carnival and return back into the forest. A firefighter crew arrives and begins hosing down the carnival. A few days later, a news report is aired. “For the fifth year in a row another terrible tragedy has occurred. This time a machine malfunctioned, setting this year’s Cannivale Carnival on fire, killing hundreds of teens and injuring several. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s families” the reporter announces.

WRITTEN BY: xxminie @xxminie