Not a Night for Clowning Around

𝔼𝕀𝔾ℍ𝕋𝔼𝔼ℕ

KELLEN

MY MOM USED to say everyone was afraid of something, but I never thought that applied to me. Maybe it was due to my traumatic childhood, but nothing really scared me anymore. Here I was, alone in the funhouse, yet I wasn't even the slightest bit fazed. Granted, this funhouse was pure dog shit, but still. The horny couple of the group had each other, Carter was with Jake, and here I was... all alone.

I didn't mind being alone. I loved my friends —they were everything to me— but I didn't mind being by myself either. It was a nice break from reality to just ignore the world and entertain my thoughts. The past few weeks had been really tense for the group, so I was happy we were able to take a break and come to this crappy carnival.

I couldn't even imagine what Carter was going through. She was so innocent and pure, she didn't deserve any of the hell she went through. I just wished we didn't split up. I was scared something might happen to her if we all weren't there to make sure she was safe.

"Shawn? Where the hell are you?"

The undeniable voice of Aaliyah boomed as she stormed past me looking for her drunk boyfriend. Surprisingly, she didn't notice me, but I supposed it was dark enough for me to remain hidden.

I sometimes wished I had someone for me as perfect as Aaliyah and Shawn were for each other. Their personalities balanced each other so well, making their relationship almost envious.

I continued walking through the funhouse, finding myself getting more and more bored. This was almost exciting at first, but now it was just boring. I couldn't wait to get out of here and buy a deep fried onion.

A cheaply made Dracula mannequin jumped out and snickered, earning a yawn from me. I couldn't believe we had to pay for admission. This was a joke.

It felt like I had been in here forever even though I knew realistically it was probably only less than ten minutes. I just couldn't wait to see the big exit sign and leave this snooze fest.

I figured my only ways of getting out were by either finding the exit or literally dying of boredom. Seeing the unlikeliness of the latter option, I decided to keep walking until I found the exit. This was such a waste of time. We should've skipped the funhouse and gotten the fried onions instead.

I continued walking aimlessly, slowly giving up hope that I'd find the exit before I lost my sanity. I turned a corner, ignoring the popups that came my way. I was so lost in thought, I didn't zone back into reality until I crashed into a wall. I staggered back, placing my hands on said wall, regaining my composure. As my hands rested on the wall, I felt what seemed to be a doorknob. I quickly twisted it, getting disappointed to discover the door was locked. Great. My one way out here was a bust.

I continued down the funhouse, praying one of the idiots setting this up forgot to lock a door that I would come across. God, this was such a waste of time. Why did I always have to be alone? Technically Jake was the last to join the group, so why did I have to be singled out? This funhouse would've been a lot more fun if I wasn't doing it alone. Why did I agree to come to this?

A high pitched scream snapped me out of my thoughts. Okay, I had to give it to the funhouse, that sounded pretty real. I only took a couple steps before I heard the same shrieks again. I couldn't lie, it sounded a little more real this time.

"Help me!" the voice cried. "Please!"

I was starting to get creeped out. Who did they pay to sit in a corner and scream all night?

The voice screeched again, only this time sounding much closer than before. Getting freaked out, my walk turned into a jog and then a run as I sprinted down the funhouse. Considering how shitty this whole thing was, something told me those screams may not have been fake.

I dug my hand in the pocket of my jeans, pulling out my keyring. I knew there was a flashlight keychain on it somewhere. As soon as I found it, I turned on the little light, being immensely disappointed with the dim and flickering light. Something was better than nothing, I supposed. I shone it around the funhouse, realizing there was nothing fun about it with lights. Around me were just wires, speakers and dirty old walls. It looked something like my unfinished basement at home.

I shone the minuscule light as I walked around, in search of a door to escape through. I rattled every doorknob I found, but all of these doors were locked. It wasn't until I saw the big EXIT sign up ahead did I jog towards it in hopes it would lead me the hell out of here.

When I reached the door I practically rammed my body into it, assuming it would open with ease. Unfortunately I was wrongly mistaken and let out a groan as my shoulder collided with the solid metal door.

"What idiot designed this bullshit door?" I grumbled under my breath.

Seeing that my luck ran out, I continued strolling around the funhouse, praying the next exit door wouldn't break my other shoulder.