“Umm, sure.I’ll be right back.”
Taking the box, I stepped out into the aisle, and as much as I hated it, I went out the front of the tent to get popcorn instead of following my gut instinct.Still, maybe I was being ridiculous.PTSD came with hypervigilance and seeing enemies where there were none.It could very well be that my mental health condition was getting the best of me.Gods knew it wouldn’t be the first time.
The rest of the show passed by rather quickly, each act leaning into the macabre with a final farewell from the Ring Leader proclaiming that he was so thrilled we’d all stopped by to begin the nightly celebrations of “spooky season.”
Clearly, I had been overreacting.
“Holy crap, it’ssolate.”Temps looked down at her phone before stuffing it back inside a small black purse in the same of a bat.“I’m going to fall asleep on my feet as we walk.”
“I would absolutely carry you, but I’m not that strong, and I’m not spraining another ankle.”
Lizzie eyed Temps before they both devolved into a fit of giggles.I hated how adorable I found it, slightly jealous of how carefree their twenties were compared to mine.
“I’d be happy to walk you back to the dorms.”They both shot up, eyebrows up to their hairlines as they gaped at me.“It’s late at night, dark, and you two would be a target for anyone with nefarious intent.”
Laughing, Lizzie hooked her arm through mine again, Temps walking around to my other side.“Offer accepted.I do not need to deal with a creep right now.Or ever.”
“Thank you, Professor.That’s really nice of you.”
I nodded, trying to ignore the swell of something unnameable in my chest.“Of course.Happy to help.”
Seven-Inconspicuous Clues Are Found By Many Sets Of Eyes
Lizzie
Myskinfeltrawand alive as we walked out of the tent and past the rides.All of us had silently agreed that we’d be going right back to the dorms, and for once, I was actually thrilled about it.I felt strange, something about the carnival and what we saw with the knife thrower was infiltrating my blood like a cold virus.I was a little off, a little shaky, and more than a little confused by the signals that were coming from everywhere.
While we’d still be inside the tent, the intensity of the crowd’s emotions and thoughts had made it difficult to think, but I’d also been picking up on some strange vibes from the performers.Sure, the need for attention, craving the applause, that was all normal.What’d been peculiar had been the way they oozed rapture, this almost holy feeling of being lifted up during prayer.
But it was a damned circus, so that was fucking weird.
As we walked out through the entrance, Temps clung to me on one side.Now, without the omnipresent pressure of the audience, I could sense how she was on edge, the performance having freaked her out.Oddly enough, Professor Harkert was giving off the same energy.
“Didn’t like the spooky theme, Temps?”I glanced over at her, the sound of our footsteps on the sidewalk loud in the silent evening.
“I’m never particularly good at handling the horror things, sure, but that felt…”
“It felt off, is what.”Harkert stared straight ahead, his eyes glued to the darkness in front of us as we walked.
Zeroing in on him, I could pick up on anger.He was angry about something to do with the circus, but he was keeping a tight lid on his thoughts, likely trained in how to keep a psychic out.
“It did, right?”Temps sounded so vindicated, and I couldn’t help but smirk at her as we kept walking.“It was just a little much.Like, did they really need to go that hard on the horror?I’m still not sure how they even pulled that off.It seemed too quick to be a typical trick.Are they…well, damn, do you think they practice?”
I cocked my head, considering.“You know, that would track with the strange vibes they were putting out.”
Harkert abruptly stopped in front of us, looking me dead in the eye and so intently that I swallowed hard.
“What vibes?”
“Umm,” I narrowed my eyes at him, actually a bit shocked by how aggressive he was coming off, “it’s kind of hard to explain.But it was like…Okay, have you been to a church or rally or ritual where everyone is just buzzing, like they’re high on the energy of the event?”
Nodding, Harkert’s jaw clenched, the muscles visibly straining as we stood beneath a street lamp.
“Well, it was like that.”
“Something was definitely up with the performers.I could tell that—”
Crack!
