The carnival in the village should be closed by now. The once lively crowd has vanished, the music a distant, warbling echo. The Ferris wheel creaks as it turns, empty carts swaying in the cold wind.

Theo, Draco, Enzo, Blaise, and Pansy are nowhere to be found. It’s just you and Mattheo now.

...and something else.

"Where the hell did everyone go?" Mattheo mutters.

You scan the eerie emptiness, heart hammering. "This isn’t right. One second they were here, and now—"

A laugh. High-pitched, distorted. It echoes through the empty carnival like a whisper of something wicked.

Mattheo stiffens beside you. "Did you hear that?"

You don’t answer. Because you do hear it. And you’re pretty damn sure it hears you, too.

The funhouse mirrors near the entrance warp and ripple, though no one is there to disturb them. The air smells sickly sweet—cotton candy and something rotting beneath it.

And then, it appears.

A clown—if it can even be called that. Its grin is too wide, its eyes sunken pits of black. It tilts its head unnaturally, as if studying Mattheo.

"Oh, I've waited for you," it coos, voice like knives scraping against glass. "Little RiddIe, all alone."

Mattheo takes a slow step back, his jaw tight. "I’m not alone."

The clown chuckles darkly. "Don’t worry,” the clown’s head instantly snaps to you. “You will be.”

You react on instinct, grabbing his arm and yanking him backward.

"Run!"

You sprint through the carnival, past broken-down rides and overturned game booths. The laughter follows, high-pitched and maddening.

"Who would summon that thing?" you ask as you pant from running.

Mattheo grits his teeth. "Tom. He thinks he can scare me? He thinks this fücking thing can kiII me?"

You glance behind you—the clown is gaining.

"Mattheo, this isn’t the time for pride! We need to—"

A hand wraps around your ankle but you don’t scream or anything…you just smirk as you are apart of Tom’s plan.