A/N: Hey there! First off, I'm so sorry I haven't been updating my other stories, but I promise that I will before the next month is over. Now onto this story, I've had the idea since I first watched The Dark Knight (and fell in love with it), and I rewatched it back in January and the idea just came back to me immediately. So it kept bothering me until I just had to actually write and plan it out. This is the prologue to the result, and I hope you'll give it a shot and like it. I'll have the first chapter up by the end of the month, I guarantee it! Also, big thank you and shout out to my beta reader Ms. Smooth Criminal

She's amazing, and I couldn't have done this without her! So now, please enjoy! Thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except my original characters

P.S. The title of the prologue is a play on the words 'Amusement Park', but instead it's 'Misery Park'

Prologue:

Misery Park

"Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness."

~Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

October 19, 1984

The stench of strewn sweets being mercilessly pounded under hundreds of feet and baked under the sun's rays, along with the odor of men's sweat hung heavily in the Texan autumn air. The sound of children's cries of joy, accompanied by the calls of carnies can be occasionally heard over the clamor of mechanical rides.

However, one particular sound can be distinctly heard over the ruckus of the amusement park. It was a laugh, but not just any laugh, this one was a child's laugh, full of innocence and wonder. It made a distinct cheerful sound that one could hear even from a mile away, but the detail that made it different from the rest was that it was free.

Free being that it wasn't a restricted sound; it was a sound coming from a person who held no fear, and no bounds. Someone who was completely free with nothing but pure, unadulterated bliss flowing through them at that moment.

A flash of copper dashed through the crowd, weaving through the endless sea of people with ease. Childlike laughter was being carried by frail limbs which had a particular hop in its run, much like the swift prance of a baby deer.

A young girl, probably not much older than five, bursted through the crowd and skidded to a stop. A breeze played with the stray strands of her copper colored hair, the rest of which were done into low, short pigtails. Leftover dust from her stop floated up into the air, causing some people to cough.

The people around her threw her a quick glare, but their attention was grabbed by the sound of trumpets. People turned their heads as the crowd parted, and made way for the marching band walking through. The young girl blinked in confusion, but her eyes widened at the sight of a parade making its way down the cleared path.

First there was the marching band, walking down in an orderly fashion while playing their instruments with vigor. Their blank, but determined faces vaguely reminded the girl of the toy soldiers she sees on the window display of an antique store.

Then there were performers wearing skin tight skeleton costumes. They were doing a few classic acrobatic tricks such as back-flips, splits, flip-flops, but then they also did a few extreme maneuvers that dazzled the crowd.

The crowd quickly erupted into cheers as floats drove by, each with their own design. Dancers, fire twirlers, and even more performers walked through, successfully making the crowd gasp and cheer when desired.

The young girl gawked in awe at the display before her. She leaned forward slightly and watched as an acrobat started performing a new set of complex acts. However, just when they were at the climax of their routine...

"Penny? Penny!" An ear-splitting, yet hoarse yell broke through the music of the parade.

The young girl blinked, snapping out of the daze and turned her head to look over where the yell came from. She saw a woman walk around the crowd, shoving people out of her way as she continued calling out the young girl's name.

Penny looked back at the acrobat but was disheartened when she realized she missed the ending. The woman shouted again, but this time it sounded closer. Penny's green eyes widened in surprise, and turned on her heel as she started running in the opposite direction of the yell.

Laughing, as if she was playing a game, Penny weaved through more people, and the shouts of the woman and the parade were growing fainter and fainter with every step she took. She rounded a corner, and then started slowing down into a light jog. Her laugh had died down to a giggle; quiet pants came out of her mouth every now and then.

Penny turned around, now walking backwards, as she looked for anyone who might've followed her. Then, suddenly, she bumped into something from behind.

Penny flinched and let out a squeal in surprise. She quickly spun back around, and an array of colors invaded her vision.

She stepped back, and looked up to see what looked like a circus clown, or what she thought a circus clown would look like. She's never seen a clown before, so how would she know?

The circus clown was wearing one of the most bizarre outfits Penny had ever seen. The pants he wore seemed a few sizes too big, and seemed to have been overalls at one point because there was one limp strap going over his shoulder, but the other strap was torn off. He wore a horizontal striped shirt with a dirty, ripped jacket whose sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, complete with a loose tie around his neck. He went barefoot, and wore black, fingerless gloves.

All of the clothing he was wearing had random patches in the most curious of places, and what was showing was skin that had deep red stains on them. He stunk of cigarettes and decay, with a pinch of something thick and awful in the air that held a metallic aftertaste. His clothes ranged from a plethora of colors, including vibrant reds, yellows, and blues, while various patterns such as polka dots and even more stripes both horizontal and vertical were strewn about haphazardly.

Penny lifted her gaze to his face, and her eyes widened as she left herself begin to tremble anxiously. The clown obviously hasn't looked in a mirror in a long while, with dirt clinging to his facial hair and sweat glistening over the top. The theatrical face paint he wore faded and dripped in various areas on his face, but that could've been sweat too.

White face paint was lazily smeared over his mouth, outlined with a thin black line to resemble a smile, and shaded blue paint covered the area all around his eyes. The paint over his eyes seemed to start out a lighter shade of blue, but darkened as it dripped down his face similar to tears streaming down cheeks. On his cheeks, forehead, and nose, there is what seemed like thick paint that was deep red, almost maroon in color, which obviously hasn't dried since it was still streaming down his face.

The single strands of hair, which were falling out of the bowler hat he wore to cover up his balding head, were clumped together because some of the red paint got caught in it.

Penny stopped trembling as her eyes focused on the red paint. His eyes narrowed at her as he caught her staring and she looked down, embarrassed.

Penny blinked as she then noticed that all over his clothes there was also more of the red paint smeared and dripped on them, especially on his gloves. The air stunk even more of that thick, nauseating scent from before with the metallic aftertaste growing strong enough that she could practically taste it on her tongue.

Penny watched as the red paint dripped from his right glove, her eyes following the drop as it hit the ground. She then noticed something was behind him, and tilted her head to try to get a good look at it. She flinched as the clown suddenly moved to block her from seeing whatever was behind him.

She looked up at him again, confused, but when she saw the hard glare he was giving her she looked down again. The thick, metallic stench suffocated her and she refused the urge to cover her nose. However, it did not stop her from coughing a bit.

She lifted a hand to cover her mouth as she coughed, and then she glanced around for wherever that repulsive odor was coming from. The dripping red paint caught her eye, and suddenly her breathing quickened. Her eyes widened, as she pinpointed where the scent came from. The red paint.

She quickly looked up at the clown, eyes wide as saucers, her hand still covering her mouth, and her heartbeat frantic. The man's eyes widened before they narrowed into slits, glaring at her. His fists clenched, and his shoulders became upright as he glared down with hard eyes, towering over her small form.

Realization hit her like a ton of bricks, as the air around them became tense and thick with deadly intent. It was no longer the odor that suffocated her, in its place was the feeling of terror that washed over her in icy waves at her realization which led her unable to speak.

It wasn't paint.

It wasn't paint.

It. Wasn't. Paint.

Penny watched in mute horror as the clown started to reach his right hand for her. She was paralyzed as her vision blocked everything else out other than the blood on the hand which came closer and closer to touching her. However before the gloved hand could, she seemed to snap out of the trance she was in, and found her voice as she let out a piercing scream. She immediately turned on her heel, and ran in the opposite direction.

Being very fast and running on pure adrenaline, Penny was able to lose the clown quickly, but she stopped after she ran around a corner. She was met with the parade marching through the narrow street. One of the skeleton dressed men from the parade back flipped and landed in front of her, giving her a wide, crazed smile while spinning his batons that were lit on fire effortlessly. Penny shrieked in fright, but stopped to turn her head and saw the bloodied clown just a few feet away from her. She then ran out into the street, in an effort to get away from the clown.

"Hey!"

"Watch it!"

"Whoa!"

Performers and people from the sidelines yelled at her as she weaved through the parade and onto the other side of the street. She looked back, and saw the clown whispering to another clown, and pointed at her discretely. She then continued running, occasionally tripping in her frantic and terrified state, scuffing her bare knees and getting dirt stains on her denim shorts and legs.

Penny kept running until someone grabbed her upper arm. She yelped in pain and shrieked as she was turned around to see one of the carnies that grabbed her. She struggled to get out of his painful grip, as he kept saying things she couldn't understand in her frightened state. She tugged her arm out of the man's sweaty grip, and ran away from him before he could reach out and grab her again.

Penny ran blindingly, and accidentally rammed her face into a wall of a building. However, she held her nose and ignored the pain, as she ran into an open door of the building.

The flimsy wall shook from the force, and a sign fell onto the ground. What it said: CLOSED FOR REPAIR – The House of Mirrors.

Penny found herself surrounded by darkness, the only noise coming from the parade and people outside, but that was dimmed down to a low hum. She whimpered, and walked slowly around, accidentally bumping in and hitting more walls, which emitted more yelps of pain from her. The sound of a door opening and two sets of heavy footsteps suddenly echoed around the room.

She trembled as the echoes bounced off the walls and the sets of footsteps grew. She pressed herself into a cold corner, and watched as the shadows on the wall grew until they touched the ceiling. She felt as if she was shrinking, and everything else around her grew until it towered above her.

The sound of two sets of footsteps gained numbers, as she now heard multiple sets of footsteps stomping around her. Much like a stray animal caught in the middle of a stampede of a wildebeest herd.

Penny covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, as her cheeks burned and she felt something hot flowing down her face. She blinked open her eyes, and used the back of her hand to wipe off whatever was streaming down her cheeks.

She peered at her own tears on the back of her head, and bit her lip to keep from crying more. She turned her head, and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

She saw dozens of mirrors, some of which were broken, others dirty and blurred. They showed misshapen figures of her reflection, ranging from ridiculous to humorous. However, there was one mirror which was completely spotless.

Penny blinked at this one mirror, and slowly walked towards it. It showed her reflection, just like all the others, but this one wasn't morphed like the others. At first glance, it seemed to show her normal reflection. Penny squinted her teary eyes at the reflection in the mirror, curious yet confused.

Suddenly the reflection in the mirror smiled, and tilted its head at her. Penny shrieked and jumped back, falling onto some broken glass. They cut into her and she cried out in pain, but at the sound of a giggle she snapped her head back to look at the reflection.

Penny's eyes widened as she noticed that the reflection's shoulders shaking as if it was the one who laughed. Penny then noticed that there were a few things off about the reflection. The mirror only reflected an image of the girl, the rest of it was pitch black. It looked as though the girl was surrounded by darkness, waiting for it to open up and swallow her whole. The foreign girl in the mirror smile widened as if she welcomed the darkness – embraced the chaos and the truth it brought.

Penny slowly stood up on shaky legs, using a hand on the mirror behind her to steady herself. Penny never once broke eye contact with the reflection, staring at the girl with wary and frightened eyes. In response, the foreign girl stared back at her, but in a more amused or excited way.

A white light suddenly shone on Penny, and she whipped her head around and brought up a hand to block the light. As her vision adjusted, she saw two heavyset men glaring at her from across a narrow hallway, one of them holding a flashlight.

"There ya are, you little runt!" The one with the flashlight snapped at her, and they motioned to come walking over to her. Penny flinched in fear, and then bolted down another hallway.

"Hey! Wait!" The shout was deaf to her ears, as she kept running through, trying to find an escape from this awful place. Everywhere she looked, she saw that girl from before – the one who embraced in the chaos, the one who took pleasure in how terrified and lost Penny was.

Penny heard the two men shouting things she couldn't comprehend and continued running, crying as she did so. Her vision became blurry as she blocked out every sound, focusing only on her running. The sooner she gets out of this place, the sooner things will go back to normal.

However, one sound broke the silence. It was laughter. It was a replica of her laugh – unrestrained, and free, but this laugh was not innocent. This laugh held a chaotic tone to its freedom; almost as if it were mocking Penny for thinking she could run from the truth.

She'll never escape from this place, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Penny bursted through a door, and the air of the amusement park filled her lungs. She blinked her misty eyes, not even trying to stop her flowing tears, and kept on running. Yet the laugh lingered in her mind, continuing to follow and taunt her further.

She bumped into random people and tripped a few more times, but brought herself back up to continue running.

"Penny!" The same yell as before broke through the air, and Penny ran towards the voice. Through blurry vision, she finally spotted the woman from before not too far away.

"Mama!" Penny called out in a broken voice, and ran towards the woman. The woman turned to look at Penny, instantly zeroing in on the tears streaming down her daughter's face.

Penny slowed down her run, and stopped in front of her mother. She panted in exhaustion, and looked up at her mother, tears uncontrollably rolling down her face.

"Mama, I–" Penny started to say, her voice cracking.

SLAP!

Penny fell to the ground, her eyes wide with shock. She looked up at her mother, the tears stopping instantly.

"Ne'er cry again," Her mother said in a harsh, cold tone.

Penny stared at her mother with wide eyes, as the remaining tears rolled down her face. They felt as cold as ice on her hot cheeks, burning on her skin in a numbing way, similar to how you put an ice pack on a sore muscle.

"Ye have nothin' ta cry about," Her mother continued in her Scottish accent, "Ye ne'er experienced true misery before."

"T-There was a clown–" Penny stuttered, but was caught off by her mother's harsh laughter.

"A clown?" Her mother laughed at the absurdity, "A clown! Clowns are meant ta entertain, ya wee scunner! Don't be stupid–!"

"Penny! There ya are!" A deep, fatherly voice interrupted. Penny looked up to her father walking over to her, wearing his signature cowboy hat. "You had me worried there, sugar cube," Her father said, his face relieved as he smiled warmly at her, but then it dropped into an alarmed frown. "Hey, now, what's wrong? Why are you cryin'?" Her father asked, kneeling on one knee, so he could be down at her level.

"What's wrang? I'll teel ye what's wrang! I've bin lookin' e'erywhere fur thes lassie, an' she finally comes runnin' ta me, cryin'! Cryin'! Can ye believe it?" Penny's mother snapped, crossing her arms and glaring down at Penny in displeasure, "Worthless, I teel ye! No wonder she's called 'Penny'!"

"Hey, now! You see here, Muriel!" Penny's father whipped his head over at Penny's mother's direction. As Penny's parents began arguing, Penny looked down at her scuffed knees, her mind blank other than the echo of that laughter she heard from that girl she saw in the reflection.

"We'll discuss this later," Penny's father said quietly, but sternly. He then turned and walked over to where Penny was sitting down.

"Great! I can't tak' anither minute in thes wretched place!" Penny's mother retorted, as she started stomping towards the car. Penny's father threw a glare over in her direction, but his eyes softened as he gazed at Penny in a comforting way.

"C'mon now, honey, let's get you home," Penny's father whispered, as he slid an arm under Penny and picked her up with ease. Penny clutched at the fabric of his shirt, as she blankly stared into nothing. The insults and shouts her mother made sounded far away, as Penny leaned her head over her father's heart.

Penny's father strapped her in the backseat of their car, and kissed her forehead before closing the door and climbing into the driver's seat. Penny's mother was sitting in the passenger seat and mumbling curses under her breath. Penny stared down at her scuffed knees silently, before slowly tilting up her head to stare outside the window. Her eyes widened at what she saw before her.

The bloodied clown from before was standing behind the chain fence surrounding the perimeter of the traveling amusement park. He was glaring at her, and behind him were two workers who were carrying what looked like a body bag. The two workers threw the body bag into a nearby dumpster, and then walked off. The bloodied clown continued to glare at her until finally slinking back into the shadow of an amusement park booth and out of sight.

Penny stared at the spot where the bloodied clown stood moments before. The car engine rumbled into life, as they started driving away.

Penny continued staring out the window even as they passed the Hyams Amusement Park sign, and onto the road. Only then did she look back down at her knees, shutting out the arguing voices of her parents. Her face was blank as she showed no sign of any emotion. However, in her mind the sound of chaotic laughter emitting from the girl in the reflection was in an infinite loop. As the laugh was repeating over and over again, she could also hear the girl whispering in the background. As clear as if she was sitting right beside her, and whispered a promise in her ear.

This was only the beginning…

…

BREAKING NEWS: Police reports seem to indicate a murder has occurred just a few days ago. The victim's body was found dead in a dumpster around noon, when a few clean-up crew workers started to notice an unfamiliar scent. The workers were cleaning up a land lot after being rented by a traveling amusement park which left the previous morning. Investigators are right now identifying the body and the police are reassuring everyone that the situation is being taken care of to the best of their ability. If there has been anyone missing, or if you have seen any suspicious or criminal activity lately, please contact the police. Thank you for your time and cooperation.