The Carnival
By Kyru Hikari
Two teens go to a carnival with a theme park with it. They have so much fun that they end up finding the sky dark with the stars twinkling. They start to go to the gates and hear a dark, hushed voice.
'We shouldn't let the creatures get out. You remember the last time that happened. We lost a majority of our business. No one from the Outside is allowed to know the secret of this place.'
'Of course Master.'
'Then start with those two kids that are listening to our conversation.'
With that, they started running for the gates, knowing someone or something was after them. When they got to the gate, they found that it had been locked. They must escape this carnival before they become part of the act. The main question is, how?
~*---*---*~
A 14 year old boy looked at the gate. His dark brown eyes darted from side to side. He reached out a hand to the gate, and grasped the cool metal in his hand. His slightly tan skin could slightly keep him hidden in the full moon's light. A loose black short-sleeved button-up shirt hung from his shoulders. A pair of black jeans hung limply from his waist and folded over black socks and sneakers. His hands shook the gates, nothing happened. At his left wrist was a black sweatband and on his hands were finger-tip-less gloves. His short, slightly layered jet-black hair ruffled in the slight breeze. He swore and turned to look at Ryuki, his best friend.
"It's no use." He said. "The gates are locked." Footsteps. "We gotta get outta here now!" He yelled as he frantically looked for a way out. The gates were too tall to climb as they appeared to stretch up to the sky. This is Kyru.
Ryuki, a 14 year old boy, swore. "Damn." He muttered. His medium-length slightly-layered dirty blonde hair shimmered in the moonlight. His bright green eyes looked around for something to prevent the oncoming…thing, from coming any closer. His dark navy blue button up short-sleeved shirt hung from his thin shoulders. His dark blue jeans also hung limply from his waist and they rested just above his navy blue short-cut socks. His black sneakers stood out slightly from his navy blue outfit. On his left wrist sat a black sweatband and on both his hands were black finger-tip-less gloves. He walked over to the gate and grabbed its bars with both hands. His pale skin stood out the most as he attempted to climb the gate.
"No, there has to be another way out! There always is!" he said quickly, searching frantically. He heard more footsteps. He saw a small booth which he quickly dove behind and signaled for Kyru to follow.
Kyru nodded and darted behind the booth next to Ryuki.
"So now what do we do?" he whispered.
"I don't know." someone else replied.
Kyru nearly let out a yelp as he realized the other person was also the one who was ordered to go after them. His eyes were wide in terror.
"Well now, what do we have here? Two 14 year old boys, eh? By now you should know this: you are to work with the carnival and never leave or you die. It's your choice. Although I'd hurry it up before the Master arrives." The person, a man, said with a grin. He was a stout man with a devilish grin and face. He wore a tight suit that barely fit him and shoes that were several sizes too big. He had beady, dark blue eyes that scrutinized them.
Ryuki's eyes slowly turned to the man. He gulped and forced himself to speak. "B-but why? W-we didn't do anything." he said nervously, shaking slightly out of fear.
The man laughed. "The Master will be here any minute. You can ask him yourself, although I doubt you'll live long." He replied, grinning even more than ever.
Kyru glared at him. "Why is it that we only have two choices? What does 'dying' have to do with a carnival? Carnivals are supposed to be fun, not threatening to kill people." He commented.
Ryuki nodded in agreement. "He's right, why? Why would you just kill someone without reason?" he said. "I 'm not going to give up my life so easily!"
The man laughed again. "You two really are naive. You already know too much about this carnival that the Master and I cannot afford you to leave. Knowing about human nature, you'll go and tell your friends about us. They, in turn, will tell their friends and so on until everyone knows about us. You're not leaving and besides, once you die, you'll work for the Master anyways." He grinned darkly.
Kyru stared at the man. "Why would we work for the Master if we're dead?" he questioned. A dark laugh came from the gates. The stout man got onto his knees and looked at the ground.
"Master." he muttered. Kyru stared.
Ryuki stared as well. "The only undead beings I know of are vampires and zombies…" he said softly, mostly to himself.
The man known as the Master laughed. "Piniko, what have you told these children?" He asked through giggles.
"Just the basics, like what you did to me many years ba--"
"Never mention that incident with them around." The Master hissed, the fitful laughing vanished as his red eyes narrowed. The stout man known as Piniko clutched his throat and gasped for air. He nodded a second later and the Master's eyes glinted as Piniko dropped to the ground, gasping for air like a fish out of water.
Kyru stared at the Master. His eyes flickered to a dark crimson and he suddenly lost control of what he was doing. He approached the Master and knelt before him, Kyru's gaze met those of the Master's.
"Good choice, boy." The Master smiled. A sharp object shimmered once in the moonlight before it sailed through the air and made its mark on Kyru's wrist in the shape of a winding black dragon. The sharp object vanished a second later while Kyru's eyes remained that dark crimson color.
Ryuki stared at Kyru, his eyes wide in astonishment. He knew Kyru's eyes changed colors, but never have they turned a dark crimson.
"Kyru," he hissed, "what are you doing?!" The Master smiled.
"Your friend has chosen to join me. What about you? If you do not, Kyru will slaughter you in cold blood." Ryuki stared at the Master and pondered the question.
"How do I join?" He asked, determined. The Master chuckled.
"I guess you're not as gifted as Kyru is. Well, we don't need to waste Kyru's talent. Piniko, lock him in the Chambers." Piniko nodded.
---
Ryuki's Story
Piniko turned and flicked his finger. Ropes came up and started winding around Ryuki's wrists and a rope appeared in Piniko's hands that attached to the ropes around Ryuki's wrists. Ryuki jumped slightly and pulled at the ropes before attempting to bite at them in desperation.
Piniko laughed again. "Come along silently and you'll get better treatment." He tugged at the rope and pulled Ryuki towards the 'Mirror House' which also had faded lime green writing saying 'The Chambers'. He opened the door and shoved Ryuki inside, closing it behind him. Piniko vanished as the first few rays of sunlight streaked across the horizon.
Ryuki sat down and stared at the ground. He closed his eyes, not caring what may be around him. He couldn't help but smile a little, 'Whatever happens here can't be worse than what could've been happening at outside.' he thought silently.
A growl came from deep within The Chambers followed by the loud crunching of...something. The growls became louder as the creature approached Ryuki. The door was locked tight and there were very few other places to run.
Ryuki listened. He jumped up and looked around nervously. He gulped and searched for the source of the noise, hoping that he had only imagined it.
The growling had only become louder as the creature got closer. With each breath he took in, the closer the creature got. More crunching and now low, husky breathing could be heard. Dark crimson eyes pierced through the shadows to look directly at him. Not a ray of sunlight entered the Chambers so the creature advancing couldn't be described, but red eyes glared through the darkness.
Ryuki saw the red eyes and backed up a little, half hoping that it wouldn't come after him, and half hoping it would be a quick death. He quickly thought of something he had never tried at home. He took in the largest breathe he ever had in his life, held it for a about two seconds, and let it out in the loudest scream he had ever made, hoping he would be heard.
The growls became lower and the breathing even deeper. The creature pounced at Ryuki, snarling. Its eyes seemed to pulse in rhythm with his heartbeat. It snarled once again, but padded over to a corner and slept.
The creature got up, hungry and ready to eat. It glanced at Ryuki and started to pace, debating whether or not to kill him. Initially, if it killed the person, they'd become something like slaves to the carnival. However, hunger clawed at its stomach due to weeks without food. Finally, it decided. It turned to Ryuki and carved out a piece of his flesh with a long claw. It swiftly brought the claw up to his throat and made a deep gash. Blood started to flow out of the wound, then suddenly stopped. He was now one of the Carnival. The creature went over the piece of flesh that it took from Ryuki and ate it before slinking off into the heart of the Chambers. Ryuki's eyes turned a blazing crimson as he waited to be let out.
Ryuki stared at the darkness, wondering what had just happened. Had he died? Was he a ghost? Was he finally dead? Or was he at that stage where you were so near death you couldn't tell. Then he grew calmer and sighed silently.
The sound of laughter could be heard from outside the Chambers.
"Well done!" It was Piniko as he opened the door to the Chambers.
A sharp object, similar to the one used on Kyru, glinted in the moonlight that was now flooding the carnival. Piniko grabbed Ryuki's wrist and made its mark in the shape of a bird in mid-flight. As soon as the object had appeared, it vanished.
"You now serve me. I will train you until you are able to do the things I can. You will not be able to see Kyru very often and, if you do, it will be on different ranks. Come now, there are things you are to learn before we can even think about your training." Piniko said, motioning to Ryuki from what seemed like half a mile away. His eyes pulsed once and then remained crimson.
Ryuki followed him quickly and quietly, not saying a thing. He wondered why he wasn't dead.
As if Piniko had read Ryuki's thoughts, he chuckled slightly and replied, "Remember, the bond between us is like servant and master." He led Ryuki to a tent on the far side of the roller coasters and stopped in front of it, waiting for him to catch up.
Piniko led Ryuki into the tent which had the words 'Registration and Academy' written across it. There were two other kids inside along with a fragile-looking man standing at the front of what looked like a classroom. The man, probably the teacher, dipped his head towards them. The other two kids stood up and did the same before going back to work.
"You will be educated on manners and your duties. It is only for tonight and I shall see you 10 minutes to closing time tomorrow." With that, Piniko strode off with a clipboard in hand, checking off various items.
Ryuki looked at the three people and just stood there, not really sure what should he do. Finally he opened his mouth, "Um, hi?' he said softly, not sure at how loud he should be.
The two kids, a boy and a girl, both slightly younger than Ryuki nodded and looked at the teacher. The teacher was tapping his foot impatiently on the ground, waiting for Ryuki to take a seat.
Ryuki quickly sat in the back, like he always did at school. He kept his head down as always.
The teacher went on about the rules of the carnival and the procedures that must occur in order for the people on the Outside to remain oblivious to the dark secrets of the carnival. The girl had eyes of an unusual color compared to the rest of the people at the carnival, bright piercing river-blue eyes.
The boy muttered something to her and she nodded before turning back to taking notes. The boy threw a piece of paper at Ryuki. It read:
You'd better start taking notes before you have to repeat this night. Trust me, it gets boring after a while of doing the same thing over and over again. Take notes and at least act like you're paying attention.
P.S. If anyone asks who wrote this, we didn't.
Ryuki read it and quickly started to take notes as best he could. He wasn't really good at them, but he supposed that it was better to be safe than sorry. Suddenly, he felt a pang and he cried out in pain. The two kids chuckled slightly, knowing what was happening to him. The teacher ignored Ryuki and continued on with the lecture. The pain slithered up Ryuki's throat, causing him to choke and he fell onto the floor, attempting to get a hold of himself. His cries became blood-curling screams as the pain spread through his body and pulsed in sync with his heartbeat which was now slowly fading. His vision started to blur and then, darkness swallowed him. He was unconscious.
---
Kyru's Story
"Now, Kyru. Shall we put you to work?" The Master asked. Kyru nodded and slowly stood up. He went and stood by the Master's side as the two drifted to a tent. On the entrance was the word 'demons'. Kyru materialized a sword and stepped in before the Master.
"It's alright, you can put that away." Kyru looked at the Master and nodded once, instantly the sword vanished as the Master resumed taking the lead.
The Master sat down on a chair, his pale skin wasn't as pale, and his eyes were light amber.
Kyru appeared to have broken out of the trans and looked around. Everything that had altered had reverted to before the incident. He knew what happened and knew that he was permanently bound to the Master and the carnival. Surprisingly enough, it didn't bother him.
"Master, why is it that this place isn't dangerous, yet last night I heard screams, growls, and other abnormal noises?" Kyru asked.
"It is because you are special and because the sunlight changes us for publicity. At night, we revert to our True Selves." The Master replied. Kyru nodded, waiting for dusk would be a challenge, for he longed for its arrival.
The Master turned to look at Kyru and muttered something. Where the carnival stood throughout the week became an empty lot for the carnival had vanished.
"Don't get so fidgety, go out there and have fun while you still can. Once the mark on your wrist starts to move on its own, you won't be able to walk in broad daylight anymore. Report back here 5 minutes before sunset. You'll know when that is because the carnival will close 10 minutes before sunset. Now go on!" the Master said.
Kyru nodded and left the tent, wondering where Ryuki was at. He shrugged and headed towards the nearest roller coaster.
Kyru looked at the sky, the sun was close to setting now. The last of the crowd had left, gone home for a long nap and food. He got off the roller coaster just as a speaker came on to announce the carnival had closed. He headed towards the tent where the Master was waiting for him and entered.
The gates rose to un-climbable height as the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon.
Kyru was looking at the master, their eyes both gleamed a shade of red. Kyru had lost control of what he was doing once again and approached the Master. He struggled to regain control and wasn't victorious.
"Don't worry, with training and time, you'll be able to have control of your body. For now though, just bear with it." The Master told Kyru. Kyru nodded and stood by the chair, hearing the abnormal noises start up once again.
The Master stood up and headed towards the "back room" which held various cages for various creatures. Kyru followed the Master immediately as he got up. He glared at the "demons" that were caged and they whimpered before silencing.
The Master stopped in the middle of the room with Kyru next to him. The Master's eyes widened slightly when it suddenly got silent. He nodded in approval before moving to the furthest room that connected to the Chambers.
Kyru looked at the Master, waiting for the creature. The Master made a sharp, shrill, high-pitched whistle and suddenly, red eyes glowed in the darkness. It was the same creature that had taken a piece of Ryuki's flesh that night. The Master walked closer to the creature with Kyru trailing after him, closing the door silently after him. The creature glared at Kyru, unsure of what to think. It started to growl when Kyru glared at it. It silenced and whimpered slightly, looking at the Master.
Kyru stared at the creature, curious about its reaction.
"Master?" Kyru asked.
"Yes Kyru?"
"Why is it that when I glance at them, they fall silent?"
"It's because you are like their master. Oh, and your familiar has just showed up." The Master said, noticing Piniko's arrival. He held a cage that was covered with a somewhat tattered-looking blanket. He pulled off the blanket to reveal a stunning, silver-winged falcon with stormy gray eyes and a 'crown' on the top of its head made of dark crimson-red feathers.
The falcon stared at Kyru, seeming to examine him carefully. It turned to the Master and asked, "Is this the boy Sir?" The Master nodded. It focused its attention back on Kyru. The creature whimpered at the Master before slinking back into its den. Kyru, the Master, Piniko, and the falcon went back into the main part of the tent.
"He doesn't look too special." The falcon commented in an undertone. The Master chuckled slightly and led them out of the tent into another one marked 'Demon Training'.
Before entering, Kyru materialized a whip with an outstretched hand. It coiled around his arm like a serpent before he grabbed its handle and stepped inside.
Kyru kept his eyes focused on the slightest sounds. The Master, Piniko, and the falcon were watching him. The Master led him into a ring before leaving to watch from the audience. Hardly anyone was there in the arena-like area. The gate on the opposite side of where Kyru was standing opened and a Manticore leaped out, roaring loudly enough that the floor felt as if it were shaking.
Kyru stared at the Manticore, not quite anticipating that he would have to face something like this. He materialized a dark crimson shield and gripped it. He glared at the Manticore, ignoring its growls and roars. He flicked the whip, intentionally not making contact. The Manticore made eye-contact with Kyru and started to whimper like a dog. Kyru started to walk towards it, it stayed put mostly out of fear. He started to pet it and it didn't even flinch.
The falcon stared at Kyru, its eyes wide.
"How? That Manticore has killed at least five of the best tamers in the world. How is it that a mere boy can do it?"
"I told you, he's special." The Master replied.
Kyru looked over at the spectators who all had the same look and question written on their faces. He smiled and waved, keeping a hand on the Manticore. His shield dissolved into thin air and the whip coiled around his arm once again.
"How was that Master?" Kyru asked as he walked out of the tent. The falcon, Varr, chose Kyru to be his human companion. The Master nodded, "That was great. That Manticore has killed five of the best tamers in the world and it took them weeks to prepare. It only took you a few minutes. You really are something." Kyru looked at his wrist; the dragon mark had started to move. He sighed; the inability to move around in sunlight was going to be difficult.