The entrance to the indoor amusement park loomed before them, a once-bright, colorful archway now dark and foreboding. Flickering neon lights spelled out the park’s name, but most of the letters had burned out, leaving only a few dimly glowing, twisted characters. It was enough to make the words look like a warning.

Lex hesitated for a moment, taking in the eerie, empty rides that stretched out beyond the entrance. The place had been designed to be loud, colorful, and fun—meant for laughter and joy. Now, it felt like a trap, a place that swallowed up any hint of happiness and replaced it with dread.

"You sure about this, Lex?" Damien asked, adjusting the grip on his wrench. "We don’t have to go in there. We could find another way around."

"We don’t have time," Lex said, shaking her head. "The control room is on the other side. We need to get through the park, and we need to do it fast. We’ll move together, keep our eyes open, and if we see that Clown... we don’t play his games."

Sophie swallowed hard, her eyes wide with fear. "I really hate clowns," she muttered, barely audible.

The group stepped inside, their footsteps echoing on the concrete floor. The park was a mess, with overturned benches, broken ride cars, and colorful stuffed animals strewn everywhere, their plastic eyes staring blankly into the darkness. The faint smell of burnt sugar and stale popcorn lingered in the air, mixing with something far more unpleasant—something metallic and sharp, like blood.

"Everyone, stay close," Lex said, her voice firm. "And watch for anything that looks like a trap."

They moved slowly, their eyes darting around, scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. The park was quiet, but it was the kind of quiet that felt heavy, like the air was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. They passed a row of broken bumper cars, the vehicles crumpled and abandoned, and a giant Ferris wheel that creaked ominously as it swayed in the darkness.

As they approached the carousel, the ride suddenly sprang to life, the painted horses lurching forward as the platform began to spin. The lights blinked rapidly, and the familiar, cheerful carousel music blared out of hidden speakers, distorted and off-key.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Brandon said, backing up, his heart pounding. "What’s going on?"

"Keep moving," Lex ordered, even though she felt her own fear rising. "It’s just a distraction. He’s trying to mess with us."

But then, over the chaotic music, they heard it—a laugh. Soft at first, barely more than a whisper, but it grew louder, bouncing off the walls and echoing through the park. It was high-pitched, gleeful, and sinister, like someone enjoying a private joke.

The Clown was here.

A spotlight snapped on, illuminating the far side of the park, where a funhouse stood. Its entrance was painted to look like a giant clown’s mouth, wide open, with jagged, red teeth that made it look like it was grinning. The laughter grew louder, and a figure stepped out from the shadows, waving slowly, almost mockingly.

The Clown was dressed in a patchwork of bright, clashing colors, his painted face split into a grotesque grin. He wore a tattered, multicolored coat, and his eyes glittered in the light, sharp and cold. The group froze, staring at him, their hearts pounding.

"Welcome, welcome!" the Clown called out, his voice dripping with false cheer. "I’ve been waiting for you! Step right up, step right up, and let’s have some fun!"

Damien clenched his wrench, his jaw tight. "I’m done playing around with this freak. Let’s take him out."

Stolen novel; please report.

"No," Lex said sharply. "That’s what he wants. He’s baiting us. We need to be smart about this."

The Clown’s grin widened, and he gestured toward the funhouse entrance. "Come on in! I’ve got games, prizes, everything you could ever want! You don’t want to disappoint me, do you?"

The funhouse lights flickered, and Lex could see the faint, eerie glow of mirrors and strobe lights inside. She knew it was a trap, but they didn’t have a choice. The Clown was blocking the way forward, and if they tried to avoid him, he’d just follow them.

"Alright," she said, taking a deep breath. "We go in. But we stick together. If we see any traps, we disable them, and if we see him, we don’t engage unless we have to. Got it?"

Everyone nodded, though they were clearly terrified. They didn’t need to say it because they were in this together, no matter what.

The group entered the funhouse, the air immediately turning cold and stale. The entrance tunnel was lined with mirrors, each one reflecting distorted versions of themselves—stretched, twisted, warped in ways that made their faces look unfamiliar. Sophie clutched her arms around herself, trying not to look at her reflection.

"I hate this," she whispered. "I hate this so much."

"We’ll get through it," Lex said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "Just keep moving."

As they moved deeper, the lights above them began to flicker, and the sound of carnival music played softly, distorted and warbling. It was the kind of music that was supposed to be cheerful, but here, it felt mocking, taunting them as they navigated the maze of mirrors.

Suddenly, the floor beneath them shifted, tilting sharply, and they stumbled, trying to keep their balance. Lex grabbed onto a nearby railing, her heart leaping into her throat. "Watch out! He’s rigged the floor!"

Before they could recover, the Clown’s voice crackled through a hidden speaker, echoing through the funhouse. "Oh, don’t be shy! Let’s see if you can keep up!"

The walls shifted, opening up to reveal new passages that hadn’t been there before. It was a maze, constantly changing, designed to disorient them.

Damien cursed, swinging his wrench at a mirror in frustration, shattering it. "I’m not playing this game!"

"Stay calm," Brandon said, trying to steady his breathing. "If we panic, he wins."

They continued through the maze, their nerves fraying with each turn. The mirrors distorted their reflections, making it hard to tell what was real and what was just an illusion. Every so often, they’d see a flash of color—a glimpse of the Clown’s coat, or the hint of a painted smile—but it would disappear as soon as they tried to follow it.

Then, the lights went out completely, plunging them into total darkness. For a moment, they couldn’t see anything, and the silence was suffocating. But then, the Clown’s voice cut through the dark, soft and eerie, like he was whispering right in their ears.

"Do you like my funhouse? I made it just for you..."

A faint, mechanical whirr filled the room, and a set of spinning blades emerged from the walls, slicing through the air. Lex could see their faint, glinting edges in the dim light, and her mind raced. "Get down! Move!" she shouted, grabbing Sophie and pulling her to the floor as the blades whooshed past.

The group scrambled, dodging the spinning traps and trying to stay low. They needed to find a way out, and fast. Lex’s eyes darted around, searching for anything that could give them an edge.

Brandon spotted a fire extinguisher mounted on the wall, and an idea sparked. "We can use this! If we can’t see him, he can’t see us either." He yanked it off the wall, pulling the pin.

"Cover your eyes!" Brandon warned, and then he sprayed, sending a cloud of white foam into the air. The mirrors and lights disappeared behind the thick mist, creating a layer of cover.

The Clown’s voice rang out, frustrated. "No fair! You’re cheating!"

"Let’s see how he likes it," Damien said, smashing another mirror. "If he can’t play, he can’t win."

Using the mist as cover, the group moved quickly through the funhouse, smashing mirrors, disrupting the Clown’s line of sight. Every time the blades retracted, they darted forward, inching closer to the exit. The Clown’s voice was still there, still taunting, but it was getting more frustrated.

"Why are you running?" he said, his tone almost petulant. "Don’t you want to play?"

"We don’t play with psychos," Lex said under her breath, eyes locked on the exit sign flickering in the distance. "We survive."

They burst out of the funhouse, breathing hard, their ears still ringing from the Clown’s taunts. The sudden silence was almost overwhelming, but it was a relief. They had made it through the maze, and even if they hadn’t beaten the Clown, they hadn’t let him win.

But as they turned to leave, the Clown’s laughter echoed one last time through the speakers, soft and chilling. "Oh, but this is just the beginning, my little friends. I’ll be seeing you very soon."