AUTHOR'S NOTE AND A WARNING TO READERS: My first attempt at a Non-Human story, with light elements of Erotic Horror weaved in here and there. It's pretty extreme, so be warned. Read the tags, make sure you're okay with them, and then proceed with caution.
It is a work of fiction, and all of the characters in the story are above the age of eighteen.
All of my work - including this one - is copyrighted. © Devinter.
--- ASTOR BACHERET'S CARNIVAL OF DREAD ---
The poster, stapled to the weathered bulletin board, look aged in a decrepit way - but Raven figured it must be an aesthetic choice, as she couldn't imagine the funfair workers would bother to collect and reuse them from every location they visited. The paper itself was flimsy, easily wrinkled, and the print looked as if it was put on there with the use of an old stencil machine, with printing in bold, black lettering - all capital letters. A border-like illustration of eerie masks framed the words in the centre. "Astor Bacheret's Carnival of Dread. Entry: Free." Underneath, the date and location seemed to be handwritten with dark paint, as it had run and smeared, leaving irregular blotches in various sizes. The carnival was to take place that very evening, for one night only.
"Could be fun," Amaya mused, leaning over her friend's shoulder so she could read along. Or perhaps merely because the goth girl was in no position to rebuff her closeness right then. The taller lady had a tendency to draw close without being asked, but the two were just friends. Raven's nostrils could smell a mix of lilac perfume and vanilla body-wash on the young woman's skin. "Want to go?"
Raven turned around, and looked into her friend's amber eyes - like two shots of Jack Daniel's whiskey. Those big doe eyes - the sort that usually held an innocence to them, absent whenever she'd look at Raven. Replaced by hunger. That wicked lust, ever lurking under the surface. How small it made Raven feel to be stared down with those eyes..
"Uhh.. Seems a bit creepy, don't you think?" She frowned.
Amaya shrugged, playing with her wavy hair, one lengthy handful of the long black tresses looped through each of her fingers. "Exactly! Which is why we'll fit right in. Two goth ladies, ready for a night of horror! Besides, the weather's finally getting warmer and I'll have a chance to show off my cute new dress without needing to cover it with a coat. Please, Birdie? It'll be fun!"
Raven's frown only deepened. "You know I don't like when you call me that." She came from a wealthy background, and her father was co-owner of the Apple Valley golf club, obsessed with - and practically married to - the sport. With an avian inspired name to begin with, the nickname 'Birdie' had been stuck with Raven at home since before she could remember - and when Amaya found out, with her penchant for finding everything a little bit silly to be 'cute', that meant she had taken to using it as often as possible. Raven's complaints did little good in swaying her friend's teasing but affectionate habit.
"Fine, fine. Listen, we'll meet up at my dorm room an hour before and get just tipsy enough for a good time, but not too much so they won't let us in. We both deserve something fun after studying so hard for the midterms! We've been nerdy for long enough. Please?" The other girl added the last word on, apparently realizing how Raven wasn't overly thrilled by the idea. "If I have to spend another weekend with my nose in textbooks I'll die. Can't we take a little breather?"
She kicked at a rock with her converse shoes. The college town's streets were littered with pebbles and small stones, but they were surprisingly clean - and by the state of the local parks, you could tell both the city council and the students took pride in their environment. After a few seconds, Raven relented. "Ugh. Alright, but if it's too creepy we're leaving."
Amaya squealed a little, pulling her friend in for a tight hug, which took some strength due to Raven's stubbornness when it came to affection - the 2-months-younger of the goth ladies being introverted, cautious, and inexperienced. They were opposites in many ways: Amaya instead loud, outgoing and a natural show-off. But they shared a passion for melodic metal music and occultism, and had been friends ever since they met in Mrs. Small's English literature class during the first week of college, both of them giggling over her last name as their professor was anything but small. People called her 'The Balloon' behind her back for a reason.
The town of Marbella Springs were known for three things; the prestigious college, having the oldest still-running train station on the east coast, and for supposedly being one of the most haunted places in all of America. This meant that the town attracted those believing in ghost and spirits in droves, and no small part of the businesses catered to some form of tourism - offering both urban legend tours or amateur paranormal investigations to the general public. For a hefty fee, of course. So a horror-themed freak show of some kind fit right in. Locals who had grown up in town said they could hear whispers and sobbing at night - though most of the student were naturally quite sceptical.
Raven had stayed in the dorms for her first semester, but moved into a shared house with three friends after Christmas break. Despite splitting it four ways, it was spacious enough to comfortably fit all of them - each with their own bedroom - and still have room to spare. Almost every house on the charming Argyle street was rented by students, and the landlord made an absolute killing off of all of the newcomers who wanted a tad more privacy than in the dorms - and although Raven likely could have begged her parents for enough money to rent something all by herself, the truth was that the thought of living completely alone frightened her. Not because she believed in the horror stories, but because she wasn't used to living independently. With her scatter-brained personality and awkward socializing, it seemed the most sensible option. Raven liked knowing that she had people close-by, and often they'd have their meals together, even if she mostly kept to herself otherwise.
"I'm going to that horror carnival tonight," she told one of her housemates over a delicious spaghetti bolognese prepared by Mina - a marine biology major with a pixie cut, often seen wearing oversized earrings far too big for her small head. Her other two housemates, Astrid and Becca, had gone home for the weekend as they did most Fridays, leaving Mina as the sole person there when Raven got back from classes at 5pm sharp. "With Amaya. You know her, right? Want to come with us?"
Mina squirmed in her seat. She was not one to do spontaneous things, preferring to know about excursions well in advance. "Hmm.. Well..." She dragged out the words. "Sorry, but I don't think so."
Raven reached for another piece of garlic bread - her own mediocre contribution to the meal. Frozen and prepped - all she did was pop them in the oven. "Don't worry. I just thought I'd ask." She gave the woman a smile. "Thank you so much for making this. It's incredible! You should have gone the culinary route and studied to be a chef!"
Mina blushed at the compliment, then wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. "You're welcome. If I change my mind about the carnival, I'll let you know." The both of them knew the chances of that were abysmal - Mina would be left behind on her own to study as usual. But that was largely what Raven liked about the girl so much. She was predictable. Dependable. The goth girl may not have been confident around people, but she had found comfort in Mina's quiet demeanor, and the silent moments between the two never felt awkward.
With her system overloaded with carbs, Raven started feeling that tell-tale weariness she often got after a big meal - so after thanking Mina once again, and quickly helping out with the dishes, she withdrew to her room and decided to simply spend a few hours watching Netflix until it was time to get ready.
Every fifteen minutes or so, her phone would beep, and a new text message from Amaya would appear on the display - often accompanied by a picture. Raven nearly choked on her spit as her eyes landed on an image of her friend in the nude, only covering herself with a towel in a highly suggestive manner, paired with the message "About to hit the shower! If you show up early, I might still be naked when you arrive!" and a winky-face emoji. That girl never did stop trying to playfully flirt. She didn't know why her friend hadn't yet given up, as Raven had made it clear she wasn't interested in women - though if she was perfectly honest with herself, which was something she struggled with, she had caught herself thinking of the amber-eyed Amaya once or twice when touching herself. Not that she intended on ever sharing that tidbit with her friend.
Eventually, after two episodes of 'Midnight Mass', it was time to get ready. The evening was surprisingly warm for being early spring, though Raven still decided it might be best to wear a sweater. She selected one in all black, except for the pink hibiscus print that only took up a small portion of the fabric. She paired that with dark-washed jeans which accentuated her shapely rear, a silver-studded belt, and a pair of lace-up ankle boots. Her makeup was on the heavier side - black eyeliner and mascara, deep red lipstick - which made her porcelain skin look even paler in contrast. Finally, a black rose corsage around her wrist, which had become 'her thing'. Having clothes with pockets for a change, she opted to leave her purse at home. After one last look in the mirror, she embraced the night air - after quickly wishing Mina a good night - and began the short walk over to her flirtatious friend's dorm.
