Page 31 of Insanium
Chapter Twelve
Standing before the garishly decorated entrance to what was actually a fun house, I couldn’t help but feel a tingle of anticipation.
“Well, isn’t this just inviting?” I quipped, my gaze tracing the eerie, exaggerated features of the clown painted on the entrance. The mouth, a gaping maw framed by a row of sharp, carnivorous teeth, seemed to mock us with a sinister welcome.
“We’re really doing this, huh?” Aisha murmured.
“Yep, straight into the belly of the beast,” I replied with a smirk, leading the way up the ramp. The tunnel beyond the clown’s mouth was short and led us into a cramped vestibule, another ominous door waiting to challenge our resolve.
Without hesitation, we pushed through and found ourselves facing rubber flaps that slapped quietly against each other as we passed through them, adding a touch of surrealism to the already bizarre setting. Beyond lay a door marked “Costume Room.”
I pushed it open, and we stepped into a room that felt like a twisted tailor’s dream.
Mannequins were dressed in freakish carnival attire, each ensemble more disturbing than the last, accompanied by an array of weaponry that could belong in a slasher film. “Looks like they’re expecting us to play dress-up.”
I approached a mannequin clad in what looked like a ringmaster’s outfit gone horribly wrong.
“Or arm up,” Aisha added, eyeing a wicked-looking scythe propped against a nearby stand.
“Either way, it’s showtime,” I concluded, feeling the adrenaline begin to pump through my veins as we contemplated our next move in this bizarre game of survival and spectacle.As we were sizing up the room, the sudden swoosh of a round door at the other end creaked open, and two clowns pranced in. One waved maniacally while the other, with a more sinister demeanor, welcomed us to the Maze of Misery.
“It’s time for you all to judge those across the bay,” the first clown announced with a disturbingly cheerful tone. “Pick your costume, grab your weapons, and get ready to prove your worthy of a place in the Devil’s Playground.”
The second clown chimed in, his voice a grave contrast to his companion’s merriment, “You’ve got six minutes—choose wisely.” With a dramatic flourish, they both spun around and exited through the door they had come in, leaving us in eerie silence.
“Great, a timed fashion show with a side of carnage,” I muttered, half amused, half annoyed, as I glanced at the others. Their expressions ranged from bewildered to determined. I picked up a particularly menacing-looking axe and weighed it in my hand, eyeing the assortment of costumes. “Well, let’s get started,” I said, stepping toward a mannequin dressed in a demented jester outfit that seemed fittingly twisted for whatever lay ahead.
Hael and Aisha stood guard while I quickly slipped into my chosen costume, an elaborate jester outfit that felt unnervingly appropriate. After I was dressed, I turned to help them. Aisha picked something sleek and deadly looking, while Hael opted for an outfit that was both grim and dashing.
The others were varying in their enthusiasm; one outright refused to don any costume, standing defiantly in their everyday clothes.
Once we were all more or less dressed, Hael gave me an approving nod. “You look good in that.”
I twirled, axe in hand, the costume’s layers fluttering slightly. “It makes me feel real fancy,” I joked, then caught sightof the LED mask Hael had chosen. “And you look hot. I think I might have a mask kink.”
Aisha chuckled, but her eyes were scanning the room. She was clearly thinking ahead.
Conversation bubbled up among us, uncertainty mingling with resolve until someone finally voiced the question on all our minds. “What did they mean by ‘judge across the bay’?”
Liam, ever the straightforward one, didn’t sugarcoat his response. “They want us to kill. I’m assuming they told the other side— whoever that is—to get ready for the same thing.”
I couldn’t help but feel a thrill at the prospect, despite the danger. “Battle Royale—fun house–style,” I announced with a twisted smile. “I’m a little excited.”
The group’s reactions were mixed, but there was an undeniable buzz of adrenaline among us.
Maya’s frustration was palpable. “Where the hell are Eryx and Rafe?”
I glanced back at the way we’d come, only to find it now sealed off. “Who knows, but they aren’t getting in here from that way.”
“Maybe they got taken out,” someone else muttered under their breath.
Juno scoffed. “Highly unlikely.”
Just then, the light above the rounded door flipped from red to green, signaling the return of the two clowns.
The first beamed at us. “How lovely you all look.”
The second clown’s tone was less cheerful. “Such a shame that won’t help you much on the other side.”
