“You thought you’d come here to see retribution, hm? But it’syouwho are the ones who has been judged too. The blood on your hands isfarolder than you think.”
Madame takes a step forward.
“This final act is not for your entertainment,” she sneers. “This is the reckoning. The retaliation for your lies, your sins, your betrayals.” Her grin widens with savage delight. “This...thisis where your lives are paid for in full. Right here, at Oddity.”
The crowd tenses, and I wait, wide-eyed, wondering what the fuck is happening. She seems to be talking in riddles.
“On Dark Night, you believed you were safe, that your offences could be hidden behind the mask ofthis night,” Madame whispers, her voice dripping with malice. “But no one...no oneescapes Dark Night. Not even YOU!”
My breath catches in my throat as the realization hits me like a cold wave. But before I can process it, Madame lets out a loud, mocking laugh into the microphone, her head thrown back in a way that feels too menacing.
The crowd, in their stupidity, follow her, their laughter rising in a mindless frenzy, unaware of the danger that’s about to unfold.
My eyes dart to the performers as they inch closer to the audience, like wolves closing in on prey. It becomes clear now… this isn’t just a performance. This is going to be a fucking bloodbath for everyone involved.
Madame’s laugh fades into a chilling silence, and in that instant, the tension shatters. The performers move quick, weapons are unleashed and everything erupts.
The madness of Dark Night rages around me as I lock eyes with Wrath, standing eerily still in the center of it all, staring right at me like he knows exactly what’s coming. The world blurs, everything else fades, and for a moment, it’s just the two of us.
A sly grin curls on my lips, and his eyes darken, sharpening with something primal. I can see it in the way his posture shifts.
He’s going to chase me tonight.
My eyes flick to Blush in the crowd as they surge out of the doors, a frenzy of bodies scrambling over the seats to escape.
I’m already moving, pushing through until my hand snaps out to grab Blush’s wrist. She stumbles, caught off guard, as I yank her toward one of the exits.
“Aurelia, what are you doing?” she breathes, but I don’t stop.
I glance back at Wrath, but now he stands with Soul, both of them staring us down with cold, calculating eyes.
“We’re gonna have some fun tonight, girl,” I say, flashing a big smile at Blush, the thrill racing through me.
Soon, we’re pushed out into the carnival and the panicked crowd surges toward the locked gates. The chaos and the fear is intoxicating while we slow down as soon as we can, both of us watching the madness unfold.
“Here take this,” Blush says, her voice almost gleeful in the mayhem as she hands me a huge manchette.
“What about you?” I ask before looking forward again, and that’s when I spot them.
Workers are sliding weapons under the gates, tossing knives, axes, and whatever else they can spare to the bad guys. My brows pinch, confusion curling through me.
“What the fuck…” I mutter under my breath.
“It’s an all-out war, Aurelia,” Blush says, her grin widening, pink eyes alight with excitement, like she’s been waiting for this. “And Oddity always wins.”
Suddenly, the Oddity Cirque crew surges out of the tent, weapons drawn. They’re not here for a show anymore, they’re here to kill. The crowd scatters in every direction, screams mixing with the sound of heavy boots pounding against the wet cracked ground.
Blush doesn’t hesitate while she reaches out, snatching an axe from someone’s hand as they pass her.
And then I hear it… a motorbike coming from my left and I almost think it’s gonna to be Wrath, but as the engine rips through the crowd, cutting through the carnival's madness, my eyes snap it.
I spot Noir, perched on Hell’s black and white bike. They’re facing each other frontally, a twisted relationship of destruction. Noir’s got a nail gun in her hand, and as the bike barrels through the crowd at full speed, she starts firing.
Nails rip through flesh, thudding with sickening force as people crumple to the ground, their screams echoing through the night. And through it all, a loud, manic laugh bursts from her lips, and the sound ripples dark amusement through me.
I can’t help but laugh with her, shaking my head at the craziness of it all.
Without warning, a piece of metal, or something just as sharp, slices across my cheek, the sting immediate. I freeze for a second, my fingers instinctively touching the wound before I stare down at the blood on my fingertips.
