Astor Bacheret's Carnival of Dread

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.

"Come in!" Amaya yelled when Raven knocked on her dorm room. The hall-way had a funky smell to it that the black-haired vixen assumed might be some sort cannabis - still illegal in the state. Decriminalized, but illegal. An odd combination, but that was nothing new. As she entered, her friend was still putting make-up on, and was only wearing her undergarments. Raven blushed instantly.

Amaya saw the reaction in her friend's face and looked down at herself - still not covered - laughing. "Oh come on! If you want to take a bite, go right ahead." She jiggled her chest suggestively. "There's enough to go around." Raven just shook her head and hurriedly closed the door behind her. "You look cute, Birdie. But not nearly slutty enough. A skimpy dress would've been better."

The pale-skinned girl frowned. "We're going there to have fun, not to chase after boys. This will suffice." The words sounded bitter - even more so than she had intended. "Besides, you know I don't like slutty clothing. Remember when you tried to get me to buy that really short skirt to match yours back in September? My parents would kill me if they ever saw me wearing that kind of thing. And trust me, they would find out somehow."

Amaya just smiled, turning her attention back to the mirror, mascara brush in hand. "Fine, fine. To be honest, I wouldn't want people ogling you too much regardless. You're mine!" Her face seemed innocent enough as she spoke the words, but it didn't hide what was obviously a hint of possessiveness - something that never failed to send shivers down Raven's spine, for better and worse. "You know where the liquor cabinet is, darling. Pour yourself something that will bring out your wild side."

"Wild side..?" Raven scoffed as she grabbed a wine glass from the top shelf of the cabinet above the kitchenette. "I'm less of a lioness and more of a.. Capybara!"

"Don't worry, we'll work on you yet," Amaya said with a giggle.

As Raven inspected the wares in the cabinet, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that her friend's laptop was on, and that she was on some kind of paranormal podcast website. But the title name stuck out to her. "Astor Bacheret is famous?" she asked from the kitchenette, opening a half-finished bottle of vodka - smelling it and making a face before pouring herself only a miniscule amount, before raiding the fridge for something to mix it with. Due to Amaya's limited selection available, grape juice became the obvious choice.

"Eh. Sort of, I guess. They say he can summon demons and stuff. Seems a bit over the top, but apparently he got more or less banished from France for being a total nutter. They say he's part of some secret society mumbo-jumbo. Sounds like classic conspiracy-theory notions, but one part about it was really interesting." Raven could hear the excitement rising in her friend's voice as she spoke. "Guess which secret society he's said to be a part of?" Before the smaller lady could even answer, Amaya had already spilled the name. "The Order of the Golden Chalice!"

"Wait.. Isn't that the one that supposedly is active here on campus? Weird," Raven mused. She didn't know much about the so called 'Order' - but from what little information she had been able to snap up from friends and others, they were some sort of clique within the college with a reputation of being elitist and mysterious. And no small number of the students claimed to have seen members while they were acting out weird rituals under the cover of night. They were often compared to the Skull & Bones society of Yale University - but likely lacking the same wealth or prestige.

Raven wasn't one to judge others however, and she was a bit of a misfit herself, though she began to wonder what this Astor Bacheret person's motives could be for starting a 'carnival of dread'. Perhaps it was a lucrative business, despite the free entry, and everything inside would be extremely overpriced. Luckily, Raven still got a generous allowance, so if that was the case, they'd survive either way. "You want me to make you a drink?" she called out, though she already knew the answer.

"You bet!" The other girl grinned as she began to do her eyeliner - double winged and smoky, her favourite. "Just pour me a Fireball straight up, darling!" Amaya waited patiently for her friend to stick the tumbler glass in her hand, then raised it. "A toast! To a weird fucking night!"

"Wouldn't expect anything less with you around," Raven said with a smirk and lifted her own glass, taking a small sip. It needed ice cubes. And higher quality alcohol, for that matter.

The other young woman downed her entire drink right away. "Lighten up a little. We're gonna have such a fun time! And if you don't meet any cute boys, you can always come home with me." She did a suggestive wriggle with her eyebrows, giggling. "Don't I look good in these panties? Aren't they nice?" Amaya did a little spin, and leaned forward from the waist, a hand on her own butt, to give Raven a clear view of everything she had to offer - all covered by thin black lace. The outline of her sex was visible through the fabric. The other goth girl averted her eyes, staring at the Moroccan rug instead, cheeks turning pinker than before. It's not that her friend's words bothered her, it was just that - paired with her abrasive mannerisms - they always came out so incredibly suggestive. "Aww, is Birdie blushing?"

"Maybe," Raven mumbled as she walked over to the two-seater sofa by the windows to sit down, arms crossed over her chest, watching as Amaya went back to stare at her mirror image. "Get dressed already, or we're going to be drunk before we get there."

Two things immediately stood out about the Carnival of Dread the moment they arrived. Firstly, it was much larger than either of them could have ever anticipated, considering they were only going to be in town for a day. It must have taken them all day to set things up, at least. Tents, wagons, raised platforms, and stalls - all sorts of displays for visitors to browse, in multiple skewed rows, though none seemed to form any sort of logical pattern. The second thing that hit them was how popular it was. The grounds were shock-full of students and permanent residents alike, and they instantly spotted quite a few faculty members as well. At every feasible spot where they could hang one, a red-glowing lantern illuminated the nearby area, casting the entire carnival in a haunting crimson hue. Where they had expected mostly cheap decoration in line with your average Halloween party, most of it actually looked quite good.

"Wow. Quite the spectacle," Amaya commented as they approached, and the moon shone upon the area with such intensity it seemed almost enchanted, piercing through the night air like a searchlight. "Let's start over here!" She grabbed Raven's hand, squeezing tight. "This way."

Raven, not being one for large crowds of people, looked around cautiously. She spotted Ezra Serratelli, her philosophy professor, wearing formal attire consisting of an expensive-looking three piece suit with a shirt so crisp it might as well have been fresh from the iron, and the white bowtie around his neck was tied with his usual precision. An incredibly bright man, he was intimidating in class - but undoubtedly good at his job. Raven would never have guessed he'd be one for attending a carnival. In fact, she wasn't even convinced the man even knew the meaning of the word 'fun'. Yet there he was! The young girl couldn't help but smile a little as she spotted the old codger.

They walked along at a slow pace, trying not to get waffled in between the packed masses. Raven held onto Amaya's hand so they wouldn't get separated, and the taller girl seemed to take great pleasure in that fact. The way Amaya's hand felt against her own, so soft and warm - it made Raven feel hotter on the inside - but those were things she had no business thinking about.

A small stand sold hand-crafted voodoo dolls that had been stuck inside of mason jars, each possessing a number of strange paraphernalia that Raven could only assume were supposed to represent some sort of magical power or properties. The two women being curious about the occult, they found these things fascinating - and even though Raven doubted their actual validity, she spent several minutes inspecting the crafts, highly impressed. On their way through the market, the pair passed a magician performing sleight of hand tricks to an enthusiastic audience. Mixed scents of various types of food hit Raven's nostrils from many directions at once - her mouth beginning to water. Roasted almonds, popcorn, hot dogs.. The kind of food you'd expect to find at an ordinary carnival.

"Look at this!" Amaya gasped, dragging her friend by the hand into one of the larger tents, a big sign outside saying something about getting their futures foretold. They had to go through a small opening to get in, which was concealed behind a thin veil of gossamer fabric. Inside, a single table in what looked like black stone, surrounded by velvet chairs - and a masked lady, the bottom of her face covered, with curly red hair dressed in what appeared to be vintage clothing from the late 1800s or so. She greeted them - non-verbally at first, with a graceful bow of the head - before she spoke.

"You come for fortune?" she asked in a thick accent, her voice low and rumbling. She gestured to the open seats across from her with a hand clad in large rings, looking like they were adorned with expensive gemstones. "Please, sit. First time free."

"Ooh. Sounds promising," Amaya smirked at her friend as they sat down, the two friends side by side. The moment they sat down, the tent flaps were closed by another masked figure in all black that they had not spotted earlier. He must have been hiding in the shadows. Then, the lights dimmed even further. There was a great sense of secrecy to the entire affair, but Raven supposed that the correct atmosphere was paramount to success in the mysticism business.