The Carnival was fully erect now. All the preparations were complete. It was Halloween and the decorations were all appropriate. Ghouls, goblins, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, vampires, monsters all.<br/><br/>However the lights were not on. None of the steam engines were working. And there were no workers, no guests, no Ringmaster or his attendants at the moment.<br/><br/>It was deathly quiet and all but abandoned. The only souls here were the performers, the Troupe. All of them in separate parts of the Carnival. The wind blew through the carnival touching them all, each wondering about the others, wondering why the carnival was shut down, wondering when they would be asked to perform for this night of souls.<br/><br/>One of the Troupe didn't need much light at all. She never needed any light at all really. She shuffled in the dark in her long skirt, her body in her tribal wraps and ornate jewelry. Her face mostly stoic except for a soft smile. She knew that it must be her good friends playing a trick on her this Halloween night. Why else would they all hide from her. Even the sounds of the Ferris Wheel was silent, not being pushed or blown in the wind. Obscura kept her mouth open, listening for whoever might be trying to surprise her.<br/><br/>She smiled when she heard carefully prodding footsteps behind her. Try to sneak up on her, eh? How quaint. She would let them sneak up and "surprise" her, then turn around and surprise them with a little "push" of her own. She smiled slyly at the thought, her smile widening and mouth opening into a bigger grin as whoever they were got closer.<br/><br/>She took a few more steps forward drawing them closer to her trap, getting whoever was following behind her a bit more out in the open, so that they couldn't grab on to anything when she "pushed".<a class="externalLink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzCMU7C7m9A" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">When suddenly the Carnival lights, the steam engines, the park music (NSFW) started all up simultaneously invading her sense of hearing and smell immediately.</a>She lost track of the person behind her in that second or so of overwhelmed senses. The next sense that came was very pointed.<br/><br/>Searing pain pierced her mind as a large at least one inch thick sharp pointed spear of some make penetrated her back and exited through her sternum, her own blood immediately gushing through as her feet left the ground whatever metal shaft just impaled her was lifting her up off the ground, her eyes, if they were uncovered, would have been hugely wide, almost popping out of her skull, the albino grey/whites in awe of the fatal pain she was feeling, her heart, for sure, must have burst... this is what it felt like for your heart to burst.... her sandal clad feet kicked in the air as her hands came around the spear tip, just to make sure what she felt was really there, she could feel the warmth and wetness of her blood instantly and completely coat her hands as the arterial spray covered her face and chest and belly with her own blood.<br/><br/><i><b>Her last thoughts were, who among the Troupe was the murderer or murderers. Who among them was friend or foe. Who among them was hunting or being hunted, because, in her final moments, she knew, she already knew. She was not the last to die tonight.</b></i><br/><br/>Obscura's body flapped down to the ground, blood pooling out of her gaping holes in her chest and back, her form now lifeless and ended, gone forever.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>