BLEED/HAVEN

[II] ISAIAH

The flashing lights, laughter and various noises that the rides and games made were much louder up close. Isaiah tried thinking back to the last time he had been to a carnival, a long time, as if he ever had the time to take such leisure. Well, he did, but that was beside the point. The two were forced to make their way through the carnival on foot. Running through would draw unwanted attention, two guys in black with weird masks running in this part of town would probably cause a panic or unwanted conflict. So they ditched the masks for the time being and casually walked with a sense of urgency, weaving through the loud crowds of families, friends, and the like.

Otto found the line to get funnel cake after a little walking, something about tasting the sugar in the air. That was, to say the least, the smell of cotton candy, popcorn, hot dogs, and other treats were floating through the air like a thick fog. It was almost like a hypnotic scent that screamed, 'Spend money'. This complemented the colorful display the carnival had set up, with large popping signs and exaggerated words that beckoned customers but contrasted with the dark skies they were just traveling beneath.

Isaiah leaned against the yellow rail that surrounded the carousel in the center of all the amusement. He faced the ride as its multicolored lights began spinning while all the passengers were yelling and having a good time. He retrieved his phone from his pocket just to play games and pass the time. After losing a few times, he looked around to find Otto, who was still in line about second from receiving his turn. He checked his black, digital watch, the green number projecting into the air just above the face, not too much time had been lost. Not that time was of the essence or anything. He sighed and looked up to the sky, and despite the fact that it looked ready to burst soon and soak everyone with rain, these people were still having fun.

The man turned around and leaned his back against the rail, looking at the vast amount of games placed in the grass across the street. Friends were gathered around arcade machines, cheering each other on while others played basketball and a multitude of other things. Then his eyes caught a young boy wearing a black and white jersey, jeans and matching shoes. The boy was struggling with a claw game, and he looked really sad about it. Otto was still waiting on his cake, so Isaiah made his way over to the kid.

The kid was looking into the glass, staring at one of the plushies inside. Isaiah looked to see which one he was looking at, then asked,

"Hey, lil' bro. Which one did you want?"

The boy turned and looked at Isaiah, not mouthing a word. He could respect it, he was a random stranger talking to a little kid after all. So Isaiah smiled, trying to seem more approachable and pointed to a blue dragon plushie.

"You want this one?"

The boy shook his head no and shyly pointed to a pink bunny. Isaiah blinked and shrugged.

"Alright, pink bunny it is."

The boy pulled a few quarters from his pocket and inserted them into the machine and pressed his face against the glass expectantly. The machine buzzed to life with a light-hearted music to accompany its evil intentions. Isaiah laughed at the boy's enthusiasm and started moving the claw around, he grabbed the bunny's ear and the boy clapped his hands above his head. He was moving the bunny towards the exit but its leg got caught on the plastic wall separating the toys from the exit, then the timer ran out and a high pitched voice said

"Uh oh! Better luck next time!"

The boy seemed sad and looked at Isaiah expectantly. He did not have any quarters or anything. The bunny was practically spilling into the prize slot, only being held by its foot. So Isaiah looked around, eyeing the crowd before he went to the side of the machine and shoved it a couple of times, causing the bunny to fall into the exit. He took it out and handed it to the kid, who grabbed it happily and spoke,