The Eighth Gate

33 | House of Fears

There were a number of pressing issues coming into yet another one of these unexpected calls to battle, all of which should have been translated into one gigantic warning sign, warding Mary and Mason away.

For one thing, Mary's parents wouldn't stop blowing up her phone with numerous calls and texts, leaving voicemails and messages asking where she was and questioning her wellbeing. While speeding through the streets in the passenger's seat of Mason's car, Mary debated whether or not she should reply. On one hand, she hated that she was the source of their distress and wanted to ease their worry by at least letting them know she was alive and well. On the other, contacting them would probably lead to a slew of inquiries about where she was and what she was doing, which Mary did not have the time or mental focus to devote any energy to.

The other issue was Cullis Port's law enforcement. Mary was certain her parents had contacted the cops by now and a search was going on for her. If they found Mary before she found the demon, she'd never be able to stop it.

And then there was Mason.

"Do you think your parents would have noticed you were gone by now?" Mary asked him.

He slammed the breaks and jerked to a halt at a red light. "Dunno. Depends what time they got off work today. It varies but it's usually later in the evening. Why?"

"I'm pretty sure there are police officers out there looking for me," Mary explained. The light switched green and he took off. "Which reminds me—stop speeding. You're going to draw attention to us." Mason let out a frustrated huff but otherwise eased his foot off the pedal. "Anyway, if I get caught and they see you with me, your parents will find out. And after last night... I don't think it would be pretty with your dad."

Mason grimaced. "I'm pretty sure we have bigger things to worry about right now."

Mary thought back to the furious look in his father's eyes, as frightening as any demon. "But Mason, I... I'm worried about you." What was more, she was scared for him. Terrified.

"Well, don't be," he replied. "I can handle my dad. And that threat he placed on you last night? I'd never let it happen. We'll be fine. I promise."

Mary wasn't at all convinced, but she forced herself to push aside her uneasy sentiments to focus on the task at hand. She, Mason and Avery soon turned onto the street where the church was located and their attention was immediately caught by a rather grand spectacle: directly behind the church, in the large field it owned which was mainly used for special events, was a carnival. A giant, dazzling Ferris Wheel loomed over the church's pointed structure, along with other lit rides that looped and spun and dropped, flashing colors as they did so and setting the evening alight with the exciting glow of the rainbow. Music thumped from the arrangement all the way to Mary's ears, upbeat and catchy and laced with the sounds of screams and laughter.

"Shit," Mason cursed as he let his car crawl forwards towards the electrifying scene. "Of all the days. I remember my dad mentioning this. It's the first annual Christmas Carnival sponsored by the church to raise money."

Mary eyed the map on the alert text message on her phone, which had a pulsating red dot indicating the location where Tam had set up the EMF reader and where the demon must be located since the device was able to detect its electromagnetic reading. The point was located not exactly on the church, but slightly south of it, edging into the patch of green that characterized the field the Carnival was currently set up at.

"I hope you like rides," she said, "because it looks like we're going to the Carnival."

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