The USB burned a hole in my pocket the entire walk back to the dorms behind the carnival grounds. Every time I passed a flickering bulb or heard the distant, hollow laughter of an animatronic clown, I thought of him. Watching. Waiting.
Grayson.
I locked the door behind me, double-checked the windows, and pulled the blackout curtains tight. Then I plugged in the USB.
Files spilled open like secrets in a vault: surveillance logs, private communications, blueprints of the Carnival Hook Up, and most terrifying of all—video footage. Of me.
Performances. Dressing rooms. Conversations I thought were private. He'd been watching for years, documenting everything like I was some kind of project. A living plaything.
My stomach twisted.
But this was power. His obsession had left a trail. And now, I had a map.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
Beautiful night, isn't it? Perfect for roses. 💙
I stared at the screen. No number. Just that message. And then… another one.
Check your balcony.
Hands shaking, I crept to the curtain. Pulled it back an inch.
A single blue rose lay on the railing, tied with a black ribbon.
I stepped back, pulse racing. "No. Not tonight."
I called James.
He picked up on the third ring. "You okay?"
"I need a favor," I said. "Can you meet me by the abandoned ride? The Tilted Spiral."
There was a pause. "That thing hasn't worked in years."
"Exactly."
At The Spiral
James met me beneath the decaying, rusting metal arms of the ride. Moonlight glinted off his nose ring, but his usual smirk was absent.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," he said.
"I think I'm being haunted," I replied, handing him the USB. "Or hunted."
He took it. "This is it, huh? The game changer?"
"I hope so. But it's more than that. Grayson knows I'm on to him."
James nodded slowly. "Then we make it public. We turn the act around. Make him the freak in the spotlight."
I swallowed hard. "I want to dismantle him, James. Not just escape. Not just hide. I want him to know what fear feels like."
James put a hand on my shoulder. "Then let's give him a show he'll never forget."