Be Careful What You Wish For: A Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 252: Oh, The Games We Play

The moment we were on the other side, it was like we were in a completely different world. Families with kids, couples on dates, and high school kids with their friends were all walking around. It was so crowded that Daddy had to pick me up or risk me getting lost.

But I wasn’t complaining. This extra height meant that I could see everything around me. There were stalls everywhere with snacks and all different kinds of food. Other stalls were more open, offering games and prizes on both sides of the path, the vendors shouting out challenges to the men who walked past.

There were even rides like a big ship that swung back and forth and an umbrella that spun around in a circle with all sorts of swings on it. There were even roller coaster rides and bumper cars with long lineups that let me know which rides were the best.

And in the center of the carnival was a massive Faris Wheel.

"This place is amazing!" I breathed as my head snapped from side to side to take everything in. This place was truly the most amazing thing in the world. How was it that I never experienced something like this before?

Well, I knew how, but I was thankful to Hazel-Anne for pushing me outside of my house.

"I want candy," I breathed, pointing to one of the food stands on the right. "No! I want a hot dog!" I continued, patting Chang Xuefeng on the head as I pointed to the other side. "And I NEED those giant lollypops. Please, please, please can I have one? Please?"

Luca and Tank chuckled as they came to either side of Chang Xuefeng. "We are going to be here for hours," assured Luca as he looked up at me. "And might I suggest going on the rides first? That way, you are less likely to puke afterward."

I thought about it for a second and then realized that he was right. Rides and games first, then food, and then I’ll figure out a way to put all the food in my space, especially those lollypops that were the size of my head.

"Okay," I agreed, just as one of the vendors off to the right called out to Dante. "Hey! Dude! Wanna test your luck? Manage to hit one of the balloons, and you can get your daughter a cute stuffie."

"YES!" I hissed, pointing to Dante. "Please, please? I want the teddy!" A sharp pang of guilt hit me as I thought about Teddy, but he was safely tucked away against my skin. I... I was a horrible person who had forgotten about him.

"Teddy needs a friend," I announced, my face becoming serious. Maybe that way, Teddy wouldn’t feel so alone since I haven’t been able to play with him as much as I used to.

"Whatever my girl wants," chuckled Salvatore, his demon coming out to play.

"No," sputtered Max, taking a step away from us and the game with his hands up in surrender. "No way, we shouldn’t be doing this!"

However, Dante and Luca chose to ignore him as they started making bets on how many darts Salvatore would need to throw before he got me the teddy.

"Relax, Max," I sighed as I looked over Chang Xuefeng’s shoulder at the pale man. This was just more proof as to why he wasn’t accepted as a Sin at the end of the day. He didn’t have what it took to survive in this new world. "What’s the worst that could happen?"

The smirk on my face was echoed by Dimitri as he slid over to me, pushing Dante out of the way. "Oh, I hope something bad happens. How else are we going to have any fun?"

Nodding my head so hard I was almost off balance, Dimitri and I shared another look. This was the man I could definitely get in trouble with.

-----

It turned out it took more than a hundred darts before Ronan got pissed off enough that he bumped Salvatore out of the way and took over.

If it had been a regular balloon pop game, I’m sure that the guys would have done a much better job. However, this was the Carnival of the Damned, which meant that every time the dart came even close to the balloons, they would shift to the side.

"What the fuck," growled Ronan as he narrowed his eyes. "This game is rigged."

"Hardly," sneered the Carnie as he leaned against the back of the stall and crossed his arms in front of him. "It’s not my fault you can’t hit the broad side of a barn."

"How’s about I take my gun and see if I canna hit de broad side of a barn," hissed Ronan, his eyes narrowing on the balloons. It took five more chances (all with Dante paying for everything) before he finally managed to pop one.

"What the?" demanded the Carnie as he straightened his posture and glared at the balloon as if it was its own fault for getting hit. "How did you--?"

Ronan simply snorted in response, not bothering to reply, before he turned to look at me. "So, Cher, which one do you want?"

Looking over at the offerings, I chose a white teddy bear with a cute little blue bow on her head. "That one!" I announced, pointing to the one I wanted.

"Are you sure?" asked Luca as the Carnie reached up to grab the toy. "I mean, there are better ones there."

Sure, the white teddy had one of her eyes dangling down as if it was going to fall off at any moment and a few sewn up holes on her body, but as far as I was concerned, she matched Teddy perfectly.

"Yes," I hissed, snatching the offering from the Carnie. "That was fun, thanks," I said, just as Chang Xuefeng carted me away.

"Anything for you, Sweetling," purred Dante. "You know that." ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"I know." And the best part was that I did.

"We need to leave," hissed Max, clearly not having as much fun as the rest of us were. "You heard what that kid said. If we don’t escape by sunrise, then we are stuck here for the rest of time. We need to leave now!"