Chapters 1-3 of Paradise Circus are out now on AO3! | Word Count: 29,304
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
DISCLAIMER: This Fanfiction is intended for an Adult Audience and involves topics that may be triggering to certain readers such as:
-Suicidal Thoughts/Ideation
-Graphic Descriptions of Violence
-Deteriorating Mental Health
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When a mysterious set of murders begin plaguing the peaceful town of Mulhoven, three friends are forced to remember things they’ve long since forgotten. Will they confront the things they’ve been avoiding, the things they’ve tried so hard to forget, or will they continue spinning within its grip? Is there any good reason to escape from a place that has already been deemed a paradise, or is it better to roll over and stay put? Is escape even an option? Was it ever an option to begin with?
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"None of this is real!" The man yelled out, as he glanced around at faces he thought he had known his entire life. Two men began to climb up the hill after him. He let out a panicked noise as he scrambled up further towards the fence. “We're cattle to them!" The man rambled on. The crowd gasped and pointed, as he climbed on top of the fence. Weirdly, they didn't seem overly concerned, as if the whole thing were scripted aside from the man's erratic behavior.
”There's something out there, and I can prove it!" He looked out into the distance at the miles upon miles of houses and long winding roads. Shakily, he stretched his foot out. At first, nothing happened and the man seemed to relax a bit. He turned his body to inch out more. The wind stopped blowing, and the crowd grew silent. Their eyes lit up in anticipation. Then, within the blink of an eye, the man exploded into a mess of gore. His body turned itself inside out, flesh contorting and curdling in on itself. He slithered down the fence and onto the grass below. Nothing but a pulsating mass of meat was left behind. A loud groan could be heard coming from his direction. Chatter erupted at that, almost excitedly.
The trio of friends watched the scene unfold from the bottom of the hill. Duck felt his heart thumping wildly in his chest.
Yellow grasped harder onto his hand. "Is he still alive?"
"Curfew starts early today, everyone return home in the next ten minutes!” A voice crackled through the loudspeaker.
The bird glanced over at his younger friend, beads of sweat pouring down the side of his face. "Let's go."
"Do you want to end up like him?” Duck hissed motioning towards the top of the hill with his head. “I don’t think so- Let's go!" He tugged on Yellow’s arm.
“Everyone Calm Down!” One of the men from before yelled. “He didn’t read the signs, that’s what he gets!”
Red continued to stare, transfixed by the puddle of gore lying in front of the fence.
Duck tugged nervously on his arm. “What are you looking at? Let’s go!”
Red blinked and then stared down at him. "Right.... Yeah." He mumbled as he walked a bit ahead of them.
