carnival games- ghostface x reader
i wrote this for my friend <3 it was originally much worse, but i like never write for ghostface so bear w me. plus sized reader, but i think only mentioned briefly
warnings: death warning but not reader and not graphic, more barely mentioned. gn reader.
You stiffly stand by the entrance to the carnival, checking your phone every few minutes to check and see if your ride was on their way yet. There are grinning jack-o-lanterns everywhere, leaving you feeling mocked even further. Laughter and delighted screams fill the air as the machines whir behind you, ironically mocking how you’re feeling right now. Kids and adults alike are running around in Halloween costumes; people always dress up for the fall carnival, even if it isn't technically Halloween yet. Even you had tried to be festive, putting horror pins onto your jackets and bringing a small mask to rest on your waist as an accessory. All of it to waste, you guess. There was no one there to notice. While you try to breathe, you can feel yourself fighting back tears. Despite the happy mood around you, your mind couldn't help but keep going back to that text: heyyyy sorry. we weren't able to make it after all! we ended up not feeling it, hope u get home safe :(( <3
"Fuck this..." you mumble, pissed off as you wipe at your eyes. Glaring ahead, you curse them out in your head while you wait for anyone to get back to you. Your friends knew you couldn't drive; they were supposed to be your ride home, for fucks sake. Shaking your head and scoffing, you lift your head up and ignore the face that you can feel tears trying to fall. .
You snap out of it when your phone begins to ring, frantically wiping your eyes before you put it up to your ear almost immediately. Assuming it's someone here to rescue you, you don't even check the caller ID. You let out a sigh as you lean against a nearby pole, greeting the person on the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello?" a voice responds, making you pause and furrow your brows. Quickly taking the phone away from your ear, you look to see that it isn't your friend but instead, an unknown caller. The voice comes through faint again, quieter now that it’s away from your ear. "Heyyy, you there?"
You shift from side to side, bringing a nail up to chew on it while racking your brain for ideas on how to get off the phone. You aren’t thrilled about the idea of staying on the phone with a stranger and your dry tone attempts to convey that. . "Yeah. Uh. Hi. Who is this? Are you looking for someone? I think you might have the wrong number."
"What number is this? What's your name?” The voice sounds weird, you think. It's dark and raspy. It causes the hair on the back of your neck to raise, even if you can’t place why. There’s a rough crackle towards the end of his words that you don’t understand. .
"What? I don't really want to tell you that. I think you got the wrong number- fuck! Watch where you're going, dick!" You're broken out of your focused trance when a guy shoves past you and heads into the carnival, black robe and a Father Death mask shining in the light. Putting the phone back up to your ear, you apologize. "Shit. Sorry, man. There’s assholes out tonight.
The stranger laughs at that, making you stop talking but feel a bit lighter. He continues, voice unchanging and unbothered. You can hear cloth rustling from the other side of the phone. "No, no. No worries. You said I got the wrong number?"
"Yeah man. Sorry about that. It happens, right?" You shrug even though he can't see it. It makes you feel a bit foolish, but you’re also feeling much calmer with this distraction.
"Oh, all the time.” He pauses for a minute and you almost hold your breath, almost pulling the phone away to see if he hung up. “Hey. You wanna keep me company?"
“Weren’t you trying to get a hold of someone else?” Your heart quickens at the odd request, mouth stretching in distaste at the idea. Pulling your hands away from your mouth and running them through your hair instead, you "Uh. I'm not sure. Not much of a conversationalist, you know?"
"That's alright. I can do the talking. I'll make it worth your while. Not much going on for me tonight. Carnival is more boring than I thought it'd be." The voice is so nonchalant, but there's an edge to it you almost catch on to. Before you can think too hard about it, he continues. “Please? I was trying to call one of my friends. She was supposed to meet me here, but I guess she decided to stand me up.”
"Yeah? You and me both.” You snort, rolling your eyes. “You don’t have to tell me about shitty friends or shitty carnivals. ."
"You're here too, right?" The voice sounds inquiring but not surprised, the pitch not changing much. Too overwhelmed with the lights and noise, you don’t pick up on it; you simply file it away as another strange quirk the person on your phone has.
"Yeah, but hopefully not for much longer," you scoff, letting yourself smile at your shared misfortune. "Haven't even gone in yet. I was supposed to meet some people here, like you, but they ditched me. Because, you know, of course they did. I don’t know why I expected anything else. "
"Wow," the voice breathes out, playful displeasure echoing through the speaker. You feel your stomach fall and cringe. You probably shouldn't have mentioned it, and now you flush a bit in embarrassment. "They sound like a bunch of jerks."
"Well- Well I mean-” You stammer out, scrambling to defend your friends. “Sometimes, yeah. Sometimes they're okay-"
"You need any new ones?"
Freezing, you tilt your head. You laugh sharply, no amusement within it. "What? What do you mean?"
"I asked if you needed any new ones.” The guy laughs as if you're being stupid. It makes you bite your lip, face scrunching up. “We're both at the carnival. You can just… Come see me. C'monnn, it'll be fun. You can see my scary costume. I think you’ll love it. Lots of people like men in masks."
"What, some lame mask is gonna scare me? You got a fake knife, psycho killer?" When you attempt to tease back, your voice falls a little flat. You’ve never been great with banter, and the silence that stretches on the other side of the phone causes you to doubt yourself. Anxiety forms a pit in your stomach as you begin to chew on your nails again . You're about to open your mouth to apologize when he cuts you off again. How does he keep doing that?
"Oh, don't worry. My knife's real. We could be a duo. You know, your ‘psycho killer’, and my victim. How does that sound?" The voice is amused, but the tone has shifted. The conversation has grown darker now, and you find yourself shifting your weight from foot to foot as you scan your surroundings. There’s a certain tension over the phone; it’s almost like he’s flirting. "We'll meet at the photo booth. Get some pictures of your handsome face as I gut you like a fucking pig-"
In a panic you hang up on him, staring at your phone with your mouth and eyes wide open. Trying to rationalize it, you begin to convince yourself he was joking. It was a mean prank, but not serious. It wasn’t an actual threat. You're not actually in danger. Letting out a sigh, you shove your phone in your pocket and cross your arms. Should've known some punk was just messing with you. Glaring out into the dark, you ignore the fact that you can’t get rid of the goosebumps covering your arms.
You zone out again, jumping when your phone goes off again. Your mouth goes dry when you pull it out and realize it's the same number. Pressing the button to ignore it, you watch as a minute later, a notification pops up and the guy immediately calls again. Swallowing the lump in your throat, you swipe and answer.
"I don't find this shit funny, man,” You immediately snap, feeling your patience thin. “I don't like being messed with on an already horrible day."
"Awww, but we were having so much fun," the voice pouts. You can almost hear the cocky grin he must be wearing, and your eye twitches in annoyance. "Why'd you hang up on me? Did I scare you?"
"You wish. Just got bored, I guess." It's a lie, and you can hear the man let out a quiet snort. It makes you narrow your eyes, almost hanging up again right then.
"Look, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Distasteful joke. Whatever, but I meant it. Why don't you come in here and take a picture with me?" He replies, voice smooth. You can hear the speakers crackle as he moves the phone from one ear to the other. "C’mon, it’ll cheer us both up, don’t you think? I'll even keep my knife put away. Please?"
You shake your head slowly, debating on actually doing it and meeting him or running back home before he could find you. Remembering that it’s close to Halloween, you decide it really was just a shitty prank. Your boredom and curiosity overtake your common sense. Looking around anxiously one last time, you sigh and give in. "Gotta promise not to kill me, psycho. You said the photo booth?"
“The photo booth.” The voice sounds giddy, as if they're delighted you agreed. "Oh, cross my heart and hope to die. We’ll keep our hands to ourselves. See you soon."
"Yeah. See you soon.-" You bite your tongue, before nodding. His words set in and your brows furrow. "Wait, we-?"
The guy hangs up, not even letting you finish.
Your nose scrunches as that, a bit irritated that he cut you off before sighing and heading inside. You waste a couple minutes wandering around and wincing at how much louder everything sounded now. Slowly, you make your way to the photobooth; your eyes scan for any trace of your mystery guy. Eventually reaching the booth, you take a minute to breathe. Leaning against the booth, you cross your arms and people watch. Couples with children, preteens in big groups as their parents follow behind, small cliques of teens wandering around as a few sneak off to make out- no one you recognize. No one who sticks out. At least, until you see him.
A man standing perfectly still, you notice. His mask is staring directly at you, slowly tilting when he notices you staring back. Your phone rings again as you look, almost entranced. He’s wearing the same costume as the man who bumped into you: Father Death. He lifts a phone to his ear and something like a box up to his mouth. You startle when your phone rings and you quickly answer, unable to take your eyes away.
"Hey… You made it. Are you ready to take the picture?" the voice asks, not even bothering to greet you this time. There’s a difference in him now, something you can’t put your finger on. However, you know where the crackle came from; the voice changer the man is holding.
"I- I don't know." You curse yourself for your wavering voice, clearing your throat and attempting to steel your nerves when you notice the man getting closer. "I mean- You did promise not to kill me, right? Better keep your supposed knife put away when you get close to me. I won’t hesitate to scream."
“Did I? Interesting. I must like you.” Your stranger goes silent for a moment, and when he speaks again chills run down your back. "We’d never use it on you, don’t worry. There’s more fun ways to make you scream. Hey, maybe one day though, I’ll let you play with it."
“Yeah- yeah? That sounds fun,” you reply, face warming at the innuendo behind his words. The carnival has thinned out a bit due to the time, but the man is still keeping his distance. Shifting nervously, you try to figure out what’s keeping him from approaching. “Why are you still so far back? Thought you wanted to get this picture taken. What, scared of little old me?”
“Why?” He asks, still staring you down from behind the mask. “Should I be?”
“No, no.” You laugh, shaking your head and giving him a wave and a smile. “That is you, right? The guy staring at me? It’s funny. You’re wearing the same costume as that dick who bumped into me earlier.”
“Are you scared?” He quietly asks, voice taking on that inflection of darkness that he was using earlier. The tension you were feeling immediately comes back and you go a bit stiff.
“No, of course not-” You begin, only to be quickly cut off.
“You should be.”
Your mouth grows dry as you watch the man hang up, shoving the voice changer and the phone into his pocket before speed-walking over. It makes you flinch a bit; however, you decide he’s probably pranking you again and you cross your arms. He stops a couple feet away from you, watching you intently.
“Really? Trying to freak me out again? I thought I told you I wasn’t going to put up with that shit tonight,” you scoff, glaring up at him. The person was tall, but a kind of thrill goes through you when you realize that. A shiver runs through you when you see his mask up close, thinking back to what he said earlier. Lots of people love men in masks. That includes you, apparently. “Love the mask. You were right. Give you a knife and you’d be something right out of Halloween.”
He doesn’t say anything, just giving you a shrug. He turns away from you and puts money in the machine before pulling the curtain back for you. Glancing in and then glancing back at him, you feel a lump form in your throat before sliding in. You sit on the small bench and wince when he crams himself next to you, quickly apologizing for how much space you take up while flushing at the close proximity. Not taking his eyes off you, he reaches forward to start the camera. He doesn't speak, but motions towards the instructions, insisting that you pose.
You let out a small laugh, shaking your head slightly as you make a stereotypical peace sign. He shakes his head, insisting you do something better. You pretend to have fainted and the camera snaps. He nods. Excited now, you pick up his hand and place it on your throat, as if he's about to strangle you. The camera snaps and you drop it, quickly apologize for grabbing him and missing the way his body shivers. For the last pose, you both just tilt your heads together and you smile, mask remaining blank.
"You're kinda quiet, yeah?" The man shrugs, getting out before opening the curtain for you again. He walks with you towards the entrance, and you relish in the comfortable silence. Letting out a sigh, you’re about to thank him before your eyes widen. Frantically patting your pockets, you reach confirmation of what you feared. "Fuuck I left my phone in the booth. I'm so sorry. I'll be right back."
The man nods and you rush off, quickly throwing the curtain open and freezing. Right there, where you were sitting, was your phone. However, the small glint of silver is what catches your eye. Shaking, you grab your phone and quickly turn away. A sick feeling in your stomach settles permanently once you realize your new masked "friend" has been carrying around some kind of hunting knife covered in what looks like fresh blood.
Relieved when you don't see him at the entrance, you check and see that someone has messaged you back about picking you up. After confirming that they’re already here, you find them and have them rush you home. Filling them in on the events of the day, your voice trails off when you notice red and blue police lights parked outside of your dorm building. Trembling, you get out of the car and stare at all the body bags being carried out. A policeman comes up to tell you they’re your roommates. Your friends. The same friends who had ditched you at the carnival earlier. The cop walks away and you’re struck numb, frantically trying to process everything. You let out a small scream when your phone rings. You already know who it is as you cover your mouth and raise the phone to your ear.
"Do you like my surprise? Thought I'd teach those friends of yours a few... manners. Hey, when were you wanting to see each other again? We really liked hanging out with you tonight. We think we’ll keep a real close hold on those pictures."
Your breath hitches in fear and you feel yourself tear up.
"We promise we’re good company.” He says, before there’s the rustling of cloth and the second voice chimes in. “We'll take your fucking breath away."
A pair of deranged laughter is all you hear before dropping your phone in shock, silencing the voices as your ears ring.
note: sorry if it ooc <3