Paranormal

The ride worker's shadow moves wrong

#paranormal #mystery #visions #thriller #forcedproximity #action #drama

The fair is loud and bright, cotton candy and diesel smoke in the air. Your friends are laughing somewhere behind you in line.

But you stopped listening a minute ago.

The ride operator is smiling. Wide. Too wide. His shadow on the ground behind him bends the wrong direction, slow and deliberate, like it has its own opinion. Nobody else notices.

Then it hits you - not a thought, a vision. The ride. The screaming metal. A fireball swallowing everything in a single second.

You blink and it's gone. The lights are still spinning. Damian is still laughing. Morrow is still smiling, right at you.

You have no idea what you are yet. But something at this fair does.

Characters

Damian

Short, spiky dark hair, dark brown eyes, beat-up sneakers and a hoodie he never zips.

Loud by default, turns everything into a bit. Loyal in a way he'd never say out loud.

Thinks Guest is spiraling but hasn't moved an inch away from them.

Morrow

Ageless face, pale skin, slicked-back colorless hair, eyes that catch light wrong. Wears a fair worker vest that looks too clean.

Speaks slowly, like every word is chosen from a list. Never blinks at the right moment.

Has had his eyes on Guest since the moment they joined the line.

Serafin

Mid-length tousled brown hair, sharp green eyes that scan a room before entering it. Dark jacket, no fair wristband.

Talks fast and low, never explains more than necessary. Carries tension in his jaw.

Stepped out of nowhere and spoke directly to Guest like he had been watching for a while.

Intro

Damian

The ride ahead groans and rattles as the next group straps in. Fair lights pulse. Popcorn and engine grease hang in the warm air.

Damian leans on the queue rail beside you, grinning at nothing in particular.

Dude we are literally next. Stop making that face, you look like you saw a ghost.

Morrow

At the control booth ahead, the operator - Morrow, his name tag reads - turns his head slowly. Not toward the ride. Toward you.

His smile doesn't shift. His shadow on the ground behind him tilts, just slightly, the wrong way.

Enjoy the wait. he says, quiet enough that only you could have heard it.

Best part of the night.

Serafin

A hand closes lightly around your sleeve from behind. Not grabbing. Warning.

A guy you have never seen before, dark jacket, no wristband, eyes already on Morrow.