INT. FREIGHT NIGHT FAIR GROUNDS. NIGHT. OCTOBER 31, 2025, 9:00 P.M.
Nadia skipped happily next to Gabriel, holding the elephant closely to her chest. Gabriel got tired of watching her fail. So after about twenty minutes of standing there (he also got security to call the teens' parents for underage drinking), he decided to win the stuffed animal for her. It was actually sad how much money she spent trying to win the elephant; the amount of money she spent probably being enough to order it off of Amazon or something easily. Gabriel couldn't help but smile, her happiness being infectious. Luckily, the radio hasn't gone off at all since earlier when Devon and Eddie were acting like idiots. Truthfully, they had the easiest jobs, just having to blend in and pretend to be enjoying the fair. Gabriel felt a huge sweat drop appear on the back of his head as he looked at Nadia skipping ahead. If you ask him, he thinks she might be taking the pretending to enjoy the fair a little too seriously.
Even though they haven't really been working on the case, he felt content. For the first time since starting the case he felt relaxed, though he was still on edge just in case. Gabriel felt a small nudge on his hip. Looking down, he saw Nadia glancing up at him, a large smile on her lips. "Come on, Gabs, what are you thinking about now?" She questioned, her large brown eyes staring into his eyes before looking back in front, making sure she didn't bump into the people around her.
"I'm not really thinking of anything that's important, just trying my best to focus on the case. Looking at suspicious things around us, taking note of things like that," Gabriel replied honestly, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.
Nadia had a small glare out the side of her eyes at that response. "No, that's not it. I can tell something else is on your mind, so spill."
Since unlocking his powers, Gabriel has been able to sense other people's emotions if they're strong enough. In the case of Nadia right now, he's feeling a lot of care and a little anger (though Gabriel always feels a slight amount of anger from her; it's slightly weird and concerning). The amount of care he felt coming from her was a little overwhelming,even though his aura turned pink for a second, not wanting to admit he enjoyed the attention. The dilemma is he doesn't know how to answer her question.. Should he be upfront with the condition he was diagnosed with, or admit he was jealous of others because most people know how to handle emotions? Not really being close to people in his life besides his parents, Gabriel truthfully doesn't know how to navigate things such as this. "You know, some days you overthink things, you know," Nadia stated, her tone slightly serious for once.
Gabriel held his head down, his lips going downwards at Nadia's words. "Truthfully, I don't mean too. I've always had an issue with expressing emotions," he explained, his words coming out slower than usual. Taking his time to come up with how to explain himself. "When I was younger, I was diagnosed with alexithymia, making it hard for me to deal with or express emotions with others."
"Yikes! I'll be honest with you, I've never heard of that before it sounds slightly intimidating," Nadia admitted, before stopping, causing Gabriel to bump into Nadia's back. Nadia quickly turned to face Gabriel. "I totally didn't mean to judge you or anything like that. I totally understand what it's like to be different," she rambled on, her arms waving all over the place as she panicked.
Gabriel noticed that Nadia dropped the giant elephant out of her hands in her excitement. A small grin formed on his lips as he stepped close and patted the top of her head. Gabriel noticed Nadia quieted down, her face turning a faint red as she quickly stopped talking and staring into Gabriel's eyes. "Seriously, Nadia, it's not that big of a deal," he chuckled, making sure to show a smile so she would feel at ease. He bent down to pick up the elephant, making sure to brush off any dirt he saw before handing it to her. "You dropped this."
Nadia took the elephant before turning her back on Gabriel. "It's not like I needed your help," she yelled, angrily storming off. Gabriel stared at Nadia in confusion, not really understanding what he did wrong to piss her off. He glanced around and noticed a small group of people staring at him. Letting out a sigh, he decided to ignore the whispers and started to follow after Nadia. He quickly caught up to her, matching her stride as she continued walking quietly. Gabriel wanted to speak but was afraid to say anything to Nadia, so they walked around in uncomfortable silence.
Gabriel had to admire not only how big the Fair was, but also how amazing the decorations were. Some booths had people dressed in Halloween costumes, some even had moving decorations. Gabriel was deciding on making plans to come next year. While admiring the booths, he also kept an eye out for any disturbances, besides the decorations, he saw nothing demonic. Nadia suddenly sped up her movements, making Gabriel let out another sigh as he matched her pace. Even from this distance Gabriel could see a sign that said 'Scary House Tours'. It was a green sign with purple lettering, it had little flying witches on broomsticks, and black spiders. The house itself was painted all black, and was one story, covered in spider webs with pumpkins in the front of it.
"I know we are supposed to be on duty, Gabs, but can we please go inside," Nadia pleaded, her eyes going big and watery as she looked up to him.
Gabriel didn't understand why she was begging, it's not like they have any pressing matters. Truthfully he is okay with going just for the experience. "If you really want to, we really can, it'll help us kill time since we don't really have anything to do," he commented
Nadia let out a fist pump. "Let's go!" she shouted excitedly, about to run ahead.
"Wait, let's check in with the others first to make sure everything is fine," Gabriel insisted, already reaching for the radio that's inside his jacket.
Nadia stopped suddenly turning around quickly,tapping her foot on the ground, impatient as she glared at Gabriel. "Can you please hurry up? I don't want to have to wait in a long line."
Gabriel just shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, just wait a second," he responded. Turning his attention back to the radio, he pressed the button on the side and talked into it. "Detective Owen checking in, how is everything looking?"
"Everything is clear, besides some dumb kids fighting over by the merry-go-round. Everything else is fine," came Devon's reply.
"Clear by the food stands," Alex's voice chirped.
"Everything in the games area is clear, sir, though I saw two people arguing. Next time, sir, don't piss off your date," Eddy joked.
"Psssh, that kid is on a date? Better chance of pigs flying," Blake shot back, his laughter loud.
Gabriel slapped his forehead, realizing that he got an annoying group of people to help him out tonight. "Just keep a look out, Eddie, for anything suspicious."
"Yes, sir, just some friendly advice for you, women love food, so you should buy Detective Rubin something," Eddie goaded before his line went dead.
Gabriel's entire body began to glow pink before he was able to get it under control. He looked at Nadia, who thankfully was a little ways off, slowly creeping her way towards the line. Gabriel was thinking of making a reply but decided against it. He put the radio away and caught up to Nadia once again. "Let's get going," he told her before going to stand in line.
INT. FREIGHT NIGHT FAIR GROUNDS - NIGHT. OCTOBER 31, 2025, 10:00 P.M.
"Ugh, these fries are so gooood," Nadia moaned, her mouth stuffed with food.
Gabriel was amazed with how much she ate, having eaten 3 cheeseburgers, a large fry, and a cotton candy. Honestly, it's amazing she's not sick, he probably would've been sick eating so much in one sitting. He usually preferred to eat lean meats and light dishes like baked chicken and rice, salads, things like that. Though he had to admire how Nadia is able to stay in shape and fight the way she does without being hampered by her diet. Turning around so that his back is on the food bench, he saw many people in line waiting in one of the many food places. He waved at Devon as he was walking past; Devon nodded back before walking off through the crowd. Devon and Eddie are what you would describe as the average college frat boy. Eddie had blonde hair while Devon had brown hair. Both were lightly tanned, were around six feet, and were decently muscular. Alex was trying to become a detective and was twenty-four, having been an officer for about three years now. She had darker skin, with long red hair. She was about five foot nine. She is also very quiet, but is hardworker from the past time she has worked with her on crime scenes.
"You zone out an awful lot," Nadia observed.
Gabriel, caught by surprise, took a moment to reply. He had to admit he usually doesn't have a lot to say, instead liking to stay quiet rather than actually having to have a conversation. "I just don't have much to say," he mused, the only reply he could think of at the moment to answer the question.
Nadia bumped his shoulders lightly with hers. "Come on, be honest have you been having fun?"
"Truthfully, yes," Gabriel admitted quickly, not taking a second to think. "Though the haunted house was short, it was really fun to see people dressing up in serial killer outfits. I really enjoyed Ghostface, since he is one of my favorites in horror. I also found the ball drop ride and the Ferris wheel fun as well." A huge smile formed on his lips as he thought over the night so far.
Nadia jumped up, putting her foot on the table, her fist up into the air. "See, I told you! I, Nadia, Sage of Fun, would teach you how to relax today!" She yelled before suddenly coughing.
Gabriel let out a chuckle, grabbing her drink and handing it to her. Nadia quickly snatched it out of his hand, drinking it down as fast as possible. Gabriel wouldn't admit it, but he actually enjoyed being able to hang with someone, granted it was for work. Being able to spend time with someone around his age that isn't judgmental has been a different experience. Nadia was not afraid to be herself. Maybe if she was like this instead of being quiet around him all the time, he would want to be friends with her sooner. Gabriel's musing came to an end as the radio in his jacket came to life with a crackle. "Officer Eddie….. Reque…..sting …..back up," Eddie's voice crackled over the radio. It was hard to make out, but Gabriel got the gist of the message as the voice came back, this time screaming in the background. "Requesting…..bac ... .the... .ride…..broke… multiple…..peopl….down…," he said before the line went dead.
"Time to go, Nadia," Gabriel declared, standing up from the bench as he stretched his now cold limbs.
Nadia looked longly at her fries, her eyes glistening. "Do we have to go? They can handle it without us, right?" she whined. Gabriel just looked at her without blinking. She started to fidget under his gaze before finally standing up.
Gabriel nodded in satisfaction before running through the crowds. It took about three minutes for the duo to start hearing loud screams and people running past them, most going towards the exit. Gabriel pushed on, making his way through the crowd, pushing multiple people out of the way. Nadia followed his path, staying close to him. Two more minutes passed before Gabriel arrived at a terrible scene. Blood soaked the ground, nothing but a dark red spreading across the ground, looking like a small bloody river. Floating on top were multiple entrails, some were hearts, some were livers, many of different body parts were lying there like a dying fish not moving an inch. Limbs lay ripped apart, tossed over the ground, bones sticking out their ends. People's heads were stuck in a facial expression representing a gruesome end. "What the fuck," Gabriel muttered. As he observed the entire section where the roller coasters were located.
Gabriel didn't turn around, but he could hear the sound of Nadia vomiting. He was so grateful that he didn't eat anything. The ball drop lay broken in pieces; some limbs could be seen under the structure. Gabriel hesitantly stepped one foot forward, the blood on the ground shifting with the weight of his boot, a heart slowly moving towards him. Gabriel,stepped one foot after the other, walking forward, making sure to not step on any guts. The smell in the air made him gag, the smell of decay potent in the air. He did everything he could to not end up bent over vomiting like Nadia, though he could still feel the bile threatening to rise. After what felt like an eternity, he arrived at the broken down ride. Crouching down slightly, Gabriel observed the broken pieces. He noted that on top of the metal pieces, the liquid wasn't blood, but a clear, slime like substance that smelled horrible.
It wasn't just the ball drop, but all the rides in the section lay broken, in pieces. It wasn't a section of fun anymore, it had become a section of death, a section of destruction. Gabriel was hesitating, not knowing what to do. He heard a small splash and turned, seeing Nadia coming closer, her face drained of color after puking. "Lesson learned never eat so much while working," she muttered loud enough for Gabriel to overhear.
Gabriel wanted to comment on that, but his words were cut short as his radio crackled to life. He quickly took out his jacket as Eddie's voice came to life over the speaker. "HELP! Something.... Big….. has....!" his voice screamed out before dying off.
"EDDIE, GOD DAMMIT, WHERE ARE YOU?!" screamed Devon.
Gabriel just held the radio in shock, the sound of bones being crushed coming through loudly. Eddie's screams continued to be heard one more time before the line went dead. "What the fuck, what the actual fuck!" Nadia shouted.
Gabriel wanted to address her. Maybe she had some ideas on what happened before noticing she was looking past him. He slowly turned around and saw something that made his jaw drop: there was a giant skeleton covered in blood, slowly chewing down on a body in its hand.
"It's a Gashadokuro," he heard Nadia mutter while the skeleton, seemingly done with the body in its hand, tossed it on the ground right on top of the broken down ball drop ride. The body landed with a heavy thud, and Gabriel saw half its body was missing; only the legs were left. The legs were dressed in a police officer's outfit. Gabriel realized they just found Eddie's dead body, his blood leaking all over the machine as his bottom intestines spilled out.