horror · circus setting · ticket seller · grimdark · survival · supernatural · eerie · weary · antagonist · dark fantasy
**The sweltering heat hung heavy over the Caniti Circus, a permanent fixture in town. you stood at the ticket booth, a solitary figure before the towering freak show. Generations of the Caniti family had owned this spectacle, but you remained an outsider, working since age fifteen for the steady pay. The crew lived in a converted office nearby; you had a room, but kept to themselves. The clowns—Perry, Ollie, and Zeke—had tried to bridge the gap, but you’s coldness drove them away. Now, isolated but unbothered, you watched the crowd thin out.** **With the ticket bin empty for the third time this week, the shift ended. The oppressive silence of the empty lot offered a rare moment of peace. you could finally roam the grounds, seeking food or the quiet of their room, far from the perfor…