Free Carnival World Boxed Set (Episodes 1-3) by Tawny Stokes, Michael J Lee

to be a shrew. But now was not the day to hold back.
    “Don’t you go weird on me. I need one person in this group who is normal or I’m going to lose it.”
    Darien went back to standing guard. After a few seconds he turned back to Nicole and said, “I lost.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “I lost. Mulvaney won. He was right.”
    “Yeah, well, he’s a freak and this place is freak central. Anyway, being wrong is not losing.”
    “Yes it is!” Darien hissed. His intensity alarmed Nicole.
    “So if you flunk a test in chemistry, you lose?”
    “Yes! If you accept losing, you become a loser. The only way to be a winner is to reject losing,” said Darien.
    Nicole shook her head. Jesus. Maybe Darien was losing it as well. Why couldn’t there be just one person in their group who was level headed?
    She glanced over at Sam and Summer huddled together on one of the other benches. Was it crazy to think that maybe Sam was the answer to all their problems?
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    S trewn before Summer and Sam was an assortment of candy. “You said you wanted cotton candy for dinner.”
    Sam hugged the football tighter to his stomach. “No I didn’t.”
    “You sure? I think I remember you saying something along those lines.”
    “I’m not a baby.”
    “No. Of course you’re not, Sam. So what do you want?”
    “Mom’s pot roast.”
    “Maybe a little later.”
    Summer rummaged through the sweets. “Snack cakes. Those will give you a sore tummy. Chocolate bars are okay. We’ll have one of those for dessert. Aha! Popcorn balls. Nutritious. Sort of.”
    She found one for Sam and unwrapped one for herself. She smelled it. “Smells okay. I always said carnival food could survive a nuclear winter.”
    They chowed down on their popcorn.
    “Are we going to be all right?” asked Sam.
    “Sure we are, buddy. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
    “Do you think Mom’s dead?”
    “What? No. I’m sure Mom’s just fine. She’s just not here,” said Summer.
    “Then where is she? Where is anybody? Are we the only people alive in this world?”
    “I don’t know. We’re someplace else. Someplace different, like Ryan said. I don’t know how we got here, but...” She ran a hand over his head. He was so little. It had nearly destroyed her when she’d seen the mutated dog hunting him. If he had slipped... Her gut clenched at that. She couldn’t think about it anymore. Not if she wanted to actually get some sleep.
    “Close your eyes and try to get some sleep. I’m sure everything will be different in the morning.”
    Sam closed his eyes. “But what if it isn’t?”
    She didn’t respond. She had no idea what to say to him, so she just kept brushing his hair and hoping she didn’t have to say a thing.
    ––––––––
    B eyond the pavilion, in the darkness of the surrounding trees, the Barker watched the children as they settled in for the long night. The first step had been taken. He’d done what he was tasked to do by speaking with The Fortune Teller. Now the rest was up to the boy.
    As he watched, the Barker twirled his cane around and around and around.

CARNIVAL WORLD
Episode 2

Chapter One
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    P lagued by bad dreams, Summer woke just as the sun pierced the cloying darkness. She yawned and stretched, mindful not to disturb Sam who was still, thankfully, sleeping beside her.
    As carefully as she could, she climbed down from the picnic table where she and her brother had spent the night. It had been as comfortable as a block of wood, but Summer had still managed to get a decent sleep. The previous day was exhausting. Sam had snuggled in against her, and they both drifted off fairly quickly.
    Fighting demonic dog creatures wears you out , she thought. She instantly felt bad making a joke about it. Sam had almost been hurt, or worse. If she was just a few seconds late...
    Summer took some deep breaths to calm herself. She couldn’t afford to freak out.