Wandering In Carnage...

Cotton candy and buttery oozing popcorn invaded the nostrils of Garrett Thompson. The sounds of giggling children alongside the whirring and buzzing of hundreds of machines and rides littering all around him sent rumbling through his ears. For once, the sounds of the carnival were louder than the throbbing of his heart in his ears. He wiped the sweat from his forehead then took a deep breath. In and out...just like Master Jai taught him. The immortal swordsman knew more about meditation and breathing techniques than letting the mind panic under pressure, and Garrett was under a lot of pressure.

For first off, he was lost, now just wandering a labyrinth filled with racing kids and tired adults, even struggling couples surrounded by humidity, sweat, and burned meat. Second of all, he lost his newest master, not a weapons or martial arts master like the Nomad or Master Jai, but a detective. “The Dark Detective”, as the man called himself. Garrett was sure, one-hundred-percent, that the “man” wasn't a man at all. Alien maybe, a demon or some supernatural creature most likely, as in all the multiverse, supernatural entities have the same distinct smell and vibration: sulfur and like Antarctica wind entering your bowels. Thirdly, out of all the reasons he should be terrified, is because he and the detective were here to track down and kill a demon that just loved to find huge crowds of people and make them slaughter each other.

Garrett saw a slaughter once. Plenty of zombie superheroes vs zombie super villains quenched his thirst for gore and vomiting after. This was different. These were innocent people, people not from his earth, but with lives all the same. If he was to save them, he’d have to find that demon. A part of Garrett felt excitement at the challenge. It reminded him of a Hellblazer issue or an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Heck, he even had an outfit that could set him in a mood to exorcise demons. He zipped up his black leather jacket before brushing past a couple and pulling out a device he had. It was made from metal, not from this world, but appeared silver in color. The compass-like device was from a friend of his, Black Pollux, or as Garrett called her “Space Warlock.” It could track down unusual energies, especially demonic ones. It was his last resort, either, he’d find the Dark Detective, or he’d find the demon. Garrett really wasn't ready for the ladder. He could fight yes, even throw a few knives, but fighting actual invisible entities was a first for him, and he’s seen dinosaurs speaking Russian before.

Garrett relied on his senses mostly, and his teachings from The Dark Detective. He learned to read a person through micro-expressions, from the way their lips curled in a sign of contempt, to a twitch in their finger to indicate whether a man was ready to snap and kill a bystander. Garrett wasn't paying attention to the wild makeup of the women around him, nor the tripping kids that threatened to fart in the others’ face, but a sign of trouble. Any yell, any curse, and sounds of chaos breaking out. He eyed an older grandpa with his family who argued over tickets, yet he only saw disgust in the old man’s face over the fact that his granddaughter decided to bring her Hispanic boyfriend along for the night.

He looked back at the magical compass and traveled further into the crowd. It was leading him west, towards the flying saucer, a spinning machine that defied gravity and threatened to regurgitate your waffle fries. Garrett stopped mid-stride. The compass started to spin wildly. He scanned the distance for any sign of trouble, but all he could find was more onlookers ready to board The Pirate Ship. He spun in a circle, hoping for any sign of trouble. For once in his time adventuring the multiverse, the universe gave him his request.

He saw it. Right over by the Ferris Wheel. If I were a chaos-absorbing demon, where would I go?

To the biggest and most known ride in the fair. It's bright, everyone wants a piece on it, and it's at the end of the fairgrounds. Garrett could see it now, the chain reaction of conflict brewing. As he got closer, he could see the onlookers, watch as a family argued with another over whether their kids should ride first. The fair wasn't over for another hour, besides, the wheel was only a five-minute ride. Their rage didn't match with the logic. Garrett stared back at the compass and it spun so fast, he couldn't see the glowing silver marker pointing in front of him. The argument grew into a screaming match between both dads, Security couldn't get there fast enough, because, by the time they did, The fathers were on the ground, swinging at one another. The crowd watched, as Garrett could feel the tension in the air thickened to slime.

It took five security guards to pull the men away from each other, but by then it was too late. Garrett felt his intestines and heart switch places. One father had blood around his mouth, spitting something out. Garrett stared at the other who was clenching his neck. Oh crap.

One quick source of a chain reaction the Dark Detective told the boy was that blood fueled the demon and increased its power. Before Garrett could react, he was pushed towards the ground, crashing into another person, and by the time he could stand, the carnage was starting. He had no time to look, as a hard hand grabbed him by the shoulder and a fist shattered his calm interior. Garrett lurched back, blocking himself from the raining feet either fleeing or scuffling towards another person. He looked through blurry vision to see the man he crashed into leap towards him. On instinct, the boy swept the man off his feet, a capoeira move he learned from a ghost on a desolate island on one earth. Brazilain Jiu-Jitsu prevented the man from grabbing Garrett and gnawing at him. Garrett got him in a choke and a few seconds later, the man was out. Garrett dragged the man out of the fighting crowd and put him on a patch of grass. He looked up and quickly put his foot into the chest of a screaming lady who was coming at him with a knife.

Garrett ducked behind a ride and watched as the whole fair started to destroy itself. Children were yanked away by scared parents as people all around clawed and jumped on one another. He could hear screams of joy turn into screams of terror. Gunshots lit up the starry night and Garrett stared at the compass one last time. Its glowing hand pointed directly north, away from the Ferris Wheel, and towards the rides further into the fair. Garrett patted the bulge in his pocket, tempted to pull it out and slice away any bastards that would come in his way, but he knew that was the energy around him pulling him into it. He kept to the outer perimeter of the fair and sprinted off towards the danger ahead.

He felt the weapon in his pocket grow hotter as he got closer to his target, but it didn't take the warning system from a magical compass to let him know he was there. He could feel it in his mind. It was abrupt, then slowly sunk its way into his thoughts and for a moment, Garrett thought his own mind was making him pull out the weapon. Do it...kill them all...wipe them out...I should do it. Nobody can stand in my way!

He felt the dark tendrils seep into him and he shook them away, yanking his hands out of his pockets. He flipped an oncoming bystander and parried a blow from a raging madwoman before heading towards the whirling blazer, a large rink of rails that spun around in circles as blaring lights and music played. That’s when he saw it. The demon.

If Garrett ate before that event, he would have never eaten a Hot Pocket ever again. The demon was a faint, translucent entity, a glob of meat and flesh all swirling together in a shapeless mass with blood swirling around it. Three heads appeared, emaciated and skull-like, and all of them aimed at Garrett. The eyes glowed like fire and a low hush wiper penetrated Garrett’s mind. Take him...he’s yours...kill him...rip him to pieces...leave him battered and broken as he did you...discard him and his family like he did to yours….feed into your hate...give in to the rage!

He could feel the hot energy coiling in his belly, rising up until it made his body tense, and almost brought him to his knees Garrett wiped sweat and blood from his face and stared in terror. Around him, walking towards him, was Victorious. He was clad in his long black trench coat, his violet and black body armor glistening in the fairy lights alongside his violet and jet black visor showing small slits for his glowing eyes. The villain quickened his pace toward Garrett as Garrett felt the voice sink deeper into his consciousness.

He took everything from you...your family...your friends...your school...your home...your planet...even Sasha...kill him. KILL HIM.

The words repeated in his head. Victorious started to jog until he was in a sprint. Garrett stood, adrenaline soaking in his veins, his thoughts racing behind the storms of repeating words in his mind. No...this isn't right...this is a trick...KILL HIM...KILL HIM...RIP HIS FUCKING HEAD OFF! Garrett flipped and disposed of oncoming attackers and stood ready for the oncoming villain. Victorious came charging in and Garrett roared with fury as he collided with the illusion, the demon’s laughter echoing across the fair.