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Lifting her mallet from the mess, Nash raised it back over her shoulder before surveying the carnival grounds. “That all of them?”

Blade dislodged her ax from a man’s skull before counting on her fingers, “Think so.”

“Fun’s over,” Cyrus nodded.

For the first time in hours, the park felt still. No more screaming or crying or gurgling for forgiveness. Just the distant call of owls and crickets underscoring the tinny carnival music. My breaths came heavy and slow as I tried to calm my racing heartbeat.

What the fuck had I just witnessed?

But the Freaks moved on as if it was any other late night, killing the music and starting to organize the bodies.

“Are we…?” I swallowed hard, not even sure what I wanted to ask.

But Nash locked eyes with me beneath her painted mask, reaching for the ankles of the monster she’d electrocuted. “Closing up the park. Moving out the mess.”

I nodded, sticking close to her and Nash as we moved through the dark. It was ironic, taking comfort in the presence of killers. There were no monsters lurking in the dark: I’d watched the Freaks slay every last one of them.

Yet even with bodies hefted over their shoulders or dragging along behind them, nowhere felt safer to me than at the Freaks’ side.

As we traced back the path out of Carnival Chaos and toward the main gate, the mood was light: celebratory, even. But it wouldn’t be Cyrus if she didn’t bring the mood crashing back down to hell.

“We need to search them,” she grunted, nodding at the body in Nash’s clutches. “All of them.”

Blade groaned. “Are you serious? That’s so much extra work.”

“I don’t care,” Cyrus shook her head. “We’ve been chasing the DMT trail for months, and it shows up in our park? We need to know if the others are involved.”

Catching Nash’s eye, I pursed my lips. We all knew the odds of finding anything else was low. Even if we did, all the fuckers were dead: it wasn’t like they’d be able to answer our questions about where it came from.

But Cyrus was fixated, still pulsing with murderous intent. And no one felt like getting on her bad side right now.

“Who knows,” Nash shrugged, “We might find a wallet. Information on where the Oracle rounded them up”

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Blade muttered. “I’m sure they were all card-carrying members of DMT Daily. Maybe we’ll find a treasure map that leads us right back to their headquarters.”

I expected Cyrus to snap at Blade for the sass — she wouldn’t have hesitated if the words came from my lips — but instead she shook her head in resignation. “We need to talk to the Oracle.”

“Those Bird Brains?” Blade scoffed, more offended by that than by the suggestion we search the men’s bodies.

Cyrus just nodded. “They know more than they’re letting on, and I’m done acting like their quiet lackey. It’s time we get some real answers.”

32

NASH

After his body stopped twitching, I grabbed his ankles and started to drag his flesh sack along the cobblestone.

Every step calmed me as Blade and Cyrus moved another body behind me.

My gaze flicked over to Tess, who walked alongside us with her hands buried in her pockets. Even under the green light of the park’s streetlamps, I could see the splatters of blood on her clothes.

She’d done well, kept her calm and did as she was instructed.

I’ll give her a reward later.

As we made our way out of Carnival Chaos and toward Feverpoint’s main entrance, Tess flinched as flesh tore on the pavers.

“Almost done, Sweet Lamb.” I nodded to her.