3 TRUE Disturbing Carnival Horror Stories
#Horror #Story #Stories #Scary #Ghost # Haunted #Fright #Nightmare #Real #True #Paranormal
#Horror #Story #Stories #Scary #Ghost # Haunted #Fright #Nightmare #Real #True #Paranormal
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00:00Starting a new job is always a mix of excitement and nerves.
00:13When I landed a summer job at a local carnival in downtown LA, I was just looking for some
00:17extra cash before my senior year of college started in the fall.
00:21The carnival was a typical setup with rides, games, and food stands, but its main attraction
00:26was the funhouse, which doubled as a haunted house after dark.
00:30It was actually a solid structure that I think used to be some old guy's mansion or something.
00:34I was assigned to manage the funhouse, which was a favorite among the carnival goers.
00:39It seemed simple enough, guide the guests in, ensure they have a fun, safe time, and observe
00:44them leave.
00:46At first everything seemed straight forward, but then I started noticing odd things.
00:51It started with small discrepancies, I'd count a dozen people entering but only 11
00:56would emerge.
00:57At first I chalked it up to miscounting.
00:59After all, keeping track of the chaos of laughter and screams was no easy task.
01:03However, as the days passed, the numbers just didn't add up.
01:08Seven went in, six came out, ten went in, nine came out.
01:11Was I going crazy?
01:13Something was off, and I couldn't ignore it much longer.
01:16One particularly busy afternoon, a blonde girl caught my eye as she walked up to the funhouse.
01:22She was dropped at gorgeous, and almost seemed out of place amidst the childlike atmosphere.
01:27She couldn't have been more than a few years older than me.
01:30I genuinely had to do a double take.
01:32I'm not a weird guy by any means, but I couldn't help but lock eyes with her for a few seconds.
01:38She smiled, handed me her ticket, and I directed her into the attraction.
01:42After she disappeared into the darkness, I went back to my duties.
01:46Time ticked by, and I watched attentively as people entered and exited, sometimes asking
01:51me questions and whatnot.
01:53Admittedly, I was paying a little more attention to the guests that night, as I wanted to see
01:57that girl as she left and maybe work up the courage to talk to her.
02:01Pretty soon, I started picking up on the fact that groups of people who had entered
02:04after her were beginning to emerge.
02:07A few more minutes passed, and I started getting worried.
02:10She should have been out by now.
02:12Compelled by a genuine concern, I decided to abandon my post for a few minutes and go looking
02:16for her.
02:17I stepped inside and locked the entrance door.
02:20I began investigating, navigating the dimly lit rooms and narrow corridors.
02:25I moved through the house until I came across something I hadn't noticed during my initial
02:29walkthroughs, a barely noticeable seam in the wall.
02:33I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but curiosity got the best of me.
02:37I pressed against the seam, and I heard a distinct click.
02:41I played around with it some more, and my jaw nearly hit the floor when I realized it was
02:45a hidden door.
02:46It swung open slowly, revealing a pitch black hallway.
02:50I stood there in shock.
02:51What in the world was this doing here?
02:54I was definitely going to have a long conversation with my boss about this.
02:58I walked into the hallway with my phone's flashlight guiding the way.
03:02I didn't have much brainpower to spend being nervous because I was still so shocked about
03:05the whole situation.
03:07I got to the end of the passage and found another door.
03:10I flung it open, and to my surprise, it was a concealed exit that led back to the carnival
03:15grounds.
03:16I breathed a sigh of relief, as this discovery proved I wasn't going crazy.
03:21All those people I hadn't noticed leaving the attraction had probably stumbled across
03:24that secret door by accident and assumed it was the correct way to go.
03:28As I walked back the way I had came, I couldn't help but feel a little bummed out that I wasn't
03:32going to get the chance to talk to that girl.
03:34I'm not sure what came over me, but I decided to keep exploring the funhouse instead of returning
03:39to my post.
03:40I think a part of me just wanted a few extra minutes of this impromptu break I was taking.
03:45I walked through a couple more rooms, and that's when I noticed it.
03:49On one of the walls was another faint seam, identical to the first one I had seen.
03:54I again played with it until it clicked and swung open.
03:57I could immediately tell this one was very different.
04:00The putrid smell was the first thing I noticed.
04:03More concerning though, was the fact that there was no corridor in this one, but a ladder.
04:08A ladder that led downwards.
04:10I was more confused than anything.
04:12This door was on the ground floor, and I was told specifically that this place didn't
04:16have a basement.
04:17I debated climbing down, but I just felt awful about the prospect that the girl might be
04:21down there.
04:23So against my instincts, I began the descent.
04:26The smell only got worse as I climbed down into the darkness.
04:29I was expecting to find a basement, but what I found instead was far, far worse.
04:34I got to the bottom and pulled out my phone's flashlight.
04:38I was frozen in shock.
04:40I was literally standing in a tunnel that extended into the darkness.
04:44There was literally no way that this was part of the house above.
04:47The rational part of my brain screamed to turn back, to forget about it, but the mystery
04:52was too compelling.
04:53I ventured further, being careful not to make any noise.
04:57The walls were damp, and the tunnel was completely silent.
05:00As I explored, my flashlight beam fell on something unexpected.
05:04A white, glittery purse was sitting in the middle of the corridor.
05:07I picked it up, turning it over in my hands.
05:11It looked familiar, and then it hit me.
05:13It was that girl's purse.
05:15I was sure of it.
05:16I started to panic.
05:17Was she really down here?
05:19I doubted there was any way a rational person could find this tunnel and not turn around,
05:24but the proof was literally in my hands.
05:26My mind started racing.
05:28Was she hurt?
05:29Lost?
05:30And then a more terrifying thought hit me.
05:32Was she alone?
05:34I didn't feel safe anymore, but I was in too deep.
05:38Violating every survival instinct I had, I yelled out into the tunnel for that girl.
05:42I waited.
05:43Nothing.
05:45I was just about to shout again, when I heard the sound of rapid footsteps echoing through
05:49the tunnels.
05:51My first instinct was to run.
05:52I had every reason to believe whoever was running toward me was hostile.
05:56I turned around and bolted back to the ladder.
05:59I got halfway up and slipped, falling back to the bottom.
06:02The footsteps were basically right on top of me now.
06:05I knew I was done for.
06:07I braced myself for a fight, and then a voice rang out.
06:11A girl's voice.
06:13Her voice.
06:14She gasped, help me, clutching her side as if in pain.
06:17I yelled at her to climb up, but she insisted that I follow her back into the darkness for
06:21some reason.
06:23I told her there was no chance I was doing that, and basically forced her up the ladder.
06:27We got to the top, and I slammed the door shut.
06:30I asked her how in the world she ended up down there, and she couldn't really give me
06:33a straight answer.
06:34She kept saying she didn't really remember how it happened, just that she suddenly realized
06:38she was underground.
06:40She said she started hearing things moving in the dark, and that there were voices calling
06:44to her.
06:45I didn't know how to process this.
06:47I asked her if someone had guided her down there, and she said she didn't remember.
06:51The weirdest thing about her story was that she was looking at me with this blank stare
06:55that genuinely freaked me out.
06:57I basically interrogated her about why she told me to stay down there, but she didn't
07:01answer.
07:02I had had enough.
07:03I wanted to get as far away from this person as possible.
07:07I called the police, but she opted to leave the funhouse before they got there.
07:11I never saw her again.
07:13The police investigated, and what they found was actually insane.
07:17Apparently this house had been some sort of safe house during Prohibition in the 1920s.
07:22As such, it had a bunch of secret passageways that led to a section of the underground Prohibition
07:26tunnels that hadn't been discovered.
07:28The owner claimed he had no idea about the house's history, but I was skeptical.
07:32I quit my job and got as far away from there as possible.
07:36I still have so many questions.
07:39Did the owner know about this?
07:40Was that girl almost kidnapped?
07:42Had someone knocked her out and took her down there or something?
07:45Was she part of the whole thing?
07:46I feel like there are a number of explanations for what happened to me, but all of them are
07:50equally terrifying.
08:02Ever since I was a kid, I loved carnivals, the lights, the games, the unpredictable joy
08:07of it all.
08:08I know lots of people find them weird and childish, but not me.
08:11Growing up in a small town in Indiana, it's not like there was a whole bunch to do.
08:15So whenever the carnivals would roll through town, you best believe I was spending as much
08:19time there as I possibly could.
08:20It's been over 20 years, and I still enjoy the atmosphere of a local carnival, despite what
08:26I'm about to tell you.
08:27I think my love for carnivals is something I'll never lose.
08:31I was like 10 or 11 when this happened, and I was a kind of nerdy kid growing up.
08:35In the days leading up to the spring carnival, I found myself in the library, reading up
08:39on whatever I found interesting at the time.
08:42For whatever reason, I wound up in the history section.
08:46I remember the books being literally caked in layers of dust.
08:49That's how long it had been since they were even touched.
08:52I was flipping through a book on the history of our town when a small, faded slip of paper
08:57fell out from between the pages.
08:59Confused, I leaned down to pick it up.
09:02To my pleasant surprise, it was a ticket for our local spring carnival, dated over 15 years
09:07ago.
09:08The odds of something like that happening had to be extremely low.
09:11I was ecstatic.
09:13This ticket would make a great addition to my miscellaneous collection back home.
09:17What was even cooler, though, was the fact that the date on the ticket was just two days
09:20away when the carnival would certainly be in town.
09:24As I predicted, the carnival cruised into town the next morning, so I figured why not use
09:28the old ticket, just for laughs, to see what the booth attendant would say.
09:32I wanted to get it punched anyway.
09:35The next evening, I headed to the carnival with the ticket safely tucked away in my pocket.
09:40As I approached the entrance, the carnival seemed just as lively as ever, the air filled
09:44with the scent of cotton candy and popcorn.
09:47I pulled out the ticket at the gate, handing it over to the guy at the booth.
09:51His face changed the moment he saw it.
09:53He went pale, his eyes widening slightly before he masked his reaction with a forced smile.
09:58It was honestly a little creepy.
10:00Uh, enjoy your evening, he stammered, handing me back the ticket without punching it.
10:06I was so weirded out by his reaction that I forgot to ask him to punch it.
10:10I shrugged it off, though, thinking maybe he was just new and confused about the old design
10:14of the ticket.
10:16I wandered around, played some games, and enjoyed a funnel cake.
10:20The night was perfect, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
10:24I felt eyes on me, observing.
10:27Maybe it was just paranoia.
10:29I tried to ignore it at first, but I kept noticing the carnival employees giving me weird
10:34looks.
10:35After a while, I got fed up and decided to ask one of the older game operators about it.
10:40I found a kind-looking elderly man running the ring-toss booth.
10:44I showed him the ticket, and unlike the booth guy, he didn't even try to hide his shock.
10:49He glanced around nervously before leaning closer.
10:52Young man, where did you get this?
10:54He asked.
10:55After telling him where I found it, I started feeling uneasy about the whole situation.
11:00Maybe I should have just kept the ticket at home.
11:02You found something you weren't meant to find, the old man started.
11:06He said, his voice dropping to a whisper, this ticket, it's part of a story that the folks
11:11around here don't talk about much.
11:14About 15 years ago, something terrible happened during the carnival, right here in this town.
11:19He paused as if weighing weather to continue.
11:21There was a young worker, name of Ryan, nice kid.
11:25Everybody liked him.
11:27He was responsible for one of the rides, I can't remember which.
11:30One night he just disappeared, vanished without a trace.
11:34The police found his wallet, but there was nothing in it except a ticket that looked an
11:37awful lot like this one, he said, gesturing towards my hands.
11:41The atmosphere around us seemed to drop a few degrees.
11:44He continued.
11:45They searched everywhere, even drained the local pond, but no sign of him.
11:50After that, strange things started happening every time the carnival stopped here.
11:54Accidents, things going missing, odd sightings.
11:58People said it was Ryan trying to come back, or something worse that took him.
12:02I could feel a chill running down my spine, but a part of me was skeptical.
12:07And you believe that?
12:08I asked.
12:10The old man shrugged.
12:11I've seen enough to keep an open mind, but the point is, the ticket you found might stir
12:15things up.
12:16It's best you get rid of it, leave it here.
12:19He then motioned for me to give it to him, but I was reluctant.
12:23I looked down at it, reading it over again as if there was some kind of secret I was missing.
12:27How could a ticket be the cause of all of that, I questioned, still not fully buying
12:31it.
12:32The look in his eye got darker.
12:34His tone switched, almost as if he were angry.
12:38He told me to give it here, almost in a growl.
12:40I considered it, but concluded that some stupid story wasn't worth giving up such a cool souvenir.
12:45I told him no, and he actually sprung up with a quickness that startled me.
12:50He reached for the ticket, his fingers grazing my hand.
12:53I jerked back instinctively, clutching the ticket tighter.
12:57The old man's expression morphed into something desperate, almost predatory.
13:01You don't understand, he hissed, his eyes darting around as if expecting something or
13:06someone to emerge from the shadows.
13:08I backed away towards the tent's exit, my heart pounding.
13:11I think I should go, I stammered, turning to lose myself in the crowd.
13:17Behind me I could hear his calls, a mix of pleading and warning.
13:20I didn't care what he was saying though, I let the bustling crowd around me drown his
13:24voice out.
13:26My mind was racing, not even about the ticket but more so his aggressive reaction.
13:30The joy of the carnival had been spoiled.
13:32I left earlier than planned, the ticket burning a hole in my pocket.
13:37Over the next few days, my luck seemed to turn sharply.
13:40I missed catching a school bus, scraped my knee pretty bad in a bike accident, and worst
13:45of all, my best friend accused me of stealing his favorite baseball card, something I would
13:50never do.
13:51Things got worse than that though.
13:53I remember coming home one night to my mother in tears after losing her job, my brother broke
13:58his leg skateboarding the next week, and our beloved family pet, Bean, also passed away
14:02a few days after that.
14:04It was like a dark cloud had settled over me since that night at the carnival.
14:08I couldn't help but remember the old man's warning about the ticket stirring things up.
14:12It seemed ridiculous, but then again, so was the string of bad luck that followed me.
14:18My dad laughed when I told him about my theory.
14:20He told me that there was no such thing as ghosts, and that I shouldn't be so superstitious.
14:25One rainy afternoon after school, after a particularly tough day where I had forgotten my lunch and
14:30had to go hungry, I pulled the ticket out.
14:33I stared at it, this small piece of paper that had brought nothing but trouble.
14:39Feeling a mix of anger and fear, I decided I had had enough.
14:43I grabbed my raincoat and boots and trudged out to the creek that ran behind our house.
14:47My heart felt like it was pounding out of my chest as the rain soaked through my hair.
14:52Standing at the creek's edge, I took one last look at the ticket before tearing it
14:55into tiny pieces and watching them get swept up by the current.
15:00It's just a piece of paper, I thought.
15:02Things started to look up after that.
15:04My friend found his baseball card and apologized to me and we became friends again.
15:08I did miss the bus a single time that school year.
15:10My mom got a better job in the next couple of days.
15:13Whether it was all coincidence or that ticket really was cursed, I couldn't say.
15:18But one thing was for sure.
15:19I learned to be more careful about what I picked up and brought home.
15:23I don't believe in the supernatural, even after all this stuff happened to me.
15:27My parents liked telling me that I imagined everything because I was so young.
15:31It's still hard to fully explain it, but I've long since accepted it as one of those weird
15:34coincidences that you just can't explain.
15:38I hate carnivals.
15:49I think they're disgusting and filled with children.
15:51I hate the food, the games, and the smell of it all.
15:55My hatred of carnivals is probably biased, though, and mostly based on what I'm about
15:59to tell you.
16:01A few years ago, I was dragged to our local carnival by my younger sister.
16:05I obviously wasn't going to be rude and not go, but I wasn't looking forward to it.
16:09After a while, my sister got bored and wanted to leave, so I called my mom to pick us up.
16:14I actually opted not to go with them, as I was in the midst of a fight with my dad and
16:18didn't want to go back home until he was asleep.
16:21I told my mom I'd walk home later, so she picked up my sister and left.
16:26The carnival was honestly a little pathetic.
16:28There were far fewer people there that night than I remember there being in previous years,
16:32and everyone looked miserable.
16:35I figured I might as well walk around a little to try and get my money's worth.
16:38After all, I had paid for a ticket out of my own pocket.
16:41I decided to step into the funhouse, as I figured that would at least be a little cool.
16:46I was expecting there to be a ton of people in there, but it was completely empty.
16:51There was literally not a single other person in there as far as I could tell.
16:55I had never been inside a funhouse alone before.
16:57People don't realize how important the laughter and talking is to the atmosphere.
17:02Without it, you're basically just standing there in silence, surrounded by a bunch of
17:05weird mirrors.
17:07It was honestly a little creepy.
17:09I shrugged my shoulders and figured I might as well walk through it.
17:13Admittedly, I did get a pretty good laugh out of the distorted mirrors.
17:17I think I was like halfway through when I noticed something odd.
17:20In one of the reflections to my left, there was a head that seemed to be peering at me.
17:25I only saw it for a split second, but it was a bald guy with really sunken eyes.
17:31I whipped around, but didn't see anyone.
17:33To be completely honest, I had no idea where he had even been standing since there were
17:37mirrors all over the place.
17:39He could have literally been anywhere.
17:41I thought it was especially creepy since I didn't hear the funhouse entrance open.
17:45He either snuck in behind me, or he had already been inside.
17:49I kept walking, going a little more quickly now.
17:52And then, I saw him again, out of the corner of my eye.
17:56He had this deranged smile this time.
17:58It was the exact same face.
18:00I was positive.
18:01I tried to figure out where he was standing, but the reflections were too confusing.
18:06I yelled for him to get lost, but got no response.
18:09I wasn't sure what I was expecting.
18:11I picked up the pace again, but it was difficult trying to navigate this maze of mirrors, and
18:16I kept hitting dead ends.
18:18I started sweating, constantly looking over my shoulder every few seconds.
18:22A few minutes later, I turned a corner after hitting another dead end, and a hand reached
18:27out from behind one of the mirrors, grabbing my wrist.
18:30I screamed, cursing at the guy to let go of me, but he held firm.
18:34I punched his arm, forcing him to let go.
18:36I fell to the ground in the fray, and saw the creepster in his full form.
18:40He was wearing all gray, had a bit of a gut, and a tired, sunken face.
18:45I jumped to my feet before he could reach for me again, and sprinted back the way I came.
18:49I don't know if it was survival instincts or not, but finding my way back to the entrance
18:53was somehow easier with the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
18:56I sprinted out of the funhouse and caught my breath.
18:59I reached into my back pocket, and a horrifying realization hit me.
19:03I didn't have my wallet, I must have dropped it when I fell.
19:07There was no way I was going back in there.
19:10After running to the nearest staff person, I told them everything that happened.
19:14She seemed confused, and told me that the funhouse was closed to patrons that night.
19:18I was horrified.
19:20They called the police and searched it, but found nothing, not even my wallet.
19:24I felt like such an idiot.
19:26I told them that that guy was probably an ex-employee with a key, but they shrugged off my theory and
19:31told me to go home.
19:33So, reluctantly, that's what I did.
19:35It's not like I had gotten hurt or anything.
19:38I wish I could tell you the story ended there, but I can't.
19:41A week later, my girlfriend called me one night in a panic, frantically screaming into
19:45the phone about something terrible that happened.
19:48Apparently, someone had been texting her phone, pretending to be me, and convinced her to drive
19:52out to this remote location to help me change a tire.
19:55Thankfully she decided to bring her dad, even though the guy told her to come alone.
19:59They pretty quickly realized what was going on when the car parked in the lot wasn't
20:03mine.
20:04Her dad stepped out of the car, and six dudes stepped out of the car in front of them.
20:07He sprinted back to the car and hightailed it out of there before those guys could catch
20:11up to him.
20:12The whole thing made sense.
20:13I did have my girlfriend's number written down on a slip of paper in my wallet, which
20:18explains how he got her number.
20:20Both of us changed all our contact information, and it's been a month without incident.
20:24I really don't know how to feel about this whole ordeal.
20:27I think I'm just going to try to block the memory out of my head.
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