Check The Clowns

What was that sound?

Emily turned to look behind her. The room was still full of mannequins in clown costumes. All of them in the exact positions as before.

She thought.

She looked away.

She heard a noise. The distinctive, drawn-out squeak of a clown nose.

She looked back.

None of the clowns had moved. Probably. It was hard to remember the exact position of every single clown mannequin in a room full of them.

Emily paused.

She walked up to the nearest clown mannequin, looked it right in the eye, and said "I'm not afraid of you." She stepped back, feeling her heart beat fast, half-expecting it to jump at her.

Nothing happened.

Emily breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly feeling very silly. Of course nothing had happened. What had she expected to happen? They were just mannequins. They weren't even real clowns. She had to admit, since that time at the circus where she'd taken a custard pie to the face in front of her date, she'd been a little nervous around clowns. But these ones were nothing to be afraid of.

She stuck her tongue out at the clown, reached out, and pinched its funny red nose.

Instantly, all the lights went out.