Categories > Original > Horror

The Shopping Center

by lost_in_the_shuffle 3 reviews

Four teens decide to spend the night in a mall and end up shopping for terror.

Category: Horror - Rating: PG-13 - Genres: Horror - Warnings: [V] - Published: 2007-10-08 - Updated: 2007-10-08 - 3094 words - Complete

0Unrated
“You shouldn’t be building here Paul,” the man said angrily, “I gave you the reports, you know what’s buried under there. I’m surprised that you haven’t been stopped before now.”
Paul Meyers snickered, “money can pave the way around anything Steve,” he sneered, “besides what’s the worst that can happen?”
“I’m not going to stand around to find out,” Steve said, “you don’t mess with things like old graveyards, you should’ve interred those bodies somewhere at least.”
With those words, he stormed out of the trailer.
Paul turned and looked out the trailer’s window, at the construction site, he could see men quickly throwing dirt over the four exposed graves. Slowly he smiled, by tomorrow that would all be paved over, then the floor would be laid.
“What’s the worst that can happen?” He said quietly to himself, then chuckled and sat down behind the desk.

A year later
The security guard, slowly swung his flashlight back and forth, this was actually a piece of cake job. All he had to do was patrol the grounds of the shopping mall, to make sure no one tried to break in before tomorrow’s grand opening. Mr. Meyers had already promised him a permanent position in reward for all his good work.
Suddenly a clattering noise from behind the utility shed broke him out of his reverie. He quickly jerked his flashlight, in that direction, just in time to see a flash of white.
“Hello?” He called, silently cursing when he heard how his voice shook.
No one answered, so he started forward, wishing for the first time that he had a coworker, so he wouldn’t have to check out the disturbance by himself.
He rounded the corner where he had seen the flash and stopped, a beautiful blonde girl stood there, staring at him with wide cornflower blue eyes. He shined his flash light on her, and gasped. Her white dress was covered with what looked like fresh blood, and he took an involuntary step back.
“Have you seen my baby?” She asked in an almost inaudible voice, but yet he heard every word clearly.
Shaking, the guard shook his head and backed up another step.
“Have you seen my baby?” She asked again, and took a step forward.
The guard realized in horror that she carried a large blood covered butcher knife in her right hand.
He turned to run, then gasped in horror and pain. She had appeared suddenly behind him, stabbing him with the butcher knife when he turned around.
Blood bubbled out of his lips, as he sank to the ground. He could feel the blood pouring out of the wound in his stomach, but he couldn’t move. As he slowly bled to death, he saw the girl kneel beside him.
The last thing he heard before he died, was her softly crooning, “hush little baby don’t you cry, or mama’s going to have to make you die.”

“Finally, they’re opening the Glenn Dale shopping mall,” Christy said as she read the morning paper, her green eyes shining with excitement.
“When’s the grand opening?” Jodi asked, brushing her red hair out of her face.
“In two days,” Christy said, “they had to reschedule it, because that guard got murdered.”

“I heard about that,” Jodi said and shivered, “creepy stuff.”
She turned when she heard a knock on the door, and hurried to answer it.
“Kevin,” she squealed and threw her arms around her boyfriend, “I thought you had packing to do.”
“I finished it,” he said, returning the hug and walked into the living room, “then Chester and I started talking and we want to do something really exciting before the summer ends and we all head off to college.”
“Like what?” Christy asked, laying the newspaper on the table.
“Like go skinny dipping,” Chester said, as he popped into the open doorway, “or you could just admit your undying love for me and we could end the summer in mutual satisfaction.”
“In your dreams freak,” Christy said, before turning back to Kevin. “Seriously, what did you have in mind?”
“I think we should spend the night at the Glenn Dale mall,” Kevin said, “my old man built it, and I swiped the keys from his desk. We’ll spend the night tonight, and no one will be the wiser.”
Jodi and Christy looked at each other for a moment.
“What about the security guard?” Jodi asked uneasily.
“They never hired a new one after the last one got gutted,” Chester said. “With all the rumors flying around about that place now, they don’t need one.”
“Which is why this will be such a blast,” Kevin said, “it’ll be like our own personal paradise, just the four of us.”
Jodi and Christy looked at each other again, then smiled.
“Ok,” Christy said, “lets do it.”

Slowly Christy climbed out of the car and looked up at the enormous building. She shivered, and for a moment she felt like getting back into the car and driving home. Before she could, Jodi grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the front doors, as the two boys grabbed the sleeping bags and other gear.
“I didn’t realize how far this is outside of town” Christy said faintly, wondering if they were doing a wise thing.
“That’s a good thing,” Chester said, as he came up behind them and slung his arm around her. “That way no one can hear your screams of pleasure.”
“Or your screams of pain when I kick your ass,” Christy said, flinging the offending arm off her shoulders.
Kevin laughed as he walked up, “come on guys,” he said, jangling the keys, “lets party.”
He handed some of the stuff to Christy and Jodi, before unlocking the doors, he held them open so the other three could enter, the closed and locked the door behind him, then flipped on the main switch that controlled the lights in the mall.
“Where should we camp out?” Chester asked, and Kevin pointed toward the middle of the mall, where the food court was set up around an enormous fountain.
After they laid down all their gear and rolled out the sleeping bags, Kevin grabbed Jodi’s hand.
“Have fun you two,” he said, “I want to give Jodi the private tour.”
Jodi giggled and followed Kevin away from the food court, leaving Christy and Chester alone.

Finally Kevin stopped, in front of a dark Sears store and pushed Jodi against the wall, kissing her hungrily. She moaned and clung to him, twining her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Jodi thought she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She pushed Kevin away and looked toward the spot.
“What’s wrong?” Kevin asked and she shook her head.
“I thought I saw something,” she said, “then pulled his head down and kissed him again.
Suddenly a noise came from down the corridor of the mall, both of them turned, but it was so dark they couldn’t see anything.
“Stay here,” Kevin said, and grabbed the flashlight he had hanging from his belt, he shined it down the hall and saw a large man standing there, holding something in his hand.
“Hello,” Kevin said, “do you work for the mall?”
The man just stared at him, not saying a word.
“Kevin lets go,” Jodi said, in a frightened voice.
“Just a second,” Kevin said, turning around to talk to her, when he turned back around, the man had moved quickly and was now inches from him.
Kevin swore and jumped back, then looked down at the man’s hand, he held a large hatchet, and Kevin felt the blood drain from his face. He looked back up at the man, and realized with horror, that the man was smiling.
Without warning, the man swung the hatchet, almost hitting Kevin with it. Kevin turned and grabbed Jodi’s hand, racing back toward the center of the mall, he chanced a look back and realized the man was standing there, chuckling malevolently.

Quickly they raced back to where they had left the sleeping bags, but neither of their friends was there.
“Where are they?” Jodi screamed in panic, “we have to get out of here!”
“I don’t know,” Kevin said, “we need to find a phone and call the police.”
Suddenly the lights went out, leaving only the emergency ones lit. Kevin and Jodi looked toward the now totally dark area of the mall that they had come from and heard the thudding of heavy footsteps.
“Run!” Kevin screamed.
Together they ran toward the front door, then slid to a stop as the man suddenly appeared in front of them.
Kevin turned and pushed Jodi, “go, go, go!” He screamed and Jodi turned, running the other way. Suddenly she heard a soft thud, then a horrible gurgling sound. She turned, just as Kevin fell on the floor, the hatchet stuck in his back. Looking up, she saw the man striding toward her, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Christy and Chester were returning from the bathroom when the lights went out.
“What the hell?” Chester muttered.
They walked slowly toward the food court, stopping suddenly when they heard the scream.
“That sounds like Jodi,” Christy cried, and they raced toward the sound.
Chester stopped so fast that Christy slammed into his back. She looked over his shoulder, before backing up with a whimper, hand over her mouth.
A large shaggy haired man, knelt over Jodi’s body, which he was busily hacking off pieces from, with a blood-stained hatchet. Kevin laid a short distance away on his stomach, blood pooling around his body.
He looked up from his grisly work and smiled, blood staining his yellow teeth. He lumbered to his feet, and started toward them with the hatchet in his hand.
Chester and Christy, turned and ran through the mall, away from the man, who ran after them quickly. They rounded a corner, then Chester saw a small utility closet, and he pulled Christy toward it. They got in and closed the door, just as the man rounded the corner after them. Through the crack, they watched as he stopped and looked around, lifting his head to smell the air. Finally after what seemed like hours, he turned and walked back the way he had come. They stayed in the closet for a few moments, afraid that he was lying in wait for them. Finally Chester opened the door and slipped out, slowly creeping toward the corner and peeking around. He didn’t see the man, so he gestured for Christy to come out.
“What are we going to do?” She asked, “he’s probably guarding the door.”
Chester looked at her grimly, “then we’ll find a new way out.”
They began to walk into the opposite direction, toward a large bank of security lights, suddenly Christy saw a figure standing under them and she slowed down.
“What’s the matter?” Chester asked and she pointed toward the figure.
He turned and swore, it was a young blonde woman and she was carrying a large butcher knife. She stared at them with large blue eyes.
“Have you seen my baby?” She asked, starting forward with the knife out.
They turned quickly, and stopped as the woman appeared in front of them suddenly.
She screamed, and lunged, bringing the knife down toward Chester. He leapt out of the way and she missed, slashing air.
He grabbed Christy’s hand and they ran back into the only direction they could, back the way they had come. Chester could still hear the woman screaming behind them, but she didn’t follow. Suddenly as they rounded a corner, he smacked into someone. Christy screamed and he brought his hands up, preparing to defend them both. The man who stood before them wasn’t carrying a weapon and he threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender.
“I won’t hurt you,” he said, “my name is Steve Johnston and I helped build this place.”
“You’re the architect who quit aren’t you,” Chester said, “I remember hearing Kevin’s dad talk about you.”
Steve nodded, running a hand through his thinning brown hair. “I quit because of the immoral practices that were being employed here.”
Christy stared at him, “what do you mean,” she demanded and Steve sighed.
“Let’s go sit somewhere and I’ll tell you,” he said, “they won’t try to harm you, if you don’t try to escape.”
Chester waited until they had sat down at a table in the food court. “You said them,” he said, “what did you mean?”
“I meant the ghosts of the four people that were disturbed when this place was built,” Steve explained.
Christy looked at him, “there are no such things as ghosts,” she said, but even to her own ears the denial sounded false.
Steve nodded, “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true,” he said, “when they broke ground for the mall, the graves of four people were discovered, but instead of giving them a proper burial, Paul Meyers just covered up the graves with concrete.”
“Who were these people?” Chester asked quietly.
“About fifty years ago, this was the site of an institute for the criminally insane.” Steve said, “it was closed down, when they found out the inhumane way, patients were being treated. Apparently the four people, were patients, whose deaths were covered up.”
“Wait a minute,” Chester said, “are you saying that we’re being stalked by vengeful ghosts?”
Steve nodded, “I came here, hoping to find a way to get them to leave, hoping to stop more deaths. But they wouldn’t let me leave the building after I entered it. There are four exits in the mall, and there are four ghosts guarding them.”
“We have to find a way out of here,” Christy said, “before more people come and are slaughtered.”
“What about fire exits?” Chester asked suddenly, “you said there were four exits to this mall, but it has to have fire exits to be up to code.”
Steve nodded with excitement, “of course,” he said, “why didn’t I think of that, there are three fire exits, one on each side of the mall, and one in the middle. If we could get through one of those, it would set off an alarm that would summon the police.”
He stood up, “we need to go now.”
Chester and Christy stood up too and they began to make their way toward the fire exit, partially hidden by the escalator.

Suddenly Steve swore and handed Chester a packet, “when I say the word, run as fast as you can.” He said to Chester and Christy.
Chester looked to where Steve was staring and saw a tall man with long white hair standing next to the escalator. He had a strange smile on his face, that made Chester get a chill.
“Leaving so soon?” He said, in a voice that reminded Chester of brittle old leaves rubbing together.
As Chester watched, he pulled a long dagger out of his sleeve, “the fun’s about to begin.” He said, then lunged at Steve.
Steve caught him around the wrist and they both fell on the floor, in a tangle of limbs. Chester grabbed Christy by the arm and pulled her toward the security door, they hit it with a thud and Chester realized as his heart dropped into his feet that they were locked.
He heard Christy cry out in horror and turned, the other two ghosts, were advancing on them slowly, trapping them against the locked door.
“Run for it,” Chester said to Christy, then rushed forward, and the ghosts descended on him quickly, and Christy ran as fast as she could.
Suddenly something grabbed her ankle and she fell to the ground, with a whimper of terror, the tall man rose above her, a gleeful look on his face, and raised the dagger. She closed her eyes, waiting for the bite of the knife, but it never came. She opened her eyes and saw the man with a surprised look on his face. An older woman stood there, with a bloody knife in her hand and Christy realized she had used it on the man.
The woman looked at her, and whispered “run,” before turning toward the other two ghosts.
Christy watched as the ghosts attacked each other, then looked at Steve, he was beyond help now. Shakily, she rose to her feet, and turned to run. Suddenly a hand fell on her arm and she screamed, before realizing it was Chester. A horrible shriek filled the air and they both jerked around, just as the older woman stabbed the blonde with the knife, causing her to fall to the ground. Then Chester grabbed Christy’s hand and they ran toward the door, reaching it without being stopped. They burst out of the mall, into the early morning sunshine and ran toward the car. They had just jumped in, when a sudden movement made the car rock. Christy screamed as the large man appeared at her door, clawing at the glass, trying frantically to get in. Then Chester managed to start the car, step on the gas and speed away.

The packet that Steve had given them, contained a video tape of Kevin and Jodi being murdered by the large man, it included a shot of him appearing out of thin air, giving well creditably to the fact that he was a ghost. The four patients’ bodies were recovered and buried in a new location, but the rumors of the mall murders never died down and the mall closed after only being open for three months. The four patient’s identities were never discovered, so Chester and Christy never found out the identity of the woman who saved them. The closeness that people always seem to feel after situations like this, never happened for them and after the murders they never talked to each other again.
Sometimes late at night, people say that if you sit in the deserted parking lot of the mall, you can hear the softly sung words, “hush little baby don’t you cry, or mama’s going to have to make you die.”
Sign up to rate and review this story