Madness at Madison Mall

by Jon Athan

  Isaac nodded and said, “We'll see about that.” He glanced at his partner and said, “Get them out of here, David. I'll do a quick search, then I'll meet you out there.”

  David said, “Alright, sure.” He shook his pepper spray and said, “Get up, Lester. I don't want to burn all of our eyes with this.”

  Lester's eyes widened upon spotting the pepper spray – he wasn't going to tangle with the irritant. He held his hands over his head as he staggered to his feet.

  He said, “Okay, okay. No need to get that out. I'm not going to fight you. Shit...”

  Lester walked past the guards, strolling towards the group of teenagers. The trespassers were herded towards the center of the food court. The teens were frightened, shaking and sniffling. The homeless man was indifferent. If he couldn't sleep in the abandoned mall, he figured he might as well sleep in a jail cell.

  As he stared at the trespassers, David asked, “Are you sure about this, Isaac? You can still come out with us. We'll take them out, we'll wait for the police, then we'll come back and look for her. You don't have to do this by yourself, man. Think about it.”

  “She could get hurt around here. Hell, if that man really did something to her, she might be hurt already. Every second counts, right? Go on. I'll be fine.”

  “It can be dangerous around here. It's unstable, it's–”

  “It's fine. I'll be careful. Besides, I think I've been through more abuse in my life than this mall can throw at me. I'll be okay. Hurry up and leave. The sooner you get out of here, the sooner you can call Lewis and the cops.”

  David reluctantly nodded in agreement. He patted Isaac's shoulder, then he waved at the trespassers – start moving.

  Isaac watched as the group departed from the food court. He could hear Lester bickering with the teenagers. A few chuckles and gags emerged from the group. David must be telling them about Lester's 'itch,' he thought. Although he was still trapped in the mall, he found some relief in knowing his partner and the trespassers escaped unscathed.

  Isaac whispered, “I'll meet you out there, guys. I just have to find her. I have to find Melanie.”

  “Isaac...” a soft female voice said.

  The guard shivered upon hearing his name, trembling as if a chilly breeze had just pummeled his body. The soft voice caressed the nape of his neck, dancing towards his ears like a mother's lullaby. In such a grim area, the voice was eerily out of place. He shouldn't have been hearing that voice. Everyone's supposed to be gone, he thought, except for you, Melanie.

  Isaac glanced over his shoulder, searching for the source of the voice – but to no avail. The food court was empty. He shined his light at the fast food restaurants, carefully examining each eatery. Shadows danced around the light, darting to the dimmest corners to avoid the illumination. There was nothing out of the ordinary, though.

  As he walked down the center of the food court, illuminating every nook and cranny, Isaac asked, “Is anyone there? Hello? Can you hear me?” No one answered. He coughed to clear his throat, then he sternly said, “Melanie, if that's you, you're going to be in a lot of trouble when your mom finds out about this. Stop messing around and let me take you home.”

  Hidden by the shadows, a female said, “We know what you did. We know everything. The child is safe with us. Isaac Luna, you are the only person in danger. Remember, we know what you did.”

  Terrified by the ominous message and the disembodied voice, Isaac frantically swung the flashlight every which way. The euphonious voice was clear, as if the woman were directly speaking into his ears. The person was nowhere in sight, though. She wasn't standing behind him, whispering over his shoulders.

  Breathing heavily, Isaac asked, “What do you know? What are you talking about? Huh? Answer me. Say something.” The food court remained silent. Isaac shouted, “What the hell do you know?!”

  “Everything,” the woman whispered.

  Isaac's breathing intensified as he searched for the woman. He shook his head as he stumbled away from the food court, slipping on the lingering trash and stumbling over the broken furniture. He shambled towards the walkway, trying his best to escape the madness. To his dismay, he could feel a warm breath on the nape of his neck. He slapped the back of his neck, as if he were swatting a pesky mosquito during a hot summer.

  Yet, the breathing continued.

  Isaac muttered, “Damn it. What's happening to me?”

  He stopped near the foyer of the food court, baffled. To his left, there was a staircase leading to the second floor of the mall. He was certain the woman was hiding upstairs, watching him from a vantage point in order to torment him. To his right, there was another set of stairs. The staircase led downward. Madison Mall did not have a basement, though.

  The guard stopped at the top of the stairs. He held the flashlight up to his shoulder and stood on his tiptoes, trying to examine the forgotten floor. The darkness was impenetrable, though. The beam of dazzling light dissipated with the distance. The staircase seemed to lead into the pits of hell – an abyss of misery and despair.

  He pressed down on the push-to-talk button on his walkie-talkie and said, “David, I found something. I found a... a basement. There's another floor we haven't checked, man. There's more to the mall.” He held the radio away from his mouth as he waited for a response, but his partner remained silent. He whispered, “Shit...”

  The young man hoped his partner would be able to verify the existence of the basement. Doubtful, he tapped the first stair with his foot to confirm it was tangible. The tap echoed like a footstep in a cave, reverberating down the staircase for fifteen seconds.

  Isaac said, “It's real. If I can feel it, then it has to be real. But, wh–why does it matter? What am I supposed to do?”

  He dug his fingers into his unkempt hair and paced back-and-forth at the top of the stairs. He indistinctly muttered as he cycled through the possibilities. One sinister idea branched off into a dozen, multiplying with each pessimistic thought. He felt compelled to explore the mysterious floor. The underworld was calling his name and he wanted to answer.

  But, why?–he thought. He needed a reason – any reason – to plunge into the madness. A call from a mysterious woman wasn't enough. The staircase's mere existence was not enough. As far as he was concerned, every action needed a reason. Madison Mall was willing to fulfill the security guard's requirements, though.

  From the bottom of the stairs, a young girl said, “Daddy, help me. Please, help me. I'm scared...”

  Isaac stopped pacing. He glared into the abyss and said, “Melanie... Melanie, is that you? Are you down there?”

  “Help me, daddy. Don't let Bugaboo take me, don't let him hurt me. I didn't do anything wrong. Please, daddy, save me.”

  “No, no, no. He won't hurt you, sweetie. He can't hurt you. I'll get you out of here. Okay? Come to me. Follow the sound of my voice and I'll get you out of here. Do you understand me? Melanie, can you hear me?”

  The child did not respond. The shopping mall was quiet – dead silent. The trash didn't rustle, the broken glass didn't crackle, and the wind didn't whoosh. Like the mall, the guard was abandoned, left to fend for himself against his worst nightmares.

  Isaac inhaled deeply and nodded, determined to save the child. He took his first step down the stairs, ready to descend into the madness.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The Hallway

  Isaac slowly descended down the stairs, walking with slow, calculated steps. He firmly planted his feet on each stair, trying to avoid a painful tumble. He shined his light down the stairs, but he couldn't illuminate the bottom of the steps. He could brighten the grimy walls, the slanted ceiling, and the cracked steps, but he could not illuminate the bottom of the stairs.

  Isaac whispered, “How is this possible?”

  He glanced over his shoulder, bewildered and frightened. The top of the stairs, his only feasible exit, had vanished during his short trek. He reluctantly continued to descend, hoping to find a new path at the bo
ttom. Even at his slow pace, three minutes of walking seemed highly unusual for a staircase. He had already walked down over one-hundred steps.

  Isaac groaned as he staggered down to his ass and sat on a stair. He needed a minute to catch his breath and collect his thoughts. Sitting on a damp step, he could hear other thudding footsteps. The barrage of steps resembled those of a child skipping on pavement. Every other second, a drop of water also echoed through the staircase – plop.

  The young man didn't see a reason to mutter to himself. His addled brain struggled with hundreds of questions, but he decided to hurtle forward without answers. The mysterious girl asked for his help. As far as he knew, his daughter was in danger and he had to do everything in his power to save her – to redeem himself.

  Isaac sighed, then he staggered to his feet. He trudged down the staircase, using his flashlight to illuminate his path. Three minutes of walking was nothing compared to the following five minutes – long, exhausting minutes. After nearly a thousand steps, the guard finally found himself at the bottom of the stairs.

  Isaac nervously chuckled, then he said, “I did it. Holy shit, I actually did it.” He glanced over his shoulder, gazing up the stairs. He couldn't see through the darkness, even with his flashlight. He said, “I did it, but... where am I?”

  Isaac found himself in a corridor. The cement floor was scraped, cracked and mucky. The walls were scuffed and sooty. To his left and right, there were blue doors at regular intervals. Each door was sealed and secured. A tag near the first door to his left read: Storage 1A. The sign near the door to the right read: Authorized Personnel Only.

  The guard believed he had entered a maintenance area – the janitorial region of the mall. He approached the first door to the left. He turned the knob and sighed. The door was locked. He tried the door on the right and found himself with the same result – locked. The locks were disappointing, but the obstacles didn't stop his determination. He was dedicated to finding the missing child and unraveling the mystery.

  Isaac cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Melanie! Melanie, are you down here?” The corridor remained silent. He swallowed the lump in his throat, then he shouted, “Melanie, talk to me! It's me! It's daddy! Talk to me, sweetie! Please, say something...”

  Isaac was dismayed by the silence. He glanced back at the staircase, then he stared down the dark corridor. He had several options on the table: move forward, wait, or retreat. He strongly considered leaving the creepy building, but the urge to proceed was stronger. Madison Mall had successfully captivated him.

  The security guard reluctantly walked down the corridor. He illuminated each door. He turned each knob, but his efforts were fruitless. The maintenance floor was kept more secure than any other area in the mall. The labels on the doors became illegible as the guard continued to walk down the hall.

  After a minute of walking, Isaac stopped in his tracks. A splashing sound echoed through the corridor. He lifted his foot and illuminated the floor under his boots. There was a red puddle on the floor. Several streams of the red liquid coursed every which way, leading deeper into the hallway.

  Baffled, Isaac whispered, “Blood?”

  His eyes widened as he illuminated the walls and the ceiling. The walls were red, soft, and pulsating. Blood cascaded down the walls and dripped from the ceiling. The grotesque walls resembled the organs of a living person. He felt as if he were walking through a person's body. The sudden change was mystifying.

  Isaac whispered, “What... What kind of sick game is this? Huh? What are you trying to do to me?” He shouted, “Melanie! Pendleton! Answer me, damn it!”

  Soft whispers and angry mutters emerged in the bizarre hallway, surrounding the guard from every direction. The whispers danced through the corridor, creating a symphony of indecipherable voices. The message was lost in translation, blending seamlessly with the madness. The people behind the voices couldn't be identified.

  Isaac planted his palms over his ears as he tried to block the muddled messages and overlapping voices. He grappled with his sanity, struggling to take control of himself. His limbs trembled, his eyelids flickered, and his head swayed. His senses were overwhelmed by the noise. He shook his head and screamed, joining the chaotic racket.

  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

  Isaac, however, opted for the more cowardly option. He lurched down the hallway, running from the voices. He slipped and slid on the puddles of blood. He struggled to keep his balance, but he stayed on his feet. He didn't want to fall. A tumble would result in him rolling over someone's blood – and he didn't want to take that risk.

  The young man didn't want to touch the walls, either. He believed the walls were comprised of human flesh. Perhaps he was running down a crevice in a deranged brain? The idea seemed plausible in his mind. The corridor gave him a different impression, though. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he recognized it.

  To his utter dismay, the sprint was futile. He didn't find a fork in the road or an open door. He didn't even run into a dead-end to block his path and cancel his plans. The corridor was endless. Five minutes of nonstop running yielded horrifying results. Sure, the guard wasn't in the best shape, but he ran at least a quarter of a mile to no avail.

  Wheezing and groaning, Isaac stopped running. He hunched over and placed his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He glanced over his shoulder, then he stared ahead. He was baffled by the bizarre environment.

  Isaac wiped the sweat from his brow, then he shouted, “Melanie! Melanie! I'm here! Please, come out! Stop messing around, you little–” He bit his tongue before he could berate his own daughter. He said, “I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I can't do this anymore. I–I just can't...”

  Isaac fell into the clutches of despair. Misery had afflicted his mind, sorrow had enfeebled his psyche. He couldn't proceed with his original plans. He turned his back on the mysterious child and began his journey back home. The police can find her with some dogs, he thought, there was no way it was Melanie anyway.

  Since the whispers had dwindled, he figured his psychotic episode had ended. In a fit of fear, he ran nearly a quarter of a mile in five minutes. He figured he'd return to the bottom of the steps in fifteen minutes, so he walked as fast as possible. Yet, he felt like he wasn't making any progress. He constantly checked the clock on his phone, hoping the time was wrong.

  One, two, three... fifteen minutes – he walked for fifteen minutes, but the environment did not change.

  He checked his phone again. At heart, he knew his device wasn't malfunctioning. Fifteen minutes had elapsed and the walls remained the same. The walls were still bloody, soft, and throbbing. As a matter of fact, he traveled more than before, but the corridor miraculously extended itself. He staggered down to his knees, defeated.

  Teary-eyed, he whispered, “I'm fucked. I can't escape this place. It won't let me escape. Shit...” Veins bulging from his neck, he shouted, “Melanie! Damn it, get out here! Answer me when I'm talking to you! Answer me!”

  Isaac shook his head and sobbed. He cried like a newborn baby in an infirmary. He couldn't contain his sadness, he couldn't overcome his fears. He was weakened by the surrounding madness. An answer would revitalize him, a response would reignite his passion.

  Of course, Madison Mall was always happy to oblige.

  The girl whispered, “Follow me, daddy. I'll lead you away from the monsters. I'll take you to the other people. Follow me.”

  Isaac glanced at the door to his left, unnerved by the message. The hinges squealed as the door slowly opened. It only opened an inch, but it was enough. The opening was an invitation. The unstable guard was reluctant to accept the offer, cautious of the horrors waiting beyond the door, but his options were limited.

  Isaac said, “I'm coming for you, baby. I'll... I'll get us out of here, okay? I'll take you to your mom and we–we can go to Adventure Planet before your birthday. I'll be a good dad.” He stared down at himself, ashamed. He repeated, “I'll b
e a good dad...”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The First Door – Departed

  Isaac stood in the doorway, shocked by his discovery. He glanced towards his left, then towards his right. The maintenance corridor remained the same. The walls bled and throbbed while blood dripped from the ceiling. Although he did not recognize the floor, he was certain he was still inside of the mall.

  However, the door opened up to another hallway – the hallway of a small house. The hall had baby blue walls and hardwood flooring. There were two doors to the right and two doors to the left. From the doorway, he could see a staircase at the other end of the corridor. Light poured into the staircase from the first floor of the home.

  From every perspective, the idea seemed ludicrous. The home-like hallway was tangible, but it didn't seem possible.

  Madison Mall was not connected to a residential area – in the past or present. The shopping center certainly didn't harbor a set of underground apartments, either. The hallway was a new creation.

  One foot in the home and the other in the mall, Isaac leaned forward and whispered, “Where am I? What's happening? Did they–” He paused as the familiarity dawned onto him – an epiphany. He furrowed his brow and tilted his head, then he said, “This... This is my home. This is my–my old home.”

  Awed by the revelation, Isaac shambled into the home's hallway. The floorboards groaned under his boots, moaning like a man in pain. He gently ran his fingertips across the walls, lost in his memories. He stopped at the first set of doors. He gazed at the stairs down the hall. The urge to scream was powerful, but the fear clinging to the back of his mind wouldn't allow it.

  Isaac whispered, “Melanie, are you in here? Melanie?”