THE HAUNTED MALL

THE GIRL IN WHITE

Darkness swallowed the mall as the lights flickered and went out completely. For a moment, the group stood frozen in pitch black, the silence now replaced by a low hum—like a heartbeat pulsing through the walls.

Arjun tried calling for help, but his phone showed “No Signal”. Leena’s flashlight sparked once and then died. One by one, their phones and gadgets went completely dead.

“We need to find the exit. Now,” Rohit muttered, trying to stay calm.

They turned back toward the main entrance—but the doors were sealed shut. Where there had once been shattered glass and broken frames, there was now smooth, unbroken metal. It was as if the mall had come alive… and locked them in.

Then, from the far end of the hallway, Maya saw her.

A little girl. Dressed in white. Standing perfectly still beneath a flickering light. Her long black hair fell over her face, and her bare feet made no sound as she slowly turned her head toward them.

“D-did you see that?” Maya whispered, pointing.

The girl tilted her head slightly… and smiled.

In the blink of an eye, she vanished.

Suddenly, the air turned icy. A sound like faint giggling echoed from the upper floor, followed by a loud crash as a mannequin fell from a balcony above—landing just inches from them, its head twisted unnaturally.

Panic set in.

They ran, weaving through dusty aisles and broken shelves, but the mall seemed to stretch endlessly, shifting paths and hiding exits. Every hallway led to another… darker one. The food court they had left earlier now had old, rotting trays of food on the tables—food that hadn’t been there before.

Then, from behind an abandoned candy stall, they heard soft humming.

It was the girl again. This time, closer.

“Why are you here?” she whispered from the shadows. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

The friends turned, but she was gone again—leaving only her voice echoing through the walls.

And then the final horror of the night: Leena looked down at her arm and saw a child’s handprint burned into her skin.

“We’re not alone,” she said, voice trembling.

They were trapped. With her.

To be continued…