Terror at the Mall
987 Words
“Alright!”Though Liu Yuning didn’t fully understand the situation, she trusted Ye Sha completely. Her physical fitness allowed her to keep up with his hurried pace without issue.
“D*mn!”Ye Sha’s heart sank as he looked ahead. The mall’s main entrance appeared to be malfunctioning, blocking the way out. A few staff members were working frantically to repair it.
Everything in the mall seemed eerily normal—shoppers who couldn’t leave simply returned to browsing, chatting and laughing as though nothing were wrong. Sales clerks enthusiastically greeted passersby, promoting their products.
But true horror often hides behind calm façades.
A deep unease churned within Ye Sha. It was that same gut feeling of imminent danger he’d experienced in the gym yesterday during the eerie broadcast—and now it was back.
“From this moment on, Boss, do not leave my side. Not even for a second!” Ye Sha spoke quickly, his tone firm.
Liu Yuning nodded earnestly. She wasn’t one to mess around in critical moments and had a good idea of what might be coming. After all, they’d narrowly escaped a paranormal broadcast just yesterday.
“Let’s try the other exits!”Ye Sha led Liu Yuning toward the mall’s rear exit. They conserved their energy, knowing they might face unexpected danger later.
As they approached, their fears were confirmed: the rear exit was also blocked. A heavy metal shutter was tightly locked.
Without hesitation, Ye Sha kicked the area near the lock with full force, producing a loud bang.
The metal shutter remained unscathed.
Shoppers around them jumped in surprise, glaring at Ye Sha with disapproval and muttering curses under their breath.
“Don’t worry about them, Ye Sha. Let’s think of another plan,” Liu Yuning said, trying to comfort him, worried he might snap under the pressure.
“I’m fine, Boss. I don’t care what they think,” Ye Sha replied, taking her hand naturally as they walked back toward the main entrance, this time at a slower pace. He needed time to think.
“YE SHA!!!!!!!!!!!”“WHY WON’T YOU COME TO THE BROADCAST ROOM?!!!!!!!”
The mall’s speakers erupted with a shrieking, guttural scream, freezing everyone in their tracks. Shoppers crouched down in terror, covering their ears as panic spread across their faces.
A few braver souls attempted to run, only to find the malfunctioning main entrance blocking their way.
“LET US OUT! LET US OUT!!!”Several burly men shouted at the staff members near the door, who were drenched in sweat and visibly anxious. “We can’t fix it! We don’t know why it’s broken!” one of them stammered.
“You’ve got some nerve calling me out! You’re just a fake trainer!” Ye Sha shot back, recognizing the same eerie broadcast voice from yesterday. Anger flared within him as he confronted it.
“AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!”The broadcast’s screeching became even sharper, almost unbearable. The entity was clearly enraged.
Liu Yuning crouched beside Ye Sha, covering her ears tightly. Her head felt dizzy, and her vision began to blur under the auditory assault.
“IF YOU DON’T COME, I’LL TAKE WHAT YOU HOLD MOST DEAR!”
The voice suddenly erupted into a sinister laugh, echoing through the speakers. As the horrifying sound filled the air, the mall’s lights flickered and went out, plunging the space into pitch-black darkness.
“Boss? Boss!” Ye Sha shouted, reaching out for Liu Yuning, only to grasp empty air.
She had been right beside him just moments ago—how could she have disappeared so suddenly? The entity’s terrifying abilities made it clear: it could take someone right out from under his nose.
Taking deep breaths, Ye Sha forced himself to stay calm. If he wanted to save Liu Yuning, panicking wouldn’t help. He needed to think clearly.
“Why’s the power out?”“Turn the lights back on!”“Someone, fix the lights!”
The darkness amplified the chaos among the mall’s patrons, their cries echoing through the halls.
Ye Sha raised his head and shouted, “If you don’t turn the lights on, how am I supposed to come? I can’t see where I’m going!”
“Oh.”The eerie voice replied, almost nonchalantly. Moments later, the mall’s lights flickered back on, bathing the space in a harsh, sterile glow.
Ye Sha squinted against the sudden brightness but didn’t waste a second. He dashed toward the stairs, heading up to the third floor.
“TOO NOISY!”
The broadcast’s wrath now turned on the other shoppers, who were still screaming and panicking.
One man, attempting to hide in a clothing store’s fitting room, felt a sudden sharp pain in his chest. A wave of cold spread through his body. Looking down with his final ounce of strength, he saw a plastic hand piercing through his chest, blood gushing out like a fountain. He collapsed instantly, dead.
The hand belonged to a mannequin—a*****e display brought to life by the entity’s power.
Throughout the mall, mannequins stepped off their platforms, shattering glass displays as they lunged toward the living. Their plastic heads split open to reveal shark-like mouths filled with jagged teeth, chomping viciously.
The m******e had begun.
A heavyset man tripped in his panicked flight, falling to the ground. In an instant, several child-sized plastic creatures swarmed him, their gaping maws biting into his flesh as they feasted ravenously.
An elderly man with white hair, knocked over in the chaos, lost his cane. Unable to move, he was soon cornered by a tall, grotesque mannequin, which plunged its hand into his chest and pulled out his heart to savor.
Horrified screams echoed around Ye Sha as blood splattered across the mall. His breathing quickened.
But he couldn’t save everyone. He wasn’t a superhero. His priority was clear: saving Liu Yuning. Everything else would have to wait.
- Writer
