The Darkness in Dominion Mall

Chapter 6

The sounds of heavy panting, wails, and curses filled the air around Layne. Between Reggie’s “f***s” and Renae’s grief filled crying, all of the combined sounds were piercing his ears. Even his own sobs were deafening. Layne wanted the quiet that was in the air earlier to be changed, but now, he wanted to go back to that deafening silence. At least Jonathan was there with them.

“We can’t stay here guys.” Billie said as he tried to pick up Reggie off the ground.

Judging by the way Reggie was holding onto his chest, it looked like he received more than just a bruised rib. A couple of his ribs might have actually been fractured or cracked. If that were the case, Layne knew they would need to hurry and escape.

“We…We need to find him!” Renae cried as she tried to enter the fountain again. “WE GOTTA FIND HIM!” She wailed.

“Stop Renae.” Michael said angrily as he tried to restrain her with his arms. When that wasn’t working, he turned her around and yelled in her face. “HES GONE! OKAY!?.... He’s gone and there’s nothing we can do for him now.” He said through tear-soaked eyes.

Renae broke free and retrieved her flashlight. She walked off into the direction of the food court with Michael not far behind her. It wasn’t surprising to see her walking away. Whenever Renae was upset or angered about something, like Jonathan, she would try and mask it by either using a different emotion or, in her current way, walking away.

Billie helped Reggie up and they retrieved their flashlight and lantern respectively. Reggie was able to walk at a reasonable pace, although he still held a hand of his chest. Billie stayed with him, resting a hand on his back to help guide Reggie. As they walked away, Billie motioned for Layne to follow suit.

“Come on Layne.” Jill whispered with teary eyes as she pulled Layne forward.

They walked on after retrieving both their, and the now extra, flashlight. Although Renae was in front, she wasn’t leading them. She walked with such a fast step that everyone else almost needed to jog to keep up with her.

“Is she okay?” Reggie whispered.

Layne thought it was kind of a stupid question to ask. Of course, she wasn’t okay. He didn’t want to start a fight though. “I don’t think any of us are.”

They climbed up the curved staircase that led up to the food court. Jill looked up at the ceiling for some reason, but Layne was too startled by a new discovery to look up.

The once gutted restaurants’ and empty eating area were now occupied with chairs, tables, walls, and an assortment of dead plants. Three of the restaurants appeared to have been heavily burned by some sort of fire, which neither were present before.

It wasn’t as misty on the second floor as it was on the first, but there was a constant flow of ash falling around them that slightly hindered their vision. The restaurants, chairs, tables, and plants were covered with a thick film of ash that seemed to take years to collect. What was the strangest thing for Layne was that the ash didn’t appear to originate from the burnt areas of the food court. It was as if the ash was being created above them. Yet, the ceiling wasn’t burnt at all as far as he could see.

“What the f**k is going on?” Reggie said to himself.

He tipped over a chair, likely to make sure what he was seeing was real. The chair fell over and ash gently dispersed around the ground and air. The echoes of the chairs clanging ceased after a few seconds or reverberation. It was back to the empty quietness again.

They walked around the sitting area towards one of the restaurants.

“These weren’t here before, right? Or am I goin’ crazy?” Jill asked.

“No. You’re not.” Renae said with a sniffle. “We skipped over this spot earlier because it was empty. Now, I think even the kitchens are full of stuff.”

The slight shine of stainless steel confirmed her statement as Layne shined inside the nearest restaurant. He tried his best to rationalize the situation, but it was impossible for him to come up with any sort of answer.

A stomach growl interrupted his thoughts. Michael held his stomach and made a small grunt of discomfort. Soon, Reggie and Renae did the same as they realized how hungry they were. They had been saving their appetites for his mom’s spaghetti and so they didn’t eat much that afternoon. Now, it was coming back to haunt them.

“You alright?” Reggie asked Renae.

“I’m fine, just hungry.” She said weakly. It sounded like she tried to make a small chuckle to try and lighten the mood or try and cheer herself up. Whatever the case was, it didn’t change anything.

“I could go for something to eat too, I guess.” Layne said as he looked around. “You guys might not like the sound of this, but maybe there’s something we can eat in the restaurants.”

“No way.” Jill said.

“I’m not that hungry yet.” Billie shook his head. “We’ll definitely die from food poisoning or something if we eat from in there.”

Renae just shook her head.

“Well obviously we aren’t gonna eat anything that’s spoiled.” Layne protested. “Seeing all this stuff here’s made me wonder. If all of this could be here, could there also be food?”

“There might be.” Billie said as he thought it over. “To be safe, we should only probably eat things that don’t spoil.”

“Like what?”

“I heard honey never goes bad if it’s sealed right.”

“Yeah.” Jill said. “My dad always said that if you kept it sealed, honey would never spoil. We always keep a jar of it at home and at the store in case we need some.”

Reggie’s stomach let out a growl that seemed to echo. “f**k it, I’ll have some spoiled honey over starvation any day.”

“Let’s search in here.” Layne said as he walked towards the closest restaurant.

The sign above the shop read “Ye Old Town Diner.” Ironic, since there was nothing about it to Layne that reminded him of a “Diner”. Like most of the other restaurants, there was just the kitchen and a small section in the front for staff to take and give their food orders out.

The equipment on the inside appeared cleaner than everything on the outside. There was a small layer of dust, but nothing out of the ordinary for an old, abandoned place.

Layne and the others searched the kitchen from top to bottom. The freezers and fridges, which remarkably still worked, were filled with a handful of packaged foods that wasn’t honey, but the group didn’t want to risk eating it just yet. Reggie and Michael tried to pry open a utensil box with a thin piece of metal to get something out to use as a weapon. Billie moved some heavy equipment around to see if there was anything useful they could use and to see if anything might have fallen underneath them. Jill searched high and low under every table for a sign of anything edible.

Laynes stomach growled as he was moving aside a cart in the dish washing area.

‘f**k. We’re gonna starve here at this rate.’

Jill let out a gasp before pulling something out from underneath a table at the back of the kitchen. “Guys I found some honey!”

“No f*****g way!” Michael said loudly. “How much is in it?”

“Half the bottle.” Jill said as she moved the bottle around to see the honey on the inside. “That’s not too bad because it’s pretty big.”

A metallic break came from behind them followed by Reggie mumbling. He had finally opened up the utensil box but appeared to be disappointed by what was inside. He rummaged through the inside, with metallic pings ringing out, but didn’t find what he was looking for.

“What is it Reggie?” Layne asked.

“There’s no knives or forks in here, just spoons.”

“They’re probably in the other drawers above them. Grab some spoons and bring ‘em over here.”

‘Strange.’ Layne thought to himself. ‘I was sure that piece of metal would break before they would open it. Maybe it’s stronger than it looks?’

Reggie brought enough spoons for everyone. As he held one out, Jill would pour a spoonful of honey onto the spoon and hand it out to someone. Layne finally got his spoon of honey after the others’ received theirs. Judging by the small look on their faces, it tasted delicious.

“Mmm, this tastes amazing.” Michael mumbled.

“Ditto.” Billie said with a full mouth.

Layne put the spoon in his mouth and licked the honey off. The honey tasted very flowery and earthy at the same time. Since the container was airtight, it didn’t taste spoiled or out of date. Still, it was somewhat hard for him to eat since he was never the biggest fan of honey to begin with. Only on very special occasions, like at Christmas time, would he eat some.

“Where’s Renae?” Jill asked as she looked around.

“I think she’s still in the pantry. I don’t think she came out yet.” Billie said with a worried expression.

Layne looked over at the closed door. He knew she was likely crying her eyes out, yet there was no sound at all from what he could hear. Maybe something happened to her? Layne started to walk towards the door when Michaels phone began to ring.

The caller ID read “Dad” and was a facetime call instead of a normal phone call. Michael, already annoyed, answered the call.

Michaels dad appeared on the screen. For a man who was barely in his forty’s, Mr. Adams looked at least ten years older than he actually was. The stress from working on the city council and almost countless divorces had taken their toll on the man’s look. Layne didn’t hate him, but he hoped Michael would never end up like his old man.

“MICHAEL ADAMS, WHERE THE f**k ARE Y’ALL AT!” Mr. Adams yelled over the phone. It looked like he was wearing some sort of gas mask around his neck. “IVE GOT HALF OF THE POLICE FORCE IN HERE LOOKING FOR ALL OF YOU AND THEY HAVNT FOUND ANY OF YOU YET! I SWEAR TO GOD, IF THIS IS SOME SORT OF PRANK, I WONT HOLD BACK WITH THE POLICE OR JUDGE.”

“Jonathan’s dead.” Michael said emotionlessly. Layne could tell by his eyes that he wanted to cry, but his father had a way of taking any emotion out of him.

“…. What?” Mr. Adams said with a bit of surprise.

“Jonathan got attacked and he didn’t make it. I’ll explain everything later. Although, I doubt anyone will believe to us.”

“Look.” He inhaled nervously. “Look, where are you at exactly?”

“Were in the food court dad.”

“N-no you aren’t.” Mr. Adams said in a more concerned tone as he turned around him and looked around. “We’ve already looked around there.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Michael said as he looked outside, his annoyed tone switching to a concerned one as well.

“I mean we’ve already looked over the second floor and are about to go and search the first floor. Hang on, I’m getting another call…. Its Jill’s parents. I’ll tell them what’s happening really quick and call back.” He said as he switched calls before getting an answer from Michael.

It was quiet for a moment between everyone.

“If they’ve already searched the second floor,” Layne said “then we should have seen them already. Right? Or heard them calling our names? Or seen their flashlights?”

No one answered his question, but he didn’t want it answered. Any answer they would have come up with could be easily disputed.

“Michael?” Mr. Adams said as he came back to the phone.

“Yeah dad?”

“Where is everyone?” He said with a weak voice.

“They’re all right here? Well, Renae’s in the pantry right now, but she’s here with us. Why?” Michael said as he pointed the front facing camera at everyone.

Mr. Adams face changed from worried to devastated. His already white skin became a ghostly pale that seemed impossible for someone living to reach. Only Jonathan was able to match his shade before he was killed. Mr. Adams only said one sentence before the signal between them was lost.

“Jesus Christ, no.” He whispered as the connection was lost.

“s**t, Dad. Dad!”

‘What was all of that about?’ Layne thought to himself. “I’m, um, I’ll go check on Renae.”

“Okay man.” Michael said frustrated as he tried to find a signal. “Everyone check your phones for a signal. You too Layne and tell Renae to check hers as well!”

“I will.”

As he took a spoonful of honey with him, Layne noticed that the others seemed just as confused as he was. Jill more than any of them. She looked at him but then turned away as if she decided not to ask what was on her mind.

The room that he entered in seemed to be a storage area for all of the dry herbs, spices, and food that didn’t need to be refrigerated. Metal shelves lined up the walls and a few ran down the middle. Spices, boxes, and other large equipment were lined up from top to bottom. It was hard for him to see anywhere, he even thought for a moment that she might have disappeared.

“Layne?” Renae said weakly.

On the ground in the right corner, sitting with her face buried in her knees was Renae. It was obvious that she had been crying since her eyes were red and her cheeks were still wet from the fallen tears. Her normally wavy and neat blonde hair was now twisted and sticking up from her constant head rubbing. Her slumped posture contrasted her normally straight and stiff self. Layne didn’t need to know why she was upset because he already knew exactly what was wrong with her.

“Renae?” Layne said softly.

She looked helpless and in need of help. He would help his friend, whether she wanted it or not.

“Jill found some honey. I don’t know what the odds were, but boy are we lucky as hell we’ve got her.” Layne smiled but didn’t receive one back, only a saddened look. He straightened his face out. “I brought some for you.”

She didn’t change her expression but extended out her hand. After examining it some, she ate what was on the spoon. She didn’t seem satisfied nor disappointed, just lifeless.

“Mmm.” She said quietly

“Good?”

She nodded her head.

“Good.”

“…Jonathan…” Renae said out of nowhere.

“Jonathan?”

“Nothing…. He just would have liked to eat this.”

“Yeah, and he’d probably give you s**t for how weirdly you’re eating it.”

“How am I eating it weird?” She said with slight curiosity.

“You aren’t, but he’d find a way to roast you either way.”

She smiled slightly “He would. He would…...Did you know that he was going to go with me to Belmont because he didn’t want me to not be alone up there?”

“Uh-uh, he didn’t tell me that.”

“I figured he didn’t. He was too embarrassed to tell me. I found out about it from his mom.” She began to laugh. “She could never keep a secret like that to herself.”

“No, she couldn’t, haha.”

Renae looked somewhat happy remembering old memories, but quickly went back to a depressed look when she was done reminiscing.

“Can you help me look around? I barely looked around or anything before I needed a moment to myself.”

“Of course! Which shelves have you already looked at?”

“These two by the door. Everything else needs to be looked at.”

“Okay, I’ll get this side if you wanna check that side.”

“Okay.”

Layne searched his side as quickly but as efficiently as he could. Judging by Renae’s position relative to his, so was she. Most of the shelves had nothing for them to eat or even use as a weapon. It was almost a waste to search.

“Did Michael’s dad call him back? I could hear yelling outside.” Renae asked as she moved some spices around on a shelf.

“Yeah. Yeah he did.” He said disappointed.

“What’s wrong? You sound upset.”

“It’s, um, I don’t really know how to make sense of it. Mr. Adams said that he was in the food court, but we didn’t see him or anyone outside. He got a call from Jill’s parents and hung up for a little bit. When he came back, he asked if everyone was here.”

“Then what happened?”

“I don’t know. He seemed shocked when Michael showed him around to all of us. I couldn’t ask him anythin’ because we lost connection, I guess. If we’re gonna get out of this place, we won’t get any help from anyone.” The last sentence hit Layne harder than he expected. “Oh yeah, check your phone really quick and see if you have a signal.”

“My phone died a few minutes ago.”

“Oh. Great.” Layne said as he took his phone out. “I don’t have a signal and I’m at thirty three percent.”

“Try not to use it so much, we might need to use its flashlight if we get stuck in here too long.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Oh my God.” Renae gasped out of nowhere and seemed to also start gagging. Layne circled around the racks quickly to see what made her shriek so suddenly. He was sure about one thing when he found out why, it would have been enough to make him want to shriek as well.

One of the last racks was filled from top to bottom with the heads of various canines’. Dogs, coyotes, wolves, and even foxes were neatly stacked on top of each other. They were all in various states of decay as some looked freshly killed just moments before, while others had sunken in skin and appeared moldy because of the decaying process. Their tongues hung out of the mouths stiffly and looked more decomposed than anything else on the rack, even the ones from the fresh heads. There were no flies or maggots, surprisingly, yet that didn’t mean there wasn’t a repulsive stench present. The stench smelled like a combination of wet fur, moldy trash, and rotten meat. The smell was stuck to Layne’s nostrils like a fly on a glue trap.

“What the f**k is all of this for?” Renae said with a large gag.

“I don’t know.” Layne coughed heavily.

As he observed the sight in front of him, one of the heads caught his eye. Unlike the others, this one didn’t have an inch of skin or a single hair, only being a snow-white wolf skull. Its eye sockets and the area around them appeared to be darkened and scratched at with long nails. On its forehead, scratched into the base of the skull and heavily darkened in, was the same pentagon-like symbol that was on Jerrys forehead and the hand of the tentacle creature.

Renae seemed to notice the same skull as she spoke. “This one’s…different.”

“That’s what I was just thinking.”

“I don’t like this at all, let’s get to those offices qui…” She said before being cut off by the same unknown voice again.

“RETRIEEEEVE.” The voice hissed. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The voice caused a commotion from the rest of the group outside, but Layne wasn’t as worried about them as he was Renae.

As he turned his gaze back towards the skull after looking around, he could feel his stomach drop when his eyes met the skulls. The once blackened eye sockets now had an unnaturally glowing pair of red eyes, similar to the tentacles. Its Iris’ were a light crimson, and its pupils were a very dark shade of red, yet they seemed to glow as bright as Laynes Lantern. Its eyes moved away from his gaze and didn’t seem to have them fixed him anymore. They appeared to be eyeing down Renae as she was unaware of just what was in front of her.

When the creature appeared to be ready to lunge at her, Layne lunged at her first. He caught her and pulled her out of the way just milliseconds before the creature’s sharp nails would have cut into her.

The monster crashed into the middle rack, knocking over its contents, and went sailing into the opposite wall. It struggled to free itself from the broken wires and bent shelves. It was too hard to make out its size or what it really looked like; but Layne didn’t care about that. Only one thing was on his mind as the monster struggled to free itself from the entanglement.

Running.