𝙎𝘾𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙈: 𝙇𝙊𝙐𝘿𝙀𝙍

Chapter 1 - Closed for the Night.

We see a large shopping mall, it's getting pretty late and theres close to no more customers left. In one clothing store, theres only one girl at the checkout counter. The employee puts her item into a bag, then hands it over to her. "Thank you for shopping with us on this lovely evening, have a good one." We see the employee is Kara Mitchell, the girl takes the bag and gives Kara a soft smile. "You too." She walks out of the store, Kara lets out a soft groan. "Goddamn, I am so tired." She looks over to her coworker, Kiara. She's too distracted by her phone, "Kiara." Kiara snaps out of it, she looks over at Kara. "Sorry, what'd you say?" Kara chuckles, "Just that I'm so tired...I'm ready to go home." Kiara replies, "You're telling me, I could actually probably pass out right now." An announcement comes over the mall speakers, "Attention shoppers, the mall is closing in about five minutes. Please gather everything and everyone you have, and go through the exits available." Kara sighs, "Lucky them, but of course. We have to close the mall tonight." Kiara scoffs, "Are you serious? That's TONIGHT?" Kara nods. Kiara rolls her eyes, "I thought that was like...tomorrow, or something." Kara shakes her head, "Unfortunately not, I wish though."
Kiara lets out a small laugh, Kara looks over at her, "What's funny?" Kiara responds, "How spooky, closing the mall...all alone.." Kara smacks her arm, "Do not scare me tonight." Kiara raises her hands in an "I'm innocent" type pose, "I won't, don't worry!" Kara chuckles, "Tonight is definitely not the night to do it." Kiara asks, "Why?" Kara hesitates, "Ah, it's nothing. It's stupid." Kiara insists, "Oh, well now you have to tell me. You can't just bait me like that." Kara chuckles, "Well..it's like the two year anniversary of my brother leaving home, ditching me. So I've just been in a weird mood all day, felt kinda off." Kiara is silent for a moment, "...Shit, Kara..I-I didn't mean to bring up a sensitive subject or anything." Kara shakes her head, "Don't apologize, it's fine." Kiara asks, "If you don't mind me asking though, why did he leave?" Kara shrugs, "Him and my parents never really got along, especially as he got older. They fought all the time, it's like all I heard. So as soon as he turned eighteen, he left. Completely left me behind, so it just kinda makes me upset thinking about it." Kiara shakes her head, "God, what a dick move.." Kara chuckles, "Hopefully he feels the same way, I just could've used having him around. Y'know?" Kiara nods, "I get that, Kara. I do."
Kara sighs, theres a long silence. Kiara rubs her back, "Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up..let's talk about something more positive, what about...hey, how's it going with your boyfriend still?" Kara replies, "Still great, he's so sweet." Kiara asks with a chuckle, "He still got those nerdy glasses?" Kara rolls her eyes with a laugh, "They aren't nerdy, I think they're really cute." Kiara chuckles, "Your view of cute is WAY different than mine." Kara scoffs softly, "Oh, I'm sorry..is your view of cute like complete fuck boys?"
Kiara thinks, "Hmm, probably." Both girls see the mall lights begin to slowly turn off outside the store, signaling it's time for them to start closing up the store. Kara asks, "Hey, I'm gonna go hang some stuff up. Would you count the cash in the register?" Kiara nods, "You got it." Kara replies, "Thanks." Kara walks away from behind the counter, then up to a small rack.
She grabs some pieces of clothing, and begins to hang them up.

Kiara opens the register, she begins to count the cash. They had gotten surprisingly a lot today, especially since it was only a thursday. As Kiara is almost done counting...Ring, Ring! The store phone begins to ring, it makes her jump a bit from how loud it is compared to the silence there just was. Kara calls out, "You gonna get that?" Kiara calls back, "Yeah." Kiara picks up the phone and puts it to her ear, "Hello, this is Thread Works. We just closed, I'm afraid." A deep, unsettling voice responds. "Really? You just closed?" Kiara replies, "Yes, I'm sorry. But you can definitely call again tomorrow, and we can help you with anything you need." The voice replies, "But I need to get in there tonight." Kiara responds, "Okay? Theres also starving children, but we don't always get what we want. Do we?" Kiara hangs up the phone, she lets out a soft groan. Kara walks back to the counter, her mouth dropped open slightly. "Tell me you did not just talk to a customer like that." Kiara shrugs, "He sounded old and weird, I didn't wanna talk to him anymore." Karas mouth drops open more, "Oh my God, Kiara. You could get like..fired." Kiara brushes it off, "The managers not here, I doubt that guy will call back anyways." Just as Kiara says that, the phone begins to ring again. Kiara reaches for the phone immediately, but Kara swats her hand away. "You do not need to be answering this anymore, that's for sure." Kiara rolls her eyes with a small chuckle. Kara picks up the phone, she puts it up to her ear. "Thread works, how may I help you?" The voice responds, "You can help by putting the bitch that I just spoke to back on the fucking phone." Karas caught off guard by the voices demeanor, "Sir, calm down." The voice chuckles, "I'm sorry..just not having the greatest night." Kara responds, "That makes two of us.." The voice replies, "But..PLEASE let me speak to the girl I spoke to before." Kara puts the phone down then looks back at Kiara, she whispers, "He wants to talk to you." Kiara whispers back, "I don't wanna talk to him!" Kara gives a look, "Just do it!" Kiara rolls her eyes and holds her hand out, Kara hands her the phone. Kiara puts the phone back up to her ear and puts on her nicest voice, "Yes?..I'm sorry for being a bit rude earlier, sir. My apologies." The voice sighs, "Don't worry about it, everyone does get what's coming to them eventually." Kiara gives Kara a weirded out face, Kara gives her a confused look. Kiara asks, her voice shaky, "Uuh..did you need anything, sir?" The voice responds, "Yeah, actually." A silence goes on, "I need to see your fucking insides on the outside." Kiaras heart sinks, she immediately slams the phone back down. Kara looks confused, "Wha- What happened now?" Kiara responds, "He just like, threatened to kill me-!" Karas eyes widen, "What?" Kiara shakes her head, "Okay, I want to go home. Now." Kara nods, "Yeah, yeah...we can, I got the keys." Kiara takes her name tag off, she throws it aside. Kara takes hers off, then places it on the counter. Both girls walk out of the store, they both reach up and pull down the steel rolling gate. They close it, Kara kneels down and locks it. She stands back up, "Okay, let's get out of here." Kiara nods in agreement, both girls begin to make their way to an exit door. Kara pushes on it, it won't budge. "What the fuck.." Kiara asks, "What?" Kara replies, "It's stuck, it won't open." Kiara pushes on the door, it won't open still. Both girls look down at the handle, Kiara then looks up. In the reflection of the glass, she sees a person in a ghost mask and black robe standing behind her and Kara. She gasps and quickly turns around, as she does they swing a large hunting knife at her. She screams and ducks out of the way just in time, the scream alerts Kara as well. Both girls begin to run, the masked person chases them both closely behind. They scream loudly, "SOMEONE HELP US!" They run as fast as they can, they quickly turn a sharp corner. Kara points over to a small book store, "In there!" They both rush into the book store, they run behind an aisle, and both hold their breaths to stay absolutely silent. They hear some soft footsteps walking around the store, the sound of some friction, and someone's heavy breathing. Their hearts are POUNDING out of their chests, they are horrified. After a while, they finally hear the footsteps get more distant, then they don't hear them at all anymore. Kiara whispers, "Do you think he's gone..?" Kara nods, "Yeah...yeah, I think so." Kiara peeks out from behind the aisle, she doesn't see anybody else in the store. She looks back at Kara, she gives her a small nods signaling her to follow her. Kiara slowly walks out from the aisle, Kara following closely behind her. They take small steps, being as quiet as they possibly can. Kiara begins to walk out of the store...when the masked figure jumps out from behind the corner, and grabs her by the hair. She screams loudly, "NOO!" Kara cries out, "KIARA!" The killer brings their knife up, and shoves it straight into the side of Kiaras neck. Kiara tries to scream, but only a loud gargle comes out as blood splatters out of her mouth. Blood streams down her neck, the killer slowly drags the knife roughly through the rest of Kiaras neck, almost completely decapitating her. Kara stumbles back in shock, tears well up in her eyes. The killer tosses Kiaras body aside, they glance down at her..then finally back up at Kara. Kara's not taking any chances, she immediately turns back and begins to run again. She screams out, "ANYBODY!" The killer runs up behind her, they swing their knife at her. Slashing the back of her arm slightly, she screams out in pain. But it doesn't slow her down at all, she continues to run. Kara sees the same glass exit door from earlier, she knows it won't push open. She rushes through the food court, but grabs one of the metal chairs from one of the dining tables while running. She turns quickly, and throws it roughly at the killer. It sends them falling backwards onto the floor. She grabs another chair, and runs straight over to the door. With no hesitation, Kara throws the chair through the door, completely shattering the glass. Kara begins to carefully crawl through, trying not to get badly cut by the glass. But then she feels a hand grab her by the leg, she screams in terror. "GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" She feels a deep slash on her leg, she cries out loudly. She uses her other free leg, she brings it back, then kicks the killer as hard as she can. They grunt in pain and fall over to the side, letting go of her leg. Kara rips herself up, and completely forgets it. She pulls herself through the glass, getting a bad cut on her thigh. But she continues to run, she's outside now. She's screaming loudly, she gets far enough..then looks back at the mall, all she sees is the shattered door. Now, there's no longer anybody standing there, nobody chasing her, nothing. She did get away from them, but not without losing a good friend.

𝙎𝘾𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙈: 𝙇𝙊𝙐𝘿𝙀𝙍