Taken By Fear

Chapter 1

"So, what do you guys wanna do? Ooh, maybe we could go rock climbing!" Maria squealed. She raised her arms covered in shopping bags as if they were coat hangers.

"Um...no. I'm not very fond of heights." Lauren replied. Maria frowned, looking from me to Lauren before smiling again.

"Okay, you guys decide." She said. We pretty much went to every clothing store in this mall. My feet are also sore from all the walking for the past five hours, so I told them I would go home.

"Yeah, me too. These bags are getting kind of heavy." Lauren said, lifting her bags up. Maria agreed to go home too, since she said it wouldn't be fun to be all by herself, so we made our way to the front doors.

On the way there, I've noticed the mall getting deserted by each step. It was only mid-afternoon, why would these people go home?

As the mall lessened, the lights dimmed, and I looked around warily. Maria and Lauren kept a neutral expression, but I could tell they were getting slightly creeped out. I could feel ourselves inching closer to one another as the place dimmed more.

"Why are they turning the lights off? The mall doesn't close for another seven hours." Maria said in a hushed whisper. The clothing stores were still open and dimmed, but no other person was in sight. I started quickening my pace to the entrance. My heart sped, and I had a strong urge to look back. Five more steps. Three.

"No!" Lauren yelled softly. The automatic slide doors wouldn't open.

"Are we locked in?" Maria asked. She cautiously looked around, as if someone were to jump her at any time.

"Yeah. Maybe someone here has the keys to get this working again." I told them, pointing to the key hole on the wall above the doors.

"But no one's here right now." Maria said. Her voice sounded so small and scared, and it made me want to hug her. Similar to my thoughts, Lauren went up to her, and wrapped her arms around Maria.

"We don't know that. This place is huge, someone might be here." Lauren said. She gestured for us to follow, as she came to the opposite direction of the entrance.

"I have a bad feeling about this." I whispered. I didn't know why I'm talking so quietly, but something told me that it's best. The place feels...different now.

"I wish I have a phone." I sighed, looking at my pink iPod. Maria jumped beside me, causing Lauren and I to look at her in panic.

"I have a phone." She took her phone out, and pressed a few things before putting her phone against her ear. While she waited for an answer, I took the time to scan my surroundings. Stores lined up on either sides, and a wide hall leading to another part of the mall seemed endless with the limited amount of lights. I sat down on one of the couches placed on the center of the way, and Lauren followed.

"Huh, who knew we would be in this situation." I almost laughed at my words. We were trapped in a dark mall, possibly alone, and spooked out. I leaned against the couch, and looked behind me. I've always been a paranoid person. I enjoy reading and watching scary movies, but afterwards, my mind wander to the possibilities that it might happen to me even though it seems unlikely.

Maria came back a few minutes later. Eyes wide, and her tanned skin paled. We rushed to her side and started bombarding her with questions. She was shivering, and she looked like she's seen a ghost.

"I," her breaths came uneven as she tried calming herself. "I saw something." She whispered. Her eyes closed, but opened once again. "I was just waiting for my mom to answer, but my phone suddenly shut down. When I was heading back to you guys, one of the store's lights kept flickering and a few noises were inside. It sounded like... silent screams or yelps." Her jaw shook, and we led her to sit in between us.