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They Live in the Mall (chapter 1)
By SeanArcher
Belle Promenade mall played a big role in my childhood. One of my earliest memories of my life is sitting in a baby stroller being pushed around the mall while my mom did her shopping. Then when I turned nine or ten, I spent the summers hanging around the mall's cinema with my friends, sneaking into movie after movie when one ended. It was there that I first saw Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and Titanic (my three favorite movies). I remember having my picture taken with Santa at Christmas time, riding the carousel, eating in the food court, and getting in trouble from stealing batteries from Radio Shack. I have a lot of fond memories of that mall. It's a shame that they started losing business and had to close down in the year 2001. Now the mall just sits there, empty and abandoned, waiting for someone to do something with it. It would also now play another big role in my life, it would be my first "home" as an adult.
When the city bus got near the mall I got off. And as the bus pulled away, I looked over at the mall, enormous and grand but yet dark and mysterious, silhouetted against the night sky. It seemed to have a life of its own. The mall was surrounded by a huge parking lot and then a thick stretch of trees that circled the edge of the parking lot all around. It was secluded and hard for people passing by on the highway to even see (perhaps that's one reason it went under, no one could see it). I looked around to make sure there was no one around to see me enter the mall... I was, after all, breaking into someone's property. Aside from the few cars passing on the highway at two in the morning, I didn't see anyone. So I ran through the trees and across the parking lot towards the mall. I headed for the entrance by the old movie theater because it was closest. When I got there I saw that, luckily, there was nothing whatsoever blocking the entrances. The glass doors themselves though were broken in, most likely by vandals.
I looked through the doors and saw nothing but darkness. Luckily though, I knew my way around and wasn't afraid of the dark. I took a few steps forward, the shattered glass breaking under my feet and echoing through the mall. I strained to see anything, barely able to make out the ticket booth and big clock that hung above the concession stand, now eternally stopped on 6:30. That was the first time I had been in there since it closed down. It was weird, seeing no one around and everything. It was just weird.
I walked further into the darkness, the light getting dimmer and dimmer the further I strayed from the entrance. It was past two o'clock in the morning and I was really tired, so I decided to go ahead and sleep there for the night. The most comfortable place to sleep would most likely be in one of the dozen theatres in a nice padded chair. I recalled the layout of the place in my mind. To my left was the closest set of theaters, I just had to walk about thirty feet then up a few stairs and into a theater. On my way across the opening I stumbled on something, which I had no idea was, and felt my way across the wall then up the steps. Then I opened the metal door and walked into the absolutely pitch black and dead silent theater. I let the door close shut behind me and stood there in the darkness. "Hello?" I muttered. Nothing but dead silence. I walked a few steps down the aisle, bending down with my arms stretched out, until I found the nearest seat, and sat down.
There was a bit of dust in the air and a lot of mosquitos buzzing around, but this wasn't the first time I had to deal with mosquitos while trying to sleep. It was also kind of hot and stuffy but that wasn't a big deal. Growing up in a small southern town, I had gotten used to sleeping outdoors and sometimes on friends' roofs, so this was like luxury. I wasn't afraid of the dark at all. I wasn't thinking someone was going to find me there and kill me in the night, I was just laid back taking it all in.
I sat there in the darkness, trying to fall asleep, waiting for the sun to come up. I had an overwhelming feeling of, 'How the hell did I end up here? Just hours ago I was chatting on Dan's JP3 Page message board, now I'm homeless and all alone in the middle of an abandoned shopping mall with no one around for half a mile.' It was all very surreal. Strangely, I wasn't pissed at my dad anymore. I felt like I had been granted a bit of luck and was in a better place. I couldn't wait to get out of that house, it just came sooner than I expected. But whatever... I could stay here as long as I wanted. At least I'd be at college in two months time no matter what anyway. I couldn't wait for the sun to come up so I could explore the mall and check out my new home. It didn't take me long to fall asleep.
Did you ever wake up some place weird thinking you were in your bed, then realize you're someplace different and have to recall all over again how you got there? Well that's what happened to me. I woke sometime the next day and thought about what I was going to do for the day. For one thing I had to go get my bags from the Greyhound bus station locker before my time expired, I also wanted to buy a tent and an air matress and a flashlight and a lot of stuff like that and set up camp somewhere in the mall. And I wanted to explore the mall. I had a big day ahead of me, but right then I just needed to piss.
I walked out of the dark room and saw a very different lobby than what I remembered from the night before. The sun was shining brightly through the doorway to my right enough for me to see without having to feel my way around. I saw a big advertisement banner on the floor (probably what I tripped on the night before) and walked out into the bright sunlight, my eyes aching as they adjusted to the brightness.
It was a beautiful hot summer day. I scanned the large parking lot for any signs of people, but saw nothing. Two million parking spots and not one car. In fact, I was so isolated I didn't feel shy about relieving myself into a rainwater runoff drain. I took a last look at my front yard and walked back into my castle.
The first thing I wanted to do was buy some stuff from the Super Wal-Mart which was right next to the mall, easily within walking distance. I checked my wallet and counted more than enough money. So I fixed my hair a bit and headed out across the sizzling parking lot. Heat ripples were coming up off the blinding white pavement, distorting the trees ahead. I tried to estimate the time by looking at the height of the sun in the sky. Mid-day maybe? I wished I had a watch. I came up to the treeline and walked across a grassy field on the side of the Wal-Mart. I remember thinking how odd it was seeing the Wal-Mart parking lot so filled that people were having trouble finding a place to park, and 100 feet behind me it was the exact opposite. Ironic.
I walked into the store amongst the other shoppers, probably a little dirty and in need of a shower. The cool air was a nice refreshment. I walked through the store and bought some supplies, including a camping tent, a double-layered air mattress, two blankets, some flashlights and batteries, a watch, and a pellet handgun with lots of pellets and CO2 cartridges (for "protection"). I then left and headed across the field lugging 100 pounds of shit over my shoulder. Every time during the day that I either went into or left the mall, I had to walk along a ditch around to the back of the mall where the theater entrance was, to avoid being seen. Once I got in the mall, I could move around freely.
I thought for a long time about where to set up my home base. It had to be someplace not visible from people who might come walking through the mall but I didn't want it to be someplace where it would be pitch black at nighttime. Not really finding anyplace in the movie theater area, I decided to do some exploring in the rest of the mall. I layed everything down by the payphones (the same payphones I used countless times to call my parents when the movie was over) and set out into the heart of the mall with the 9mm-shaped pellet gun in one hand and a walking stick (an iron rod I found) in the other.
The movie theater was connected to the rest of the mall by a somewhat long walkway which led into the food court. Above the food court area and along most of the walkways were several glass pyramid sky-windows which was normally used as the main source of light during the day when the mall was open. This was cool because I could see most places fine even though the electricity was off. I walked into the foodcourt (which was pretty much the center of the mall) and went up the powerless escalator which led to the second floor and a balcony overlooking the foodcourt. I took a moment to reflect on what it was all like before. There was always huge masses of people moving around, some of them young, some old, some gangbangers, some employees with walkee-talkies. People with their own little businesses would be trying to sell stuff in the middle of the walkways, neon lights flashing advertisements, children crying, teenagers playing in the arcade, people drinking in bars. Now it was all just a huge ghost town with closed shops and no life at all. It was all very "DAWN OF THE DEAD".
I walked down the long corridor overlooking the first floor, passing once-busy shops like Radio-Shack, K-B toys, Walden Books, Victoria's Secret, Spencer Gifts, Ben's Sporting Goods, etc. All the gates were down and there was nothing inside but shelves and dust and stuff. I ended up way down at the end at JC Penny's, which was dark except within a few feet of the entrance. I decided to just head back to the other end of the mall. After a little more exploring in other parts of the mall and not finding anything, I went back to the theater area.
I walked through one of the back theaters carrying a lantern-type flashlight (which was really bright and put out light in all directions) and looked behind the movie screen and curtains. There was about ten feet of space behind it between the screen and the wall. It was a great place, out of sight and right near an emergency exit door. There was just enough room for the tent so I set everything up there behind the screen and chilled in my new pad for a while. It was about 4 o'clock. I had chucks of cement holding both emergency exit doors open, letting quite a bit of sunlight come in.
Before night came I went back to the Greyhound station and got my bags and some McDonalds. I also bought another 9mm-shaped pellet gun from the Wal-Mart (just so I could feel cool walking around with two handguns in my hands) and did a little target practicing, shooting at bottles and things. The sun started to set so I prepared for the night. Around nine o'clock I was laying on my bed with the lantern on. There was a gentle breeze coming though the emergency exit doors, blowing slight ripples in the tent. Outside I could hear the chirping of night insects. I flipped through my extensive DVD collection and put the Titanic DVD in the DVD-ROM of my laptop, but three hours into it the battery died. I sat there for a while in the darkness. Before going to bed I needed to take a piss.
I got the lantern and walked out to the theater's main restroom, which I hadn't been in for years. I opened the door and walked in, laying the lantern on the sink counter. I immediately felt there was something different about the room. I know this is a cliche in horror movies but it felt cold. For the first time since I arrived in the mall I felt like I wasn't alone. I said "Hello?" and didn't hear anything. I slowly walked over to the urinal and started relieving myself. I could sort of hear something moving behind me, but it was like hearing interference, like somebody walking between you and a speaker. It was really creepy. At the time I didn't really believe in ghosts and didn't want to think of the possibility of it being a ghost or something, but I now believe without a doubt that there was a spirit in there with me.
When I finished I moved quickly back to the theater and zipped myself in the tent. I was a little frightened but quickly put it out of my mind (it wasn't until I started writing this that I remembered that). Not long after, I fell asleep.
Morning came. I woke up the next day and bought a mountain bike to ride around the inside of the mall and around town. I spent the most of the day fixing up my tent area by carrying back useful stuff I found in the mall, like shelves for my food and stuff, clothes racks from JC Penney's for my clothes, rolling chairs I used to role down the theater aisle, etc. I also tried to find a way to get onto the roof of the mall by going through doors marked "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY", but they were all securly locked. I eventually found a door that had been knocked in (probably by other people) and found a way onto the wide open roof two stories above ground. I had a nice view of the city, the cars passing by on the highway, and the surrounding swamplands. To get to the roof I had to walk through the pitch black JC Penney's about 100 feet then up a powerless escalator, then another 50 feet and down an "employees-only" corridor that led to a big storage room with nothing in it but clothes racks and moving carts and stuff. Against a wall there was a stairway that led to the roof. It's surprising I ever found it, especially in the dark with only a flashlight. That night I carried a rolly chair up onto the roof and watched the sun set.
Everything felt good. I claimed the mall as my own, feeling I had won some great prize. I had the whole place to myself and all the time I wanted to just take it easy and relax. No work, no school, no family. Nothing but time. That was the good life. A few hours passed and I decided to call it a night. I climbed back down into the dark mall. I kicked up the kickstand on my awaiting bike, which I had rigged a flashlight to, and rode back as fast as I could across the smooth tiled walkway, making little motorcycle noises as I sped through the mall like a bat out of hell. Five minutes later, I was in my tent ready for bed. I layed there for a while.
KLINKLKLKL
'What was that?' I thought I heard something. I listened for a while longer and started hearing things that sounded like chunks of debris moving around and people walking. I sat up in the tent and didn't make a sound, trying to hear anything. For the next few minutes I kept hearing it. For a while it sounded like it was out in the lobby but then it sounded closer and closer, at times like it could be out in the hallway or even in the theater. I knew I wasn't imagining it and I knew it couldn't have been someone else in the mall (it was 1 o'clock in the morning, after all). I would also hear beatings like someone hitting the concrete wall with their fist and sounds like someone snapping their fingers.
I just sat their for a while, not moving, a bit shaken and trying to think what it could be. I felt really thankful I had set up my tent where I did because if I had set it up in the lobby, well I would be right in the middle of whatever was going on. If it was a person(s) they would have discovered me and probably called the police or maybe done something to me. The same noise continued for the next ten minutes or so and then faded and stopped. I stayed awake for the next two hours trying to listen for anything else, waiting for it to come back. Many things went through my mind. Mostly I was afraid. Whether is was a person or something else, I wasn't alone. I wanted the sun to hurry and come up. Before it did though, I fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning around noon, a little surprised I had slept so long. For a while I was afraid to leave the tent, trying to think of what them noises last night were and if there might be people in the lobby right now, but soon I decided to stop being a pussy and got out. When I did, I looked at my rack with all my food and supplies on it and froze. Most of my stuff was gone. My five-gallon water bottle, most of my food, my flashlights, and bike tire pump were gone. I know it was there the night before I went to bed because I never moved it and I had got some water just before I went to bed and remember seeing everything there. Now everything was just gone.
That was the beginning of when weird things started happening.
8/2/2003 6:31:47 PM
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