The Spaces In-Between

Part Three

Katherines POV:

Katherine emerged from the dressing room, the fabric of the summer dress she had tried on still clinging to her fingers. Her eyes immediately sought out the spot where she had left Emily, but it was empty. A surge of panic rose in her chest, and she called out, "Emily? Emily, where are you?" She scanned the crowd, her heart racing as she pushed past shoppers, her calls for Emily growing more frantic. That's when she saw him—a police officer, standing by the fountain, his uniform a beacon of hope in the chaos of the mall.

"Officer! Officer, please help me!" Katherine's voice was urgent as she rushed towards him, her eyes wild with fear. The officer turned, his expression shifting to concern. "Ma'am, what's wrong?" "It's my daughter, Emily. She's missing. She was right here a moment ago, and now I can't find her anywhere," Katherine explained, her voice trembling. The officer stepped forward, ready to assist. "Okay, ma'am, tell me what happened. When did you last see her?"

Katherine's mind raced as she recounted the moments before Emily's disappearance. "I was trying on a dress, just over there. She was waiting outside the dressing room. She was looking at a toy store across the way, and then—"

But as she spoke, the floor beneath them began to shift. Tiles warped, the ground undulating like the surface of a disturbed pond. Katherine's eyes widened in horror as she realized what was happening.

"Officer, the floor—it's—" But her warning came too late. With a sound like cracking ice, the floor opened up beneath her feet, and she fell through, her scream cut short as the gap closed behind her. The officer, stunned, could only stare at the spot where Katherine had been standing. Shoppers around him stopped, their expressions a mix of confusion and fear. The officer reached for his radio, his voice barely concealing his shock. "Dispatch, this is Officer Daniels. I need backup at the mall. We have a... situation. A woman just... she just disappeared into the floor. I need assistance immediately."

Officer Daniels stood by the now-sealed floor where Katherine had vanished. His hand trembled slightly as he spoke into his radio, calling for backup. Within moments, the sound of sirens pierced the air, a stark contrast to the stillness that had settled over the crowd. As backup arrived, the area was quickly cordoned off with yellow tape. Officers moved through the crowd; their faces set in grim lines as they took statements from wide-eyed witnesses. The malls security team rushed to pull up surveillance footage, their screens flickering with the replay of the incident.

Officer Daniels, what exactly happened here? Sergeant Hayes approached; his brow furrowed in concern. Daniels shook his head, struggling to find the words. Sarge, I I dont know. She was right here, talking to me about her missing daughter, and then the floor—it just opened up. And the child? Hayes asked, his voice steady despite the surreal situation. Still missing. The mother, Katherine, she was looking for her. Emily, the daughter, shes nine, curly hair We need to find her, Sarge.

Hayes nodded, placing a reassuring hand on Daniels shoulder. Well find her, Daniels. Lets get the search teams ready. I want every inch of this mall covered. As chaos erupted in the mall, the officer stood there, grappling with the impossible scene he had just witnessed, knowing that the search for Emily had just taken an even more desperate turn.

The malls bright lights dimmed into a distant memory as Katherine found herself in the oppressive gloom of the in-between. Her heart ached with the raw panic of loss, her voice echoing off the strange walls, What just happened? The floor—it just cracked open as if it were ice she paused. A look of hope and determination etched on her face she continues, Never mind that, I need to find a way out of her and get back to Emily. The corridors twisted and turned, a maze with no end, and with each step, Katherines hope waned.

It was in this despair that the malevolent being found her, its voice a sinister caress in the darkness. "Looking for someone, dear Katherine?" it hissed, its presence enveloping her. Katherine spun around, her eyes searching the shadows. "Who are you? Wheres my daughter?" she demanded, her voice laced with fear and defiance. The being chuckled, the sound chilling her to the bone. "I am a keeper of lost things, and oh, the things I know. Your daughter, your precious Emily, shes here, somewhere in the in-between."

"Take me to her! Please, I beg you!" Katherine pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears. The beings form coalesced from the shadows, a swirling mass of darkness. "All in good time, dear Katherine. First, a trade. Your memories for a glimpse of your daughter." Without hesitation, Katherine agreed, desperate for any sign of Emily. The being reached out, and Katherine felt a coldness seep into her mind, her thoughts scattering like leaves in the wind. She tried to hold onto the image of Emily, her laughter, her smile, but it slipped away, leaving her empty.

As her memories faded, so did her voice, stolen by the beings insatiable hunger. In her last moments, Katherines thoughts were not of herself but of Emily. "Stay strong, my love.." She whispered into the void, a final message carried by the in-between. Time passed, and Emily, now a part of this realm, heard the whispers of the walls. A woman, lost and taken, her voice now ours, they murmured.

Emilys heart sank. My mother, she realized, the truth hitting her like a physical blow. She fell to her knees, Whispers tendrils wrapping around her in a comforting embrace. "Im so sorry, Emily." Whisper conveyed through their bond, its presence a balm to her shattered heart. "She loved you, more than the in-between itself." Tears flowed freely as Emily mourned, her sobs a lament that filled the corridors. "I love you, Mom. Ill never forget you." She vowed, her voice echoing with a resolve born of grief and love. In the end, Emily stood, Whisper by her side, Katherines sacrifice a beacon guiding her through the darkness.

The investigation room was silent except for the soft hum of computers and the occasional shuffle of papers. Officer Daniels sat at the head of the table, his face a mask of exhaustion and disbelief. Around him, the investigative team exchanged weary glances, the weight of the unsolved case heavy in the air. "We've reviewed every frame of footage, combed through every witness statement, and followed every lead," Daniels began, his voice steady despite the turmoil he felt inside. "And yet, we're no closer to understanding what happened to Emily and Katherine."

Sergeant Hayes leaned forward; his hands clasped tightly. "We've consulted with experts in every field we could think of—engineers, physicists, even those fringe theorists who deal with... other phenomena."

"And?" prompted Daniels, a flicker of hope in his eyes. Hayes sighed, the lines on his face deepening. "And they all say the same thing. The way Katherine disappeared, the anomalies we've observed... it's not something that can be explained by our current understanding of the world." A murmur ran through the room as the implications of Hayes' words sank in. Daniels shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping him. "So, what are we saying? That they slipped into another dimension? That this is some sort of... supernatural event?"

"It's the only conclusion that fits the facts," Hayes replied solemnly. Daniels stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. "Then that's it. We conclude the case as unsolvable. We inform the family, the media... God, how do we even explain this?" The room fell silent, the team grappling with the reality of their failure. Outside, the world continued on, oblivious to the mystery that had unfolded within the walls of the mall.

In the days that followed, the story of Emily and Katherine became a sensation, a tale of the unexplainable that left more questions than answers. The witnesses, those who had seen Katherine vanish, spoke of the incident in hushed tones, their words a mixture of fear and wonder. But for Officer Daniels and the investigative team, the case of Emily and Katherine would remain an open wound, a reminder of the limits of their understanding and the existence of mysteries beyond their reach. They had done all they could, but some things, it seemed, were not meant to be solved by human hands.

The End.