366: One Story Per Day (2024)

Day 95 - Panic at the Mall

   Jonathan has always been a creature of habit. Every Saturday, rain or shine, he made his weekly walk to the huge mall on the outskirts of town. But this Saturday was different—a turn of events that would give him a mini heart attack.

     The hours passed unnoticed as he explored the bookstore's shelves. By the time he emerged from the maze of lanes, the busy mall had become silent, its neon signs flashing like faraway stars in the night sky.

     "Pardon me, sir, but the mall is closing," a voice echoed through the halls.

     Jonathan turned to see a security guard making his rounds, his footsteps booming over the vacant area.

     "Closing? I... I lost track of time," Jonathan muttered, worry in his voice.

     "Sorry, buddy, but we gotta lock up. Can't have anyone wandering around after hours," the guard said, his tone strong but not unpleasant.

     "Just give me a second," Jonathan replied.

     The guard left while Jonathan returned the books he had read back to the shelves.

     A few minutes passed, and all the lights turned off. The guard must have forgotten that he was still inside. He could not see anything. He frantically looked for an exit, his arms stretched forward in search of the way out. He tripped over tables and chairs he was unable to see, but quickly got up to get out of the premises.

     In the next seconds that arrived, Jonathan's desperation mounted. He went through the dark corridors, his footsteps ringing off the walls like a funeral bell.

     "Is anyone still there?" he said, his voice drowning out in the immense emptiness of the mall.

     Jonathan crawled on all fours and found himself in the food court where he hid behind a table like a terrified kid.

     "This can't be happening," he told himself, his palms quivering in panic.

     He remembered being trapped inside a theatre overnight when he was a child. The trauma he experienced back then as a kid returned.

     "I gave up watching movies and read books instead," he whispered.

     If no one finds him soon enough, he might give up reading books, too, but luckily for him, a miracle happened.
     "Hey, buddy, I didn't know you're still here," the same guard from earlier said, his voice full of worry as he approached Jonathan's hiding spot.

     "Thank goodness you're here," Jonathan shouted, relief coursing through his veins as he staggered into the guard's warm hug.

     "I... I got lost, and I couldn't find my way out," he explained.

     The guard offered him a sympathetic grin.

     "It happens to the best of us. Let's get you out of here and home safe," the guard said.

      "How many hours have passed?" Jonathan asked.

     The guard laughed.

     "Only three minutes had passed since I saw you in that bookstore," he replied.

     The two laughed together as they reached the exit.