Gemini Mall

The Girl in the Motel

"Should we start?" Jan said, holding the camera to her face.

"Yeah," Jack said, switching his camera to the video setting. He began recording, beginning with the intro he said before every exploration.

"Hey guys, welcome to the Gemini Motel. Abandoned since 2003, it's sat in the parking lot of the Gemini Mall slowly decaying and rotting away, being reclaimed by nature. This is Ben this is Jan, I'm Jack, and this is JBJ UrbEx. Let's take a look." Slowly, the trio moved through the lobby, snapping pictures and taking video of every inch of the space. Then, the moved into the main part of the motel, and began documenting it all.

"Whoa, this motel is huge!" Ben said, looking up towards the sky and the third floor of rooms which surrounded the courtyard.

"Yeah, it's gigantic for a motel in the parking lot of a mall," Jan said, "It's really pretty too, for a decaying motel."

The courtyard itself was vibrant and filled to the brim with plants and life. Although the river which had once snaked through the courtyard had long been drained, native wildlife had overtaken the riverbed and created a snaking meadow. Another statue of two girls stood in the center of the courtyard, their eyes also long stolen from their sockets.

"They don't have eyes either..." Jan studied the statue, looking up and down at the moss and mold which was overtaking the two girls.

"Probably stolen by some scrapper I would assume," Jack responded, trying to keep his camera as steady as possible.

The trio walked along the perimeter of the courtyard, keeping away from the overgrown plants that had begun to overtake the pathways. The stonework on the ground was faded, but small diamond carvings could be still be seen through the decay. A nice little touch.

"Should we venture into one of the rooms?" Ben said, moving his camera to face Jack, who turned his body away in response.

"Sure, let's try to get one open," Jack responded. Ben seemed to notice that Jack had turned away, as he had a weird look on his face.

"The fans don't need to see my face, they won't like that," Jack laughed. Deep inside though, he wasn't entirely joking.

Jack turned to his side and looked at the motel rooms. Doors hung on one hinge, mattress covers hung over windows as an attempt by homeless people to block the sun. The rooms looked the worst out of all of the motel: scrappers and looters had long visited and long left the rooms to ferment and decay.

"If these rooms look like this, I really wonder what the mall looks like," Ben said, grabbing one of the swinging doors and slamming it shut to walk past.

"The stories of that place are horrifying. Craigslist Killers, headquarters for the Mafia, drug deals. I really don't think we should go there," Jack responded, shuddering at the thought.

"Unless the fans want you to," Ben mocked. Jack punched him in the shoulder.

"Would you two shut up? I'm getting really weird vibes from this place, like we aren't alone," Jan looked up from her camera lens, her eyes wide and worried.

"I scared away a lady earlier. If we aren't alone, I'm sure it's just another homeless person," Jack said, walking past another motel room with its' door swinging. Deciding to venture in, he grabbed a brick that had fallen from the wall and set it against the door, propping it open and preventing it from swinging around. He switched on the flashlight, which was attached to his camera, and walked into the musty room. A mattress sat on a broken throne of termite-devoured wood, crushing the old box spring and any bed bugs or cockroaches that once lived within it. Jack walked to it, placing his hand on the mattress. Dust stuck to his finger and tiny black specs clung to his sweaty palms.