The Mall (Evenstad Media Presents Book 2) Read online

  Having the lights on most of the day means that there's no darkness we can hide in or anything like that. And we're all close to each other. I haven't seen very many people, yet. I've been staying over here in the big store on the end. Mitchell's. It gives me an advantage over everyone else, as long as I can keep them out. Which would mean that I might have to kill one of them eventually. I don't want to do that, but sometimes you have to do things you have no interest in. That's something I learned a long time ago. I've got a baseball bat from the kid's section. It's pretty small, but it’s solid wood. I think it'll work for as much as I need it. Hopefully not a bunch, but I don't know anything for sure. It could be a lot I'll have to use it, and this'll stand up to that, too. And if it doesn’t, I can always go get another one.

  I'll definitely use what I can to help me stay alive. The money would be nice, but I don't think it's really the important part. I'd rather be alive and walk out without a single penny than die. I wouldn't turn down the money if I won, though. That wouldn't make any sense. I still won't make any plans on it. I don't want to die, but it's pretty good chances, when I look at everything.

  ENTRY END

  JOURNAL 04DANA

  ENTRY 001

  DATE: 1/8/2075

  I won't make it through this alone. I'm not a strong enough person to do that, but I am a strong enough person to admit the truth to myself. My life's been too easy and too cushy for any of this. I need someone on my side to help me out, if I'm going to do this right and make it out of this mall. But I'm too afraid to go out there. Not afraid for my life. At least not yet. Nobody's died that I've seen, and we've just crossed the one week line.

  Maybe not afraid, then, but I'm definitely nervous. If I go out there, and everyone says no, that means I won't make it out for sure. That’s assuming they don’t kill me right there, just for asking for help. I would hope these people would have compassion, since we’re all in the same situation, but I know it's pretty likely that won’t happen. People see my age and they think I can't handle work, or that I'm not going to do my part. I’m used to it. But my age hasn't slowed me down yet, and I don't plan to let it happen any time soon. Especially not with all of this going on. That would be about the worst decision, if I just let myself give up now.

  I've been watching the young man in the pet shop across from me. He's been very active lately. The fact that he chose a pet store is probably pure chance, but it's making me like him a lot more. Pet people are good people, I've always believed that. He seems to be confident, and he seems to be doing something, though I don't know what.

  Maybe if no one's died in the next couple days, I'll go and talk to him, see if we can work together. I certainly hope so.

  ENTRY END

  JOURNAL 12IMRAN

  ENTRY 001

  DATE: 1/8/2075

  Most of my family died years ago, and I can finally be thankful for that. If they were alive, they would have to carry a burden, now that I've been fated to participate in this game. Either the burden of my murder, or the burden of my moral downfall. Neither of these things are something I would wish on them. Them or anyone else. Now only my son will have to bear it, and it's only in fair kind that he should, after what he's forced upon me.

  What worries me most is not my death. I can face death, even if I don't wish to do so. What worries me most is the blood on my hands. I can try to remain clean, but I don't see any way I can, unless I die soon, before I need to defend myself. I am almost certainly too weak to resist the call of murder for long, not if it's all around me. Maybe the people who chose me knew as much, and they count on it. If that's true, then I fear I won't disappoint. Already, I can feel it within me, a strange sensation ballooning in my stomach and in my chest. I want to begin, if only to end the horrible waiting. I could be the first to kill. Or the first to die. Now, both options seem preferable to simply sitting, expecting death to find me at any second.

  I fear this is madness. And if I am already mad, it doesn't bode well for the fate that awaits me at the end of this competition.

  ENTRY END

  The Mall: Episode One Recap

  Posted 1/9/2075

  So, I was incredibly excited about The Mall. Regular readers of my blog are probably pretty aware that I was a huge fan of The Park, last year. So of course I was going to watch this when it came on last night.

  I'm not going to say I was necessarily disappointed in what I saw on the screen. It was interesting, and the cast they have this year looks good. That was one of my biggest worries. I thought the contestants worked so well together last season, it was going to be hard to match. While we haven't seen a lot of interaction, just the way they're occupying the space together makes me want to watch them. The fact that they probably know what's going on because of The Park is going to make for some interesting gameplay, too.

  Here's the bad part. Last season started with a bang. We had Nathan getting shot down at the very end. This time? The first episode lacked that real punch. Nobody's died, and it doesn't look like anyone has any interest in killing right now. So I guess they're probably better people, but not nearly as entertaining. I personally didn't miss the action, that much. It was all shot well enough that it kept my tension levels super high, and that’s really what I’m looking for out of this show. Tension. Suspense. But I worry that I'm in the minority, and that doesn't bode well for the continuation of this show. Which, at least for me, is disappointing. I want to see this show keep going as long as it can. Why? Because there hasn't been anything this exciting, this different, on TV in a long time, and I think it would be a shame if it ended here.

  So if you’re not watching because you think it’s just not riveting television, give it another chance. For the diehard fans out there like me, if nothing else.

  Phil Boggs

  TO: John Lipson

  FROM: Veronica Daniels

  SUBJECT: Final Instructions – The Mall

  SENT 12/18/2074 AT 12:29 p.m. EST

  Mr. Lipson,

  You should receive this email well before your arrival at the set of The Mall. These are orders received directly from Mr. Evenstad. The extra guards being used for this need to do things in a very specific fashion, and Mr. Evenstad is trusting you to ensure things are in fact done in that fashion. Mr. Evenstad would like them to only patrol the public areas of the mall. The area inside the shops is to be kept as sacred ground, so to speak. The exceptions are the anchor store, Mitchell's, and the food court. Both of those spaces are to be patrolled every eight hours, but no more often than that. Mr. Evenstad would also like them to leave the public restrooms as safe zones. However, access points to any other non-shop area is to be strongly prohibited at all times. That includes all exits as well as the back rooms of the mall. Mr. Evenstad trusts your judgment on the specifics, but simply wished to make certain that these orders were followed to the best of your ability. More technical instructions have already been delivered to the set, as well.

  Veronica Daniels,

  Administrative Assistant, Frederick Evenstad

  JOURNAL 07NED

  ENTRY 002

  DATE: 1/8/2075

  It's real early in the morning, but I couldn’t help but wake up. There was this real loud crash. It was the doors opening. I was about to step out and see what was up, but it was pretty clear just looking out the door.

  Those other opponents the letter talked about? They showed up. With guns. They've got to be military or something, the way they were marching in unison like that. A few dozen of them, split up between the two floors. They didn't try to kill anyone, though. I was waiting for them to go into the shops and get things started, but they never did. They've just been milling around out there, sticking close to the fountain in the middle of the hall. I don’t know what they're doing on the second floor, but probably pretty much the same thing, I would figure. As soon as they came in, a few of them walked off into the Mitchell's down there. They were in there
for about ten minutes, then they came back out and joined the others. I don't know what they're waiting for, but I think I might find out pretty soon.

  I figure we can't all just sit around here, doing nothing. So I'm going to make a move. I've got one of those antlers. It seemed like the best idea, when I looked at it logically. It's probably a good pound, and pretty much unbreakable. In a pet shop, I can't see myself finding much better for just straight up… what I'm about to do.

  Killing. Straight up killing. I may not be able to say it without puking, but if I can't write it, then I'm totally hopeless. Maybe I'm hopeless anyway. And maybe I'm nuts. But this is the best way to get things started, and establish myself as a threat. If these guys don't have any stakes in the competition, killing them is just for fun, as far as the others are concerned. That's the plan, anyway. Look as nuts as possible and maybe they’ll leave me alone for a while.

  I just hope they're watching, is all. I don’t want to do this and find out it was for nothing.

  ENTRY END

  11

  TO: Laurie

  FROM: Eddie

  SUBJECT: [NO SUBJECT]

  SENT 1/8/2075 AT 5:22 p.m. EST

  I’ve spent a week with the new system, and I have a good idea of the capabilities. I can do a lot, but I can’t get access to anything that’s not directly on the network, which puts the actual game location out of my reach. I’ll do my best to convince someone with more access to shut down some of the systems, but I wouldn’t count on that happening. Sorry. I’ll keep you abreast of any changes.

  JOURNAL 04DANA

  ENTRY 002

  DATE: 1/8/2075

  He's just… gone. That nice young man from the pet shop is just gone. He came out there, swinging some kind of club, and headed straight for the big guys with guns over by the fountain. I don't know what he was thinking in that fool head, but he seemed to believe he had a chance. I could have told him otherwise, just looking at him. I wouldn’t have wanted to side with him if I thought he was even the least bit dangerous.

  I also realized I've never seen somebody die before. I've seen plenty of people after they're dead. You don't live in Miami without running that risk. But seeing somebody actually lose their life… never before, and God, I hope never again. At least not like that. The bullets just came right through his head. Not like the movies or nothing. When you go see it on screen, they're always just shooting and shooting until there's just nothing left, and nobody ever falls down. Not for a long time.

  They got him with three bullets, right in the head, and he dropped, and the club rolled across the floor. I can't get away from the sound of him collapsing, even an hour after it happened. It's stuck in my head. When a body falls, I guess it makes this sort of wet, smacking sound. That’s the best I can describe it. I expected it to be harder or louder or something. More dramatic. Someone dying should make more of an impact, should just be bigger than a little fall and thud and some blood on the floor.

  I hope when I die, it's not so simple like that. Not that I want it to be drawn out… but I feel like I want something more memorable, after all I’ve been through.

  ENTRY END

  JOURNAL 10ALEXA

  ENTRY 002

  DATE: 1/9/2075

  It's been a day since I heard somebody get shot. I didn’t see it, but I heard it. It’s like the sound echoed even louder up here. A quick burst of gunfire, and then a thud. It had to be the body falling, but it sounded like a huge rock just crashing down. Maybe I’m remembering it differently than it happened, putting more emphasis on things then there really was, but I swear I can still hear it, if I close my eyes, even if it doesn’t make any sense.

  If those guys up here were as trigger-happy as whoever was downstairs, I knew I needed some kind of protection, even if it wouldn’t do anything much. I knocked over a bookshelf in front of the doorway. Got some nasty bruises doing it, but at least I have some kind of barrier, now. I have a place to get out over it, which means it's not really keeping anyone out, if they’re determined enough to get to me. I'll know for sure if anyone's coming, though. I just have to keep an eye on the door.

  It's not a perfect plan, but I think I can improvise. There's some little snacky foods in the bookstore, which is better than nothing. I'd be much better off if I had something with actual nutritional value, but I'd rather be eating chocolate and breath mints than starving.

  They won't last. I know that. I'm saving the really good stuff for when I'm actually in need. The bags of nuts have good protein, and I've got plenty of bottled water. All the sodas up by the front counter are just going to have to be for nothing. There's really no point in drinking them. Sodium's just going to make me run through the water I have faster. Not that I'm really going to run out. Can drink it from the tap if I need to. I should probably stop writing in this journal and figure some stuff out. If there's anything for me to figure out. But if I stop writing in here, that means I actually have to do something else… and I'm just not sure what that can really be.

  ENTRY END

  TO: Niels Evenstad

  FROM: Edward Andel

  SUBJECT: Doubts

  SENT 1/8/2075 AT 7:45 a.m. EST

  I saw the footage of the first contestant getting shot. Niels, I don't think I can do this, anymore. I thought I knew what I signed up for with all this, but to actually have to watch it… I figured because I'd grown up watching bloody movies and stuff, I would be okay with it. Maybe not okay with it, but I could handle it well enough. Everyone says people are desensitized. I guess I’m just not.

  I want to learn how to do what you do, and get into a position where I can move up into the company. That would be good for me, financially, and you say it will help you out, too. But this killing thing just seems wrong. And unnecessary. I don't want to keep watching this, every single day. I can’t watch it every single day without losing it.

  —

  TO: Edward Andel

  FROM: Niels Evenstad

  SUBJECT: Doubts

  SENT 1/8/2075 AT 10:19 a.m. EST

  I know this isn't easy to do, Edward. But it's going to be very important, even if it doesn't seem like it. Sometimes, the things you'll have to do in this job aren't easy, and they aren't pleasant. The work that goes on behind the things we produce here is much more difficult than the audience should ever know. But it does need to be done, Edward. It truly does. This is part of it.

  You told me that you have a mother who you'll probably have to take care of, someday. I assure you, that day will come too soon for you, and you'll need to be prepared. I also have a family to care for, after I'm gone. I want both of our problems to be taken care of, and this is the best way to go about this. I would welcome any other options you have, believe me. But until then, this is the way to take care of my family and your mother, when that day comes. I'm sorry it's difficult, but it is the best way.

  Niels Evenstad,

  Chief Operating Officer, Evenstad Media

  JOURNAL 03BILL

  ENTRY 002

  DATE: 1/10/2075

  There's a little skittish boy down on the other end of the mall there on the first floor. I think it'll be easy enough to manipulate him. Probably gay. Looks well-groomed. Definitely dresses feminine. Metrosexual, if nothing else. I'm guessing all of this from afar, but it’s the theory I’m going on until I learn otherwise. If I give him enough compliments and sleep with him, I bet I could make him do just about whatever I want. I don't know for sure, but it seems like a valid enough hypothesis. He picked a makeup shop, for Christ’s sake. Probably puts quite a bit of value on his appearance. I just have to play that a little. If I’m wrong then I’m wrong, but going for him is better than waiting.

  The problem is that I have to make it down there in one piece to actually go for him. I'm willing to do it, but it would work better if I had someone to th
row to the mooks along the way, if need be. Someone expendable. Which really just means anyone I can get to come along with me. Whoever these gunmen are they’ve gotten, they're obviously not squeamish when it comes to killing. It's not great news for me. I have to switch floors to avoid the patrols they put through here. None of the other shops look to be having the same issues, but that's okay. I'm willing to take that trade-off until something better presents itself.

  There's a woman up in the sex shop on the second floor. It's close enough I could dart in. My best bet is probably her, I think. And if she doesn't want to take part, I can move on. She doesn't look like much physically, the couple times I've actually seen her, but if it comes to it, I'll still have the baseball bat with me. She'll have to die one way or another, if I'm going to get through this and win. Hopefully, I can use her to get a little further, first.

  ENTRY END

  JOURNAL 08QUINN

  ENTRY 003

  DATE: 1/10/2075

  There's something weird going on in here. Weirder than being locked up in a mall, even. I thought it might have been a fluke or a coincidence or something, but it's been a couple days and nothing's changed. There are guards around a door on the first floor. Half a dozen, totally blocking off the space in front of this door. There's another door they're guarding, but it's plainly marked as an emergency exit. Even if I managed to get through all those guards there, I doubt they'd let me escape. Not with all the trouble they've gone to getting me here and keeping me here. Not even going to try that door.