The Haunting at Deadmall

It was 3 a.m. when the group of friends stood outside the crumbling gates of the a no a abandoned mall. The cold night air hit their faces, but none of them seemed to notice. They were too pumped up, too eager for the thrill of the night.

Thomas, the leader of the group, led the charge, a smirk plastered on his face. His blonde hair fell messily around his forehead, but it only added to his cocky charm. He was fit, toned, and his muscles flexed as he casually gripped a flashlight in one hand, his other hand resting on a bat wrapped in nails.

"You ready for this?" Thomas asked, his voice dripping with confidence.

"You're the one who's dragging us in here," Jake, the skeptic, responded. He adjusted his beanie, his eyes still scanning the eerie outline of the darkened mall. "I can't believe you talked us into this."

"Relax," Thomas grinned. "It’s just an old building. Nothing more than some dust, decay, and maybe a few rats."

Tenshi, the quiet, brooding one of the group, stood at the back. He barely said anything, just observing the mall with a look of something between boredom and suspicion. He hadn’t been sure about this plan, but tonight was different. He could feel something in the air, though he couldn't pinpoint what.

"You sure about this?" Jake asked, noticing Tenshi’s quiet demeanor.

Tenshi shrugged, his arms folded across his chest. "We’re already here. Let’s get this over with."

With that, they made their way through the broken gates, their shoes crunching on the gravel beneath them. They had everything they needed: snacks, coffee to keep them awake, flashlights, cameras, and body cams with communications running through their shirts. Everything was set. It was supposed to be just another adventure, a thrill-seeking dare with no consequences.

But as they crossed the threshold into the mall, Thomas couldn’t shake the growing tension in the air. He tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the excitement ahead.

Flashback: The Midnight Call

Just hours before, at midnight, the group had gathered in a video chat on their phones. Their rooms were scattered across town, but tonight, they were united by the glow of their screens and their shared sense of boredom.

Thomas had just finished flexing his muscles for the camera, a cocky grin spreading across his face. “Come on, guys. Who else looks this good at midnight?” he joked, his shirt pulled tight across his chest to show off his physique. “Seriously, I’m getting stronger every day. I could bench press a car at this point.”

Jake rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Yeah, sure, Thomas. You’re a beast.”

“I’m just saying, you should appreciate these gains,” Thomas continued, completely unfazed by Jake’s sarcasm. “I’m like a walking muscle magazine.”

Tenshi, who had been silently watching, spoke up from the corner of the screen, his voice low. “You know, you talk a lot. What about doing something about it?”

Thomas smirked. “Like what? You want me to bench-press my way into an adventure?”

The group laughed, but then the conversation turned quieter. Jake, always the one to suggest something outrageous, leaned closer to his phone screen.

"You guys wanna do something… different?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I mean, we always talk about it. Why not actually do it?"

Tenshi raised an eyebrow, intrigued but cautious. “What are you talking about?”

Jake’s grin widened. "What if we break into that abandoned mall? You know, the one everyone says is haunted. We go ghost hunting at 3 a.m. and catch it all on camera."

For a moment, there was silence.

"Are you serious?" Thomas asked, laughing. “Ghosts aren’t real, dude. It’s just a bunch of stories.”

“Exactly,” Jake replied. “So why not prove it? We bring food, snacks, cameras—hell, we can even make it a challenge. Ghosts don’t exist, so we’ll show everyone that it’s just an old, decaying building.”

Thomas looked at the screen, his grin never fading. "You’re on. We’ll get there, explore the hell out of it, and then come back with a ghost-hunting video that proves it’s all just bullshit."

Tenshi finally gave in, though his expression remained unreadable. “Fine. But I’m not turning back if anything goes wrong.”

"Deal," Thomas said, leaning back in his chair with an exaggerated stretch. “Alright, we’ll meet up at 3 a.m. Don't be late. You bring the cameras, I’ll bring the snacks.”

"I’m bringing the best snacks," Jake said, already typing something into his phone. "And I’ll grab some coffee too—if we’re gonna be up all night, we need fuel.”

---

Back to Present:

The group now stood at the entrance of the mall, their excitement simmering just beneath the surface. Flashlights in hand, they stepped inside the decaying building, their footsteps echoing loudly in the dead silence.

"Alright, team," Thomas said, his voice now quieter. "Let's make this fast. We stick together, explore the mall, get some footage, and then head out. No ghosts, no problem."

They moved deeper into the mall, passing empty storefronts, their eyes scanning the darkness for any signs of movement. The cold air hit them as they entered the heart of the building, the massive atrium with its cracked fountain and peeling walls. Shadows stretched across the floor, flickering eerily under their flashlight beams.

Jake checked the body cam on his shirt. “I think we’re good. Everything’s recording.”

Thomas gave a thumbs-up. “Let’s go find something creepy. We can say we survived this haunted hellhole and still make it back in time for breakfast.”

They continued on, joking and laughing, as the mall’s emptiness seemed to swallow their words. But the deeper they ventured into the building, the more unnerving it felt. The air grew colder, and the silence grew heavier. It was as if the place was waiting, watching, knowing what they were about to do.

None of them realized just how wrong they were.

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End of Chapter 1