Mysterious Awakening

William’s voice rang out from Miles’ phone, “Hey man, seems like you’re caught up with something. I haven’t heard from you in ages and I’m feeling rather bored. Any chance I could swing by your place? Perhaps we could explore the street food stalls tonight?”

Miles, inside a bustling mall, responded as he changed into his security uniform, “I’d suggest not dropping by my place. Ran into my dad there last night and it wasn’t pleasant. I’ve taken up a job that provides accommodation, so I’ve been avoiding home.”

Perplexed, William replied, “Wait, I thought you said your dad was gone?”

Miles explained, “Yes, he is. Hence the avoidance. My place has become a haunted zone.”

A gasp of surprise came from William, “You mean, your apartment is haunted?!”

Miles laughed, “Indeed it is, but I’d take ghosts over a destitute old man any day. I can manage. Anyway, what made you call?”

“Just feeling a bit of cabin fever, thought it would be nice to hang out,” William responded, wiping cold sweat from his forehead in relief of having not visited Miles unannounced. “So where exactly are you working now?”

“In a mall,” Miles responded.

Intrigued, William asked, “Do they have any vacancies? I’m on a school break and quite jobless at the moment.”

Miles warned, “I wouldn’t recommend it. This place has a creepy air too. People have gone missing here, and the authorities are involved. They’re still investigating, and the missing folks are probably decomposing somewhere in the mall, still undetected.”

A prolonged silence from William followed before he finally managed to offer, “Listen, if you’re really in a bind, you could crash at my place. I have a big, comfy bed, and food is included.”

Miles then added, “By the way, Coral has been acting peculiar lately. She’s been saying something’s been following her. Her dad called me today. You should watch your back too. I’m not sure if that ghost baby is targeting others as well. If you can, alert everyone in our group chat.”

“Enough already,” William interjected, sounding like he was on the brink of tears, “I just bought a new gaming PC. Why don’t you come over? We can become hermits, living off anime and games. Who needs a job? Worst-case scenario, I’ll support you.”

With the world seeming stranger by the day, clinging tightly to close friends felt like the right move.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve got work,” Miles cut him short, finishing his change into the security uniform and stepping out of the dressing room, “Stay safe, alright?”

“What kept you?” a young man, known as Strong, a recent college graduate and a new employee at the mall, asked as Miles emerged.

“The rules state that we must patrol the entire mall five times daily: once in the morning, once at midday, once in the afternoon, and twice in the evening. Since it’s four in the afternoon, we should start now,” Strong suggested.

Miles, following along, inquired, “Is it just the two of us handling security for this whole mall?”

“That’s right, just us,” Strong replied. “There was another guy, but he vanished a while back. They’ve yet to hire anyone since, so I’ve picked up his shift.”

“Vanished?” Miles queried, puzzled. “With all the disappearances happening here, why haven’t you quit? How can you still dare to work here?”

“I’m a recent graduate from out of town. A job that provides meals, accommodation, and decent wages is hard to come by. I’ll stick with it for the time being,” Strong explained. “What about you? You’re a high schooler, right? Shouldn’t you be in school? College entrance exams are around the corner.”

“I’m on a break from school, not planning on taking those exams,” Miles replied.

Without further probing, Strong continued, “I typically start my patrol from the fifth floor and work my way down. Once I’ve circled the ground floor parking lot, the patrol is done. If there’s a power outage, we’ll have to use the stairs.”

“Have you noticed anything unusual about this mall during your tenure?” Miles asked, flicking on his flashlight to light their way.

“Unusual?”

Strong paused, “No, nothing of that sort.”

“What about strange smells in the mall?” Miles persisted.

“Well, occasionally there’s an off scent, likely due to spoiled food in some freezer. It’s cleaned up before opening,” Strong rationalized.

Miles clarified, “I’m asking if you’ve ever thought this place could be haunted?”

“Haunted?” Strong broke into laughter, “You’re a high schooler and you believe in ghosts? If this place were haunted, wouldn’t I have seen a ghost on one of my many patrols? However, the boss does believe in hauntings. He even hired a ghost catcher but to no avail. Because of the failure, he’s gone to find a more reputed one.”

“And how would you explain the disappearances if it’s not haunted? People vanish within the small confines of this mall and can’t be traced,” Miles challenged.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean they disappeared within the mall. The police only have their last footage inside here. They might have been abducted or robbed. Although, it’s true the rate of disappearances did drop once the mall was shut down,” Strong defended.

“Hold up.” Suddenly, a change washed over Miles’s face and he halted.

“What is it?”

Miles gestured ahead, “Didn’t you say we’re the only ones patrolling? Who’s that then?”

Ahead of them, a silhouette stood unmoving in the darkness, like a mannequin.

Upon illuminating the figure with his flashlight, Strong discovered it indeed was a mannequin.

“It’s just a mannequin, no need for alarm,” Strong reassured, striding over to collect the dummy and placing it within a nearby store.

Inside the dimly lit store, numerous mannequins lay haphazardly scattered, all variously dismembered. None were whole, their neglect evident in their dusty, abandoned state.

“We should get going; the floor below still needs to be checked,” Strong directed, unphased by the spooky event.

“How did the mannequin end up blocking the path? Didn’t you notice it on earlier rounds?” Miles inquired.

“I didn’t spot it during my noon patrol, nor did I see it earlier this evening. Perhaps it was used by Sister Pear and her team while fitting clothes. It wouldn’t be the first time,” Strong offered, explaining the odd placement.

“Ah, understood.”

Whether it was just his imagination playing tricks, Miles could have sworn that the faint, sickly-sweet stench of decay he had noticed earlier was growing stronger.

As they moved on, back at the entrance of the store they had just visited, a mannequin stood eerily in the dark, its head seeming to follow their departing figures.

By the time they finished their round of the mall, all was uneventful.

Possibly, he had been mistaken. This might be nothing more than an ordinary criminal case devoid of any ghostly undertones.

The hefty reward from the mall owner was proving to be a challenging earn.

Miles began to ponder his options. He decided to stick it out for the initial three-day trial period. If there were no advancements, he’d resign. He couldn’t afford to squander his time indefinitely.

After completing his patrol and returning to the security office for a break, his GPS-enabled phone began to ring. It was a call from Mr. Beach, Coral’s father.