“Shit, shit-shit-shit, shitty shit shit,” Abby muttered, although she knew that wasn’t going to do any good. “Shit, there’s a demon out there, how do we get – oh!”  She grabbed at hands and flailed at her friends and pulled them back past the pastel tops and the clever sayings and the jeans with the stretch panels to the door marked “employees only.”

“Why is there even stuff in here?” she whispered. “Why do we have stuff in a dead mall?”

That wasn’t the issue, though.  She got them into the back room as the steps got way too close and counted, one, two, three, herself.  “You’re the right Liv- Olivias – right? I didn’t leave one of mine behind?”

“I’m ‘Via.”

“Olly here.” Continue reading →