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Light and Shadow

I woke with a vicious cough and the taste of foul air in my throat. The taste lingered on my dry tongue until I noticed a bottle of water beside me, popped the top, and quickly drained the water to cover the taste.

Panting, I felt a lot better and I had the luxury of realizing I had no idea where the hell I was.

I was stretched back against a rigid, plastic booth. It only took a moment to recognize the McDonald's logo to the right. I blinked a few times, unsure if I had grit in my eyes or not. Taking another swallow of water, I cracked my neck, despite it not feeling stiff, and looked around.

I was towards the back of a McDonald's. I remembered suddenly, with a bit of amusement, that my mother once told me I was born in a McDonald's because she went into labor during a meal.

Aside from the fact the McDonald's seemed to be attached to a mall, there wasn't anything notable about it. However, as I sat there and sipped, I looked in all directions.

The McDonald's was completely empty.

Not a single person anywhere around. The floor was pristine without a smudge or spill or tray or scrap of paper or food to sully anything. After all the McDonald's I'd seen in my life, that was a breathtaking accomplishment.

Gingerly, I pushed against the booth and nudged myself to the end. I pressed against the tile floor and staggered to my feet with the support of the table. I needed a moment to cling to it before I felt secure enough to walk on my own.

After testing my legs, I glanced around and asked, "Anyone around? Hello?" My words were met with still silence aside from the vague throbbing of my heart.

Following a belch that resurrected some of the foul air till I took another swig of water, I looked for and found the restroom at the back.

I was again surprised to find the restroom perfectly clean and without randomly-flowing water, mounds of paper, or anything unsanitary. I peed violently into the urinal for well over a minute and still had to sit for something further explosive.

Once cleared, I soaped, washed my hands, and glanced up in the mirror. I gasped and straightened. Then, I blinked. For the most fleeting of moments, I thought I saw something unsettling in the mirror, but what I saw reflected was just what I expected to see. My rounded jaw caught the stark, fluorescence pall. The messy mass of my black hair fell slick against my neck. My arched nose protruded from between my set of dull, gray eyes. My body felt no more or less stocky than I remember. What I wasn't certain of in all this was my attire.

I was clad in a perfectly-blank t-shirt without label or graphic. Considering how many graphic tees I owned, I couldn't figure out why I would be wearing one without a single image on it. My pants were also bland, a blank, gray pair of jeans which matched a gray pair of sneakers.

I searched my pockets and found them to be empty. This was troubling. No money. No ID. I splashed myself with some water and made my way back to the main area.

With this worry of the missing wallet on my mind, I glanced around. My eyes settled on the table near where I'd first been sitting. In the center of the table, carefully-folded and sitting there, undisturbed, was the wallet I remembered carrying in my pocket for several years.

I approached it as I might a coiled serpent. I was certain in my first survey of the area that I had not seen it. Its leathery look contrasted sharply with the table.

Picking the wallet up, I turned it over a few times before opening it. Inside, I found absolutely nothing. No cards, no money, not even a lingering scrap of paper. I prodded it a few more times before deciding I might as well keep it. So, I tucked it in the usual spot in my pocket. It felt light but it was a strange comfort to have something in there.

I spoke again to the empty McDonald's, "Is anyone there?"

I walked towards the front. The menu signs were clearly lit. I sniffed. I could smell food.

Approaching the counter, I leaned over and looked. In the little slot, there were several burgers primed and ready for someone to take. To the left, the fry area was filled with a hearty pile of fries. The smell was strong and vivid now.

I hopped the counter and looked around. No matter where I looked, the entire kitchen area was deserted. My eyes returned to the burgers. I took the first one out of its slot, glanced around, and opened the paper wrap to take a bite.

It was delicious, fresh, and actually quite warm. I finished it swiftly and had another. Still, there were ready burgers sliding down the slot. Looking around again, I selected a bag from behind the counter and grabbed five. I added in a good set of fries. They also tasted fresh and hot.

Picking up a paper cover for a tray, I selected a pen from one of the side stations and wrote on the back, "IOU – Seven burgers and fries. Dan Temple." It was reassuring to simply write my name despite the fact I was briefly tempted to write a different one.

With my bag of goodies, I walked out of the McDonald's and surveyed the rest of the mall.

I was on the upper of two levels. To my left was a Macy's department store with a strange wall texture which looked like it had been clawed through by a dog. The interior was stark white with women's clothing and colorful purses. My eyes lingered before I continued on.

The whole area was empty. I could find no one anywhere. Not a loose scrap of paper nor piece of waste nor sign of life. To my left, I saw a toy store with a giant teddy bear slowly turning in the window. To my right, some of the stores were blank.

It was then that it struck me: I knew where I was. I'd been to this mall before.

It was around a day's trip from home. I'd gone to college in the area and I frequently visited this mall on the days when I didn't have many classes. My mom used to live nearby when she first had me. I wondered if this was actually the McDonald's I'd been born in. I met the idea with a snicker at first, then a frown.

I went back to the McDonald's for a couple bottles of water. The bag was getting heavy but still manageable.

From the area near Macy's, I could see a pet store across the way. All the glass sections were empty and devoid of animals. I couldn't help but think back on Rufus, the reliable old dog I had as a little kid.

Beyond there was a sports store and several stores for children. I stopped at one for a shoulder tote which could easily hold what I was carrying. I left another IOU note.

The escalators by the JCPenney store still ran. I took them down to the lower level. There was a children's play area nearby and several other stores for kids. I walked out into the center of the mall. It was pristine. It was flawless. It was utterly desolate.

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Nobody anywhere. Except for me.

Securing my new tote of food to my shoulder, I hurried along the length of the mall. I passed stores for preppy young teens. I resorted to yelling, "HELLO! Is there anyone here?" I tried several variations. I cupped my mouth and made the strangest noises.

After the lonely echo of my words finished, the world returned to still silence. Despite the fact the mall felt cool, I couldn't pick out the hum of air conditioning or any sounds of activity at all. I sat in something like a food court for a while and scratched my head. Like in the McDonald's, there was food in this area all set to be served.

Possibilities ran through my head. Maybe a terrible catastrophe necessitated a mass evacuation. In the hurry, perhaps I'd been left behind. But there was such an ease and composure to the place. It didn't look like something frantic had occurred.

Maybe everyone had been suddenly vaporized or taken away by aliens or monsters. But again, there was nothing amiss.

I wrestled with lesser possibilities till I had to just shake my head and take some more food (with another IOU).

Eventually, I made it across the length of the mall. There was no one. I stopped at an internet café after my trek and sat down at one of the consoles. The machine worked fine and connected easily. I scrolled through a couple of news sites. The news appeared current. I remembered some of the items from the last time I checked online.

I checked for anything new or weird. It was just stuff I'd seen before. I considered that perhaps it hadn't been updated because there was no one to update it...

I had to get out of the mall. I trudged back to the nearest set of doors. I approached them carefully. I noticed a heavy, wooden bench which could make for a decent battering ram if I found myself locked in. But a light push on the glass door opened it.

I stood in one of the side parking areas. The lot was decently filled with cars. I looked up. The sky looked overcast. I could see a faint glow of the sun defuse through the blank bank of clouds. The sun was directly overhead.

I rubbed my nose and looked around. I surveyed the cars. Some of them were quite nice. I paused at a silver BMW and peered in. In the ignition, I saw a key.

I tested the door and it too opened easily. I couldn't help but shake my head. Still, I was glad to have some form of transport. I told myself I'd have to write a huge IOU later.

Still, I waited to test the ignition before counting on this. One quick turn and the engine was idling. With my tote in the passenger seat, I took a breath.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something wavering towards the glass doors of the mall. Turning, I saw nothing.

The sharp shadow of a small tree fell against the side of the mall. Through the doors, the interior of the mall didn't appear quite as bright as a moment ago. I wondered if the lights had gone off. I noticed a tree to the left. It had a very soft shadow, as one would expect from how cloudy it was. My eyes dashed back to the tree on the right.

My heart thudded. The shadow was still there. It was long and stretched. Despite the form of the tree, the shadow looked more like a tall man. I leaned my head and wondered if someone was standing behind the tree. Still, with this light, it seemed impossible that such a strong shadow could be cast. I tried to consider a light source I wasn't seeing but it just didn't make sense.

Tense, I glanced over to the dash and the stick. I backed the car out of the parking spot. When I looked back, the strange shadow was nowhere to be seen. I told myself I'd probably just seen something painted black against the wall. But I shifted into drive and got out of there as quickly as I could.

I did circle around the mall a little bit. Other areas looked a little brighter through the glass and I didn't see any more strange things. No sign of anyone else. After my quick look around, I took the small ramp to a side street and followed it past the bookstore I always used to frequent.

When I made it to the first intersection, I had to stop in the middle of it. The lights slowly turned from green to red and back again in their sequence, but there was no one on the roads. Not a single person. And this, as I recalled, was the busiest area of town no matter the time of day. And I would be up in the early early morning for a coffee and sometimes out after 3 AM with friends on a weekend. Even then, the intersection was bustling with cars.

Waiting for the turn signal, I turned left onto the main street. I drove cautiously past the gas stations and shopping centers. I marveled at the Best Buy, thronged by cars without a single patron. I turned into some strip malls and drove slowly around, hoping to catch sight of someone. But there was no one. I stopped a minute to drain another bottle of water. I needed it.

I'd taken this road so many times back in college and the whole area looked exactly how I remembered it. I passed the women's clothing store with a lingering look. There would be no one to see but really no point now. I continued on past masses of consumerism around the bending road till I came to the end where my college was.

I made a couple circuits of it. Nothing changed since my last visit. And not a single student. I stopped by my old dorm, considered going in, but just drove on.

After the college, I checked the gas tank. It was nearly full after only about 20 miles from the trip. Slowly, I made my way back to a crossroads of streets and considered where I could go. Home seemed the only feasible option, but I felt wary of what I would find when I got there.

I stopped to try an ancient payphone outside a market. I called my home number first. Even with plenty of change from inside the market cash register (another IOU), the phone rang and rang in its automatic manner. No one to pick it up, I assumed. I tried my mother's number along with every other number I could remember off the top of my head.

Hanging up roughly, I walked back to my car. I turned my head to look back to the market. It looked really dark inside. I slowed my walk until I realized the automatic sliding doors were standing open with a thick shadow cast across the threshold. As I watched, the shadow quivered and moved back into the darkness of the market.

I yelled out, "Who the hell is there?!" Silence followed. I clenched my hands a couple times and yelled till it was clear no one would answer. Suddenly, the market brightened and the shadows washed away.

Swallowing, I darted back to the car and sped off.

The hills in the residential areas of town flew by even though I stayed under the speed limit. Eventually, I worked my way to one of two freeways which intersected in the middle. I turned onto the one that would take me back home.

I was the only driver.