The air in the ventilation shaft was thick and stale, pressing in on them from all sides as they crawled through the narrow metal tunnel. Every movement felt constricted, the walls brushing against their shoulders and knees as they struggled to breathe in the claustrophobic space. The sound of their ragged breaths echoed back at them, amplifying the sense of panic that gnawed at each of them.
“Keep moving,” Lex whispered urgently, glancing back at her friends. “We can’t stay here. He might find another way up.”
Sophie nodded, her face pale as she forced herself to crawl forward. “Do you think he knows we’re in here?”
“If he doesn’t yet, he’ll figure it out soon,” Brandon replied, his voice barely above a whisper. “We have to get out before he seals us in.”
The Taxidermist’s voice drifted up from below, calm and collected, as though he were speaking directly to them through the walls. “You’re running again. I can hear you scurrying, trying to evade fate. But don’t worry I have patience.”
His footsteps echoed from somewhere below, methodical and unhurried, as if he were confident they couldn’t escape his reach. Each step sent shivers through them, a haunting reminder of how close they’d come to becoming his next “masterpieces.”
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The friends pushed forward, crawling as fast as they could through the cramped shaft. The path twisted and turned, taking them deeper into the building. Occasionally, Lex’s flashlight would catch a glimpse of something unsettling it was a patch of rust, a dried stain on the metal, marks that hinted at past victims who might have tried this same escape.
“This place… it’s like a prison,” Maya whispered, her voice tight with fear. “Who knows what he’s done down here…”
Damien gritted his teeth, his knuckles white as he crawled. “We’re not going to end up like the others. I swear it.”
They continued in silence, their muscles straining as they inched their way through the shaft. The air grew colder, the walls tighter, and the sense of dread intensified with every passing moment.
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After what felt like an eternity, they reached a metal grate that looked down into a storage room—a small space filled with shelves, boxes, and dim emergency lighting. Lex peered through the grate, relief flooding her face.
“This could be a way out,” she whispered. “If we’re lucky, maybe it leads somewhere safe.”
“I’ll go first,” Damien offered, carefully pressing against the grate until it loosened and fell away with a soft clang. He dropped down into the room, landing lightly on his feet. “All clear.”
The others followed, one by one, lowering themselves into the room. They stood in silence, breathing hard, taking in their surroundings. The walls were lined with old supplies such as, dusty boxes, janitorial equipment, and stacks of outdated promotional posters.
“Where are we?” Sophie asked, glancing around.
Brandon looked at a faded sign on the wall. “Looks like an old storage area… maybe part of the mall’s administrative wing.”
Lex straightened, her face tense but determined. “Good enough for now. Let’s regroup.”
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They sat down among the boxes, each of them struggling to process the horror of what they’d just endured. The encounter with the Taxidermist had left them shaken, haunted by the sight of his “collection” and the realization that he saw them as nothing more than objects to be preserved.
Stolen story; please report.
Maya wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. “Those… those people. He took away everything they were. Turned them into… things.”
Sophie’s face was pale, her gaze distant. “It’s like he doesn’t even see them as people… just pieces of his ‘art.’”
Damien clenched his fists, his voice filled with anger. “Sick freak. We should’ve finished him off when we had the chance.”
“We did what we had to in order to survive,” Lex replied, her tone steady. “We got out. And that’s what matters right now.”
The group fell into silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts, the trauma of their close call weighing heavily on them. They’d survived the Taxidermist’s lair, but the memories of his twisted displays and his calm, haunting voice lingered in their minds, leaving an imprint they knew would be hard to shake.
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After a few moments, Brandon broke the silence, his voice thoughtful. “Why… why are there so many of them?”
Lex looked at him, her brow furrowing. “What do you mean?”
“The Psychos,” Brandon replied, glancing around at his friends. “First the Clown, the Security Guard, the Butcher, and now the Taxidermist… it’s like this place is attracting them. Or… encouraging them.”
The thought was unsettling, but it was one they’d all been grappling with since the beginning. The mall was more than just a place of horror it was as if it had been designed to trap them, to break them.
“It doesn’t make sense,” Sophie murmured, her eyes narrowing. “Why would anyone create a place like this?”
“Maybe…” Brandon hesitated, a look of realization dawning on his face. “Maybe we were brought here on purpose.”
The weight of his words sank in, filling the room with a heavy silence. It was a terrifying thought that their presence in the mall wasn’t an accident, but part of some larger plan. A plan that involved the infected, the Psychos, and whatever twisted experiments were happening in the dark.
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Lex took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. “If that’s true, then we need to find out why. And we need to find a way to stop it.”
Maya nodded, though her face was filled with uncertainty. “But… how? This place is massive, and we’re barely holding on as it is.”
Damien’s gaze hardened. “We start with what we know. The security room. The files we found. There’s something going on here, and if we’re going to survive, we need answers.”
The others nodded, a sense of determination filling the room as they silently resolved to uncover the truth behind the nightmare they were trapped in. They had faced death, escaped from monsters, and seen horrors beyond comprehension. But they were still standing—and they weren’t going down without a fight.
Lex straightened, her gaze focused and fierce. “Then we make a plan. We’re going to figure this out, and we’re going to survive.”
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REGROUPING AND MOVING FORWARD
After a short rest, they scoured the storage room for anything useful. Sophie found a dusty first aid kit, which they used to clean and bandage Damien’s arm. Brandon located a few old flashlights and batteries, which they tested to make sure they worked. Every small find felt like a victory, a reminder that they weren’t out of resources yet.
“Alright,” Lex said, glancing at each of them. “We’ve been through hell, but we’re still here. And as long as we’re here, we have a chance.”
Sophie nodded, her voice filled with determination. “We’re going to get through this. And we’re going to find out who did this.”
They gathered their things, steeling themselves for whatever lay ahead. They had faced the Taxidermist and survived his twisted lair, but they knew their journey wasn’t over. There were still horrors lurking in the mall’s dark corners, secrets that begged to be uncovered.
As they moved through the storage room, heading toward the exit, Lex caught sight of an old military poster on the wall—a recruitment ad, faded and peeling, with the words “For a Better Future” scrawled in bold letters.
She stopped, staring at the poster, a strange sense of foreboding creeping over her. “Do you think… the military is behind this?”
The question hung in the air, filling the room with a chilling silence. It was a possibility they hadn’t considered, but one that seemed disturbingly plausible. If the military was involved, it would explain the strict quarantine, the organized spread of the infection, and perhaps even the Psychos.
“If that’s true,” Brandon murmured, his face pale, “then we’re part of something much bigger than we thought.”
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The friends exchanged uneasy glances, the weight of their situation settling heavily on their shoulders. They were up against forces beyond their understanding, forces that saw them as nothing more than test subjects in a twisted experiment.
Lex took a deep breath, her resolve hardening. “Then we fight back. Whatever this is, we’re not going to let it break us.”
The group nodded, a shared determination sparking between them. They had come this far, survived unspeakable horrors, and they weren’t about to give up now. Together, they pushed forward, ready to face whatever lay ahead.