Jack had always thought that death would be the end. One minute he was lying in a hospital bed, his family around him, his body too tired to fight the sickness anymore, and then—nothing. Just a void, a silence that stretched endlessly. He had expected peace, maybe a reunion with those who had passed before him, but what he got was something else entirely.
When Jack opened his eyes again, he wasn’t in the afterlife, at least not the one he imagined. Instead, he found himself standing in the middle of a vast, decrepit shopping mall. The ceiling lights flickered on and off, and the sound of distant footsteps echoed in the vacant halls. Dust coated the cracked floors, vines and weeds grew between the tiles. It was as if this place had been abandoned for decades.
Welcome, Jack," said a voice from behind him.
He turned to see a tall, slender figure cloaked in shadows. The being's face was obscured, but Jack could sense a power emanating from it—an ancient, otherworldly energy.
"You've been chosen," the figure continued, "to be the caretaker of this mall. It lies at the crossroads of worlds, a gateway to the multiverse. Each store, each door, opens into a different realm. It’s your responsibility to keep the balance, to manage this place, and to ensure that its unique visitors find what they need."
Jack blinked, his mind struggling to process what was happening. “Caretaker? I don’t understand. Why me? I’m… I’m dead.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The figure chuckled softly. “Yes, you are. But death is not the end—it’s a transition. And for reasons beyond your understanding, you’ve been given this new role,(well it's mostly because I was bored)," the being said murmuring the last part and looks at Jack making sure he did not hear the last part. "This mall, as broken as it may seem, is a crucial hub in the fabric of the multiverse. Without it, chaos would spread across countless dimensions. And you… you are now its keeper.”
Jack looked around, taking in the dilapidated storefronts, the eerie silence, and the strange feeling of being between worlds. He wanted to protest, to demand more answers, but something deep inside him—a strange intuition—told him this was real. This was his new life… or afterlife.
The figure extended its hand. "The keys."
A set of rusted keys materialized in Jack's hand, cold and heavy. Each key was engraved with strange symbols he couldn’t decipher.
"Use them wisely," the figure said. "And remember, the mall isn’t just for shopping. It’s a place where travelers from all realities come to seek what they cannot find elsewhere. Be prepared for anything. Now, go. Your first customers are arriving."
Before Jack could respond, the figure vanished, leaving him alone in the vast emptiness of the mall. He stared at the keys, then at the doors around him. Some were ordinary, leading to forgotten stores with broken mannequins and empty shelves. Others shimmered with a strange light, pulsing with energy, as though they were alive.
He took a deep breath and walked forward. His footsteps echoed through the vacant halls as he approached the first door. It looked ordinary enough, but when he turned the key, it clicked open with an unnatural sound. Beyond it was a swirling vortex of colors, a portal to somewhere far beyond his understanding.
Jack hesitated for a moment, then stepped through.
He had no idea what awaited him on the other side, but he had a feeling this was only the beginning of a very strange journey.