"PUNCH ME" PART SIX

 PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART FIVE

Michael told me to forget about them, so I let Jen and Cassie follow me across the cracked and debris-strew parking lot. The place must have been popular a long time ago; the tall part of the “L” had maybe a dozen stores, and at the corner of the “L” stood a huge building that looked like it had once been a movie theater.

If you peered through the slats of some of the boarded-up windows, you could tell what some of the small stores had been: a yogurt store, a bank, a shoe store, and a video store. The video store even had video TAPES on the shelves, so you can imagine how long the mall had been closed.

Just as we passed the video store, Jen asked again, “Where are you going?”

This time, I tried to ignore her completely.

I was almost there.

Just keep going.

The wooden boards covering the last storefront before the movie theater hid a walkway between the buildings. Unless you knew it was there, it was easy to miss entirely. A thousand vandals had missed in completely.

“They’re going to follow me,” I told Michael.

Let them follow.

I was worried, but questioning Michael wasn’t allowed.

I pulled back the secret plank and squeezed through the opening. I hoped the girls wouldn’t follow me, but they did, all the way down the dark, narrow passageway, emerging with me into the service alley behind the buildings. We were outside but hidden from anyone on the street.

I hesitated. I didn’t like bringing Jen and Cassie close to Michael.

Come to me now.

On the featureless back wall of the old movie theatre, a rusty metal stairway climbed fifty feet up in the air to a single.

Where Michael was.

Come to me.

I wanted to tell the girls not to follow me, but Michael said to let them, so I headed to the stairway. I thought maybe, the stairway wouldn’t look safe, and they would turn back.

I started up the steps and paused halfway to see if they would follow.

Jen took a step onto the bottom stair and began climbing. Cassie followed.

I walked the rest of the way to the metal door.

Twenty-five steps.

The door didn’t have a lock on it, but it was a little warped, and I always had to throw my shoulder into it two or three times before it would open. It was just enough time for the girls to catch up.

They were just behind me when the door swung open.

I stepped inside, but they didn’t follow me.

I looked back.

They looked past me at Michael, their eyes wide with fear.

Jen shook her head, touching Cassie's arm, “I think we should go.” They took a step backward toward the stairs. I guess they weren’t interested in me anymore.

I was relieved at first, but I guess Michael had something else in mind.

Don’t let them go.

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