Chapter 2

After the first minute of following the forest path, Jada didn’t know whether she wanted to laugh or cry. But she finally decided didn’t want to disturb Emily’s intense concentration, so she kept silent. The road was a nightmare, numerous tight curves often hidden by the overlapping pine branches. The surface directly underneath them was hard-packed and dry, but there were deep ravines everywhere along the sides, often less than a meter away from the wheels. If they drove into one, it would take a tow truck to pull them out, and a no tow truck could ever make it in here. Emily drove silently, her hands gripping the wheel with white knuckles as she inched her way forward.

Jada had a horrible premonition of the road abruptly ending with no place to turn around. Their only solution would be for Jada to stand outside in the cold Vermont night and try to talk Emily through the turns as she backed up. It would be a miserable, bone-chilling job, and in the dim light of the backup lights, their two-minute trip into the forest would take hours to unravel.

But then there was a final sharp turn and they were out of the pine trees. They both made soft unconscious moans at the release of the tension. Before them appeared a modest overflow parking lot. It was full of cars, and beyond that an enormous building loomed in the darkness. The impression of a vast castle was very strong. It was the theme of the mall.

“See any place to park?” asked Emily. She guessed the lot held about thirty cars, perhaps a few more, and it was packed.

“It’s not very well lit. Nothing over here though...” Jada looked to the left and right. There appeared to be acres of parking nearby, but the areas were on the other side of temporary chain-link fences. She finally turned and pointed behind her. Try over there. You might be able to park on the grass.”

“Yeah.” Emily drove over to a small grassy area near where they exited the forest and shut off the car. She sighed and then shuddered from the harrowing experience of the drive through the pine trees. “Jada,” she said quietly, “I rely on you to be the better part of my decision making. Why didn’t you talk me out of this?”

“Uh ... I tried to, a little.”

“Why not more?”

Jada took the question seriously and thought for a moment. “I don’t know. I guess I was like you, curious.”

“Hmmm.” Emily’s face relaxed as she accepted the explanation. “Well, anyway, we’re here.” She looked at the clock and smiled. “ ... with time to spare.”

Jada couldn’t help but grin as she got out of the car. She took a deep breath, savoring the coldness of the frosty air. “Well, we’re not there yet. You still want to party? We can get back in the car be on Lost Nation Road in a few minutes.”

Emily closed her door and locked the car with her remote. “Heck no! We’ve come this far. Let’s check it out!” It was the answer Jada was expecting, and the two women walked across the dark lot and towards the imposing building.

There was a short row of glass doors next to the parking lot, with an arc of portable lights out in front. It looked like a typical back entrance to a mall. The only distinguishing feature was the wall above the doors. The area had been decorated to look like a drawbridge. It looked like an obvious fake, but Jada hoped maybe they weren’t finished with the artwork yet.

One of the doors had several additional portable lights by it, and instructions for how to proceed to Kappa Alpha. Jada tried the heavy glass door and was somewhat surprised to find it unlocked. Kappa Alpha might still be a hoax, but if so the pranksters had somehow procured access to the unfinished mall.

Following the directions, Emily and Jada began to follow a winding path, picking up new directions at each leg of the journey. After the first ten minutes, Jada had the impression they were playing a childish game of treasure map through endless corridors. Their walk was full of twisty turns traversing shopping areas and several eating pavilions, one with a great hexagonal food court with a spiraling motif in the floor. Jada thought most of the design work was okay, and occasionally the novelty was interesting. A few things though looked rather gaudy.

As their journey progressed, they came to other areas that were obviously going to be residential. There were slanting rows of apartments with a modest pool and tennis courts nearby. They walked down one row and then seemed to backtrack half the distance on another. Their path was becoming so convoluted, Jada began to suspect it was intentionally complex.

They both shivered in their coats as they walked through the unheated corridors. It seemed colder inside than it was out. And the moon was shining brightly again. Jada saw dim images of a great exterior hexagonal courtyard in the silver light, overlooked by what would be future garden condominiums adjacent to a food mart. It looked like it would be a convenient place to live. Perhaps having a frat house here was actually possible.

Jada was amazed they were able to walk through all the unfinished areas unchallenged, but except for the lit signs guiding their way, the place seemed deserted, and the smell of heavy construction was everywhere.

Eventually their path took them back to a commercial shopping area. Jada guessed the mall was months away from opening. Most of the stores they had passed were empty shells with bare concrete for floors and walls, and the few shops that did have shelves and their signage up were devoid of merchandise. And they often saw staircases that were roughly poured in concrete but still unfinished.

In the final part of their journey, they took a stairwell two levels below ground to what looked like a very long and poorly lit maintenance tunnel. In the far distance they could see a much brighter light. As they walked the tunnel, Jada began to feel uneasy and debated whether to voice her concerns to Emily. She finally decided to wait until they reached the far light. She coughed and realized her throat felt very dry, and she mentioned the fact to Emily.

“Yeah? Mine too. I just noticed it. I could really use something to drink.”

At last they came to their first indication of hospitality, several tables with lights and a large selection of refreshments. Their trail ended in a small room with the tables to the right of a single elevator. The room was at the top of a T intersection, with new corridors running left and right into the distance. There was also a steel door to the left of the elevator which Jada assumed was a stairwell. The underground room felt very drab, with damp air and an almost freezing temperature. All the walls and floor and ceiling were made of simple concrete.

On the lit tables were plastic cups and all sorts of cold sodas and hot drinks in electric urns. There was also a large sign that read, “Have a drink, choose an access code, enter a party before expiration. Kappa Alpha.” Jada noticed a large trash can nearby nearly overflowing with used cups.

Emily smiled happily and gloated as she grabbed a new cup and poured herself a large drink from one of the urns. “Oh yee of little faith. Hot chocolate too, my favorite!”

Jada raised her eyebrows. “I admit it. I’m shocked we’ve gotten this far. But I still don’t hear any music. This place is as quiet as a tomb.”

“So what? We’re below ground now. The party must be upstairs. Hey! This hot chocolate is delicious! Try some.”

Jada shook her head in disbelief as she looked back at the bare tunnel. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being vulnerable. She walked to the left of the elevator and tried the door. It was unlocked and did indeed lead to stairs heading up, but the stairwell was completely dark and silent. Jada shivered in the damp air and let the door close by itself. “Emily, it’s creepy down here.”

“Well, we’ll be leaving soon. Hang on.” Emily looked at a clock embedded in the frame surrounding the elevator. It had a double digital readout, and the first white number was 17:08:02 and counting upward, the green number beneath it was 00:14:07 and counting downward. There was also a small notice below the clocks stating that the maximum capacity of the elevator was eighteen people.

Emily glanced at her watch and thought the time was accurate. It had taken them a half hour to walk here from the parking lot. It was over two kilometers of walking, but they appeared to have made their goal with a little time to spare. She smiled happily and poured a second hot chocolate and handed it to Jada.