Mall Crawl ‘86: A Dungeon Crawler Lit RPG

  Chapter 1: Flickers & Fury

  The fluorescent overhead lights of the Arcadia Mall’s maintenance tunnels buzzed and popped, flickering as if protesting their own continued existence. The stale air reeked of industrial cleaner, grease, and something sour—maybe old food left too long in the trash.

  Alyce leaned against the cool concrete wall, adjusting the collar of her worn leather jacket. Her shift at the Arcadia Arcade prize counter had been long, and her headache pulsed in time with the flickering lights. She pulled a cigarette from her jacket pocket and lit it, exhaling a slow stream of smoke into the dimly lit tunnel. The click-clack of high heels on concrete echoed from down the corridor, followed by the jangling of plastic bracelets.

  “You’re late,” Alyce muttered, not looking up as Tabs scurried into view, her plastic neon bracelets jingling like wind chimes in a tornado.

  “Mom’s stupid station wagon died in the Taco Bell drive-thru,” Tabs grumbled, adjusting her hot pink heels. “I had to walk three blocks in these death traps.”

  Alyce smirked, flicking ash onto the concrete. “Dunno why you don’t just take lunch in the food court like a normal person. Or, you know, pocket an energy bar from GNC.”

  Tabs gasped in mock horror. “Not all of us moonlight as delinquents.” She gave Alyce’s jacket a pointed look. “New pin?”

  Alyce glanced down at the Return of the Jedi button pinned near her collar. A sly grin crossed her face. “Yeah, and it definitely did NOT come from the prize counter.”

  Tabs rolled her eyes at Alyce’s brashness. She was so totally going to get busted someday pocketing trinkets from the arcade.

  “Chewbacca deserves better than to be stuck to some snot-nosed kid’s backpack for all eternity.”

  Tabs grinned. “You’re such a softie.”

  Alyce rolled her eyes but smiled. Tabs checked her watch and groaned. “Crap, I need to get my ass back to work. Deb’s gonna kill me.”

  She hugged Alyce briefly—Alyce naturally pretended to resist, groaning like a 12-year-old getting a kiss from Grandma—then hurried down the tunnel toward the boutique. Alyce watched her go, waiting until the jingling bracelets faded before sighing and shoving her hands into her jacket pockets.

  Alyce headed left the maintenance tunnel and reentered the mall proper. It seemed…different. The muffled hum of shoppers and food court chatter still buzzed in the background, but something about it felt off-kilter, like a song playing half a beat too slow.

  Then the PA system crackled. At first, it was just static. Then—

  "… Attention… shoppers…"

  The words were stretched, distorted, like an old cassette tape warping in the heat.

  "…Please… be advised…"

  Alyce frowned. The voice wasn’t the usual automated mall announcement—it was too mechanical, synthesized. Too staticky.

  "…Reality restructuring… in progress… standby for… reassignment…"

  A cold shiver ran down her spine. What in God’s name was that? The PA cut out. The background noise of the mall returned, normal again—but now it felt wrong. Like it was trying too hard to be normal. Alyce glanced around. No one else seemed to have noticed. Maybe she was just imagining things.

  Mall Security Manager Jack Tenebris stood at the sales counter, arms crossed, doing his best not to sigh for the tenth time in five minutes. The store manager, a wiry man with nervous eyes and an unfortunate mustache, was flustered and talking too fast.

  “It was right there—right there! On the tray! One second, I was showing the guy a gold chain, and the next—poof! Gone!”

  Jack kept his expression neutral. “Poof?”

  The manager waved his hands in frustration. “Snatched. Swiped. Whatever you wanna call it! I barely blinked, and the guy was already halfway to the exit.”

  Jack turned his gaze to the mall entrance just beyond the store’s open doors. No sign of the thief—not that he expected one. The suspect was long gone. Even if he got some of his guys down to the mall exit in the next minute or two, it’d surely be too late. If only Sigmund would answer his damn radio.

  Jack reached for his radio again, pressing the button. “Sigmund, you copy? Where the hell are you?”

  Static.

  Jack bit down on his frustration. The kid was probably goofing off somewhere instead of patrolling. If he had to track Sigmund down one more time…Movement in his peripheral.

  Alyce.

  Jack’s irritation dipped just slightly. His daughter was cutting through the main walkway, heading for the exit. She hadn’t seen him—or she was pretending not to. Too bad.

  Alyce quickened her pace as she passed the scene. Her dad was over near the jewelry store knee-deep in some sort of security garbage. She did NOT want to get stuck running one of his stupid errands tonight. She just wanted to go home and watch Friday Night Videos. She was almost in the clear when she heard him call out.

  “Alyce.”

  Dammit

  Her stomach sank before she even turned around. Here it comes. Some sort of unpaid assignment. “What?” she bellowed, expressing a level of annoyance that only a teenager can manage.

  Jack ignored her tone. “I need a favor.”

  Alyce folded her arms. “Dad, please. I’ve been here all day. I wanna go home.”

  Jack arched a brow. “This is an easy one. You’re passing the security office on your way out, right?”

  “Not really. It’s upstairs and the exit is downstairs.”

  “Close enough. Stop by and see if Sigmund is in there. He’s not answering his radio, and I need him to actually do his job for once.”

  Alyce hesitated, clearly debating whether this was worth her time. Jack didn’t blame her. She and Sigmund barely interacted, and the kid was just some random mall security guard to her. But it was a quick errand, and she didn’t seem like she had anywhere important to be.

  “Fine,” she huffed. “But I get to go hang out with Tabs’ this weekend.”

  Jack smirked. “Appreciate it.”

  She turned and walked off, leaving Jack to deal with the manager’s next round of frantic retelling.

  As she passed the Footlocker storefront, its sign caught her eye. It buzzed noisily, the red block letters flickering between two sets of text.

  FOOT LOCKER - IRONCLAD ARMORY - FOOT LOCKER - IRONCLAD ARMORY -

  Then—it landed on IRONCLAD ARMORY and did not change back.

  The overhead speakers sputtered again. This time, the synthesized voice came through louder.

  "… Attention shoppers… thank you for your patience… Your new assignments are… currently being processed…"

  Alyce stiffened.

  "… Error. Error. Error. Adjusting…"

  The lights flickered violently. A security camera nearby whirred and turned toward her on its own. Then—

  "… Welcome… to Dungeon Level One."

  The PA cut out. The floor beneath her feet felt different now.

  Alyce took a step back, pulse racing. She wasn’t imagining this.

  Alyce reached the second-floor security office and twisted the handle. Unlocked. That was weird. Jack had explicitly told her this place was supposed to be locked. She stepped inside, expecting an empty office—and instead, found Sigmund Feldman, feet propped up on the desk, lazily munching on a Twinkie.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  Sigmund didn’t even look up. He just held up a finger, signaling her to wait, as he tapped something on the keyboard.

  Alyce narrowed her eyes. “Sigmund.”

  He sighed heavily, finally looking at her. “Oh, hey. Didn’t see you there.”

  She folded her arms. “Right. You ‘didn’t see me’—except for the part where you unlocked the damn door and let me in, jackass.”

  “Okay, fine. Didn’t care that you were there.” He gestured vaguely at the old CRT monitor, which displayed a jumbled mess of code and a system diagnostics screen. “Bit busy here, doing important security work.”

  Alyce arched an eyebrow. “Yeah? Because it looks like you’re just screwing around on the computer.”

  Sigmund took another bite of his Twinkie, not bothering to argue.

  Alyce exhaled sharply and glanced around the office. It was exactly what you would expect—old equipment, filing cabinets, a dingy smell that was probably thirty years’ worth of bad cologne and coffee spills.

  “My dad sent me to see why you’re not answering your radio. He’s got some kinda situation at Zales”

  Sigmund immediately dropped his feet off the desk and sprang forward in his chair. He fumbled for his radio that was sitting on the desk near the monitor.

  “Shit……shit shit shit shit shit.” He twisted the power knob and it sprang to life, squawking out static and background chatter.

  “Uh, Sigmund to Jack,” he stammered into the radio. “You there Jack?”

  “Sigmund, where the hell have you been?”

  “Uhm, sorry Jack. I must’ve forgotten to turn my radio back on after lunch.

  “You and me are gonna have a little talk after the mall close tonight Sigmund. For now, get your ass over to the east exit and patrol there until I tell you different. No wandering off.”

  “Roger that. Sorry Jack.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Sigmund set the radio down on the desk and slumped down in the chair. “Fuck. He’s pissed.”

  “You really suck at your job, you know that?” Alyce folded her arms across her chest and assumed a disapproving, almost “disappointed-mother” look.

  “Well, it’s a sucky job,” Sigmund countered. “So, like, whatever.”

  “What are you even doing?” she asked.

  He didn’t look up. “What I always do. Poking around, seeing what kind of stupid vulnerabilities this mall has.”

  Alyce squinted at the screen. She didn’t know much about computers, but she recognized a command console when she saw one.

  “This isn’t just you poking around, is it?”

  Sigmund finally looked at her, his usual smirk faltering just a little. That was interesting.

  “Look,” he said, lowering his voice slightly. “I was exploring and just running some routine diagnostics and, uh… something’s weird.”

  Alyce’s stomach tightened. “Weird how?”

  Sigmund hesitated. Then, he gestured to the screen. “Weird as in fucked-up-weird.”

  The command console was open, lines of code scrolling faster than she could read. But there was one thing she could see clearly—a live feed of the mall’s second-floor hallway. Or… what should have been the second-floor hallway.

  Instead, the image was glitching. Not just static interference, not just bad signal noise—it looked like the walls themselves were flickering, as if the mall couldn’t decide what shape it wanted to be.

  Alyce took a slow step closer, watching as the footage warped and reset in loops.

  “That’s the hallway right outside this office,” she said.

  Sigmund nodded.

  Alyce’s pulse kicked up. “What the hell are we looking at?”

  Sigmund clicked a few keys, adjusting the display. The flickering wasn’t constant. The camera had caught something changing—just for a few seconds—before the hallway went back to normal.

  Alyce felt a cold shiver creep up her spine. “How long has it been doing that?”

  Sigmund exhaled. “Started about ten minutes ago. But the weird part? The file isn’t this. It’s only visible in the live feed.” Sigmund rewound the tape and hit play. Sure enough, the strange anomalies were not present in the recorded video. It looked completely normal, no glitches or warping of any kind. Sigmund switched back to the live feed and the strangeness instantly returned.

  Alyce looked at him. “And you decided not to mention this to anyone because…?”

  He shrugged. “Because I wanted to figure it out first.”

  Alyce shook her head, trying to shake off the creeping unease. “Alright, well this is some next-level weird-ass shit, and I’ve had a long day so…. toodles.” Alyce turned halfway towards the door when the glitching monitor got even weirder.

  Alyce turned her attention back to the screen. The unlikely pair stared in rapt fascination at the monitor. Then—the screen flickered again. The hallway. For a brief, impossible moment, the camera feed didn’t show the mall at all.

  It showed stone walls. Wooden beams. An old, medieval-style lantern hanging from the ceiling. The walls in the feed didn’t just flicker like a bad signal—they shifted, as if reality itself had momentarily lost track of what it was supposed to be. Then—it snapped back to normal.

  Alyce’s breath caught. “Tell me you saw that.”

  Sigmund swallowed hard. “Oh yeah. I saw it.”

  They stared at the screen in silence, watching the perfectly normal, empty hallway outside the security office. As if nothing had ever happened.

  Shaking her head, Alyce yanked open the security office door and stepped out into the second-floor hallway. The air felt colder. She hesitated. Glanced up. The security camera mounted above the door stared blankly ahead, its tiny red recording light flickering like a dying firefly.

  Alyce’s boots clicked against the polished tile as she moved quickly toward the exit, her pace just shy of a jog. She could feel it now—that prickling sensation at the back of her neck, like static in the air before a storm. Then the lights flickered. Once. Twice.

  They buzzed faintly, holding steady for a moment, as if whatever caused the disturbance had passed. The crowd near the doors paused, a wave of unease rippling through the gathering.

  Alyce slowed, her brow furrowing as her eyes darted upward. The fluorescents hummed overhead, unnervingly bright against the high ceiling.

  Five seconds passed.

  Then, without warning, the lights fluttered to life again—erratic and chaotic. The mall was bathed in a flickering strobe effect, the fluorescents blinking in a randomized, almost frantic pattern.

  Bright.

  Dim.

  Bright.

  Dark.

  Each pulse sent long, disjointed shadows skittering across the floor, making it impossible to tell what was real and what was just a trick of the light.

  “Whoa, what the hell—” someone near the exit muttered, their voice barely audible over the electric buzz.

  Alyce’s heart pounded as her eyes adjusted to the unnatural rhythm. It wasn’t just a flicker. This was deliberate—like a machine trying to decide whether to stay on or shut down completely.

  The strobe lasted longer than it should have.

  Ten seconds.

  Fifteen.

  Bright.

  Dim.

  Bright.

  Dark.

  Alyce’s instincts screamed that something was very, very wrong. Then, just as abruptly as it had started, the lights steadied. The fluorescents buzzed back to life, casting a cold, sterile glow over the mall. But the tension in the air had already thickened.

  “Did… did anyone else see that?” a woman whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

  Alyce wasn’t the only one watching the lights now. People glanced around uneasily, their conversations quieting as the tension settled in. The lights had steadied, but the unease lingered.

  The first metal security gate rattled down with a hollow thud as one of the store managers acted instinctively.

  Alyce’s gaze swept across the mall. People weren’t moving as quickly toward the exits now. Some had stopped entirely, standing frozen with a quiet uncertainty that spread through the crowd like a ripple. The faint murmurs of hushed conversations echoed off the polished tile floors.

  Near the food court, a store manager from RadioShack stood at the edge of the entrance, his hand hovering near the lever that controlled the security gate. His eyes flicked toward the exit, then back at the crowd. He hesitated.

  Another flicker of uncertainty passed through the crowd. Then, with a reluctant clatter, the RadioShack gate rattled down, the sound echoing like a warning shot through the otherwise quiet space.

  A domino effect followed.

  The Gap.

  Glamor Shots.

  Claire’s.

  One by one, more gates slid shut as nervous employees acted on instinct, their movements stiff and uncertain. Each clattering gate added to the growing sense of claustrophobia settling over the mall.

  But not all the stores followed suit. A few managers lingered, uncertain whether to close up or wait for clearer instructions. At Waldenbooks, a young clerk glanced nervously toward her manager, who stood frozen behind the register. The clerk’s hand hovered over the gate lever, her knuckles white.

  Alyce’s eyes narrowed, her instincts screaming louder now. Something was coming.

  And then—BANG!

  The sound was sudden, metallic, and absolute. It wasn’t the store gates. The mall’s exit gates slammed shut.

  Alyce’s head snapped toward the doors. The massive, industrial security gates that sealed the entrance and exit points had dropped like a guillotine, slamming down with a finality that echoed through the space.

  The crowd near the exits recoiled. A few people rushed toward the gates, pressing their hands against the metal as if sheer willpower could force them back open.

  “Wait, what the—”

  “Are they… locked?!”

  “Is this some kind of drill?”

  Panic ignited. Voices rose in volume, confusion giving way to fear as the reality of the situation sank in. Alyce could feel the shift in the air—the moment when unease gave way to something worse.

  “Hey!” A man near the entrance shouted, pounding on the metal with his fist. “Open this thing!”

  Others joined him, pushing and pulling at the gate, but the thick metal didn’t budge.

  “Why won’t it open?”

  “What’s happening?”

  “Somebody do something!”

  The panic spread quickly now, seeping into the crowd like a virus. Parents pulled their children close. Teenagers clustered together, eyes darting around for answers that weren’t coming.

  The exit gates were sealed.

  And no one was getting out.

  The panic rippling through the crowd was bad enough. But then came the noise. A low, mechanical whine echoed through the air, distant at first. It vibrated through the floor, crawling up Alyce’s spine like an itch she couldn’t scratch.

  The sound grew, building in intensity. The distant hum of the mall’s backup systems—a barely perceptible background noise that most people would never notice—now pushed into the foreground. It was a low, resonant groan that vibrated the very walls, growing louder by the second.

  Higher.

  Louder.

  Alyce winced, her hands instinctively moving toward her ears. But it wasn’t just her—people all around her were reacting the same way, grimacing and covering their ears as the sound became unbearable. The generators were pushing far beyond their limits.

  The pitch climbed to an almost inhuman frequency, vibrating the floor beneath her feet.

  Whine.

  Shriek.

  Wail.

  The sound escalated to a fever pitch, a deafening, mechanical scream that filled every corner of the mall. The air felt thick—like it was vibrating along with the sound itself.

  And then—

  BOOM.

  A deafening detonation tore through the mall, like a thousand cars backfiring at once. The noise hit Alyce like a physical force, rattling her chest and leaving her ears ringing.

  The lights died. Everything—every single thing—went dark.

  Total silence followed.

  Alyce’s ears still rang from the deafening boom of the generators shutting down, but the sudden absence of sound was worse.

  Alyce uncovered her ears and tentatively opened her eyes.

  The mall was gone.

  Her breath caught in her throat as she blinked, her vision struggling to adjust. But when the darkness lifted, she was no longer surrounded by tile floors and storefronts. The air was different—crisp and cold, the scent laced with a mix of pine and a metallic tinge that burned the back of her throat.

  Mountains.

  Jagged, towering peaks rose around her, stretching into a sky that was unnervingly dark. The ground beneath her feet was damp and uneven, the scent of wet moss and decaying foliage assaulting her senses. Wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it a scent that made her stomach churn.

  Rot.

  Alyce’s instincts screamed at her to move, but her body froze, paralyzed by the primal wrongness of this place.

  Then she heard it.

  A low scraping noise echoed through the stillness. Alyce’s heart pounded in her ears as her eyes scanned the darkness ahead. The sound grew louder—closer.

  Shuffle.

  Drag.

  Shuffle.

  And then she saw it. A figure emerged from the shadows, its silhouette jagged and unnatural. Humanoid, but wrong. Its skin was mottled and gray, stretched too tight over its emaciated frame. Long, greasy strands of black hair hung in clumps, matted and slick. Its arms were too long, grotesquely disproportionate to its thin body, and its knuckles dragged along the ground as it walked with a hunched, animalistic gait.

  But it was the eyes that made Alyce’s blood run cold—large, milky-white orbs that reflected no light, set too wide in its gaunt face.

  And the teeth. Rows of crooked, yellow fangs jutted from a wide, hungry mouth. A foul stench rolled off the creature—rotting meat and death.

  Alyce’s breath caught in her throat.

  Run.

  Her body obeyed before her mind had fully caught up. She spun and bolted down the uneven terrain, her boots slipping on the damp ground.

  It followed. Fast. Faster than it should’ve been.

  Alyce’s heart pounded as her feet hit the ground in a frantic rhythm, but the thing was gaining on her. Its ragged breathing echoed behind her, too close.

  “Come on, come on—”

  Her foot caught. Alyce barely had time to register the shift in the ground before her momentum carried her forward. She tumbled down a steep, rocky incline, her body rolling uncontrollably as she hit jagged rocks and patches of wet moss.

  Down.

  Down.

  Down.

  She hit the bottom hard, the air knocked from her lungs as she crumpled into a heap.

  “Shit…” Her hands clawed at the ground as she tried to push herself up, her limbs screaming in protest.

  A shadow fell over her. Alyce’s head snapped up, her eyes widening as she saw the creature standing at the top of the hill. It crouched low, its grotesque form silhouetted against the eerie sky, preparing to leap.

  No time. Alyce’s hand moved on instinct—fingers curling around something cold and solid.

  A dagger. It was suddenly there, as if it had appeared from thin air. No time to think. The creature launched itself down the slope, a snarl echoing through the air. Alyce didn’t hesitate. She raised the dagger, her arms trembling as she braced herself.

  Impact.

  The creature’s weight slammed into her, driving her back down onto the damp earth. But the dagger was already there—plunged deep into its gut. Alyce felt the blade sink in, but the creature didn’t stop. Its claws tore at her jacket, slicing through the fabric as it thrashed wildly. The jagged edges of its nails raked across her skin, leaving behind a burning sting.

  Teeth clamped down. Alyce’s scream was muffled as the creature sank its teeth into her shoulder, applying crushing pressure that sent agony radiating through her body.

  Her vision blurred. Black spots danced in her peripheral vision. She was close to passing out.

  But her hand was still on the dagger. Alyce twisted the blade, her muscles screaming as she drove it deeper.

  The creature’s body jerked. It let out a guttural, wet snarl that vibrated against her skin… and then it stilled. Alyce shoved the creature’s limp form off her, gasping as she scrambled back, her body shaking.

  Silence.

  Her chest heaved as she lay there, panting, staring at the grotesque thing that had nearly killed her.

  “W-what… the hell… was that?”

  Darkness.

  The sounds of chaos echoed through the mall—shouts, footsteps, and the occasional clang of something metal hitting the ground. She was back; returned from…wherever the hell that was. She found herself standing in the midst of chaos, surrounded by panicked mallgoers, dashing this way and that, dropping purchases as they ran, stumbling over each other in the dark. Screams. Violence. Terror.

  But none of it registered for Alyce.

  Her breath came in ragged gasps as she stumbled forward, her legs barely holding her up. Her shoulder throbbed, the dull ache radiating outward with each movement. The torn edges of her jacket brushed against her skin, sticky with blood.

  Her fingers tightened around the dagger still clutched in her hand, its cool surface grounding her as she fought to stay upright.

  Dad.

  Alyce’s mind latched onto the thought, her pulse pounding louder in her ears.

  Find Dad.

  Her eyes darted through the dim emergency lighting, the glow barely enough to cut through the darkness that had settled over the mall. The faint red glow of the emergency lights cast long, twisted shadows that made everything feel more alien than familiar.

  “Dad…” Her voice was barely above a whisper, her throat dry and raw.

  Her mind raced. Where would he be?

  Security. It was instinct. If something went wrong in the mall, her father would go to the security office. It was his job.

  Alyce pushed forward, ignoring the ache in her limbs. The corridor stretched ahead of her, distorted by the dim lighting. Stores that had once been familiar felt alien in the gloom, their gates sealed tight, their interiors swallowed by darkness.

  “Please… be there.”

  Her heart pounded harder with each step. Her breathing was shallow, ragged. Every movement sent a jolt of pain through her shoulder, but she didn’t care.

  She needed to find him.

  As Alyce moved deeper into the mall, the sounds of chaos grew louder.

  Pounding on gates. Shouts echoing through the corridors. Somewhere in the distance, someone screamed—a raw, panicked sound that sent a chill down her spine. Her eyes darted toward the nearest sign. The corridor leading to the security office wasn’t far, but the oppressive darkness made it feel like it stretched forever.

  Alyce’s footsteps echoed too loudly, making her flinch with each step. She rounded a corner—And froze.

  Ahead of her, shadows moved. Not just one. Several.

  Figures shifted in the dim light, their outlines barely distinguishable against the darkened backdrop. Alyce’s pulse quickened as she took a cautious step back, her mind racing.

  People… or something else?

  The dim light caught something—the glint of metal. Her throat tightened. Weapons?

  Alyce’s instincts screamed at her to run, but her feet felt like they were rooted to the ground. She gripped the dagger tighter, her knuckles turning white as she strained to make out the shapes.

  “Dad?” Her voice cracked, barely above a whisper. No response. The figures shifted again, moving toward her. Her breathing quickened. Too close.

  “Dad?” Louder this time, her voice echoing off the cold tile.

  The figures kept advancing. Alyce took a step back. One. Two. A hand gripped her shoulder. Alyce’s heart stopped. The touch was firm but not aggressive—not like the creature from before. But the suddenness of it froze her in place, her body locked in sheer panic.

  “Easy,” a low voice whispered close to her ear.

  Alyce’s breath caught in her throat as she turned—

  “Alyce?”

  Her eyes adjusted to the dim emergency lighting, and her breath hitched. Dez. It took her a second to place him. Tall. Athletic. He wore a pair of faded jeans and his high school letter jacket, the bold emblem standing out even in the dim glow. But what caught her eye was the Terminator T-shirt peeking out from underneath—a sharp contrast to the clean-cut, varsity image he projected.

  Dez was jock material through and through—broad-shouldered and strong. She knew he was on the wrestling team, and he carried himself with that natural confidence that came with being good at what he did. But he wasn’t like the other jocks. He was wicked smart.

  Alyce remembered that from journalism class last semester. While other students barely scraped by, Dez thrived—always digging deeper, asking the right questions. He had a way with words, and she knew he could probably make a career out of journalism or politics if he wanted to.

  “Whoa,” Dez murmured, his eyes dropping to the torn fabric of her jacket and the blood staining her shoulder. “What happened to you?”

  Alyce’s lips parted, but before she could answer, another voice called out softly from nearby.

  “Is she okay?”

  Alyce’s gaze shifted. Standing just a few feet away was Elliott —his posture hesitant, almost uncertain. Quiet. Skinny. He wore a pink and green striped polo shirt with a popped collar that clashed horribly with his frayed jeans. He clutched a pencil and sketchpad close to his chest, but his expression was all concern. Messy dark hair fell into his eyes, which were partially hidden behind thick glasses.

  Elliott .

  Alyce blinked, her mind working to piece it together. Art. She was pretty sure they shared an art class—he was the quiet one, always sketching elaborate fantasy scenes in the margins of his notebook. She hadn’t talked to him much, but she remembered how good his drawings were.

  Dez… and Elliott .

  Her knees wobbled, and her vision blurred for a moment as exhaustion and pain hit her all at once.

  “Guys…” Her voice was barely above a whisper, her throat dry and raw.

  I know them.

  Relief flooded through her, mixing with the adrenaline and fear still coursing through her system. Her body sagged, and she stumbled forward. Dez caught her before she hit the ground.

  “Whoa, I got you,” he murmured, his grip steady but gentle as he eased her back onto her feet.

  Alyce’s vision swam as pain throbbed through her shoulder, but she managed to stay conscious. She felt relief wash over her. She wasn’t alone.

  Mall Crawl ‘86: A Dungeon Crawler Lit RPG

  Sub-Chapter 1A: Phase One

  > Stern Voice: “Lockdown protocol complete. Environmental parameters stabilized. We’ve spent 400 points securing all exit zones and maintaining crowd control boundaries.”

  > Excited Voice: “Oooh, that was slick. Did you see how fast the gates dropped? Classic panic trigger. I give it a 9 out of 10.”

  > Frustrated Voice: “Yeah, great, but we burned through 1,600 points already. The 400 we have left isn’t going to get us very far.”

  > Stern Voice: “Environmental stabilization is non-negotiable. Without perimeter control, the scenario collapses. And we’re almost to Phase Two when we’ll get a fresh point pool.”

  > Whiny Voice: “Okay, but what about the power drain? That took way more energy than expected.”

  > Stern Voice: “It was necessary. The pocket dimension test required a complete power diversion to avoid spending additional points. A temporary grid failure was the only viable solution.”

  > Excited Voice: “Right! And it worked! We pulled her in, tested her under stress, and sent her back without using a single point. Free trial run.!”

  > Frustrated Voice: “Yeah, but now they’re stumbling around in the dark in full-on panic mode. We still don’t have full system restoration.”

  > Stern Voice: “Acceptable variance. Emergency protocols are maintaining minimum stability. Power restoration can wait. The scenario remains intact.”

  > Excited Voice: “So what do we spend the last points on? Anything we throw at them will just up the panic more and the mall is a powder keg already. We’re going to start seeing losses if we don’t calm them down.”

  > Stern Voice: “Hold off for now. We still have a little time before we have to start Phase Two.”

  > Whiny Voice: “Ugh. We’re just… watching now? That’s so boring.”

  > Bored Voice (flat, uninterested): “…So, can we go get food now, or are we still doing this?”

  > Excited Voice: “Babe, I told you, this is gonna take all night. How about you order us a pizza?”

  > Bored Voice (sighs): “Fine. What does everybody want?”