They Got the Message
I was at the mall with my friends, all of us around 12 years old. It was 8 pm, and my mom was on her way to pick me up. We were all chilling together until each of our parents got here to get us.
As we’re standing by a store near one of the side entrances, a man comes up to us. He’s about 30-ish, wearing huge glasses, and carrying a clipboard.
The man says, “Hey guys, do you want to watch some movie trailers and answer surveys about them? I’ll pay you each five dollars per trailer.” Naturally, my friends are all for it.
The thing is, my heart dropped as soon as I heard him speak. As they’re all saying yes, the man nods and then points to the side entrance.
It’s pitch black outside, and that entrance leads to the back parking lot of the mall, which is always deserted.
Then, he says: “We can do it over there.” My friends start to follow the man as he walks toward the glass doors, and I’m trailing behind them.
Then, as we get close enough for me to kind of see what’s outside, I notice a van parked right outside the entrance. The headlights are on, the car is running. The back doors seem to be open.
Every part of my being screams “NO! DON’T GO!” I stop in my tracks, and loudly say, “Guys, my mom is here to pick us all up, I don’t think we have time for it.”
The man freezes and keeps his eyes trained on the doors, and I can see his jaw clenching tightly. My friends look at me with confusion, and I try to give them the most terrified expression of warning that I can.
Thankfully they get the message, and say bye to the guy. The man refused to turn to look at us, and simply began to walk outside of the mall. As we’re walking away, I turn and look behind me one last time.
The van, and the man, were gone.