The Mall Run

Kara wished she was dead. Walking through the automatic glass doors, she was instantly greeted by a barrage of cold air from the AC. Her nipples poked like thorns against her arm, her bare feet slapped across the floor, several uncomfortable reminders of her situation. Once she adjusted to the new temperature, she became very aware of where she was. The mall was a gigantic open space, four stories tall with stores in every corner, and absolutely bustling with people.

Following her first instinct, she ducked behind a trash can, only to hear a frightened whisper behind her as a couple walked off, staring in confusion at her. She tried to move to the other side, but she soon realized that there was no side of the can that would hide her. Her eyes darted around, and she thanked her lucky stars. There was a mattress store just a few feet away.

Covering herself once more, she made a mad dash for the store, shoving past a group of shocked shoppers who were exiting. Finding the closest display bed the store had, she dived onto it and hurriedly buried herself under the covers. The silken fabrics felt nice on her bare skin, and for the first time since waking up, she caught her breath. She checked her left hand, thankfully, she still had the cash.

After a few minutes of calming down, making herself comfortable in the sheets, Kara stood up, wrapping the bedspread around her as a makeshift dress. It wasn't ideal, she had to hold it closed by her side, and it trailed along on the floor, but it would at least offer her some cover. Putting her confident face on, Kara marched out of the store.

Checking the directory, the nearest clothing store was on the third floor, and so Kara made her way to the escalator. She was thankful her haphazard clothing hadn't drawn to much attention, nobody so much as batted an eye. She let herself relax on the way up from the second to third floor. As a space cleared ahead of her on the escalator, she attempted to move up a step, but couldn't. Looking down, she realized to her horror that the bedspread had caught in between the steps.

Kara gulped. She tried tugging on it, to no avail. Once she reached the top, the escalator would either stop entirely, or take her cover with her, leaving her exposed once more. Both drew way more attention than she wanted. As she neared the top in dread, she noticed a photo booth just a few feet away from her stop. Maybe, if she was quick enough, she could take cover there. She took a deep breath, trying to make her decision as the escalator got closer and closer to taking her makeshift dress.