After working a double closing shift on Christmas Eve, Janet cuts through the center of the Shady Corners Mall after it closes. As one of the last to leave, she is forced to walk through the darkened center of the mall, which is all but abandoned as this will most likely be the shops’ final season. Terrified of drowning after being left on a reef by a dive boat, she chose the inland mall in an attempt to rebuild her shattered life. But that is before the abandoned mall fountain begins silently filling with dark water, and before the gurgling screams of the short order cook echo in the darkness. Forced to confront the terrifying fact that the mall is silently flooding with pitch-black water, repelled only by light, Janet must overcome her fears and debilitating memories of her ordeal in order to survive. She gradually comes to realize, though, that she never left the reef—the dark water, the mall, and everything else are her addled mind, still left on the reef, and doomed even if she is able to escape.

  • Like what you see? Purchase a print or ebook version!