The Starlight Market Mall was a bustling shopping centre that never seemed to sleep. The mall was a major success, from the many major outlets drawing in customers to the subtle attractions like ice cream and Go-Kart racing. It had been there since the late '80s, earning several titles since its opening, including but not limited to "Canada's Dream Mall" and "Canada's Tallest Indoor Fountain." Among the outlets are regular name brands that anybody can recognize. On the second floor, the Gap sits over the central promenade, with Toys 'R Us and Hudson's Bay Co. flanking on either side. At the far end on the lower floor is the Starlight Central food court, home to many fast-food restaurants and crowded bathrooms. Around the corner from that is the Go-Kart track, which was considered the loudest spot in the mall as it ran in a sub-level area below the main floor and featured several openings to peer down and watch the races. Aside from other stores and shops, there was not much else. The era of malls was fading out, and taking the life out of the mall piece by piece.
Chloe Hart knew things were changing and that she ought to get in on the action of seeing everything there was to see in the mall. She was now 23, in college, and had seen the mall from floor to ceiling by that point. Her trips to the centre had always had purpose rather than using spare time. Her doctor had an office in an offshoot of the mall, and her friends often met for regular coffee at Starbucks. Nothing really caught her attention, and when she needed clothes or domestic products, she always looked online first to confirm they had it before going.
But something had changed. It was a Wednesday morning in December, chilly and snowing. Chloe had started the day with a home-brewed coffee and browsing local media. In an article about the Starlight Market Mall's slow decline, a comment caught her eye. It was an anonymous user who claimed that people should explore the mall more before stores start to disappear, as many were one-chance experiences. Curious, Chloe scrolled through the attached list of store names. At the bottom was a link to a PDF with several more; it was something she rarely clicked on considering it was from an anonymous person, but she was already going through the names. She opened it, at first greeted with a black screen before the document loaded. Seeing names mentioned before among new ones, Chloe's curiosity only grew. There were MANY more stores she had not seen in the mall. There were at least ten that did not show on the mall's registry like they never existed.
One jumped out. It was a clothing store, "Cursed Clothing Limited". Chloe had never heard of the store and was certainly confused by the name it had. She thought of it in the same sense as Hot Topic or Spencer's, a grungy storefront with mood lighting and lots of chains. Clicking on the link brought up a description: "A store devoted to customized cursed clothing, but also clothing catering to today's standards and trends. P.S., we are NOT like Hot Topic. Sort of. Come see what I mean, then you'll see the difference."
That last commentary gave her a chuckle, as she was obviously not the first to make the comparison. Her interest was piqued despite her reservations about window shopping. Gathering her belongings and purse in tow, Chloe made her way to the car. In twenty minutes, she was parked and heading for the doors. There were instructions on finding the store attached to the linked file, which she had on her phone for reference.
It took only ten minutes to locate the section the store was in. The scuttling feet in the mall's core were distant, and only a few people had gone by her, security nowhere in sight. It was dim and unkept, and there were more walls than windows in the heart of the mall. Following around two corners, she came upon the sight that was "Cursed Clothing Limited." The storefront was tiny in comparison to the other stores. The windows were made with fogged glass, and there was very little light creeping out into the area outside. Chloe was certainly spooked like she had seen a ghost, but she knew looks could be deceiving. She knew not to judge a book by its cover, and this was one of those situations for certain. Approaching the door, she pushed it open. A gentle bell rang overhead to alert the occupants, but no other noise came from within.
The entry was strangely spacious like it was bigger on the inside than the outside. The lights were moody but almost added rather than subtracted from the feel of the place. The store, despite its absurd size, was crammed with shelving and mannequins, as well as a vast assortment of clothing. That was particularly the most interesting part. Chloe's eyes fell on an article of clothing that disturbed her. It was a pair of leggings, except there were three pant legs. Another to the right of it was similar but with four pant legs. Her gaze darted to a clothes rack filled with armless shirts, and beside that was an array of shoes, some of which were absurdly wide. The whole store was like this and seemed to be divided into sections, with a Men's, a Women's and a Specialty section around a circular kiosk. Several mirrors sat on the walls of the store, reflecting Chloe's image of sheer confusion.
"Wow. This is... wild. I feel like I stepped into a fashion magazine nightmare. What even is this stuff?" Brushing by an assortment of hoodies, she turned her attention to the center of the store. She went by the shelves toward the kiosk, currently unoccupied by anyone. Music quietly played from a speaker overhead. No other sound apart from the tunes and her shoes on the carpet could be heard, like the store was already dead. It couldn't be, as Chloe noted the fresh coffee sitting on the counter. It certainly felt like it regardless.
It was then she noted a bell on the counter, shiny and brass. It was unsettling that it was spotless, usually a sign of low traffic. She was possibly the first customer in a while for this shop. She looked about, considering her options. She was interested in the bell, as maybe someone could help her and introduce the wild monstrosity of a store to her. But she also felt like looking around without interruption may be a better experience.
There was another thing she noticed: a door near the back that was slightly ajar. A purple light pooled out from the opening, and almost seemed to be inviting Chloe to snoop around.
Chloe decided she should...