“Just wait because it keeps getting better!” Illyana cheered to her friends. Her and her three other female friends had just recently made it to the mall and were strolling around. As usual, the mall was buzzing with activity. The polished wooden floor and luminous signs appealed to their eyes, while the aroma of the food court pleased their noses. When they entered, they passed a billboard promoting a new show titled, “The Doctor’s Hope,” which sprang the conversation about it.

“I hope it does, I saw the first episode and I had no idea what was happening.” one of them, who happened to be blonde, responded.

“I think it’s cool, so many characters already died, it’s got me on the edge of my seat!” the brunette of the group exclaimed.

“See!” Illyana chimed, “eventually... everything will get explained!” she smiled and skipped along.

One of them questioned if they should go for clothes or food first. Illyana informed them she just ate not too long ago so they agreed on clothes. Luckily, one of their favorite stores was near the entrance. Illyana’s father didn’t feel like sticking around for “girls day,” so he told Illyana he’d be at the theatre. A couple of minutes later, and after Illyana had to borrow her dad’s keys because she forgot her purse in the car, the girls found themselves in Eternal 21. The girls frolicked around the store, inspecting different shirts and dresses, trying on new things, and complimenting each other.

One of the girls walked out of the dressing room posing as the girls wooed and cheered her on. “You think Evan will like this?” she asked them.

“Evan?” Illyana questioned, confused.

The blonde leaned in close to Illyana answering her, smirking, “It’s Genesis’s new crush.”

Illyana looked at Genesis who gazed at herself in the mirror, “You like another new guy Genesis? Weren’t you just on Keith last week?” she said.

Genesis flustered, “Okay, okay, I know how this looks, but this time it’s different.”

The brunette chimed in, “That’s what you said with Daniel.”

“And Jermaine.” the blonde counted.

“Okay! I get it!” Genesis griped, “Change the topic please!”

“You’re the one who brought it up,” the blonde said, shrugging her shoulders.

As the girls continued their gossiping, Illyana wandered off towards the front of the store, again. There was a particular black shirt with a purple design on it’s sleeve that caught her eye. Illyana walked closer to the shirt to examine it. It was a casual button-down, on the back was a very intricate design of a blue skull with purple flames. It immediately reminded her of Darnell since he normally wore these types of shirts. And his favorite color is purple, Illyana thought to herself. She considered buying it when she heard the shatter of glass echo in the mall corridor. Illyana jumped at the sound. There were some shrieks and gasps coming from outside the store. Illyana, filled with curiosity, decided to discover the source of the commotion. Illyana left her friends behind in the store and walked into the main corridor.

Outside, there were multiple people gathered around a food cart. They all just stared in shock at what Illyana could make out as a man twitching on the floor. Shattered glass was scattered all around his body. Illyana walked up to another bystander to ask, “What happened?”

The bystander responded, “I don’t know, I just heard the glass break and dude was laid out.” He gestured to the man on the floor.

Another woman who looked like she worked at the cart kneeled next to the still man. She had a worried look on her face as she frantically tried to shake him up, pleading for him to say, he was okay. But he didn’t react, he just laid there.

Illyana looked around at all the people standing around, spectating. None of them moved in to help. Illyana looked back at the man lying on the floor. Without a second thought, her legs carried her over to him. Illyana kneeled down across from the girl shaking the man. Illyana asked her, “Do you know what’s wrong?”

The girl, nearly sobbing, replied, “No, I don’t know, we were just talking- then he just flung himself at the glass!” she pointed at a broken glass barrier on the cart.

Illyana had no idea what to make of her story but it didn’t stop her from trying to help. She rolled the man over onto his back and put her ear to his chest. THUMP-THUMP. There was a strong heartbeat. And it was faint, but he was still breathing also. “Ok I think he’s just knocked out…” Illyana said to the girl.

Illyana really had no idea what she was doing. But... she couldn’t help herself but to offer aid to anyone she saw in need. Even if there was nothing she could do, Illyana always felt a mysterious force compel her to act. “It should be natural to help people,” she would always say when someone commented on it.

Which is why Illyana didn’t understand why she was the only one who rushed in to help. She looked around at the bystanders who surrounded the cart. Some looked concerned, some giggled, some shrugged and walked off. There were so many people, yet none were helping. Why? She asked in her head, as her eyes darted around at all of their faces. All of their twisted faces. Faces filled with fake sympathy. She felt a knot turning in her stomach the longer she focused on them. “Why is no one else helping?” she yelled out.

They all just stood there, unmoving. “Hello?” she yelled again. Suddenly, there was a shriek further down the corridor. Everyone turned to the direction the noise came from. Then there were multiple screams. Illyana stood up to get a better view. She could hear a stampede of footsteps. The chaos echoed through the corridor as it grew louder and louder. Another shriek. This time, it was right next to Illyana. So close she jumped up. The scream came from the girl next to her. Illyana looked down and shock filled her as she witnessed the man they were just trying to save was now attacking the girl. He growled at her as he clutched onto one of her arms and legs. She yelled for him to stop but he persisted. Illyana dropped down to help her. She used all of her might to shove the man away. No success. She tried again. This time, the man’s head spun towards her. His eyes were wild like a hyena. Before Illyana could even react, the man’s elbow swung into her cheek. Illyana immediately fell to the floor.

All she saw in that moment was red and white. Her hand instinctively rose to hold her cheek. Why? She thought to herself. What was once shock was now being replaced with fear. She’d never been hit before, and it was showing. She couldn’t think about anything but the swelling pain rising in the right side of her face. All of the noise in the mall just tuned out. She tried to direct her attention away, but she couldn’t.The pain overwhelmed her. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She would have continued to lie there, but another jolt of pain surprised her in her back. Illyana’s eyes shot open as her body was shoved over. Her vision was blurry but she could make out hordes of people running past. The screams and shouting around Illyana finally began to reach her. Illyana woke up from her trauma to find herself dead in the middle of a calamity of fighting and brawling. Everywhere around her, people were being tackled, beaten, bitten, tossed and twisted. Blood began to paint the once glossy wooden floors of the mall. The luminous signs were masked with red. Everywhere Illyana turned, there was more chaos. Her stomach twisted more than a corkscrew. Her mind blanked. She felt like she was stuck inside of a cage surrounded by starving sharks. She knew if someone attacked her she would be helpless. She couldn’t fight. She didn’t need another reminder. Her only saving grace was that she’d somehow avoided the attention of everyone around her.

But that grace ran out. As she sat on the floor lost and confused, her eyes met with a man who looked crazed out of his mind. Blood dripped from his mouth and knuckles. The two locked eyes with each other. Then he charged at her. The fog of Illyana’s mind made way for one thought: Run. Her feet kicked off the ground as she turned and began to run the other direction. Her heart was already pounding. She ignored all of the fighting and bloodshed occurring around her. She could just barely see the exit of the mall. The bright sunlight shone in from the outside like a gateway to Heaven. But she wasn’t fast. She didn’t accelerate very well and her form was sloppy. She could feel it too. Like doom creeping on her shoulders. She couldn’t outrun it. Not like this.

“No, not like that.”

Everything around Illyana felt like it had paused. She could hear Darnell’s voice. In a moment, her mind reran an old memory. Was this it’s way of saying she was about to die? She could see the memory too.

It was a couple months ago. Her and Darnell were hanging out at a basketball court. She swung on the pole with her hair flying in the air. “How do you run so fast?” she suddenly quizzed him.

Darnell turned to look at her, “I’m not fast.”

She squinted at him, “Don’t lie, yes you are.”

“I’m not fast. I’m fast-fast.” he smiled as he scored a goal.

“Oh my god,” she giggled, “Well, how do you run fast-fast?”

“Well Illyana, the secret to being fast-fast has been kept secure for traditions.”

“Really?”

“I can’t just give up that information to anyone.” he shrugged his shoulders as he picked the ball up.

“I’m not just anyone,” she pouted.

“You’re right, you’re someone who will get me Dippin Dots if I tell you.”

“I- I was already getting us Dippin Dots.”

He leaned in closer to her, “I wanna dip in your dot though-”

They both recoiled. Illyana’s eyes widened in shock and she shouted with a mix of confusion and amusement, “What!?”

“That didn’t come out right! I meant like- we share, since we gettin’ two different flavors y’know?”

“Oh really!?”

“Yes! On my life!” Darnell tucked the ball under his arm so he could place his left hand on his chest and held his right hand in the air.

“Ok that’s fine,” she flicked her hair, “I’ll allow you to partake in my… dots.”

They laughed.

“Ok, you wanna know?” Darnell inquired, setting the ball down.

“Yes please!”

“It’s all about form.” He posed in a mid-run stance.

“Oh!”

“Yep, when you’re running, you want to stay on the balls of your toes-”

“My what?” her eyebrows narrowed.

“Goodness girl,” Darnell lifted up one of his feet and pointed midway down the sole, “the round part of your foot where your toes bend up.”

Illyana looked down at her feet, tilting them up, “Oh that.”

“Yeah, when you’re running, don’t let your heels hit the ground.”

“Got it!”

“Up here though,” he gestured his hands around his torso, “your arms should be bent at ninety degree angles, and your hands,” he moved his arms back and forth in a seamless stride for her to see, “should sway tight to your side like this.”

“Oh! I run like that though.”

“I’ve seen how you run,” he shook his head, “you don’t run like that.”

“Ok fine! Let me try it that way.”

Darnell posed for her so she could try to figure out the form herself. Darnell had her imitate his arms as he moved them back and forth.

“When you run, it should be opposite hand and foot. So-” he lifted his left knee and brought his right hand forward, “Right hand, left foot.” Then alternated, “Then left hand, right foot.”

“Ohh okay…” Illyana continued to imitate him.

Darnell stopped and leaned against the pole. “Now try running just like how I taught you.” He said as he swiped his finger along the Out-Of-Bounds line of the court.

Illyana skipped to the corner of the court, then, to the best of her ability, tried to run down the line the way Darnell taught her. She ran from one corner, past Darnell, to the other end of the court. To her surprise, she actually felt faster than she ever did before. She turned around and jumped with joy, “I did it!” She cheered to Darnell.

“No, not like that.” he said with his arms crossed.

“What?” she whined.

“Your arms were out of sync with your legs, your heels touched the ground, and your breathing was... atrocious.”

“I did all that wrong?” Illyana wept, all of her joy drained from her body, “But I felt so fast.”

“That’s a testament to just how bad your form used to be.” he laughed.

“Oh…”

“It’s okay,” he walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder, “It just takes a bit of practice, once you get used to it, you’ll be a natural.”

“Really!” her sapphire-like eyes lit up again.

“Mhm, let’s just keep running it over and over.” he walked back to the pole, “And if you do really good, we can watch that movie you keep talking about.”

“Yay! Alright let’s do this!” she clapped her hands together and got ready to run again.

Illyana returned to the present. She felt brand new. She felt hope. She felt determined. Her arms fixed themselves. She raised her heels up to stay on her toes. And her breathing calmed down. Just like how Darnell taught her. She could feel it. That creeping doom swept off her shoulders by the wind gliding past her body. Everything started to pass by much faster. Her vision narrowed, she had one goal: the exit.

"I can make it!” Illyana shouted in her head. Before long, she didn’t have to force the form even more, it just came naturally, and she picked up more and more speed. The fighting, the signs, the doorways and every other conceivable image became a blur to Illyana as she sped past it all. She had no idea how close her pursuer was but looking back wouldn’t change anything. She would run as hard as she could no matter how safe she was. Gradually the exit became closer and closer. She ran even harder. Brawling and flashes of punching and tackling occurred next to her. She didn’t bat an eye.

In a matter of seconds, she reached the corner of the corridor. Without a breath wasted, she pivoted around it. Just ahead of her, the exit doors beckoned. The sight of the outside world encouraged her to keep going. Her lungs started to burn but she gritted through it. She ran even harder to the exit, leaving behind the sounds of violence behind her. She ran until finally, SLAM. Illyana shoved open one of the multiple doors and leaped into the fresh air. The sunlight engulfed her, congratulating her for making it this far.

But it wasn’t over. She still had a good distance to her dad’s car. She had to cross a small plaza then make it half across the parking lot. She didn’t stop running. Illyana could feel that once she stopped, she wouldn’t be able to start again.

Illyana continued across. She crossed the plaza just when she realized she needed to unlock the car. Then she remembered, she didn't return the keys to her dad. She quickly threw her hand in her front pocket for them. Her pace slowed down momentarily but she managed to free the keys. As she reached the key out ahead of her, she could hear a second pair of footsteps behind. They didn't seem close but they weren't far either. Everything had to be done seamlessly.

She hit the button twice to unlock all the car doors. Only eight cars away. The footsteps started to grow louder. Illyana couldn’t tell at first, but little by little, she was slowing down. Six cars now. The snarls drew nearer. Four cars. Illyana’s legs were burning, but she couldn’t give in. She couldn’t give up, not now after she made it this far. Only one more car. The man or… thing, was close enough for Illyana to feel his attempted swings at her. Illyana finally reached her dad’s car. This was the deciding moment in her flee. Everything led up to this. She pivoted down the walkway between the two cars, ran past the passenger and backseat doors and spun around to open the backseat door right as the man almost caught her. The man collided with the door and flew backwards. Illyana paused for a moment to witness her success. She was almost scot-free. She was so tired, so exhausted, she was only two steps from escaping. As the man fell to the ground, Illyana jumped into the car. She hardly had any energy to leap, but she preserved on pure fumes. As she climbed into the car, her foot just slipped. Her heart dropped with her foot as she looked down. As one foot fell, both fell. Soon her shins were scraping against the edge of the car. Illyana held on though. As soon as her feet hit the ground she pushed up again. This time she wouldn’t fail. This time things would end. Left foot in. Perfect. Now right foot-

Suddenly, Illyana was going backwards. A force tugged her right foot right back to the ground. She cried out and spun around to face the source. The same man who had been chasing her since she was sitting on the floor in the mall, now had his grimy hands wrapped around her ankle. She cried and kicked at him. But he didn’t falter. His mouth hung wide open and he let out an ear-piercing shriek that carried through the entire parking lot. Tears streamed down Illyana’s face. Her kicks were completely ineffective and she couldn’t pull away. The monster tugged her down even harder and she slid off the seat to the step.

“No!” she cried out hopelessly, “Please stop!”

Illyana covered her face. She’d done everything she could, but she fell just short.

“Go away!” she cried again.

Silence.

Illyana couldn’t make out anything from behind the darkness of the palms of her hands. She didn’t feel anything anymore. She peeked out from her hands. She was still sitting on the car step with legs reaching the pavement. But, there was no monster clutching her ankle. She looked all around her and there it was. A few paces away, the monster that had been attacking her was just… walking away.

“Wh-what?” Illyana muttered as she eyed the man.

Illyana looked down at her ankle, there were no marks, or bruises, or anything. This wasn’t a dream, and Illyana wouldn’t waste this chance. She climbed into the car, slammed the door, reached to the driver's seat and locked the car.

Now Illyana just sat there. Confused, frustrated, and most of all, exhausted. The adrenaline was finally wearing out, and her entire body became heavier. She couldn’t control her breathing and her heart was pounding. But at least she was safe. Illyana reminded herself she was finally safe as she laid down on the floor. She tried to rest her head but it collided with a frail object. She looked up and it was a half-empty cup of soda. It was Genesis’s. Illyana’s heart wouldn’t get a break. She remembered the faces of her friends that were trapped inside the mall. She remembered her father. She tried her best to be optimistic but she could only picture them sprawled on the floor in a pool of their own blood. A waterfall of uncontrollable tears broke free from her eyes. She sobbed as she laid there, knowing she was helpless. And alone.