Where do I even begin?

This story consists of:

Cat

Lana, of course,

Eilee

and Stevie (female)

Eighth grade. The four of us were at the mall. At the time Cat was helping me with my path in Wicca (which I no longer follow), so she and I ended up hanging out for the most part. Stevie and Eilee mostly stayed in the food court.

So, we were wandering aimlessly, lost in conversation. Suddenly we were in Macy's. We were trying to find an elevator to go back upstairs because I have a severe fear of heights and can't take the escalator. We come across this long, blue fucking hallway.

This is where shit gets real.

For some fucking reason, we were terrified of this hallway. There was something about it that creeped us both to the core.

AND THEN GUESS WHAT

CARNIVAL MUSIC STARTS PLAYING OUT OF NOWHERE. FAINT FUCKING CARNIVAL MUSIC. 

The elevator is right there, though, through a doorway. Mind you, this isn't the first time I've seen this hallway, I've had to take the elevator a plethora of times within my life. You had to have been there to feel the heavy air, how depressing it was.

So what did we do?

We walked all the way to the end of the hallway, where a door sat to the left.

No, we couldn't just go to the elevator and get out of there, noooo we had to GO DEEPER INTO THE CREEPYYYY

So we're standing at this door. Standard, metal, push-to-open door.

SO I, FOR SOME REASON, THINK THIS IS A VERY GOOD TIME TO GO OUTSIIIIDEEEEE.

I push the door just slightly.

WERRWERRWERRWERRHONKHONKHONKBEEOOBEEOOBEEOOAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHHH

THE ALARRRRMMMM GOES OFF

IT WAS A MOTHERFUCKING FIRE EXIT

THERE WASN'T A SIGN THAT SAID SO

There was a split second that Cat and I shared. Time seemed to go in slow motion. Eye contact. We watched the look in each other's eyes when confusion turned into fear.

We fucking ran for it.

Through the doorway, into the elevator. All the while we were freaking out, I was going in circles apOLOGIZINg, Cat was rocking back and forth, we were making a LOT OF FUCKING NOISE, HAVING A MELTDOWN

The elevator doors opened.

Lines of mothers with their ULTRA STROLLERS were just STARING AT US AND I KNEW AT THAT MOMENT THAT THEY HEARD OUR SCREAMS OF PAIN AND FEARRRR

SO WE STOOD UP AND FUCKING BOLTED PAST THEM, BACK TO THE FOOD COURT JFCCC

Cat was still crying. By then, I was just like "omg I feeeelllll nothinggg"

shit man

That's how that went.

That hallway, we found out, was a staff hallway. The carnival music was playing from the room next to us. We have no idea why it was so scary then, but it changed my life in so many ways I cannot even begin rn

That hallway later became a hangout for us, but we stopped because they kept kicking us out of it.

Thinking back, I bet the security guards thought it was funniest shit and were just sitting there LAUGHING AT THEIR COMPUTER MONITORS PFFFFTTTT TWO TWEEN GIRLS JUST SCREAMING AND CRYING AND RUNNING OH MY GODDD

and that's how the legend goes pfft

Update: They painted the blue hallway white.