I live not too far from a strip mall. It’s got some pretty old stores, and most of them are either closing or are on their final breaths. Recently, a little café went out of business and a sporting store is going to take its place. To me, that’s great, as I am a big golfer and play pickup basketball with some friends from time to time.
When it had its grand opening, I didn’t hesitate to head down there and have a look for myself. When I got there, I noticed there was barely any cars in the parking lot. This surprised me, as I figured there would be a line of customers outside of the new store, since the town I live in is known for their athletes and sports teams. Whatever, I brushed it off and went inside.
The second I stepped inside, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It had an off vibe to it that I couldn’t exactly describe. Maybe it was the fact that there were no workers in sight, or that it was very dark inside, to the point where the only thing lighting my pathway was the doors of the entrance.
I made my way in the best that I could, and came across what looked like the golf section. I picked up a wedge and studied it, but what threw me off was the manufacturer of the wedge- it was one I had never heard of, called “Metallic Swings”.
Before I could even put it down, I was startled by the “Hey!” that erupted from behind me, followed by the grip of someone’s hand right onto my shoulder. Out of fear, I whipped around, and found myself face-to-face with an “employee”.
This was no ordinary employee. His eyebrows were bent in a way that I don’t think was humanly possible. The man was very thin and wire-y, yet had such a tight grip on my shoulder that it went numb very quickly. The look in his eyes were cold and unsettling, as if he were staring into my past and collecting everything he could find about me.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Did you not read the sign when you walked in? DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING!”
“Sorry, I didn’t see a sign. It was really dark, and I couldn’t see much,”.
He then proceeded to yank the wedge from my hand and walk away with it, staring at me with his head turned in such a way that caused goosebumps to pop up on my arms like a game of wack-a-mole. When I couldn’t see him anymore, I made my way towards the basketball gear.
Passing by the other sports gear and equipment, I noticed that they were all from unfamiliar and unheard of manufacturers and companies . For example, I passed by the hockey section, and glanced at the sticks. Normally, you would find manufacturers such as Bauer and CCM, right? No, these were nowhere to be found. Instead you found manufacturers called “Rubber Driver” and “Powerhouse”.
When I finally made my way to the basketball section, the basketballs were nothing like I had ever seen. They looked like they were made of leather or some sort of skin, that had been dyed orange. I was really creeped out by that point.
I refrained from touching it, in case that owl-like employee decided to scare me again. The more and more I looked, the more and more I regretted coming here. The hoops were not made of metal, but of ivory or stone. Ping-Pong balls looked like human eyeballs. Halloween wasn’t for a few more months. My stomach started doing somersaults, so I made my way to the entrance. Before I could get my foot out the door, a woman’s voice followed behind me, which caused me to turn around.
“Did you find everything you needed?” she asked.
I examined her quickly. She was medium height, blonde with her hair in a ponytail. She, like the other worker, didn’t look normal. She had her eyes wide open, staring at me, in a way that it made it easy to see her bright blue eyes. Her smile was the most unsettling. It quite literally stretched from ear to ear, revealing her teeth that had fangs for molars. She had fangs all over.
“Oh, uh yeah, thanks for asking,” I replied nervously.
A moment of silence and staring passed.
“I know you figured out our little secret,” she said.
“Huh? I’m not sure what you’re talking about. It’s a nice store haha.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t let you leave now,” she said, her voice now distorted.
I made a dash for the door, hoping my weight and height would shatter the glass, but it didn’t. Now, there were 4 other workers surrounding this blonde worker. I tried to run, but was quickly tackled and piled onto.
When I awoke, I wasn’t in the sports section anymore. I was in what looked like a slaughter house, only there wasn’t any animals, the victims were people. I wanted to scream. I couldn’t. My mouth was taped shut, my arms and legs were tied to a chair.
Then it clicked. The basketballs? Human skin dyed orange. The hoops? Human bones. I wanted to vomit. This store used people to make products. Shortly after, the blonde worker appeared.
“You’re awake now? Good! It’s time.”
She began to untie me, so I tried to make a break for it. It was very dark, so I did my best to lurk in it and hide behind a big, metal machine.
I’m writing this as a warning. DO NOT GO TO “Raw Sporting Gear” IN TENNESSEE. I can hear them now, so please take this seriously.
STAY AW