Derek, it has been some time since I heard from you.
I am curious, what might be your favorite ghost story to tell?
Oh hey!!! Nice to see you again ma'am!
Yeeesssh... Definitely the Lakeside Mall Incident.
That's my name for it anyway. Nobody ever believes me when I tell them this happened because it seems SO elaborate, or they say it was a prank but I cannot believe it was just some dumb prank.
Me and Grace were out at the mall pretty late, I still had some things to get but she had to go back home, cuz her parents have this real strict curfew.
And there wasn't really any people around, like there was a few cashiers who's stores hadn't closed yet and I think I saw Pete's brother?? (I don't remember his name, sorry!! I'm not really one of Pete's friends...) kinda across the mall at one point?
But yeah uh, Grace had left to get back home before her parents got worried, so I was alone when I came out of Subway, and I hear like, a shit ton of laughter in the distance that kinda sounds like Max and his friends,
So I ducked out into this employees only hallway just because getting caught out for trespassing is miles better than whatever the fuck Jägerman has up his sleeves. And you know how sounds get quieter the further you get from them??? Yeah I closed that door and would've expected it to get muffled but instead as SOON as I started walking after shutting that door it was RIGHT outside the door. And it didn't even sound like Max anymore, not like it was Jason or Kyle or someone else, it just sounded like some absolutely hysterical lunatic, like some JOKER shit
So of course I run FULL SPEED down this hallway because like, what if it's some insaneo dude who wants to rip my face off???
And I hear the door SLAM open behind me and what sounds like hooves or some shit running down the corridor behind me???
and I ran into this employees only bathroom, and locked myself in one of the stalls because I mean what else am I supposed to do???
And I just hear it start BANGING on the stall doors, the laughter is SO much louder than it was before, and the bathroom just starts absolutely stinking like something or someone was rotting in there.
And I kinda look at the shadow that's being cast on the floor and it genuinely looks like the fucking devil. I'm not even kidding, it looks like a massive goat standing on two legs or a goat with a person's torso or something.
And its laughter starts like, sounding more like it was screaming "DEREK! DEEEEREEEKK!" over and over and over again after a while, and it was SO loud, like METAL vocalist loud and I thought my eardrums were gonna straight up burst. And I was so confused on how NOBODY, not even the Subway cashier or Pete's bro had heard the laughter, or the screaming, and come in or like called the police or something.
But after like, I think it was only like 5 or 6 minutes?? (it felt like HOURS) it just stopped. Like completely. It didn't stop and then leave or anything. It just straight up vanished.
The shadow was still there on the floor after it stopped but as soon as I opened the stall the shadow and whatever was casting it were just completely gone?? And like, it had been SCRATCHING and BANGING on the door so loud it nearly broke the door in and yet there was no marks or anything on the door???
So I came out of the bathroom and I kinda snuck down the corridor to the emergency exit, and I went around to the front of the mall to see if there was anyone leaving that could've done it or anyone I could ask if they heard the screaming,
And I saw Pete's bro like JUST walking out, so he had been in the mall the WHOLE time this was happening, so I asked him If he had heard any screaming or laughing and he just spoke to me like I was some little kid making up stories and PUSHED PAST ME!!
It was genuinely one of the scariest experiences I've ever had in this town, and it wasn't even an actual ghost hunt either. I didn't even get a chance to get record proof!! That's part of why people don't believe me...