Page 16 of The Girl on Hallow's Eve

Two hours before…

“How could you do this?”

The unexpected voice rises over the cheers and excitement of the group of guests lined up at the door to the mall, causing some of the bubbly sound to quiet. George McCarthy tries to look in the direction of the shouting, but the intense light from the camera makes it so he can’t see past the man holding it.

“You can’t be here,” Zachary Milner, one of the field producers, says firmly, trying to stop the man from getting any closer to the rest of the crew or to the shoppers waiting to be let inside the event.

“Don’t you tell me where I can and can’t be,” the unknown voice snaps. “This isn’t your land. You are the ones who shouldn’t be here. None of you.”

“This land belongs to Calloway Group, the developers behind the mall,” Zachary explains in a calm voice.

“They should never have done it. They should never have bought this land. Do you have any idea what they’ve done? My brother came here and no one ever saw him again. He’s not the first. He won’t be the last.”

“You need to move along,” Zachary says. “I don’t want to have to involve the police.”

“Let’s keep going,” George says to the camera. “All this will have to be edited out before airing tonight. I wanted to get more footage of the people actually going inside, but we’re not going to be able to do that with this loon here. Let’s just go in and we’ll take it from there.”

“You’re going to regret this!” the man shouts as they start to move toward the door to go inside. “No one ever even looked for my brother. That’s the kind of people who are around here. You’ll see! You’ll see who they really are!”

Two guards come toward the man and grab onto his wrists. He resists, trying to get out of their grip, but they are too strong and pull him away, escorting him back to the car he burst out of.

“Get in and go home,” one of the guards commands him. “Don’t cause any more trouble for yourself. It’s not worth it.”

He does as he’s told. With the distraction over, the night can move forward.

The mall specifically opened only one of the double doors to allow the invited guests inside in order to control the flow and ensure each of the invitations is properly checked before the person is let in. This gives the added benefit of the news crew getting to move past all of them and into the building unhindered. Their credentials are still checked as they go past, but the process is far faster than if they had been forced to try to join the crowd and make their way in.

The inside of the building looks more like a disco than it does the food court of a mall. The lights are down, replaced by bright flashing red, green, and yellow like there would be on a dance floor. Blacklights around the edges of the floor glow on the white clothing of the guests and make neon decorations appear almost like they are moving. Two tables set up to either side of the main area have piles of glowsticks for the guests to take and carry or wear around their necks.

A large map has been set up at the end of the food court area to give guests an idea of what stores are open and where they are located. Not everything in the mall is ready and so some of the shops, along with the movie theater and the larger restaurant, are closed for the event. The destinations that are open are spread throughout the entire space, giving the guests the option of roaming both floors and allowing them to go into all the wings of the building, creating a crowd thin enough to seem like they are having a private shopping experience when they want to, and to join in with the dancing and celebrating in the food court and other common areas when they prefer that.

George McCarthy stands off to the side of the food court watching the people as they come in and disperse around the mall. Those who won the contest were allowed to bring along one guest, and it seems that in some instances, several friends of the same group won spots and were able to bring along the rest of their friends, creating clusters that move along together. But many of the shoppers enter only in pairs or even alone and head off to far corners of the mall in search of what awaits them.

The reporter tries to quell the frustration inside him at having to cover this kind of story. This isn’t why he got into journalism. He wanted to report on things that matter, that have an impact on the world. He craves the weather emergencies, the crime, the mysteries. He doesn’t put voice to it, but he is always waiting for tragedy. Those are the stories that stretch him, that make him work his hardest and show his skill. He pushes himself for those kinds of stories.

This is nothing but fluff. Not that everything always has to be horrific in order to be worthwhile. The occasional human-interest story that shows incredible triumph over adversity or something wonderful happening to somebody particularly deserving is inspirational and gives him humanity and credibility. But having to wander around a mall for hours while people run around shopping and dancing in a food court like it’s a new Brat Pack movie is infuriating.

He continues to walk around the food court and interview attendees until he sees one of the representatives of the development company standing off to the side watching as the night unfolds.

“Hello,” George starts, walking up to him with the production crew in tow. “I’m George McCarthy with Action News.”

“Cary Rainey,” the man says, holding out his hand. “I’m with the Calloway Group.”

The two men share a friendly laugh and George gestures out to the crowd milling through the food court.

“It looks like the event is a success so far. Can you tell me what went into the planning of this kind of party? I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it.”

“And that’s why we did it, George. When we selected the Sherwood area for this mall, we knew we were coming into a tight-knit community that was going to expect the best and not settle for the mediocre,” Rainey says. “So, we wanted to make it known from the very beginning that we aren’t going to disappoint anyone.”

“I like the sound of that,” George says. “So, this plan was in the works from the beginning.”

“Absolutely. As soon as we found out just how excited everybody was about the mall opening, we knew we needed to do something extra special to celebrate the opening. Having a party like this, like you said, isn’t something that is expected, and we love that about it. We want to be a destination where people are always finding something new and exciting to enjoy. Village Square shouldn’t just be about running errands or doing necessary shopping.

“We want our guests to think of us when they want a casual but delicious lunch or dinner that is going to appeal to the taste of everybody in the family, which anybody can tell you is not an easy feat. We want them to think of us when they want fun entertainment on a rainy Sunday, or if they’re looking for a special treat to commemorate an accomplishment or celebrate a birthday or whatever event they may have.

“A community mall isn’t just a place to buy clothes and household goods. It is a cultural center. This is where you can come together with friends and family. Where you can chat with new people, get a quick bite to eat, take in a movie, explore the newest fashion and trends, pamper yourself with a visit to the salon or barber, and just feel like you are right there in the midst of everything. That you aren’t alone, but a part of something big and meaningful. The Calloway Group has always had our finger on the pulse of what’s new and exciting, and we have brought it all right here to Village Square. We can’t wait for everyone to discover what we have to offer.”

“Thank you so much, Mr. Rainey. Those are inspiring words and I, for one, know we are all thrilled to welcome you and your vision into our community. I have a feeling this is going to be even more amazing than any of us think.” The men shake hands and George turns back to the camera. “Well, that’s it for right now. We’ll be checking back in later with live coverage during the regular news and taking over the time slot after to provide even more looks into the new Village Square Mall and its exciting start as we get ready for the grand opening next week. Until then, I’m George McCarthy.”

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