The Holidays

Mikaela Reid knew she shouldn't have left her shopping until the last minute, with Christmas being just weeks away. But she was here now, so she may as well get a move on. At this very busy time of the year, she was actually rather lucky to secure a spot in the car park that was only a couple of rows from the StoneyVille mall's main entrance.

Before taking another step, she checked that her car was locked properly. She saw an empty trolley by the doors and quickly grabbed it before someone else could. Inside, the air condtioners were going full blast. Mikaela felt it was a very good idea; the weather had been warming up considerably over the past month or so.

From a kiosk close to the food court, she ordered an iced coffee. Then she took a scrap of notebook paper out of her bag and glanced down at what she had written. It was unlikely she'd find what she was after, but Mikaela saw no reason not to try; she might also score some discounts.

Decorations in the traditional colors of green, red and gold, hung from the ceilings high above. Both the department stores and the smaller shops surrounding them, looked like they had added their own special festive touches as well.

A huge treee was placed in the very middle of the mall itself. Next to it, there was a man dressed up as Santa, who sat waiting in his chair for the kids to have their photo taken with him. He even had a real beard, which made his disguise more effective. A group of parents and their excited children were already forming a line.

Mikaela weaved her way through the increasing flow of people coming and going, careful not to accidentally bump into anyone. First, she bought three rolls of pretty snowflake wrapping paper and a stack of cards with golden reindeer printed on them. Much to her surprise, she ticked off nearly everything on her list. The hampers were long gone; but that was okay, she could just as easily make one up herself.

Walking back to her car from the other side of the shopping mall took longer than usual, moving amongst a crowd that was at last starting to thin out a little. Mikaela didn't mind so much. It wasn't as if she had any pressing need to get home in a hurry. She rented a room off of her cousin Patrick. He was currently on a romantic getaway with his boyfriend Keiran.

So for another week, she had the run of the house; with the exception of Lucy. Cats were often thought to be more independent than dogs and this ginger and white feline was no different. But Lucy also needed food, which Mikaela had to stock up on before she left.

She was turning a right corner towards the escalator, when she heard a strange sound from high up somewhere. It was so loud that it made several of her fellow shoppers stop and look around in confusion. There was another sound, along with of all things, something akin to running water in the background. The music had stopped playing. People couldn't help screaming as the whole mall went dark.

Mikaela's ears were blocked; now she wasn't able to hear anything either. Before she lost sight of it all, she caught a glimpse of the ceiling about to cave in. She was frozen to the spot. By the time she did finally decide to make a move, a chunk of debris had already fallen on top of her body.

She attempted to shove it off of her, but that was of course an epic fail; whatever had pinned her down appeared far too heavy for her to lift on her own. She felt pain all over, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Her eyes were beginning to close. In a matter of seconds, she completely blacked out...

********

When she woke up again, Mikaela lay very still. For a brief moment she was unsure of exactly where she was and what had just happened. Then as her mind cleared, she recalled the mall being plunged into darkness and pieces of the roof collapsing. She remembered as well that without some help, she probably wouldn't be going anywhere.

However, she did manage to reach into her jeans for her mobile. As tempting as it was to call her mother, she dialed the emergency number instead. "Hello, Denice here. How may I be of assistance?" "My name is Mikaela Reid and I am trapped in the shopping mall on Chevers Street. It seems to be falling apart at the seams, so to speak."

"Okay, Mikaela, we were told about this twenty minutes ago. Police, fire and rescue teams, plus paramedics have been called to the scene. Please remain as calm as possible. They will get you out and safe in no time." "Good to know." "Listen, I can stay on the line for a bit, if that would make you feel better." "Much appreciated, but I think I am alright." "Well, you take care. " "Sure thing."

********

She still felt groggy, the urge to drift off again was strong. But she forced herself to keep awake, reciting as many song lyrics as she could think of. At a guess, she would say perhaps two hours had passed. With her ears now working, Mikaela heard all kinds of sounds; moans of pain and terrible screams of fear, the crying of young children. There was also the creaking and groaning of the building as more of it fell onto the floor.

A stranger's voice coming from several feet away, really tore at her heartstrings. "Please, somebody, I can't find my baby. Tiffany is so small, only eleven months old. She was knocked out of her pram when it tipped over." Mikaela wasn't about to let this go. "Hey! I'll try and find her for you." The woman sobbed in relief. "Thank you so much. I'm Ashley." "Mikaela."

Once more she struggled to get free. This time she wouldn't stop. The heavy object moved, if only a tiny bit at first. She was more easily able to ignore her own discomfort now that she had a specific purpose in mind. She wriggled back and forth, gaining a small amount of ground with each movement. It finally fell to the side. Her phone was low on power but for a short while, it would give off enough light for her to see if she could spot the baby.

The pale glow illuminated many vague human shapes, most of whom were unconscious. She saw the overturned stroller. The bundle nearby squirmed a little and a soft murmer came from it. Mikaela got to her feet, wincing at the sharp pain in her ankle, thankful it wasn't broken.

She knelt down to pick up the child, who seemed miraculously unhurt. Tiffany just stared at her savior with big brown eyes and made no more noises. Turning in a half circle, Mikaela correctly guessed that the young woman closest to her, was the baby's mother. And she was indeed young, only a teenager. Her face lit up with a huge smile when she realized that Tiffany had survived.

********

When Mikaela arrived at the hospital, she immediately asked about Ashely and her child. The doctor treating her for a fractured ankle and mild concussion, assured her that they were doing okay. "The mother has a broken arm and cracked ribs, but they will heal up just fine. Her baby escaped from the wreckage of that shopping mall, without a single scratch."

Half an hour later, using the crutches that a nurse had kindly given to her, Mikaela hobbled down the hallway until she got to Ashley's room. The girl was sitting up in bed, feeding Tiffany a bottle. She took a seat on a chair next to her. "How are you feeling?" "Sore, but so grateful to be alive and holding my daughter." "She's adorable. I haven't got kids myself, but my twin brother Aiden has three boys, all under the age of ten."

"Quite a handful." Mikaela laughed. "Oh you have no idea. I can only imagine the mischief they'll be getting up to this Christmas. They do enjoy thier pranks." "Have you spoken to your parents?" "Mum is on her way to see me. How about you?" Ashely shrugged, the smile on her face soon fading. "I left a message. No doubt they will have been told what's going on."

Tiffany pushed the bottle away and snuggled into her mum's chest. She continued talking. "You know my dad threw a fit when I came home to announce I was pregnant and that I wanted nothing to do with the father. Tony will always be a player and I could kick myself for falling for his lies. Mum was more supportive of my situation. I talk to her on the phone, but I haven't seen either of them for months."

"My parents split when I was twelve. I used to keep in regular contact with dad, but that has kind of tapered off. Far as I know, he still lives in the same house. I expect a worried phone call some time soon. I'm a lot closer to my mum though." Mikaela saw a familiar figure rush past Ashley's door. "Speak of the devil." She raised her voice slightly. "Mum, I'm in here."

********

In the end, a lone man claimed responsibility for the disaster, spewing out his antigovernment ravings as he was arrested and driven to the police station. Fred Gillespie didn't even have the foresight to remove from his hideout, any traces of the bomb making materials or the map of other targets he'd planned to hit.

It got him the attention he craved. Tv news and the local papers and magazines couldn't get enough of retelling all of the events in gory detail. Two hundred and forty five people had died, with hundreds more injured. Fred was sentenced to fifty years in jail without chance of parole.

THE END