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| Oct. 31, 2017 |
For some reason... in October, the Super Duper Gamer Team (SDGT for short) decided to hit the mall of all places to browse game controllers. It wasn't cold outside, they live in Florida so the cold front hadn't arrived yet (if one will arrive this year). RkRk & Yang convinced Luis and Blu to go, although both were reluctant. Luis was pissed off about his mom's dog chewing a hole in his shoe and Blu just didn't want to deal with the crowd.
SDGT hadn't even gotten out of the car yet and the debate was on, but food won them over. The debate was short lived as Yang cut the vehicle off. The fleeing coolness of the vehicle... welcomed the heat of the sun with open arms and no one wanted to enter the mall sweating, so they hopped out almost immediately.
We could've shopped online, but why not check out some in person? -
Yang
That's cool but... did you guys really have to choose a time that would ensure that the mall would be packed times 2? -
Blu
We have a greater chance of running into more gamer's when the mall is packed... don't you want to get some opinions on the street? -
RkRk
We get it. Let's just get in here, I'm about to melt. -
Luis D. Lucha
"Coupons, get your coupons!" said a teen girl with purple'sh blue hair. RkRk & Luis literally ran over to her knowing the coupons involved food because the girl had an apron on.
The girl looked relieved when they walked away, but Blu apologized for Luis. There was a crowd so Blu sort of... sighed, but continued to walk. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, the crowd was broken up into clusters. Some of the clusters could be found at select stores, and some were just... chilling out near waiting areas and this huge fountain that stood as a centerpiece. It was a 3 tier fountain that made the highly energized RkRk think of (wedding) cakes. At the top of the fountain, there was this big stone dolphin shooting water out of its mouth.
This fountain represented the center of the mall. South of the fountain was the main entrance, north of the fountain was the food court, east & west of the food court were almost a mirror image of competing businesses. Some of these stores sold clothing, some sold jewelry, technology, shoes and so forth. West is where SDGT wanted to go because the game store was in this location, two doors down from a sports store that appears as if it hadn't changed it's decor since the mid-80's. The customers sort of reflected the decor... which Luis got a real kick out of.
The closer SDGT got to the game store, they began seeing more young adults and teens on their phones, people they couldn't really identify age wise... sitting in a circle playing card games on the floor and adults walking little kids in and out of the store.
Look at that guy. -
Luis D. Lucha
Luis saw an elderly man with his pants pulled up over his tummy wearing a polo tee with a fairly thick sleeveless sweater vest.
Damn, he's gotta be hot. -
Luis D. Lucha
Shhh, at least say it quietly. -
Yang
But it's like 150 degrees outside. -
Luis D. Lucha
It's hot, but come on... he might get cold easy. -
Blu
I would like to have his problem right now. -
Luis D. Lucha
You don't know why he gets cold so easily. -
Blu
Exactly. -
Yang
Yeah, I take that back but he could at least pull his pants down a tad. -
Luis D. Lucha
Luis looked up as if he was canceling out some sort of bad request to God as they proceeded to the game store.
What?! They're still trying to sell Wii U for $250? -
Blu
Games are still coming out for it, but they really have to bring that price down. -
Yang
Yeah, especially if they want to... get rid of the remaining stock they have. -
RkRk
Might as well just wait and get the Switch after saving some money. -
Luis D. Lucha
I hope they release all those Wii U games on Nintendo Switch, or that would be such a waste. -
RkRk
They can keep some of them, but that would make sense... for the best sellers. -
Blu
"That would be cool," said a kid who overheard the conversation.
I guess some others can be released too, but a crowdfund could work to cover those. -
Blu
"Call of Duty," said the kid who had come closer to listen in.
Yeah, I would rather have Metroid Prime 4. -
Luis D. Lucha
"I want Call of Duty," said the kid, who seemed as if he was ready to go toe to toe in a shouting match with Luis. Luis looked at him and turned his attention back to the team.
They can release COD, but I want Metroid Prime 4 and it better be good. It better be amazing you know? -
Luis D. Lucha
I would be interested in that. Bring back the isolated levels and increased challenges. -
Yang
Personally, the isolation would be okay in certain areas, but I'd like to see a lot more depth. Other M showed some desirable things, but I want to see how Metroid Prime can take the story, adventure, challenges, isolation, visuals and beautiful audio and present something new on the Nintendo Switch. So isolation would be great, but... variety would increase the interest for me. Isolation can be experienced in older games. -
Blu
That's what Metroid is known for, but the change could be a plus. -
Yang
Think of a Metroid Prime that has the depth of
Tomb Raider but in its own unique way. That's all, I want... amazing experiences from IPs that I know can reach that level of epic. -
Blu
I wish that... ummm... who is that? -
RkRk
Just as RkRk got ready to give his input, he saw a man walk past the game store. The man was wearing a trench coat covered in all sorts of unknown patterns, and a well-groomed beard. He was wearing a hat that almost looked like a bowl with beads around the edge. RkRk has seen weird, but this was weird enough to catch his eye.
RkRk began walking over, and as you know... if anyone looks as if they've seen a ghost and others are around, chances are they're going to also try and take a look.
"All I see is materialism. Makes me SICK! This mall is full of people only concerned with themselves and the things they want. Buying overpriced food and GARBAGE while the homeless sit outside being ignored. I've worked in this mall for 14 years and I had to quit my job because the manager at GoodWokz decided I couldn't have the time off to bury my dad.
I've had it! But alas, its time for me to laugh as you cry." said the man in the trench coat.
Just as he finished saying his piece... you heard the clinging of metal. Not like two dinner forks clinging together, not even pots and pans clanging. I'm talking some heavy duty steel. SDGT made a run for it with Blu ahead of the pack.
WTF is going on? -
Luis D. Lucha
I don't know but we don't want to be here if this guy's going postal. -
Blu
LOOK! -
RkRk
The hurricane-resistant security doors were rolling down blocking the doors and the sunlight.
Holy _____! He's trying to trap us in! -
Luis D. Lucha
Blu made a last-ditch attempt to make a way for them to escape by taking a trashcan and hurling it towards the double glass doors. The doors opened partially with the trashcan resting on its side in between them, but it wasn't good enough to block the gate from coming down. It would've worked, but the gate was past the point of being blocked as the doors were pushed back shut.
Dammit! -
Blu
Oh my God. -
Yang
As the gate came to a complete close, the man in the trenchcoat said the following, "Now that we're nice and cozy, let the pain begin." SDGT ducked behind corner near the bathrooms as they prepared for the sounds of gunfire or a potential explosion. Instead, the lights went out... and the screams turned on.
"Arise my minions", yelled the man in the trenchcoat.
Although RkRk had clearly pointed out a place to hide, everyone wanted to see these... minions. The man in the trench coat didn't disappoint because without delay a bunch of red lights appeared in the darkness.
WTF? - Luis D. Lucha
Mall-goers began providing light via their phones to make out where the light was coming from. Like something out of a horror movie... the light was coming from mannequins who began beating on the glass of the storefront windows.
"Hahaha feel the wrath of the Mall Rat Exterminator," said... the ummm... self-proclaimed Mall Rat Exterminator.
No, you're supposed to come through the doors, you idiots! -
Mall Rat Exterminator
We really need to hide. -
Luis D. Lucha
Over here. -
RkRk
The emergency lights came on, which brought a bit of relief but... just before Blu and Yang made their way to the restroom area, they saw one of the mannequins knock a 300lb man unconscious. Was he truly 300lbs? Who knows, he was a big guy and he dropped like a fly, so... that's all they needed to see to get the hell outta there.
As the man dropped, the mannequin in turned its head towards the area where they were hiding. Blu and Yang were running as fast as they could go, but if they ran across to the men's bathroom where RkRk and Luis were... they'd surely be seen. So instead they ducked around the corner where the women's bathroom was since it was directly across. The mannequin looked for about 10 seconds standing lifeless like he should always stand, and it was about to turn away... but a woman opened the door to the restroom and sort of squeaked when she saw the guys hiding.
Shhhh. There is an attack on the mall. -
Yang
"Are you kidding me?!" said the woman, who went almost bugged eyed after the response. RkRk was peeking out of the bathroom door.
What's up? -
RkRk
It's coming, it's coming. Hide. -
Blu
Yang assured the woman that they were only entering the bathroom for safety as SDGT found a place to hide. Believe it or not, you could hear the thing coming because it had a metal base on the bottom of its feet that made a clanking noise. You could tell it was getting closer and closer and by then the guys had used a phone app that allows them to use their phones as walkies.
What in the hell are we going to do?! -
Luis D. Lucha
Just stay calm, and go into the handicap stall. Put your phones on silent. -
Blu
Luis went over to the stall, but the door was locked. "It's occupied," said a guy in the stall taking a dump.
You've gotta be kidding me? -
Luis D. Lucha
Dude, something is going on in the mall and we need to hide in here. -
RkRk
The guy wasn't going to take a break from this process to step off the porcelain throne, so they went into another stall and hid. Meanwhile, in the women's bathroom, Blu and Yang quickly informed the woman of what occurred as they made their way into the ceiling.
I pray there are no rats or roaches up here. -
Blu
They slid the ceiling tile back and made their way inside as the mannequin hit the door making its way into the restroom. It walked sort of like it was straddling a horse, and moved towards the stalls in a frantic way to find anyone it could harm.
You hear that? -
Yang
"I'm scared," said the woman.
Shhh, I think the men's bathroom is this way. If we go straight that should be the handicap stall. -
Blu
They tapped on the ceiling tile a few times but got no answer. So they slid it to look inside.
"Hey, what's wrong with you people!" shouted the man taking a dump.
OMG dude, shut the hell up. The mall is under attack. -
Luis D. Lucha
Yang was closer to the ceiling tiles where Luis and RkRk were, so he begins sliding one.
Up here, quick. -
Yang
"What?!" yelled the man in shock about what he just heard. He begins the process of cleaning up, but only after he alerted the mannequin to their whereabouts.
It moved even quicker but ran into a snag with the bathroom door since it opened inward and not outward. The mannequin began banging on the door and started demolishing it within a matter of seconds. This was going on as Luis and RkRk successfully made it up into the ceiling area.
"Take me with you, hey, please I have a wife and a newborn at home" yelled the man.
I'm pulling you up, but you need to shut up and stop talking so loud bro. -
Luis D. Lucha
The man makes his way up to the top of the toilet and the banging across the hall stopped, followed by small tinks and tonks.
I think it got out. -
Blu
Yes... it did get out and made its way directly into the men's bathroom. It hit the door so hard the handle was impaled into the wall and the guy began kicking his legs in a panic, which caused him to slip down a bit.
I can't pull you up like this. -
Luis D. Lucha
They were in the 3rd stall next to the last one, which was still steaming from the guy's number two. The doors were being bashed through quickly, and the second door woke up RkRk as he leaned down to help pull the guy up. He had the guy's pant leg as he was pulled up... just barely missing a bone breaking backhand by the mannequin.
Seemed like they were home free, but RkRk was still leaning down in grabbing distance of the mannequin. So the thing reached out to grab him as he quickly moved his arms to avoid being grabbed. Seemed successful, but the mannequin got a piece of his shirt and began pulling.
Hell no! -
Luis D. Lucha
No! -
Blu
OMG! -
Yang
The guy sort of stood back with a worried look on his face, but Luis began chewing him out to help as a result of this happening because they helped him. The four-man team did the trick as they begin turning the tug of war into a successful retrieval. They pulled and RkRk used the grip of the mannequin to get out of his shirt. I guess they didn't have the ability to jump, so after SDGT closed the ceiling tile, it turned away and exited the bathroom after a minute of blank staring.
I was almost a goner. Hehe -
RkRk
(RkRk laughs nervously.)
Yeah, no thanks to this d-bag. I swear to God dude if anything would've happened... -
Luis D. Lucha
"I'm sorry, I... I... just panicked." said the man.
It all worked out. Now our next move is to get the hell out of here. -
Blu
And it will take level heads to do that. -
Yang
Exactly. -
Blu
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| Oct. 31, 2018 |
This is the continuation of SDGT Studio's The Comic: Night of the Living Mannequins. It was initially published October 31, 2017. The story picks up moments after the teams first encounter with a mannequin. The continuation of the story will be broken up into segments so you will get a growing story once a month leading up to October 31, 2019. Enjoy!
We need a place to sit down and think. - Yang
My hands are shaking right now. - RkRk
Luis hugs RkRk.
You cool bro? - Luis D. Lucha
Yeah... you cool? - Blu
Yeah yeah. Just a little... hungry. - RkRk
Luis is actually comforted by the normalcy of RkRk's appetite.
That was scary as hell, and now we're stuck up here. - Luis D. Lucha
Careful, stay on the beams. -
Blu
The walls in the mall have solid beams running above them, which gives SDGT and the other survivors solid footing. represent solid places for SDGT to walk. They find a higher beam to sit.
I don't know how we're going to stay up here, its super dusty. -
Luis D. Lucha
I know, my eyes are itching... but the quicker we can find a way out of the mall, the quicker we'll get away from the dust. -
Blu
Blu begins sneezing before covering his nose with his shirt. The others follow suit.
So... we should get acquainted. My name is Blu. -
Blu
Sam. Well, short for Samantha, but everyone calls me Sam. -
Sam
Yang. -
Yang
Johnny. -
Johnny
RkRk. -
RkRk
Luis. -
Luis D. Lucha
Sam, Johnny, we're friends and I hope that we can all... work together to get out of here. Safe and sound. -
Blu
I agree. -
Sam
So first things first, let's call the cops. I forgot my phone in my car. -
Johnny
I'll call, you haven't washed your hands yet, mister. -
RkRk
RkRk tries to call the cops along with everyone else, but there is no signal. Zero, zilch, nada, none. You get the picture, no bars. If it were chocolate candy, it would just be an empty wrapper.
What's the problem? -
Johnny
The call isn't going through. -
RkRk
Mine either. -
Yang
I always have bars in the mall. -
Sam
I don't think its that. You can still use a cell phone for emergency purposes... but it could be possible that TMRE has a signal jammer. -
Blu
TMRE? -
Yang
The mall rat exterminator. -
Blu
That's true. Who in the hell is this guy? -
Luis D. Lucha
Lets do some recon. -
Blu
In what way? -
Yang
We need to figure out where those mannequins are... and the location of that psycho in order to know where we can go. -
Blu
We need to get some food. -
RkRk
I know, and we will need to have a bit of it... just in case we'll be up here for a bit. -
Blu
How are we going to find out where the food court is? -
Luis D. Lucha
Yang points down at the ceiling tiles. Luis gets down to take a look.
Man, hell no. We're goners if we jump down. -
Luis D. Lucha
Looking down is only to determine where we are, not to jump down. Relax. -
Yang
Yeah, we wouldn't do that. Our access points in and out of this space have to be the bathrooms because they have the stalls we can climb up. So this is what we can do...
Find out where that TMRE is located... and ummm... if we have a safe route to the food court, we can load up on some food. -
Blu
We can go to one of the stores and grab some backpacks and... water bottles. -
RkRk
We also need a plan B if the route is blocked. -
Yang
Yeah, we need a backup plan. -
Luis D. Lucha
Food Carts? -
Sam
That could work. -
Yang
I almost forgot something. There are snack and soda machines in each bathroom area. -
RkRk
That's right. -
Luis D. Lucha
I don't think I can have that stuff. -
Johnny
We really won't have a choice if we're limited to those machines. -
Yang
Work with us, bro. -
Luis D. Lucha
Do you have diabetes? -
RkRk
No, I'm allergic to peanuts. So I can't really have everything. -
Johnny
Now, this is crucial information the team must have for survival. Sam, do you have certain needs we need to be aware of? -
Blu
Nope, but I have a cousin with a peanut allergy. It can be challenging. -
Sam
So we have to eat items containing peanut away from John. We can wash up after. -
Luis D. Lucha
If we can get some of the mall maps from the welcome center, we can put one in the safe space areas. -
Yang
That's a great idea. -
RkRk
We can mark that spot so we know where we are, like on the big map. -
Yang
Where are we going to sleep? -
Sam
It's 1pm. I hope that we don't even have to consider that. -
Blu
Yeah, I know, but what if we do? -
Sam
We can sleep in a camping store. -
Johnny
We would be sitting ducks. -
Blu
Well, we can't sleep up here and fall to our death. -
Johnny
Johnny gets frustrated by Blu's response.
Relax. You sleep down there if you want, but if we have to sleep here... I'd rather be safe. -
Blu
Dude, I hope you aren't going to be difficult. You already put us in a situation to begin with. -
Luis D. Lucha
Relax guys, relax. -
Yang
We're burning daylight. So hmmm... -
Blu
Nearly a minute goes by before Blu presents his idea.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but... we can use the bathroom stall doors to tuck into these dips in the beam. -
Blu
That's your idea? -
Johnny
Chill, It does sound weird, but I'm sure there's a reason behind it. -
Luis D. Lucha
We can get the stall doors up and put them in these dips so that we can sleep on these beams without rolling down. So we will block the way and use the safe space to sleep head to fe... -
Blu
Johnny interrupts.
Oh. I guess that could work, but we need to clean this beam. It's going to be hard, but it can work I guess. -
Johnny
We will be using the cleaning supplies in the bathroom, trust me. Especially on those doors, but we can use your idea... and get camping gear to soften up the beam. Before we do all that, let's focus on seeing where we are... getting food... and trying to find a way out. If we can't escape by 7pm, we will prepare to sleep here. Sound good? -
Blu
Let's do it. -
Luis D. Lucha
Yes. -
Sam
Sounds good to me. -
Yang
Sounds good. -
RkRk
I guess so. -
Johnny
Luis looks at Johnny and shakes his head. He finds Johnny super annoying... but proceeds with the plan. After lifting several ceiling tiles, the team confirms that the coast is clear.
Here goes nothing. -
Blu
They make their way down into restroom and proceed to the door.
Wash your hands. John, wash your hands. -
RkRk
Oh yeah. -
Johnny
Hey ummm, I'm not altering the plan but we should split up into units and start with the vending machines. -
Yang
No man, we're stronger in numbers. -
Luis D. Lucha
I agree. -
Johnny
Let's just hear him out. -
Sam
The paranoia is high as they whisper... while also keeping an ear out clinks. Even Johnny uses the paper towel dispenser slowly to keep the noise at a minimum.
If we have different units, we can work towards the same goal. Two can look out for danger, two can work on the snacks, and two of us can look at the exit door to try and find a way to get it open. -
Yang
Okay, now see, I like that. As long as we're close to watch out for each other. -
Luis D. Lucha
I volunteer to help with the snacks. -
RkRk
Luis giggles.
Don't make me laugh. -
Luis D. Lucha
What's so hard about that? -
Johnny
It's not about being hard, it's about being quiet. -
Blu
I'll do that too. -
Johnny
Johnny pulls out his credit card.
Hey-hey, we have a winner. -
Luis D. Lucha
So that's two to round up snacks. Sam & Luis can be the look outs, while you and I take a look at the doors... Yang. -
Blu
Everyone nods as they make their way to their positions.
Remember no noise. -
Johnny
You do the same, we'll give you the signal to start. -
Sam
Crazy ain't it? You come in the mall and get stuck in a real life horror movie. - Luis D. Lucha
I know, its surreal. I have no choice but to think about what could happen to us. -
Sam
Sam puts her head down.
Nothings going to happen to us. My mom would kill me. We're getting the hell outta here bro. -
Luis D. Lucha
Sam raises her left eyebrow and looks at Luis with a smirk.
Bro? -
Sam
Sorry, it just comes out. -
Luis D. Lucha
Luis looks over at Blu & Yang to cut the awkwardness short. Yang gives them a thumbs up as they approach the corner.
You stay on this side and I'll go across. -
Luis D. Lucha
I was just messing with you. -
Sam
Huh? -
Luis. Lucha
The bro thing. I was just messing with you. -
Sam
Oh. -
Luis D. Lucha
Luis smiles and sneaks across to hide behind a bench. Sam gives the okay as he proceeds across to a small cove on the other side.
They're in position. -
Blu
After confirming the coast is clear, Sam & Luis give a thumbs up. As Blu & Yang near the doors, they notice something on the ground.
What's that? -
Blu
Looks like a cog. -
Yang
I think the Mall Rat Exterminator broke the box. Look at this part. -
Blu
The Mall Rat Exterminator made his mannequins snatch the chains from the mall's hurricane shutters.
This is not good. This is really not good. -
Yang
Yang takes a deep breath as Blu continues to look at the door.
The doors open, but they're blocked. There has to be another way out... or hmmm maybe we can do something to get the chain back on. -
Blu
I wouldn't know where to begin, look how high up it is. -
Yang
That's true, but maybe they have a ladder. They get those advertisement signs up there. -
Blu
Right, but we need the chain. -
Yang
We have a goal to get out. -
Blu
I guess let's head over. -
Yang
Yeah... time to grab some backpacks. -
Blu
They give Luis a thumbs down as they walk over near Sam.
What's up? -
Sam
A no go on the door... but we may be able to get it open if we can get the chain back on. -
Blu
That's going to be loud. -
Sam
Didn't think about that. -
Yang
Yeah, but... we can see if there's a way to keep it quiet. In the meantime... we're going to see if we can grab some backpacks. -
Blu
Okay, we'll keep watch. -
Sam
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