At 9:14 p.m., Liam realized he had made a terrible mistake.
He had been shopping for a new bookshelf in “The Haven,” a massive furniture warehouse on the outskirts of the city. He had been so focused on comparing wood grains that he hadn’t noticed the overhead announcements or the dimming of the lights.
When he finally reached the front of the store, the heavy sliding glass doors were locked. The security shutters were down, and the vast parking lot outside was empty.
Liam wasn’t worried at first. He assumed a night guard would be making rounds soon. He pulled out his phone to call for help, but the screen showed “No Service.”
The Haven was famous for its labyrinth-like layout. Customers followed a path of painted arrows on the floor that led them through bedroom sets, kitchen displays, and living room arrangements.
Liam began to follow the arrows back toward the warehouse section, thinking there might be a loading dock or a service entrance that was still open.
As he walked, he heard a sound from the “Bedroom Displays” section behind him.
Creak.
It was the sound of a mattress being compressed, as if someone had just sat down.
Liam froze. He looked back over his shoulder. The display area was a forest of shadows. Tall wardrobes and high-backed chairs created dark corners where anything could be hiding.
“Hello?” he called out. “Is someone there?”
No one answered.
He kept walking, his pace quickening. He reached the “Kitchen” section, where rows of polished cabinets and stainless steel appliances gleamed in the emergency lighting.
He heard the sound again.
Clink.
It was the sound of a metal spoon hitting a ceramic plate.
Liam turned around. On one of the display tables, a dinner set had been arranged. A single chair was pulled out, and a white napkin lay crumpled on the seat.
The napkin hadn’t been there when he passed by thirty seconds ago.
Liam didn’t wait. He ran toward the “Living Room” section, following the arrows as fast as he could. But the store seemed to be expanding. The aisles felt longer, the ceilings higher, and the displays more cluttered.
He reached a section labeled “Room 6: The Eternal Suite.”
He didn’t remember seeing this section on the store map. The furniture here was different—older, heavier, and covered in a thin layer of dust. The air smelled of old paper and ozone.
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
A notification appeared on the screen: “Welcome to The Haven. Your stay is currently: PERMANENT.”
Liam dropped the phone. He scrambled to pick it up, but as he leaned over, he saw a pair of shoes standing just a few feet away.
They were polished black leather shoes, perfectly still.
Liam looked up slowly.
A man was standing in the middle of the aisle. He was wearing the yellow-and-blue uniform of a store employee. His name tag read: “How can I help you?”
But the man had no face.
Where his eyes, nose, and mouth should have been, there was only smooth, pale skin.
The employee raised a hand and pointed toward a door at the end of the aisle.
Liam ran for it. He burst through the door, expecting to find the warehouse or the exit.
Instead, he found himself back in the “Bedroom Displays” section.
He looked at the floor. The arrows were gone. The painted lines had been replaced by a single word, repeated over and over in white paint: RUN.
Liam ran. He pushed past mannequins that seemed to be turning their heads to watch him. He tripped over a rug and fell into a display of mirrors.
In the reflection, he saw the faceless employee standing directly behind him.
But in the mirror, the employee did have a face.
It was Liam’s face.
The reflection smiled—a wide, unnatural grin that reached from ear to ear.
“You’re early,” the reflection whispered. “The sale doesn’t start until tomorrow.”
Liam scrambled to his feet and ducked behind a tall wardrobe. He could hear the employee’s footsteps—slow, deliberate, and rhythmic.
Thump. Drag. Thump. Creak.
He realized then that the store wasn’t a building. It was a predator. It lured people in with the promise of a home, and then it made them part of the display.
He looked at the price tags on the furniture around him.
“Wardrobe: $499.00”
“Sofa: $850.00”
“Liam: PRICELESS.”
He found a small vent near the floor and managed to kick the cover off. He crawled inside, the narrow metal tunnel scraping against his shoulders. He crawled for what felt like hours, the sound of the store humming all around him.
Finally, he saw a light at the end of the tunnel.
He pushed through the opening and fell onto the cold pavement of a parking lot.
The sun was rising. The Haven stood behind him, its massive blue-and-yellow walls glowing in the morning light. The parking lot was full of cars, and customers were already walking toward the entrance.
Liam ran to his car and drove away, never looking back.
He reached his apartment and locked the door, leaning against it with a sigh of relief. He went to his bedroom, ready to collapse into bed and sleep for a week.
But when he opened his bedroom door, he stopped.
His bedroom was gone.
In its place was a perfectly arranged display from The Haven. A blue rug, a white dresser, and a bed with a “Haven” brand duvet.
A small price tag was hanging from his ceiling fan.
“Room 6: The Eternal Suite.”
Liam looked in his dresser mirror.
He had no face.
Where his eyes and mouth should have been, there was only smooth, pale skin.
From the hallway, he heard a sound.
Click.
It was the sound of a smartphone camera shutter.
He looked toward the door. A young man was standing there, holding a phone, looking terrified.
Liam realized then that he wasn’t in his apartment.
He was back in the store.
And he was the new display.
He raised a hand and pointed toward the exit, his smooth skin stretching as he tried to speak.
“How… can… I… help… you?”
But the young man was already running.
On the floor, the white paint began to form a new word: WELCOME.
