I came across “Alice After the Mall” by John Jasper Owens shortly after it was published in Every Day Fiction. There are many good things about it but it’s the ending I keep thinking about.
The first paragraph lets the reader know where Alice is and why she’s at the mall. It sets up the scene and appears to be an ordinary situation. Sometimes life changing decisions are made in ordinary places.
I think Alice stays on course and doesn’t look behind her. What do you think she does?
Readership divides roughly down the middle, maybe a slight advantage to “Don’t do it, Alice!” but not much.
I can definitely see people wanting her not to do it just like in a horror movie… “Don’t turn around!”