Overview: Monument 14 By Emmy Laybourne

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne captures the obstacles and drama of living in a post-apocalyptic reality pertaining to fourteen kids trapped in a mall with no adult guidance. The disappearance of one of their friends, the arrival of a mysterious man outside the store, and the witnessing of a murder outside the store, cause tensions to rise in the group. These rising tensions create a stressful environment for Niko, the elected leader, making it tougher to maintain control over the group. One can clarify about the mysterious man outside the store, evaluate the relationship between Dean and Alex, and predict what will happen based on current events.
Earlier in Monument 14 a mysterious and truculent man arrived at the store and began banging and yelling through the thick steel doors. Later another malevolent man shows up at the store once again, however, instead of trying to get in, the man murders a helpless victim outside of the store as the teens inside watch through an intercom screen. One can clarify that

the man who arrived earlier can be connected to the most recent man seen through the intercom. At first, one would think the first encounter with the man was random. However, this later proves to not be the case. Additionally, who is assumed to be the same man later reveals himself when he states: “This. Is. MY. STORE.” (Laybourne, 157) From this statement one can assume he was previously the store owner, and has now returned with an insatiable rage caused by the chemicals floating in the air previously caused by the destruction of a chemical facility. With this information one can clarify that the first encounter with the mysterious man is the same man in the second encounter. Furthermore, one can similarly assume that the mysterious man is the store owner from him stating: “This. Is. MY. STORE” (Laybourne, 157).
Dean and his brother Alex have been close brothers since the beginning of the story. Throughout the first three days, their relationship remained strong until Niko started to talk with Alex more. Alex used to look at his brother with esteem, but now their relationship is starting to take a turn for the worst as Alex hangs out more with Niko. One could see how the separation between Alex and Dean will end up hurting them more than helping, for example: “He and Niko were becoming best buddies while I was stuck hanging out with the kindergarteners” (Laybourne, 154) shows how Dean is becoming envious of how much time Niko is spending with Alex, coercing Dean to think more aggressively towards the younger kids. One can like the drama that is developing between the two brothers as it begins to bring tensions even higher among the people in the group.
As tensions rise between the members in the Greenway Superstore, one can predict what the next part of the book will be about.

One can believe that the mysterious man outside of the superstore will remain a perpetual problem towards the group. Most recently, the man showed how dangerous he could be as he brutally murdered a woman in front of a camera where while the teenagers viewed. One can predict that he might find his way into the store, and possibly end up hurting one of the members or worse. Furthermore, one can predict that Jake and Brayden will become problems towards the order of the group as they disobey what the elected leader says. Additionally, instead of helping they find themselves drinking their sorrows away in another part of the store or simply shrugging an order off by saying: “I’ll think about it” (Laybourne, 140). Based on these reasons one can see that the group is falling apart, and one can predict that it may soon come to a halting

end.
Based on current events in the story, one can clarify about the mysterious man outside the store, evaluate the relationship between Dean and Alex, and predict what will happen based on current events. Monument 14 brings a compelling story, which would leave one wondering how the final events are going to fold out.