e deeper in the mall. Lower. Rougher.

two broken pipes. He tossed o

ight of the iron slig

Paul. "Can

ing it around his fists like makeshift gloves. A boxe

No backup. No idea what

just survi

was

were

scree

bra

all hell b

–

of an eye the

't get torn apart, but we all knew she'd have to

ling Klahan out of the way. He dodged it, –he was as fast as lightning– and slam

e flicker, only to be snuffed out when the

s already half broken, chest heaving with every ragged b

reached for my

ust've dropped it b

in hand, and with every bit of rage and panic pumping through my veins, I hurled it like a spear. It smacked the creature's shoulder - useless. But it gav

near the railing, half-hidden bene

eatures pinned him against the wall. I gripped the gun,

every nerve raw. The thing's head twisted

a

ugh its shoulder. It shrie

high. My vision

tiles, and I could see its teeth, rows o

ce snapped me back. I e

se concentrati

a

g as it shrieked, the sound cutting into my skull like glass. I didn't wait for it to die. I spun, found the other one barr

a

bed a jagged metal shard, darted in fearless and drove it up under its chin. She twisted hard, face tight with rage and survival instinct. The thing con

shaking until I felt the e

bring them down. And they wer

gasps as she wiped gore from her eyes, Klahan hissing as he pulled himself up, Pa

rds the one we had just sent down, and

etal Bridget had lunged

ack. "We have to move. Now. Because those things are obviously not dead, and from

hifting shadows, we'd just called every oth

d. Deep scratches ran across his lower back, blood tric

ied. His eyes met mine. He

holding Katie on her back. She looked like a mother and a warrior all at

n old service sign - Atrium Level - Storage / S

ken furniture, but no monsters. Not yet. We took a moment to catch our bre

en we hea

eatures. But no - actual human voices, low, f

shifting Katie to her h

apons: a broom handle, a rusted crowbar, a broken hockey stick. Their eyes w

the older woman br

ng like they'd been scraped with razors. "We can't stay here

linched. "What th

low, almost too calm. "We don't know exactly," she said. "But they're mutating. Fast. Did you see what they d

ssed between us, she knew more than she

dor. Half-collapsed, wires dangling like nooses, but it gave us a path. Every noise in the

ahan staggered behind us, one hand pressed tight to his

. Burnt to ash. The mall was rotting from the inside out, the

my uniform was torn open, skin already bruising purple. Sh

t a scrat

ed. But her eyes flicked to the sh

le, like nothing had even happened. I felt the first flicker of real hope. A sign above rea

shed

but edible. We raided the pantries, forcing down mouthfuls of cold pasta and half-smashed cr

- a c

rs it had been nothing but static

yone- insi

t nearly broke. "This is Officer George Alvarez

ocked on mine. Hope, bright and sharp, flic

at... evacuati

e're trapped in here! We nee

Gunfire. Someone barking orders. Then words, cryst

escue mission. Containment protoc

dio we

ved. No o

dropped his makeshift spear with a dull clatter. Paul just l

ecret she was still hiding, buried deep under layers of

wls started agai

ized, we were the last line between each oth

d radio so hard m

our own way ou

e ans

e all knew - there