"There are walkers in here, it was probably one of them. You shouldn't have broken the damn door, now we can't stay here," a second voice answered.
"No shit," Max mumbled to herself. Jules squeezed her arm, trying to keep her from approaching the intruders. But Max didn't have any patience for what was happening. She wanted to handle the situation and move on. Dealing with the people behind the voices was her best bet.
Max removed Jules' hand from her arm. She squeezed the woman's fingers, a gesture unlike her. But she had a feeling that was the last moment she would see the kind woman alive. Jules' answering squeeze told her she knew that was likely as well. Max laid Jules' hand on her leg slowly, careful to not cause the woman any additional pain. With that, she started toward the store entrance.
Max stayed low, keeping her body behind the displays of clothing as she moved. The darkness did the rest. When she got close enough to the store entrance she was able to make out one figure by moonlight. He seemed to be waiting for something or acting as a lookout. Max waited. She knew the men had heard Jules cough and they would be looking for someone.
The man was an average height and skinny. Max sized him up in her mind, quickly deciding he would be an easy fight. The question was where the other man was. She listened and the silence was all that answered her. Waiting was wasting her time, the dark wouldn't last. And the dark was her friend with the intruders in the store.
As she watched the man a growl sounded from behind him, out of Max's line of sight. She didn't need to see to know it was an infected that had found the man in the middle of the mall concourse. The man swung around and Max got a good look at the crowbar he was wielding. He didn't pull any additional weapons and Max noted that she hadn't heard any gunshots since the break-in happened.
The man moved out of her line of sight, so Max moved over to a nearby display and watched as he swung the crowbar at the infected. He first struck it in the arm that was reaching out to grab him. He then swung and hit the shoulder, swinging the infected to the side. With the infected turned away, he took the opportunity to strike at the knees and the infected collapsed to the ground.
While the man was absorbed in beating the infected, Max disassembled the clothing rack nearest to her. She slid the hangers off quietly and pulled the wood pole from the rack. She hefted it like a bat and decided it would do decent damage.
As Max worked, she watched the intruder beat the infected. It was like he purposely ignored striking the head of the infected. The sound of crunching bones could be heard in the store Max stood in. All the while the infected hissed and growled at the living man that it wished to feast on. Max could understand fighting with anger, but the intruder seemed to enjoy the violence and destruction of the infected.
The man's back was to Max as she quietly approached. Right as she got into swinging rang she let out a low whistle, causing the man to start and turn. Just as she saw his eyes, she swung the pole and struck him on the side of the head. She watched as his eyes rolled back and he crumpled. He fell near the infected, but with the broken body, the infected wasn't able to reach its meal.
For a split second, Max contemplated leaving the man where he fell. His desire to beat the infected to a pulp instead of just finishing it made her wonder about his true intentions. They broke into the mall for safety she thought, but a person with rage was someone that could easily do the damage that man had just done. She sighed to herself, knowing she couldn't just leave the man to be eaten.
First Max used her knife and ended the growling of the infected. As soon as the blade pierced the brain, the sound and movements stopped. The body now truly dead in the middle of a mall. Glancing down at the man, she realized she was too far from the store she locked the first man. She couldn't move this man that far. Deciding to just hide him, she grabbed him by the arms and started dragging.
A nearby kiosk provided enough cover with its small opening that was meant for one worker. She opened the door and dragged the man in. If he woke up before she was gone she would have to deal with him again, but she had other things to worry about. She crouched down giving herself time to catch her breath.
From her crouched position she heard hurried footsteps causing her to brace and prepare for an attack. But instead, one of the original mall inhabitants ran directly by her, never noticing her next to the kiosk. She recognized the girl and remembered she had a boyfriend that was in the mall with her. Max found herself wondering where he was and why the girl was running by herself.
"Little girl!" A loud bellow came from the direction the girl had come. Max quickly duck walked to the other side of the kiosk, giving herself more cover. Peering around she saw a man with a large wrench coming out of a shop. Max suddenly realized that was the shop the girl and her boyfriend had been sleeping in that night. She had a sickening feeling that the man after the girl had done something to the boyfriend.
The idea of needless killing angered Max. It went against everything Mitch had ever taught her and her siblings. When the world fell apart, leaders would be needed. Her father had taught them to be those leaders. He taught them to know how to care for others and guide them in survival. Max wasn't always great at the idea of guiding or caring, but killing for sport went against the fiber of her very being.
This man approaching the kiosk was also not very large, but Max couldn't be sure of his skills as an opponent. Once he passed her hiding spot, Max made the quick decision to attack from behind. Using the wood pole she had acquired, she swung with her full strength at the side of the man's knee. The sound of the wood striking bone and muscle was a meaty thud. His leg quickly buckled under his weight.
Catching his fall with his arm, the man's wrench slid across the tiled floor of the mall. The man's head swung around and a hatred filled stare hit Max. In the moonlight, she could see his eyes narrow at the sight of a small woman that had taken him down. He attempted to put weight back on his knee, but the pain was too great, and he collapsed again.
Max moved around the man, staying out of arm's reach. She wasn't quite sure what to do with him at that point. He watched her around him, his eyes never leaving her. A caged animal suddenly popped into Max's mind and she realized this was exactly what the man looked like.
"You shouldn't have broken in here," Max stated simply.
"You don't own this," the man spat out.
"No. But it was also safe until you idiots broke in. Smart letting in the infected."
"What? Those things. They are easy to kill," the man said with a sneer. Max almost laughed. The man had obviously not encountered more than a few of the infected, and possibly never more than one at a time.
"Well, you can stay here and wait for one of them to get you." Just as Max finished her sentence, she sensed someone behind her. As she swung to defend herself, she caught the look of panic on the man's face and she assumed she would be facing an infected. Instead, when she turned she found the girl that had been running from him. Hanging from her hand was the large wrench the man had been holding.
"He killed Kevin," the girl whispered.
"What?" Max demanded, suddenly on alert.
Without another word, the girl took two fast strides at the man and swung the large wrench at his head. The man dodged at first and tried to grab her, but without his arm to handle his weight he fell to one side. The girl lifted the wrench again and slammed it into his skull with a sickening crack. She dropped the wrench on the body and stood straight, staring down at him.
"He killed Kevin," she said again.
Max stood stunned. She assumed Kevin was the girl's boyfriend. And it appeared the intruder had killed him. Watching her, Max waited to see how she would react to possibly killing the intruder. The girl stood motionless, staring as if waiting for him to wake up. Max walked slowly to the body, her hands held up in a non-threatening manner. As she entered the girl's eye line, her eyes didn't fix on Max.
Moving to the bleeding man, Max crouched down and pressed her fingers to his neck. Finding a
thready pulse, she wasn't sure if she was relieved that the girl hadn't just murdered someone or feel bad that the intruder didn't get what was due to him. She stood again and faced the girl. The young girl's eyes hadn't moved from their fixed spot and Max started to think she had gone into shock.
Slowly Max moved to her and placed her hands on her shoulders. The girl jumped slightly at the touch and her whole body was tense. Max shook her softly, trying to get her attention, but the girl's gaze was vacant. Well hell, Max thought to herself. The girl was not going to be able to protect herself in this state.
"Hey," Max said, shaking the girl a little harder. That brought the girl's face up, her eyes looking through Max.
"I need to get you somewhere safe. Can you walk with me?" Max said as she coaxed the girl forward.
She pulled the girl to the shadows, away from the moonlit concourse area. Keeping her eyes swinging around, she guided her toward the sporting goods store. Max didn't want anyone to follow her straight to Jack. She couldn't think of a safer place for the shocked girl.
When she approached the tent Max let out a low bird-like whistle. The tent door began to unzip in answer to her signal. Max could barely make out Jack's face when she stuck her head out to find her mother. Cajoling the girl into the tent was another feat, but once she was in, she curled into a ball in the corner. Jack looked questioning at the girl and back at her mother.
"She saw her boyfriend killed," Max whispered.
"Oh no, are the sick ones inside?"
"Yes, but he was killed by one of the living intruders," Max answered.
"How sad," Jack said quietly. She moved to sit next to the girl and softly pet her head.
Preparing to leave the tent, Max double checked her weapons and flashlight. There was no way of knowing how many additional intruders there were. So far Max knew of three that had been dealt with. There was still the second mystery voice she had heard. There could be additional unknowns. She also didn't know if there were more infected inside.
The sun was just beginning to break the horizon as a brighter gray light was filtering into the mall windows. Max knew her time was limited to figure out what her next step was inside the mall. She didn't want to keep Jack there any longer than it took for the sun to rise in the sky. She zipped up the tent and a gunshot sounded in the mall concourse. It was like the dinner bell being rung and Max's decision was made for her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The sound was no longer her concern as Max pulled open the tent door again. Jack was already moving inside, realizing what the gunshot meant. Someone else was armed inside the mall. And they weren't worried about attracting a crowd. Max quickly crouched down inside the tent. What's the plan, Max?
She unzipped one of the tent windows and peeked one eye out. She watched the entrance to the sporting goods store for any sign of movement. The mall was an echo chamber, meaning the gunshot could have been anywhere. It didn't sound close, but that didn't necessarily mean it wasn't. And was the person with the gun on the move, running from the infected already?
Max glanced over at the girl that was still laying in a ball in their tent. She was a liability. However, something about her actions with the intruder, her need for justice and vengeance for her boyfriend struck a chord with Max. Not that Max had brought herself to killing a living person, she could understand the need for action after seeing something so horrific. That cord in Max was what made her decide the girl had to come with them.
"Hey," Max said to the girl. When she didn't get a response, she crawled over to her and got right in her face. Smacking her cheek a few times got the girl to look at Max.
"Hey, you in there?" Max asked.
"What? What do you want?" The girl asked in a nasty voice. Max was slightly taken aback by her attitude. For a moment she felt her own defense swell to the surface. However, a moment was all it took for her to remember the girl had just seen her boyfriend murdered and in turn had murdered the man that had struck the death blow. There was no telling where the girl's mind was at.
"Hi. Do you remember us? I'm Max. What's your name?" Max asked softly.
"Blair, my name is Blair. Yeah, I remember you and your daughter," Blair replied, motioning slightly toward Jack.
"Ok, Blair, listen. The sun is starting to rise. Once the mall is lit, we won't be safe from the infected or any other intruders left. We need to get out of the mall," Max said quickly. Blair watched her warily. But she didn't say anything.
"Do you understand?" Max asked, expectantly. Blair just nodded slowly, seeming to understand but not really comprehending what was needed to make the plan happen.
"Ok....well, do you want to come with Jack and me? We are getting out of the city. Do you have people anywhere we could take you to?"
"Kevin was my person. And he's gone. There's no one else," Blair said quietly. She sniffed and suddenly tears were streaming down her face. She began to rock in place and Max sat dumbfounded.
Jack realized her mother had no idea how to handle the crying girl, so she crawled over and sat next to Blair. She took her hand in hers and whispered soft words. Condolences, understanding, and encouragement to come with them out of the unsafe location. Blair seemed to respond better to Jack, so Max went back to the tent window and peered out to see if anyone was around.
A dark figure moved throughout the sporting goods store. It was one of the intruders, looking through the items in the store. He was packing his things into a shopping bag. Max wanted to curse, feeling negligent in her lookout. The man had entered without her even noticing him. If he continued his current path up and down the aisles, he would end up right next to their tent.
Max turned and put her finger to her lips. Jack saw her and immediately quieted. She turned to Blair and signaled her the same way. Blair quieted as much as her sorrow would allow. Max turned to look out the window again and almost yelped when she saw the man much closer and staring straight at her.
"I can see you," the man's deep voice floated into the tent.
"Shit," Max muttered.
"Lady, you might as well come out of hiding." The man placed his shopping bag on the ground and pulled a gun from the back of his pants. Max cursed again. He was the armed intruder, the one that had shot inside the mall earlier. Max found herself wondering how good of a shot could the man really be. It was a blessing that he didn't know Jack or Blair were also hiding inside the tent.
Taking her 9mm out of the holster, she went to the tent door. Confronting him was her only option. The men that broke into the mall were impulsive and she didn't believe he wouldn't shoot blindly into the tent just to kill her. Her tomahawk was at her hip as well, in case he came at her for a closer fight.
Max may have shied away from killing the men in the mall concourse. However, this man was different. This man was coming too close to her daughter. Jack was her main priority and she wasn't going to let a stray bullet strike her. Thinking of Jack she looked at her daughter before ducking out of the tent. Her small face was tight with worry. Max just winked at her.
Immediately aiming her weapon directly at the man's chest, she stood away from the cover of the tent. He looked surprised, but he didn't raise his weapon. If he didn't try to use it on her, maybe it was because he didn't really know how to use it. Unlucky for him, Max knew how to use hers.
"Take what you need and move on," Max ordered. The man sneered at her.
"That's the plan. But what I need is this mall to myself. I could live out this plague here," the man replied, patting the nearby display of clothing.
"Other's will come, just like you did. You can't defend the mall alone," Max said.
"Oh, I'm sure I'll do just fine. Everyone will be one of those infected dead soon. There will only be a few left."
"That will take quite some time. How lucky do you think you are to be one of the few left? You've already let in the dead," Max said, motioning toward the mall concourse. In the far-off distance of the mall, the movements of the infected could be seen. Their u
nusual joint movements giving them away even as shadows.
"You basically told them you were in here by using that gun," Max continued. "Who or what did you shoot with it?"
"Some woman tried to bite me. She was already inside though, so you guys had your own problems," the man replied. His answer made Max's stomach drop. He could only be referring to Jules. When she left her she didn't think she would die and turn so quickly. Now she knew she was truly dead. Max felt saddened that such a nice woman had to be taken down by the likes of this man.
"Ok fine. You want the mall. Take it. I was only passing through. Let me get my gear and I'll be on my way," Max said, changing tactics. If she could get the guy to leave the store, she would take Jack and Blair through one of the doors that led directly outside.
"Your gear? Anything inside this mall is officially mine now," the man replied. Max sized the man up. She could easily take him. But if he got off a wild shot, Jack and Blair could be the mistaken target.
"I'm only taking what I brought in. What I can carry," Max lied. He would never know what she had brought in or had taken off the shelves. The man seemed to weigh his options. He eyed her gun and seemed to notice her relaxed stance with it.
"Only what you can carry," the man said slowly. But Max could see his hand twitch. He had no intention of letting her go, at least not alive. She waited and watched him. His eyes momentarily left her face and he glanced around. Max knew he was alone, no one had entered the store since they started their standoff. What he didn't know was if she was truly alone.
The moment his decision was made, Max saw it in his eyes first. They locked back on Max, narrowed and hardened. The movement of his gun hand was next and that was all it took for Max to fire her shot. Her aim was slightly off but still, the man collapsed back. He cried out from the ground, hand grasping at his shoulder where the bullet had entered.
Max rushed the man, gun aimed at him all the while. When she got to him she bent and grabbed the gun he had dropped. Easily switching the safety on, she shoved the gun into her waistband for safe keeping. The man's face had gone pale. He looked up at her desperately.
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