The Mutation Wave

Chapter 10: New Place, New Troubles

William looked at the tailor machine sewing his new clothes while drying his hair. Having machines that still work would be considered a luxury in these apocalyptic times, not to mention a shower. It was surreal how clean and comfortable he felt, especially since he had not cleaned himself in days.

"Hey Wil- WAAAH why are you still in your bath towel?!"

"Screams the one who walked in on me. My clothes aren't done yet. And don't be so dramatic, Masako; I'm at least eighty percent covered."

Masako put her hands down from her eyes and placed them on her hips. "This is a shared area, you know."

"Technically this whole place is a public area; we're in a shopping mall," William replied defiantly. "What do you need anyway?"

Masako tutted her lips. "Victor wants to see us; Marianne's already there."

She looked intently at the mini gripper arms darting around furiously inside the tailor machine. "Why's it taking so long to make your clothes anyway? Don't you just need to input the size and select the design you want?"

"It's... complicated. I'll find something else to wear for now." William grabbed a random coat and followed Masako out of the laundry room.

He walked down the corridor, taking in his surroundings. The whole mall was as lively as it was before the wave. No, it was even more lively. Some shops were repurposed into shared resting areas while others were manned by merchants selling food and tools. The ground floor had been turned into a huge dining hall where a distribution table sat in the centre, surrounded by tables and benches. People were bustling about, carrying fish and homegrown vegetables in big baskets like a small mediaeval marketplace.

Victor's room was surprisingly humble in contrast with the rest of the building. There was only a long meeting table and some chairs, as well as a single bed in the corner. Marianne, who was now wearing a tank top and jeans, smiled brightly at them from her seat beside Victor.

"I like what you did with the place," William commented.

Victor smirked. "I didn't do much; all I did was lift the biggest mall in the area and replant it near a water source. That's nothing compared to what I've done in the past."

William chuckled in response. Victor was never one to accept a compliment humbly.

"Did you not have time to change?" Victor raised an eyebrow at William's dangerously loose bathrobes.

William rolled his eyes. "My clothes aren't done. Let's move on, damnit."

"If you say so." Victor took his feet off the table and gestured for them to sit. "Marianne has already told me everything that happened in the car park. You were lucky to survive."

William gasped dramatically. "Marianne, how could you sell me out like that? Officer, those men stabbed themselves, I swear!"

"Your acting is terrible." Victor rolled his eyes. "And I'm not referring to them anyway; those were probably just common bandits taking advantage of the sudden zombie attack. I'm talking about the other one. No one knows who he is; only what he has done. Most of us here in Sector 162 know him as 'Red Clover'."

"Let me guess, he got bitten by a radioactive plant," William scoffed.

Victor ignored him. "He appears to work like a bounty hunter, though no one really knows how he chooses his targets. From what I have observed so far, it's usually the small bandit groups that get targeted, especially those who commit atrocities serious enough for the death penalty. Rape, murder, cannibalism etc. He attacks them even in broad daylight, almost always leaving no survivors. Probably thinks he's the personification of the law or something."