[1] Apocalypse: Third Rebirth

Chapter 87: Shopping Mall

Ok... so maybe I went a bit overboard with trying to teach the guys that the post-apocalyptic situation that we have found ourselves in was full of things trying to kill us because as soon as we got within 100 feet of the mall, they had spread out, their guns drawn and looking for their next target.

Too bad the entire area around us was empty, but you know... better to be safe than sorry, I guess.

As covertly as I could, I weaved around the soldiers using overturned cars as cover as they brought their AK-15s up to their line of sight. Walking up the three steps to the main entrance of the mall, I looked through the glass door.

I will fully admit that the lack of people, zombies, and animals had started to take their toll on my nerves, but there was a mall in front of me with probably more supplies than I could store in my space (not really, but you get the idea) and no one to compete for them.

I opened the door; the groaning hinge was the only sound for miles around. Stepping foot into the mall, I felt the four guys and their men quickly follow in after me. Taking out Hades and putting him on my shoulder, I was relieved to see him look around before trying to find a comfortable spot to sleep.

Walking up to the map of the mall (complete with the 'You are here' dot) I got my first understanding of why most people would not be looking for supplies in this place, no matter how big it was.

"Whelp, this is useless," I complained as I took a quick look at the shops offered here. Turning my attention to the bottom right corner, I saw a phoenix symbol. "Are you kidding me?!? This one is yours too?" I screeched, turning around to glare at Wang Chao. He shrugged and looked at Liu Wei as if to confirm or deny my statement.

Liu Wei adjusted his glasses in a very reminiscent way and nodded his head. "You took this over a year and a half ago," he confirmed. "But we didn't pay much attention to it as it always had a decent profit and there were other things on our mind."

"You couldn't have at least useful stuff in this place? I mean, it's not like I can take out a zombie with a red-soled stiletto heel," I grumbled as I continued to look through the long list of stores for one that would possibly be beneficial.

"Okay," I said, making up my mind. Even if they were brand names, it didn't mean that they didn't sell winter clothing, especially in November. "We are going to split into groups of 5 and each one of us will take an area. Take what you can, or that will be beneficial. I see that there is one pharmacy here so maybe they will have band-aids and other first-aid supplies," I continued, pointing to the lone pharmacy on the first floor.

I roughly figured out in my head that it would take several hours before we could go through everything here and would probably end up making this place our base camp for the night. Heck, if we weren't in a hurry to save that guy, I would have insisted that we remain here for a whole week or more.

I might disparage the designer clothes and the brand names that were so popular before the end of the world, but in all honesty, at the end of the day, they were still clothes and could be used. And let's face it, I would not let anything of use slip through my fingers.

Each one of the boys took their own group and dispersed through the mall. For me and mine? Our first stop was the food court. I knew the majority of it would have gone bad or on its way to going bad, but there still should be some canned goods that I could take.

Unfortunately for me, the food court was on the very top floor (5th floor) and I had to walk every step of the way (stupid EMP) while trying my best not to disturb His Royal Hades from his perch. With my team following behind me, I quickly made my way up the stairs and onto the fifth floor.