Stories Of An Average Dream

My Paradise

Published Apr 06 2016

The moans and growls basically run this place. Their faces so zoned out, stumbling over their own two feet (if they have both of them). I can't blame them, they are dead, all of us are. I can't remember the last time I've seen an other or something with a beating heart. Well besides me. It's been forever since sunlight hit my face, or grass tickled under my toes as I walk. I wasn't alone when we came to this mall. Others were with me but they didn't think like a human, so they died and became one of them. But I made this my place, my home, living among the not. It's quite easy but others couldn't handle it, that's why I'm still here. The dead acts like a sericety system. Guards my palace from the living that kills and steal from others. I guess the mall is my stock and the dead is my instance of my stock, preventing of any and all living out. My "room" of this mall I claimed the upstairs Bed Bath and Beyond. Of course I rearranged some things to make it more 'homey'. When we first got here we had the bottom level too but it soon got run over by the dead awile ago. Luckily I was on the roof when this happened that's why I'm the only one left, but I was always alone even with my other groups. I'm now limited to the top floor only, I was lucky to be able to block the stairs before any of the dead was able to climb up them.

So here I am in the corner of Hot Topic with my bow knocked and pulled back. Three maybe four large trucks pulled up to the front of the mall entrance not too long ago. Surprised they made it thru the front doors considering how many dead are out there. Don't know why they wanted this mall out of all other malls. I just hope they will rade and then leave. I see no point of them being here because the food supplies is basically gone and all the men's, women's and kids stuff was used when my group first got here. I crawl to the front glass window of the shop, a couple of the men come up the last steps of the stairs.

"Clear this floor first then rade." the older man commanded to younger men, all about my age (17). The man turned his back and started to shuffle the other way. To my surprise one of the  boys looked through the wind of the shop, inches away from my face. The window is caked in dust (lucky for me), I was unseeable from the outside.

Just go to the next shop, better yet tell your friends to get the hell out of my mall. Just don't come in... it's too late. The dark haired boy walks through the entry of what used to be Hot Topic. He walks to the back wall, I look out the window again. Surrounded on all exits, men were there with their guns. Fuck! I crawl on the floor towards the boy, making sure he doesn't see me.

In one swift move, I pull a knife to his neck, "Put the gun down and don't say a word or you're dead." He drops the gun on the cold floor, I kick it under the shelf. "Where the hell did you guys come from? How many are there of you? Women? Children? Do you have a camp?" Questions kept coming out of my mouth, unable to stop.

"I'll answer your questions, just put the knife down," he said, but his voice didn't sound frightened like others would have. I lower my knife from his neck and take a few steps back. On my last step back I hit something hard, two hands wrap around me, making me drop my knife. The person behind trashed me around, hands tight on my arms. "Be careful with her." the boy commanded the person behind me.

"I just wanted to play a little." The man behind groped me, I sequel and squirm trying to get out of his grasp.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" The older man that was giving commands earlier walks in with two other men. "It looks like we have a survivor." 

"Let go of me!" I yell through my teeth, thrashing around trying to get free. Before I knew it I had zip ties around my wrists. The boy picks up my bow n' arrows and all of my other stuff. We walk to the Bed Bath and Beyond. 

"You, boy. Help her grab what she needs. Then meet outside in 20 minutes." The old man said to the boy. He nods and pulls me into the store. 

"Please let me go. How can I kill the dead tied up like this?" He looks at me then lifts an old duffel bag. "I won't try anything. I know if I do then they will kill you, right?" He roughly pulls me to him.

"If this make us move faster than fine and yes they would kill me." I nod and he cuts the zip tie. "I'm Paul but everyone at camp calls me Zimmer." 

I pack my bag while he grabs more supplies, "My real name is lost to me, I don't really remember it." He stops what he's going and looks at me. 

"What? You must've been alone for a while then." I nod again. "What about Alex?" I look at him questionly. "You are wearing an All Time Low shirt."

I processed it in my head, Alex. "Yeah, that works. Why are you being so nice to me?"

"When has being nice become a crime?" He pauses like he wanted for me to answer, "It's because you are all alone kinda like me, and Danny."

"Who is Danny?" I ask.

"Danny is my friend, about our age. He is sick with the flu right now." Being sick in the End is not the best. I walk to a bookshelf, pulling a book out. Inside is a carved out area that holds a pill bottle. 

"Here." I hand Paul the bottle. "It ibuprofen and some other stuff for the flu. I've been saving it up for a 'apocalypse' and it sounds like your friend is in the middle of one." He smiles.

Soon later, our 20 minutes are up and we head outside. Using my knife to kill any of the dead that gets in my way. The other men looked shocked when they noticed that I was no longer tied. 

The trucks squeaked forward and I was off to a new group.