Hunter and the Hunted (Septiplier)

~~ CHAPTER FIFTEEN ~~

Mark and I couldn't keep the smiles off of our faces as we fiddled around getting a spare for the now known Jeep. We then placed my bag, and the car jack we had to obtain, back in the Jeep.

"Hey Mark?" I asked as we sat in the front compartment of the vehicle; Mark starting the engine.

"Yeah?" He questioned back.

"Two things... One, we need to get a fuel can of some sort, and two, there is a shopping complex about twenty minutes into the city; we should go there. If the elevators aren't working, then the bottom stores would be untouched."

Mark nodded and the engine roared to life.

We headed down towards the shopping complex, and with the speed Mark was driving, we made it there in just under eight minutes. We both filed out of the car; Mark with his machete, and myself with my sawn off.

We entered the broken down doors and searched the top floor... nothing... literally, nothing. I did expect it though, because there would have been many possible survivors who would have known about this place.

"Mark, I think there is a chemist around the third floor under, and another store underneath that." I told him.

"Cool, if there is anything there worth taking, or even anything left at all. I'll grab it. So I'll go to the chemist, and you head downstairs." He said. I nodded and we headed for the still escalator. It wasn't running but it looked safe enough so down we went.

Once we had reached the third floor, Mark and I looked for the chemist compartment. There was one here, but it sported a large metal roller-blind door, closing it off from us.

"You head down stairs, and I'll figure out how to get in here." Mark said as I walked towards the un-working elevator. I would have to find the emergency stair well.

"Hey, Jack!" Mark called as I rattled the chains holding the stair well closed.

"Yeah, Markimoo?" I called back, laughing at the silly nickname I had given him.

"Just... Be careful, okay?" He said; a little quieter that before. I smiled at this anyway and nodded to myself as I picked up a brick from the discoloured and littered floor, banging it against the lock, combining the chain links and pulling the chain off. I open the door and look down through the black mass of pitch darkness.

"See you on the other side Jackaboy!" Mark called laughing.

"That's JackaMAN to you sir!" I yelled back before closing the door behind myself. Just as I begin my descent I hear Mark yell something as I leave, along the lines of,

"Well I guess you'll be calling me MARKUSMOO!!"

I laughed and strode down the stairs, flicking my flashlight back and forth, illuminating the way. The stair well was surprisingly clean, like nobody had been down here at all. I guess if this was an emergency stair well, that would explain why it was locked up; emergencies only and all that jazz.

I raised my gun so that if I had too, I could use it. Then I smoothly pushed open the door leading to the fourth and final floor.

Upon entering, the first thing I noticed was how pristine and un-touched everything was. Apart from there being no lights bar mine, it would seem like everything had gone back to normal once I had stepped through that door. There were many things in here, that I would need help from Mark to carry. Such and camping equipment and what not. This place was a literal gold mine, and everything we would need, apart from food and water was here. This must have been an outdoors store.

Looking around, there were hiker's backpacks and sleeping bags, camping stoves and lanterns. Hell! There were even batteries; everything that we would need, and yet so little room to carry it all.

I grabbed myself a trolley and started my hunt. I would need five sleeping bags, and perhaps even a tent, just in case. I had no spending limit, just a load limit. I collected a jerry can for fuel and a camping kettle to purify water if we run out of the good ol' bottled stuff. There were rows upon rows of batteries and other electrical things. I grabbed a few spare flashlights and six packs of batteries. The last thing I got, were three large hiker's packs. There were plenty of other things in here that would come in handy, but we would just have to come back because I had no room to fit it all in.

I pulled the trolley to the escape doors and shut it behind me. Now I would need to climb these damn stairs, with a stupid shopping cart.

Once back out on the third floor, I shone my light against the now slightly open, and bent door that concealed the pharmacy from us. I pushed the squeaky trolley towards the door and left it outside; first making sure that it wouldn't roll away or anything; then I wriggled under the bent, lifted part of the security door and stood up again.

I shone my light around and looked for Mark. As I was searching the also, pretty untouched store, I heard something from behind me. I hope that's him...

I swung around to great him, but am shocked by the two dead that had appeared behind me. I wasn't expecting this at all. I thought if Mark had come through here, he would have at least scoped the place out a little, but no... Unless...

I raised my barrel and blasted a hole right through the head of the one on the right. Instead of having to re-cock the gun, I whipped a knife from my belt and stabbed the last one in the side of its fleshy, maggot filled, skull.

"Mark!" I called through the store hoping to get an answer whilst scoping the place out. When none came and the place was empty, I moved behind a final row of shelves to find. him. Mark was lying on the ground, with blood seeping from his left arm, through his shirt sleeve and against the plastic covered floor.

I ran forward and slid down to his level, checking him for a pulse. He was still alive, but he was losing blood faster than likable. I needed to find something to patch him up with, again. After finding myself a nice big bandage, I cut up the entire length of the sleeve, opening it to recognise whether or not he was bitten or scratched. There weren't any obvious signs. The cut was clean, like he had tripped and done it himself; but how on earth did he lose consciousness? I would need to find that out when he comes to.

I wrapped the full length bandage around the deep twenty centimetre wide gash along his forearm and elbow, trying to stop the bleeding and keep anything from creating an infection. Christ; that would be the last thing he needs. I pull him up into a sitting position to make it easier to heave him up and onto my shoulder. I carefully lift him whist bending my knees and hoist him up and onto my shoulder, heading for the door, and the pull string that would open the cage roller-blind up so I wouldn't have to push Mark through the gap.

Everything after that seemed to happen all at once...

As soon as the roller was raised, I saw them, the survivors. The door hadn't made much noise, but I ducked behind the shopping trolley anyway, making sure that nobody saw Mark or myself. We need to get out of here, what a time for Mark to be passed out... Hey; cold it have been them who knocked Mark out? I mean it's possible.

I needed to get Mark and the trolley out of here, unseen and unheard. The escalator would be the most difficult part, trying not to be seen on them was damn near impossible.

As I slowly kept to the shadows with Mark still on my shoulders, I push the cart towards the escalator entry passage and take a final look behind myself, just to be sure they weren't watching,

"Are you sure you heard a gunshot Alanna?"

I frozen in my place, I had forgotten about that. The gun was now sitting on top of the gear I had gotten and a few boxes of anti-biotic that I snagged with a case of Panamax and a roll of bandages.

"Yeah I'm sure Dan!" The female shouted back.

There were around ten of them down there, and I have no idea how many up top. I would need to be cautious.

I wheeled the cart and Mark up the first flight of the escalator alright, but when I got to the top, things... Weren't so okay.