“Now!” Zion yelled, and the duo moved in sync, leaping across to the other side of the escalator. Zion landed perfectly, but Calvin’s foot caught on the median, and he stumbled. His companion grabbed him by the collar, yanking him up to a standing. They quickly rushed up the stairs, as the zombies reached from the other side, confused that their meal had escaped.
The creatures at the top that hadn’t filtered down the other side had changed course, moving towards them. Zion snatched his weapon from Calvin’s hand and whipped it in front of him, using it like a battering ram to send a couple of them flying back as they reached the landing.
The duo made a hard left towards the wall of stores before continuing towards the center of the mall. There were about two dozen zombies behind them, with a smattering of creatures in front.
“Anytime you wanna start shooting!” Zion barked. “We gotta get them out of the store!”
Calvin didn’t wait to be asked a second time, aiming towards the center of the mall, selecting a target and squeezing the trigger. The blast echoed throughout the large space as one of the creatures dropped to the ground.
Zion turned his attention towards the escalator zombies that were following them. He delivered several quick, decisive blows that dropped them to the ground. Before too long, however, the ones on the escalator had cleared the stairs, and were quickly becoming too much for him to handle on his own.
“Let’s head up!” he yelled. “Gotta keep ‘em moving.”
They took off about twenty yards, Calvin stopping and firing twice in rapid succession, keeping the noise up and the threat ahead at bay. As he aimed for a third one, he paused, drawing his companion’s attention from the trailing horde.
“What is it?” Zion asked.
Calvin gulped. “We’re in trouble,” he said.
His friend looked ahead and saw about sixty zombies coming around the corner at the center of the mall. “Where the fuck did they come from?” he demanded.
“Doesn’t matter, they’re here!” Calvin cried.
Zion looked back, noticing several zombies had poured out of the storefronts, increasing the number pursuing them. He frantically looked around, seeing a clothing store with an open gate just ahead, a small chain with a door about twenty feet wide.
“There!” Zion pointed. “Into the clothing store!”
They tore towards it as the zombies began to close in from both sides. Zion ran in first, quickly working his way through the displays to make sure they were alone inside. There were plenty of bloodstains and overturned displays, showing that at one time there’d been a hell of a struggle in there, with someone not coming out on top.
While he did his sweep, Calvin grabbed the metal pole and used it to close the gate. He slammed it shut moments before the zombies reached them, securing it to the ground. He took a few steps back as dozens of creatures pressed up against it, scraping the flesh from their fingers as they tried to stick them through the small metal openings. Zion came up to join him.
“How we looking?” he asked.
Calvin swallowed hard. “Trying to remain hopeful that there is a back exit,” he admitted.
“Haven’t checked,” Zion replied, “but we’re alone in here unless something is in the storeroom.”
They backed away from the gate, relieved that it was holding, but concerned they may be trapped. They went to the storeroom door, and Calvin put his hand on the knob as Zion readied his weapon and nodded.
The sniper threw open the door, and Zion burst inside, looking around at the horrific scene. A mangled bloody corpse sprawled on the ground, mostly eaten but still moving. He shook his head as he walked over to it, unable to tell at all what the person had looked like before they’d been attacked.
“Don’t know who this was,” he muttered, “but they were a hell of a fighter if they were able to lock themselves up with that kind of damage.” He stood over the zombie as it gave a gurgled moan and tried to reach for his ankle. He brought his weapon down on top of its chewed-up head, destroying it.
The two looked around the darkened storeroom, unable to see much of anything without any lights. Calvin headed back out to the register, fumbling around the shelves underneath until he found a flashlight.
“Got a light,” he said, returning to the dark room.
He flicked it on and scanned the room, and both men’s hearts soared as they spotted a back door.
“Hope that’s not just a closet,” Zion said, and they approached it carefully. He unlocked it and then cracked it open, peeking through. There was a long cinder block hallway with several other doors, a dead end about forty yards ahead with a door. He gently closed it and backed up. “We got a way out,” he said. “But first, I think we need to draw some attention our way, don’t you?”
Calvin nodded, wiping his forehead. “Plus I could use a breather,” he admitted.
“Weak bud, weak,” Zion said playfully, shaking his head. “If you are gonna keep your girl pleased, you gonna have to work on that cardio.”
The sniper chuckled. “You have such a one-track mind,” he accused.
Zion clapped him on the back. “Come on, let’s go cause a ruckus.”
They headed to the gate and began yelling. Calvin stuck his gun through one of the holes and fired at point blank range, exploding a zombie’s head and sending guts and brain matter everywhere.
“Whoa!” Zion cried, stepping back from the spray. “Watch it, there.”
Calvin chuckled. “My bad,” he said, and turned the rifle around. He used the butt to bang on the metal. After a few minutes of this, they backed away from the gate. Zion looked at his watch.
“Two fifty-eight on the clock,” he reported. “We give this ten
