William and Vella rested for a while inside the store, eating the leftover food that hadn't been touched.
"You okay?" William asked.
Vella's hands were still trembling as she held the food.
"I… I killed someone," she whispered.
William sighed softly and opened a bottle of water from the fridge.
"You didn't kill someone," he said calmly. "You killed a monster."
He took a drink before continuing.
"We need to survive. That's why we kill. Like I said earlier—kill or be killed."
Vella lowered her head for a moment, thinking about his words. Slowly, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Get some rest," William said. "We'll move again in thirty minutes."
The two of them ate quietly and rested inside the store, listening carefully to the distant noises outside.
After 30 minutes
William stood up and began packing their supplies.
Vella followed, stuffing the remaining food and water into her bag.
They quietly left the store.
The street outside had only a few zombies wandering around, making them easy to avoid. William carefully led the way, guiding Vella through alleys and empty sidewalks as they moved deeper into the city.
They avoided several small hordes along the way, taking long routes just to stay hidden.
After walking for quite some time, something unusual caught their attention.
A street ahead of them was completely empty.
No zombies.
William immediately became cautious.
They slowly approached the area.
Military sandbags were placed along the street, forming a defensive barrier. Several military vehicles were parked nearby, their doors left open.
Rifles and empty magazines were scattered across the ground.
The pavement was covered in bodies.
"Looks like they made a stand here," William muttered.
Spent ammunition casings were everywhere, suggesting a massive firefight had taken place.
But there were no living soldiers left.
William and Vella carefully looked around the area, trying to figure out what the soldiers had been defending.
Then they saw it.
Right in front of the defensive formation stood a massive building.
CENTERMART.
A large shopping mall.
The main entrance doors were partially open.
William and Vella exchanged a glance.
"Looks like this was their last line of defense," William said.
They slowly stepped inside.
The interior of the mall was eerily quiet.
Several light bulbs flickered weakly overhead, casting unstable shadows across the empty hallways. Some parts of the mall were still dimly lit, while others were completely swallowed by darkness.
The silence felt unnatural.
Like the building itself was holding its breath.
William and Vella slowly walked deeper into the mall.
The air inside smelled stale… mixed with something worse.
Blood.
Rotting flesh.
The flickering lights above buzzed weakly, casting long shadows across the empty hallway. Stores were abandoned, their glass doors shattered and merchandise scattered across the floor.
William raised his rifle slightly, scanning every corner.
"Stay close," he whispered.
Vella nodded and stayed right behind him.
They stepped over dried blood trails that dragged across the marble floor. Some of them were so wide it looked like bodies had been pulled away by something… or someone.
Then Vella suddenly froze.
Her breathing became sharp.
William noticed immediately.
"What is it?" he asked quietly.
Vella slowly pointed toward the far end of the mall corridor.
William followed her gaze.
And then he saw it.
Deep claw marks carved across the walls.
Long.
Deep.
Like something massive had torn through the building.
Broken rifles and riot shields were scattered across the floor, along with torn military gear. Several soldier bodies lay twisted in unnatural positions.
But what made William's stomach tighten were the wounds.
These men hadn't just been shot.
They had been ripped apart.
One soldier's chest had been completely opened, ribs snapped outward like broken branches. Another body was missing half of its torso.
Something powerful had slaughtered them.
Vella's voice trembled.
"That's… that's the monster I saw," she whispered.
William slowly crouched beside one of the bodies.
The helmet was crushed inward.
Not by a bullet.
By force.
Something strong enough to bend steel.
Then William noticed something else.
A dark trail of blood leading deeper into the mall.
The trail was huge.
As if something enormous had dragged its body through the corridor.
Vella grabbed William's arm.
"I told you," she whispered nervously. "It had claws… and a long tongue."
William stood up slowly, his grip tightening around his rifle.
The mall suddenly felt much darker than before.
Much quieter.
Then—
THUD.
Something heavy moved somewhere above them.
Both of them froze.
Dust fell gently from the ceiling.
Another sound followed.
SCRAAAAAPE.
Like claws dragging across metal.
Vella's face turned pale.
"It's here…"
William slowly raised his rifle toward the dark second floor balcony.
The shadows above shifted.
And for a brief second…
Something moved.
Too tall.
Too thin.
And far too fast to be human.
William whispered under his breath.
"…What the hell is that thing?"
From the darkness above them…
A pair of glowing eyes opened.