Raiding the Mall
Ryan grabbed Salene's arm and started back to their rooms. Fighting was useless at the moment. Their biggest chance to surviving this was hiding out and hoping for the best. The Demon Dogs' chants and jeers were growing louder as more of them crawled their way into the mall. Jaena kept running and took off up the stairs with Gia by her side and a panicked look on both their faces. Gia could hear a Demon Dog guard directly behind her, chasing and forcing her up the stairs faster. She almost wished for Lex to suddenly appear and help save them from this torment. The howls from the intruding tribe were chilling enough, but the idea that a whole pack of Demon Dogs in the mall, outnumbering them almost two to one, sent shivers up Gia's spine.
As Jaena reached the top stair she looked back sharply to see how dangerously close the guard was and missed her footing falling flat on her face. In any other situation she would have laughed at this clumsy mistake, but there was no time to spare and as she struggled to pull herself up, she saw Gia run by with a Demon Dog on her tail. Jaena was quickly pulled to her feet and started moving down the hallway, but not on her own will. Two Demon Dog guards had hers arms and as much as she struggled, she couldn't free herself from their clutches.
Jaena had never seen a Demon Dog up close and personal before but she quickly realized why they were so hated and feared. They were complete brutes, out to destroy anything. As she was pushed forcefully to the café she could hear doors being broken into and glass shattering. One of their scouts had yelled out from the café after finding food and now a few of the scraggly members were congregating there. Jaena stopped walking and pulled away from the Demon Dog guards holding her. She was done cooperating.
"Let go! Ryan! Help!" she screamed and kicked one of the guards in the shin.
His dark eyes clenched shut as he yelled out in pain. A low growl, almost animal sounding rumbled in his throat as his hands gripped her arm tighter, squeezing it. As Jaena went to kick the other guard, she suddenly felt her left arm get pulled back sharply by the first guard she kicked. Suddenly there was a loud popping sound as a wave of excruciating pain shot through her left side. She screamed as she realized what they had just done and tried to hold back the tears as she was threatened with a silver blade of a knife by the second guard. Jaena now refused to stand as they dragged her down the hall. Eventually they got tired and after a few moments of them dragging her by both arms, one of which was now dislocated from its socket, they shoved her into a utility room and jammed the door shut.
Jaena listened to what was going on outside. She couldn't believe this was all happening so quickly. It was as if the end of the world was upon them.again. She grew angry just thinking about their tribe's complete inability to protect itself against raids like this. She also grew furious at Lex, who had befriended her in high school long before the virus. Lex had promised her she would safer at the mall then she was at home, trying to live alone now that the virus had taken her family. Lex had promised he'd watch over her while she was there and Lex lied. Lex was in charge of security and he wasn't doing his job and if Jaena wasn't feeling the numbing throbbing in her left shoulder, she would have considered getting up and doing something about this security breech.
Jaena's thoughts were jolted back into the present when she heard someone scream from down the hall towards Gia's room. Jaena tried to kick the door open and panicked, wondering what those animals were doing to her.
"Gia!" Jaena called back, knowing she wouldn't be able to hear her anyway, "No!" Jaena tried to kick the door again as she held up her left shoulder with her other hand.
She heard more yelling from Gia and then there was a sudden moment of silence. An eerie calm floated over the entire mall as there wasn't a single sound being made anywhere.
"What's going on?" Jaena yelled, demanding to know some answers.
Unfortunately there was no one there to answer her question. She just looked around the small room she was trapped in and cried softly, "Please.someone. Lex, Bray, where are you?"
Gia was having just as much luck at Jaena was at that exact moment. Although hiding out in her room might have worked to avoid Lex on certain occasions, it certainly didn't discourage a hungry pack of Demon Dogs. After a few horrifying moments of hiding in her room, the door was quickly broken down, allowing the Demon Dogs to look in on Gia as if she were an animal in a cage. Quickly going to work, a group of three bound and gag her and dragged her down the hall and stairs, leaving her sit by the sewer exit while they foraged for what they were looking for.
Jaena didn't hear any yells from Ryan or Salene so she hoped they had gotten out ok. As more feet traveled the halls unceasingly she started to wonder what they were even looking for. And then she thought of Jack and Dal and grew panicked. She hadn't even seen them come up the sewers before the Demon Dogs attacked.
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"Look everywhere! We only have a few more minutes!" The Demon Dog leader called out through the hall, "It has got to be here somewhere damnit! Look, all of you! Everyone look you pathetic wastes of space!" He started ordering the others around, "Let's go. This isn't a field trip. Stop playing with the rats and get back to work." He snapped looking through some of the mallrats rooms, overturning beds and moving dressers.
The tall Demon Dog leader with silver on his face, paced the hallways as his tribe members came up to him empty handed, reporting they had found nothing. Suddenly the utility closet door was thrown open and Jaena toppled out onto the floor. She looked around a bit shocked after finally slamming her good shoulder into the door to open it. Without warning the cold blade of a knife was pressed up against her neck and she was pulled up to face the Demon Dog in charge. She quickly realized her timing couldn't have been worse.
Behind the Demon Dog leader stood Jack and Dal, looking pretty beat up. They were barely standing with the help of the two Demon Dog guards holding them. The side of Jack's mouth was bleeding and one of his eyes was closed shut. Dal on the other hand wasn't even looking up. His head was down and he slowly swayed from one foot to the other in an attempt to keep from falling over. Jaena looked at Jack and Dal trying to get their attention to make sure they were all right but neither one was very interested in anything but the floor at the moment.
"WHERE IS IT?" The Demon Dog brought Jaena's attention back on him.
"What?" Jaena whispered and looked around for Gia, "Where's Gia?"
"Tell me where it is Mallrat. Tell me where the antidote is." His voice cut through the air like the knife at her throat, sharp and cold.
Jaena's eyes went wide when she realized what this entire raid was all about. If she just gave them the antidote, they'd go away. She looked behind the Demon Dog to Jack and wished he'd give her an answer of what to do. Jack was now looking up at Jaena and gave her a warning look, shaking his head. At the mention of the antidote, Dal looked up slowly as well, revealing a cut on his head that was bleeding into his eye. He shook his head as well which earned both boys a hit to the head by their respective Demon Dog guards. Jaena winced and looked away, but felt the knife back at her throat and just closed her eyes, waiting for them to end it.
"I don't know where it is. I don't keep watch over it.it's not my responsibility," Jaena stated an obvious lie.
Everyone in the city knew that her and Bray were working on it and getting it distributed. She looked away from the Demon Dog and frowned, hoping Salene and Ryan were all right. The Demon Dog stepped closer to her and slapped her, his eyes hard as stone. He took the knife away from her and shook his head.
"You will give us the antidote or your tribe will die." He quickly threatened.
Jaena spat at him and shook her head, "You won't get the antidote from us if you threaten our lives. You kill us and secret of the antidote dies with us. You want it? You can make a bargain with us like everyone else, just like the Locos are doing. Don't you know? The Locos are on our side. We're giving them the antidote and they're calling a truce."
The Demon Dog leader kicked Jaena in the stomach and shook his head after he wiped his face, "They are on your side?" He started laughing, "We'll leave you believe what you wish. Where is that leader of your tribe today anyway? Shouldn't he be here? Or does he have more pressing matters to attend to?" The Demon Dog looked at his tribe and gave them an appreciative nod, "Let's go. Take the one downstairs and we'll leave the rest to sit and rot and think about what this antidote secret means to them."
The two guards holding Dal and Jack dropped them to their knees and the wolfish tribe checked out of the mall almost as quickly and skillfully as they had entered, taking their hostage with them.
Ryan grabbed Salene's arm and started back to their rooms. Fighting was useless at the moment. Their biggest chance to surviving this was hiding out and hoping for the best. The Demon Dogs' chants and jeers were growing louder as more of them crawled their way into the mall. Jaena kept running and took off up the stairs with Gia by her side and a panicked look on both their faces. Gia could hear a Demon Dog guard directly behind her, chasing and forcing her up the stairs faster. She almost wished for Lex to suddenly appear and help save them from this torment. The howls from the intruding tribe were chilling enough, but the idea that a whole pack of Demon Dogs in the mall, outnumbering them almost two to one, sent shivers up Gia's spine.
As Jaena reached the top stair she looked back sharply to see how dangerously close the guard was and missed her footing falling flat on her face. In any other situation she would have laughed at this clumsy mistake, but there was no time to spare and as she struggled to pull herself up, she saw Gia run by with a Demon Dog on her tail. Jaena was quickly pulled to her feet and started moving down the hallway, but not on her own will. Two Demon Dog guards had hers arms and as much as she struggled, she couldn't free herself from their clutches.
Jaena had never seen a Demon Dog up close and personal before but she quickly realized why they were so hated and feared. They were complete brutes, out to destroy anything. As she was pushed forcefully to the café she could hear doors being broken into and glass shattering. One of their scouts had yelled out from the café after finding food and now a few of the scraggly members were congregating there. Jaena stopped walking and pulled away from the Demon Dog guards holding her. She was done cooperating.
"Let go! Ryan! Help!" she screamed and kicked one of the guards in the shin.
His dark eyes clenched shut as he yelled out in pain. A low growl, almost animal sounding rumbled in his throat as his hands gripped her arm tighter, squeezing it. As Jaena went to kick the other guard, she suddenly felt her left arm get pulled back sharply by the first guard she kicked. Suddenly there was a loud popping sound as a wave of excruciating pain shot through her left side. She screamed as she realized what they had just done and tried to hold back the tears as she was threatened with a silver blade of a knife by the second guard. Jaena now refused to stand as they dragged her down the hall. Eventually they got tired and after a few moments of them dragging her by both arms, one of which was now dislocated from its socket, they shoved her into a utility room and jammed the door shut.
Jaena listened to what was going on outside. She couldn't believe this was all happening so quickly. It was as if the end of the world was upon them.again. She grew angry just thinking about their tribe's complete inability to protect itself against raids like this. She also grew furious at Lex, who had befriended her in high school long before the virus. Lex had promised her she would safer at the mall then she was at home, trying to live alone now that the virus had taken her family. Lex had promised he'd watch over her while she was there and Lex lied. Lex was in charge of security and he wasn't doing his job and if Jaena wasn't feeling the numbing throbbing in her left shoulder, she would have considered getting up and doing something about this security breech.
Jaena's thoughts were jolted back into the present when she heard someone scream from down the hall towards Gia's room. Jaena tried to kick the door open and panicked, wondering what those animals were doing to her.
"Gia!" Jaena called back, knowing she wouldn't be able to hear her anyway, "No!" Jaena tried to kick the door again as she held up her left shoulder with her other hand.
She heard more yelling from Gia and then there was a sudden moment of silence. An eerie calm floated over the entire mall as there wasn't a single sound being made anywhere.
"What's going on?" Jaena yelled, demanding to know some answers.
Unfortunately there was no one there to answer her question. She just looked around the small room she was trapped in and cried softly, "Please.someone. Lex, Bray, where are you?"
Gia was having just as much luck at Jaena was at that exact moment. Although hiding out in her room might have worked to avoid Lex on certain occasions, it certainly didn't discourage a hungry pack of Demon Dogs. After a few horrifying moments of hiding in her room, the door was quickly broken down, allowing the Demon Dogs to look in on Gia as if she were an animal in a cage. Quickly going to work, a group of three bound and gag her and dragged her down the hall and stairs, leaving her sit by the sewer exit while they foraged for what they were looking for.
Jaena didn't hear any yells from Ryan or Salene so she hoped they had gotten out ok. As more feet traveled the halls unceasingly she started to wonder what they were even looking for. And then she thought of Jack and Dal and grew panicked. She hadn't even seen them come up the sewers before the Demon Dogs attacked.
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"Look everywhere! We only have a few more minutes!" The Demon Dog leader called out through the hall, "It has got to be here somewhere damnit! Look, all of you! Everyone look you pathetic wastes of space!" He started ordering the others around, "Let's go. This isn't a field trip. Stop playing with the rats and get back to work." He snapped looking through some of the mallrats rooms, overturning beds and moving dressers.
The tall Demon Dog leader with silver on his face, paced the hallways as his tribe members came up to him empty handed, reporting they had found nothing. Suddenly the utility closet door was thrown open and Jaena toppled out onto the floor. She looked around a bit shocked after finally slamming her good shoulder into the door to open it. Without warning the cold blade of a knife was pressed up against her neck and she was pulled up to face the Demon Dog in charge. She quickly realized her timing couldn't have been worse.
Behind the Demon Dog leader stood Jack and Dal, looking pretty beat up. They were barely standing with the help of the two Demon Dog guards holding them. The side of Jack's mouth was bleeding and one of his eyes was closed shut. Dal on the other hand wasn't even looking up. His head was down and he slowly swayed from one foot to the other in an attempt to keep from falling over. Jaena looked at Jack and Dal trying to get their attention to make sure they were all right but neither one was very interested in anything but the floor at the moment.
"WHERE IS IT?" The Demon Dog brought Jaena's attention back on him.
"What?" Jaena whispered and looked around for Gia, "Where's Gia?"
"Tell me where it is Mallrat. Tell me where the antidote is." His voice cut through the air like the knife at her throat, sharp and cold.
Jaena's eyes went wide when she realized what this entire raid was all about. If she just gave them the antidote, they'd go away. She looked behind the Demon Dog to Jack and wished he'd give her an answer of what to do. Jack was now looking up at Jaena and gave her a warning look, shaking his head. At the mention of the antidote, Dal looked up slowly as well, revealing a cut on his head that was bleeding into his eye. He shook his head as well which earned both boys a hit to the head by their respective Demon Dog guards. Jaena winced and looked away, but felt the knife back at her throat and just closed her eyes, waiting for them to end it.
"I don't know where it is. I don't keep watch over it.it's not my responsibility," Jaena stated an obvious lie.
Everyone in the city knew that her and Bray were working on it and getting it distributed. She looked away from the Demon Dog and frowned, hoping Salene and Ryan were all right. The Demon Dog stepped closer to her and slapped her, his eyes hard as stone. He took the knife away from her and shook his head.
"You will give us the antidote or your tribe will die." He quickly threatened.
Jaena spat at him and shook her head, "You won't get the antidote from us if you threaten our lives. You kill us and secret of the antidote dies with us. You want it? You can make a bargain with us like everyone else, just like the Locos are doing. Don't you know? The Locos are on our side. We're giving them the antidote and they're calling a truce."
The Demon Dog leader kicked Jaena in the stomach and shook his head after he wiped his face, "They are on your side?" He started laughing, "We'll leave you believe what you wish. Where is that leader of your tribe today anyway? Shouldn't he be here? Or does he have more pressing matters to attend to?" The Demon Dog looked at his tribe and gave them an appreciative nod, "Let's go. Take the one downstairs and we'll leave the rest to sit and rot and think about what this antidote secret means to them."
The two guards holding Dal and Jack dropped them to their knees and the wolfish tribe checked out of the mall almost as quickly and skillfully as they had entered, taking their hostage with them.