Everyone just starred through the chain link fence at the huge mega mall. No one said anything as they eyes scanned the scene.
They had all been at the mall before...some more then others since they all lived around the same area. It all seemed to unreal that this was the one place that the madness hadn't reached yet.
The parking-lot was empty...almost like a lone desert in a western movie. No cars, no people...none of those things running around. The whole place looked "dead."
Back in high school Ana used to work in a shopping center back home. It wasn't anything big...just a shoe store, a market basket and some video store.
Ana worked in the video store...which seemed to be the only place no one ever went to or rented movies from.
The hours were late and always seemed to fall on Friday night and the only people that did come in were old men renting out soft porn.
But it was a good chance to catch up on school work since she needed to raise her grave level in order to stay on the cheer leading team...and she got to watch movies all night.
Ana could remember how dead the parking-lot used to look...how it all seemed to be frozen, waiting for something to happen in the thick stillness.
This reminded her very much of that same shopping center.
She had gone here before to shop, only a few times since the city was so big and you had to take the freeway to reach it.
Ana liked shopping on the other side of the city...things seemed cheaper and not as busy.
The only time she really could remember shopping here was back with Luis last December for Christmas.
She could still see the snow falling in the jammed parking-lot as she walked arm and arm with him towards the front doors...and how they left with their arms full of bags and laughing.
"He's dead..."
Her heart then gave a sharp pain and she shook a little.
The hot sun had all ready risen over the clean blue sky...almost as like nothing was happening on the world below it.
Everything seemed to still and left alone.
"How the fuck are we going to get over there?" Andre said scratching the back of his head and keeping Luda close to him.
Everyone looked over the high fence and tried to figure it out.
"We'll climb." The taller guy said as he took another look at the top of the fence...it seemed to only be seven feet.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Andre said to him.
The guy put his hands in his pockets and looked at the fence again thinking.
"The only way...other then the front exits, which takes the main roads to enter in."
"Luda can't climb that high..."
The guy then looked at Luda and thought again.
He then pointed towards where the tunnel met the high hill of the grass...it seemed to slope up a few feet higher then the ground.
"She can walk up there...the fence will be chest level and you just climb up the other side and take hold of her."
Andre looked at it for a minute and then shook his head.
"All on baby."
He took Luda's hand and both started towards the slope of the hill, Luda seemed unsure about the whole plan.
The guy then tossed the crowbar into the air and it landed perfectly on the other side. Ana looked at it laying in the soft grass and then took a heavy breath.
The cop gave her a nervous look and then gave his shotgun a good toss and it landed beside the crowbar.
"All right...get ready to climb." The man said as he hooked his fingers into the fence.
Ana, Andre and the cop did the same.
Ana knew she could do this faster then anyone else...she used to climb trees and this seemed like a snap...only problem was she was shaking and didn't like the fast their weapons were on the other side of the fence.
Andre tucked his handgun in the back of his pants and looked over at Luda on the slope who seemed to be just as nervous as everyone else was.
"Okay...one, two...three!" The guy yelled and all at once everyone started to climb.
Ana's bare feet caused her a little trouble at the start but she worked her weight up higher beside the three other men and kept reaching up.
They then reached the top...Ana swung one leg over the other and started down ahead of the other guys who seemed a tad more nervous about swinging their legs over the sharp points of the top of the fence.
Going down was easy...before Ana knew it her bare feet sighed with relief as they touched the cold green grass.
The cop was next and then the other two.
Right away the cop reached for his gun and picked it up...he looked around if there were any signs of trouble.
Andre and the other guy ran up the slope and reached their hands up for Luda to take hold.
"Come on baby...it's easy." Andre said as he reached out more to her unsure eyes.
"It's okay honey...we're gonna get you." The guy said in a soft kind voice.
Ana stood beside the cop and watched them.
Very slowly Luda took hold of the fence and swung her legs over...she had her back facing them and then shook and let go.
This caused Ana's heart to jump into her throat and jump a little with the police officer.
They screamed and Luda fell back into the men's arms.
She was all right.
Everyone took a minute to breath and Luda took hold of Andre and kissed him as hard as she could.
"Now what?"
"We need to get inside, front doors are going to be locked and we don't wanna smash them...their must be a drop off door in the back."
They all stood together still getting their breath and then all at once started towards the mall.