And here it is you happy people; what this whole thing was about.

The Pelanoi Account

Chapter One: A Meeting of Minds

The city screamed.

It had been a mere day since the first riots broke out and already it appeared as though hell had risen to Earth. Everywhere a person looked there were scenes of indescribable carnage.

In Elspeth city, monsters roamed the streets. And they were hungry.

A young woman pounded down a sidewalk, ducking and weaving her way through the lurching forms of things that had no right to exist, but haunted the city anyway. Her long brown ponytail was matted with blood, and she clutched an FN Herstal FNP-9 handgun tightly in both hands, brandishing it at the closest groaning threat whenever she wasn't focused on manoeuvring through the cluttered streets.

She cleared a large group of infected stumbling out of a burning bus, her hair standing on end at the sudden rise in temperature, before dashing around a corner –

– and colliding with something.

Yelping in surprise, she placed an arm on her aggressor's torso, prepared to push away as hard as she could. She stopped when the person on top of her spoke:

'Sorry. You okay?'

Raising her gaze, she felt her cheeks flush as she took in the appearance of a rather handsome young man. She averted her gaze for a moment, reeling in her thoughts quickly; now was hardly the time to admire the view.

'Ordinarily I'd ask for your number and address…' she started. A groan from a group of undead gave her pause.

'But I don't think this counts as ordinary.' The young man shook his head solemnly before quickly forcing himself up, extending his hand to her. She didn't pause, taking his hand immediately and allowing him to help her to her feet. A quick survey told the pair that a group of undead had been following the young man and that in the time of their collision they had caught up.

'Through there!' he called, pointing towards a gap. Without hesitation the pair sped through, the grasping hands of the dead never more than an inch away, until finally they made it. Their situation was hardly improved though; crashed vehicles and the shuffling dead littered the street, wailing a dreadful concert that grated on the senses.

A girl stumbled out from a looted store, one of the undead clawing and grasping at her, sending the two of them tumbling to the ground. The girl shrieked as the foul monster snapped at her, its bites drawing steadily closer to her succulent flesh.

A bullet blew out the back of its neck, severing the spinal cord and the dead man's body collapsed on top of the poor girl, its head still snarling and snapping. The girl pushed herself out from under it, turning to her rescuers. Her face immediately lit up when she took the two of them in.

'Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! If you'd not come along then… then…' the older woman silenced her with a gesture.

'Thank us when we're out of this. There are still plenty more where he came from.' She motioned to the snapping corpse, grimacing in revulsion.

'Right. Right,' She nodded 'my name's Sydney. Sydney Henry.'

'Tiffany Connors.' The young woman replied.

'Kit Matthews,' the man said 'and I don't think here's the best place for introductions.'

'You're right. Let's keep going. Either of you two got a weapon?' Tiffany asked.

Sydney hefted a baseball bat that she had dropped when the dead man had tackled her. Kit brandished a crowbar.

'Okay. I'll lead, you two watch the sides. I don't think I need to tell you not to let them get close right?' she asked, her gaze lingering briefly on Sydney, who nodded glumly.

'Perfect. Stay together and we'll make it through this; let's go.' Without pausing, she raised her own weapon and started off down the street, the other two immediately behind her. She rounded a car and lost her footing as something clutched her boot, bringing her down. Her gun flew from her grasp and clattered away, out of reach. Glancing down, she saw that one of the undead – its lower half a terrible ruin of burnt, torn flesh – had taken a firm hold and was dragging itself forward, eager for a meal.

She lashed out with a kick, shattering its jaw, but it held tight and continued pulling itself along. Then, suddenly, Kit appeared. He had seen her go down and assumed something had happened, vaulting over the car with his weapon raised. No sooner had he landed, he pivoted on the ball of one foot and spun, using his momentum to bring even more force into a vicious swing of his weapon, caving the creature's skull in, ending the threat.

Breathing a sigh, Tiffany finally kicked herself free from the dead person's death grip and retrieved her weapon. Nodding in thanks to Kit, who shrugged as if to say 'it was nothing'. They caught up with Sydney, who had been standing watch, growing steadily more edgy as the dead shambled closer. The blonde was much relieved to see the two still breathing and the trio quickly continued on.

They rounded the street and into fresh horrors. As always, the dead were ever present. A column of abandoned military vehicles told them that a convoy had likely met a grisly end there, and the dead swarmed around, some peeling off towards the three survivors as they took notice of them. Turning the other direction, they followed the street upwards, signs indicating that the National History Museum was only a left turn away. Tiffany turned to the other two.

'Might be a good place to catch our bearings.'

'I'd really like to catch a breather… and to get off these streets.' Sydney nodded in affirmation.

'Plenty of ways to get in,' Kit frowned, 'though I guess that means plenty of ways to leave too. Alright.' He finally acceded.

The trip to the museum was thankfully uneventful; the few dead encountered on the way too busy feasting on the numerous bodies that now dotted the once beautiful city to bother with the group of three. The building itself was entirely structured out of glass with a metal frame holding it together. It looked not entirely unlike England's Millennium Dome.

They entered through an open side door, coming across a lobby. Sheets of loose paper littered the floor, as well as scattered blood stains. Three sets of double doors presented themselves, one of which was locked, and a disturbing trail of blood led underneath another. Tiffany motioned for everybody to move quietly, before heading for the last double door.

The trio found themselves in what appeared to be a cafeteria, chairs were scattered in what looked like a hasty barricade. Something clattered in the kitchen and the group froze. A minute passed. Two minutes. Three, before Tiffany nodded in the direction of the kitchen to Kit, motioning for Sydney to stay behind and watch the door. The two young adults crept slowly, cautiously over the barricade of chairs and into the kitchen, Tiffany holding up a hand and counting down from three.

Two.

One.

Taking a breath, the two rounded the corner, handgun raised and crowbar primed for a strike.

They came face to face with no less than three guns, two automatics, one Smith & Wesson revolver. Tiffany raised her hands cautiously, Kit lowered his crowbar.

'Sorry if we startled you. We thought –'

'Yeah. Likewise.' One of the three women replied, lowering her weapon. The others followed suit.

'It's okay Sydney, come on over!' Tiffany called as Kit leaned against a stove.

'Who are you guys?' a slender brunette with blue eyes and sunken cheeks that gave her a haunted look, wearing a plain, tan T and light jeans asked. She appeared a bit older than the other two in her group, and the most talkative.

'I'm Tiffany Connors.' Tiffany answered first, establishing herself as de facto leader of her particular trio.

'Kit Matthews.'

'I'm Sydney Henry.' The college student said as she hurried over, relaxing a fraction at the additional human contact.

'Yourselves?' Tiffany asked.

'Cassidy Straum.' The older woman replied.

'Sema Smith,' said a Turkish woman, though Tiffany noticed that she wasn't quite as dark as many like her were. One of her parents was probably a mixed breed, so to speak. She seemed nervous, and even the appearance of the young Sydney hadn't seemed to dim it in the slightest.

'Ellen Rodd,' said the last member of their group, a Canadian. Unlike Cassidy; who seemed exhausted, and Sema; who appeared tired, Ellen seemed almost cold, as if this entire situation were mere routine to her.

'Well, Cassidy, Sema, Ellen… nice to meet you.' Cassidy gave a courteous smile, Sema nodded twice, Ellen merely grunted in a very unladylike manner.

A crash from inside the building broke the introduction up and almost immediately, four guns were turned on the direction it had come from. Another pair of double doors sat at the opposite end of the cafeteria, leading directly into the massive central chamber of the museum. Whatever had made the racket was coming from there.

Tiffany glanced at the three women and their respective arms.

'You girls do know how to handle those, right?' she asked cautiously.

'I've taken a few shots before.' Cassidy answered.

'Not really,' Sema confessed 'guess I'll get some practice in a minute though,' she added humourlessly.

'Don't worry Barbie; I won't shoot you in the foot.' Replied Ellen sardonically, her voice seemed to lower the temperature around her by several degrees.

'Guess me and Sydney are on backup detail then.' Kit murmured, and clutched his crowbar tight, while Sydney mimicked his action with her bat.

The crashing continued; it was definitely getting closer. The four women tightened the grip on their weapons and kept their eyes focused on the doors.

Suddenly they flew open. Sema squeezed the trigger of her weapon in surprise, the bullet punching through the glass of a window. The others displayed more restraint, tracking the mass that had barged into the room, but keeping their own fingers off the trigger until it started snarling at them.

A muffled shout told the people assembled that it was a living person, and further inspection revealed that said person was under attack from a member of the undead, only just keeping it at bay with a fire axe. Without hesitation, Kit leapt forward, vaulting over a kitchen counter and over chairs and tables towards the downed pair. Another figure appeared in the doorway; a male wielding a boat paddle.

Without any sort of warning, he raised the paddle and brought it down sharply on the dead man's head, bloodying the back of its head but not downing it. He raised it again, but this time he swept it sideways, into the ribs of the dead man, succeeding in dislodging it. Taking advantage of its weakness, the man underneath rolled over, reversing the roles before raising his fire axe and slamming it into the dead man's skull, silencing it permanently.

The two men remained still for a moment, simply staring at the now still corpse, until finally the man with the axe pulled his weapon free and stood up.

'You said it Marcus; close call.' The man chuckled bitterly, then raised his head and took notice of the people occupying the cafeteria; first Kit – who had stopped around five metres away, unsure of the second man's presence – and then the four women with their guns.

'Who called the Amazon Brigade?' the man wondered aloud. At the very least, he didn't appear hostile, neither did the other man, who cast his eyes over the assorted women and whistled.

'Hey! Ethan! Randolf!' a woman's voice called 'Wait up! I'm almost –' she stopped as she entered the cafeteria, the snub nosed pistol falling to her side as she took in the scenario in the cafeteria.

'Oh…' she said, blankly.

The two men appeared to be in their early twenties, the one with the axe standing a little taller than the other. Bandages were wrapped around his head and concealed his left eye, a light stubble was growing on his chin and his faded blue T and tan cargo shorts were specked with blood and grime. The other man possessed a receding, dark hairline – unusual considering his relatively young age – a strong aquiline nose and deep blue eyes which would undoubtedly have given him a much more regal appearance had he not been leering unpleasantly at the women in the cafeteria. Like his partner; his snot-green short sleeved shirt and tight looking jeans were specked with blood.

The woman by comparison appeared much fresher; with a face like that of a model, and pretty, dark skin, with long black hair tied in a bun. Her tank top and jeans looked almost fresh out of the store; clearly she was either very good at hiding, or just lucky. Anyone paying closer attention would have noticed that her eyes lit up like street lamps when she laid eyes on Kit.

Attempting to diffuse the awkward situation and regain some measure of control, Tiffany broke the silence first.

'Hi. I guess you were the people who –'

Interruptions appeared to be a common theme in Elspeth on this particular day, as a crash from the same direction the three newcomers had arrived reverberated throughout the building, followed by the chillingly familiar groaning of the walking dead.

'That doesn't sound good,' Tiffany grimaced and retreated towards the entrance she, Kit and Sydney had entered through, 'come on, this way!'

'Why should we follow you?' Ellen asked distrustfully. The new girl appeared to share her sentiments.

'Because those things clearly heard us and are probably on their way to tear us all limb from limb. If you know a quicker way out let's hear it now, otherwise; we need to get going. Stat.'

Ellen appeared to mull it over in her head briefly before grumbling under her breath and moving towards the exit with Tiffany. The rest of them followed suit, including the newcomers.

The group didn't have time to stop outside, the dead milled around; drawn to the commotion emanating from within the museum. Several caught sight of the living, and stumbled after them, intent on sating their hunger.

Taking stock of the situation, Tiffany realised that there were far more of the undead than she had estimated there would be. If something wasn't done the group was in very real danger of being surrounded by a wall of rotting flesh. Spying a multi-level parking garage, she pointed towards it.

'In there! We'll lose them there!' She yelled over the constant groaning of the dead.

Bringing up her gun, she sighted the closest threat and squeezed the trigger. A neat, little hole appeared in the creature's forehead and it dropped to the ground with a satisfying thud. Ellen took aim with her own weapon and fired. The shot clipped the shoulder of one of the dead blocking the way, and the woman's lip curled into a snarl at the wasted shot. She didn't miss the second time.

Kit bounded on ahead, laying into any of the dead that got too close with his crowbar, though he took the time every so often to glance over his shoulder to check on Sydney, who huddled in the centre of the group, looking rather vulnerable and unsure of herself. The two other men – Randolf and Ethan if she recalled – assisted in clearing the way, the women kept their sights on the flanks, only daring to fire if one of the approaching monsters got truly too close for comfort.

Finally they made it inside. Kit and Randolf hurriedly pushed a car so that it sat awkwardly in the entranceway. It would only slow the onslaught down at best, but it bought the group time to take stock of their immediate situation, as well as a chance to catch their collective breaths.

'So…' Cassidy was the first to speak up 'anyone got any ideas?' She glanced at the people around her, many of whom were warily eyeing the newcomers. Sighing, she turned to them.

'So, who are you guys then?' she asked.

'Randolf Wallace,' said the man in the ugly green T, a distinctive twang voice marking him out as Australian 'and I gotta say it is such a pleasure to see so many other people alive.' Cassidy frowned as she noticed his gaze lingered on the women in the group, and made a mental note to keep an eye on him.

'Leah Bartford,' replied the young woman, her eyes still on Kit, though she turned away when the object of her attention focused on her group.

'None of your damn business,' the last man growled, then, appearing distracted, turned as if talking to someone only he could see, 'fuck that Marcus I don't know who these people are. For all I know they'll put a bullet in the back of our heads soon as they get the chance.' The group collectively raised a brow at his behaviour, even Leah and Randolf appeared surprised. Until, finally he sighed aloud in frustration.

'Fine! You win. Guess dying in company's better than dying alone. I'm Ethan Meyer,' he finally responded, then, seeing the looks he was getting, asked; 'What?' seeing that no one answered, he threw his arms up and began muttering under his breath.

'Psycho.' Ellen murmured. Ethan rounded on her in an instant.

'You judging me ice queen? Get the fuck off that high horse of yours and why don't you play around in the muck with the rest of us,' he appeared distracted again, 'No Marcus, shut the fuck up I am not –'

Ellen appeared ready to retort when Kit suddenly placed himself in between the two. Cassidy and Tiffany appeared ready to intervene as well.

'This isn't helping us,' Kit spoke, 'right now we have much bigger concerns. Those monsters outside aren't going to wait on us. We need to find a place to hunker down, get our bearings and work out a plan, alright?' Ethan fixed Kit with a frown before fidgeting impatiently and appearing to back down. Ellen squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and when she reopened them she practically exuberated calm.

'Good,' Kit appeared to lighten at the apparent solution to what could have proven to be a nasty argument, 'anyone got any ideas then?'

The group stood in thought, Sydney piped up almost immediately.

'How about the Police Station? Surely that'd be secure!' she suggested optimistically. Cassidy smiled at the girl.

'Bad idea,' Randolf dismissed with a wave of his hand, 'that was the first place everyone ran to. Chances are it's a charnel house now. All it'd take is one bite and goodbye Coppers.'

'What do you mean?' Sydney asked, her youthful features etched with curiosity.

'It's how this thing spreads. What, you mean to tell me you've not noticed how most of these things look like last night's casserole?' Randolf scoffed. Sydney's face fell, and Cassidy shot Randolf a glare before moving closer to the girl.

'How about the subway then?' Leah suggested.

'Where it's dark and cramped?' Ellen said, pointedly 'I don't think so.' Ethan muttered under his breath and Ellen shot him a piercing glare.

'Hey…' Randolf spoke up suddenly, 'what about the Elspeth Mall?'

'A mall?' Sema asked, incredulous at his suggestion, 'are you serious?'

'That could actually work.' Ethan murmured in agreement.

'Okay, sorry to butt in but do you two know something we don't?' Tiffany interjected. The two men shared a look, then glanced back at the rest of the group.

'What, you mean you've never been?' Randolf asked, sounding surprised.

'You all tourists or something?' Ethan wondered aloud, his eyes shining with what could very well be amusement.

'Just tell us what the big deal is already.' Ellen demanded.

'Oh man are you guys in for a treat; the Elspeth Mall is built like a bleeding fortress! Big, heavy iron fences, solid, bullet-proof glass windows, the best security measures Grant and Glukhovsky could buy! Worked like a charm; ain't any burglar's ever broken into that place I can tell you.' Randolf explained, Ethan nodding along with every syllable.

Cassidy appeared to perk up suddenly.

'Sorry, did you just say Grant and Glukhovsky – as in the pharmaceutical company?' she asked.

'Yeah. Why? You work for them or something?' Randolf asked, appraising the older woman.

'No. No, but…' she appeared deep in thought for a moment before finally deciding, 'I think we should go.'

'It does sound pretty good…' Leah said.

'I don't know,' said Ellen, 'it's a mall right? So it'd be open to the general public? What if it's already crawling with those creatures?'

'They shut it a few days ago for the festival – well… there was supposed to be a festival, can't imagine it'd be too hot right now.' Randolf dismissed her worries.

'Festival? What festival?' Sydney asked.

'If I remember right, it's a week-long celebration of how the island gained independence from the Spanish Empire more than a hundred years ago or something.' Randolf noted, though he seemed uncertain of his explanation. He looked to Ethan for confirmation but the other man wasn't paying attention, his gaze was focused on the entrance to the parking lot and the growing press of undead who now appeared to be shunting the car out of their path.

Noticing the approaching danger, Tiffany took charge once more.

'So you're saying it's safe, secure and there should be no one inside right?' Randolf and Ethan nodded in confirmation.

'Wait,' said Leah, 'If the building is locked then how are we going to get inside?' she asked. Randolf's face fell. Ethan however had a solution.

'Looks like the balls in my court now,' he said 'I know a way in. There's a side door, shouldn't be anyone who knows about it, there's a key hidden in a little nook that opens it.'

'That's great, but how do you know about it?' Tiffany asked him curiously.

Ethan appeared uncomfortable for a moment, as if wrestling with a tough choice.

'Because me and Marcus built it in.' He said, finally. Several of the group took note of the name, recognising it from Ethan's 'moment' earlier.

'Me and him worked for a construction company for a while when G&G commissioned us to build the place. Started as a joke between the two of us, then it just kind of… escalated.' He explained, catching the looks on their faces, though misinterpreting them entirely.

'Alright, seems like we have a plan. No time to waste; we have to go now.' Tiffany called as the dead finally removed the obstacle and poured into the parking garage.

The group fled through the building, slipping out through a back entrance. From there they took a roundabout route, making their way through deserted back alleys, encountering much fewer of the undead than if they had taken the more direct path to the closed mall.

Finally, after ten minutes' walk, they arrived at their destination. Ethan motioned for the group to follow him around the side of the mall, beyond a loading bay until they reached what looked like a very old, handle-less door. It looked remarkably out of place when compared with the relatively 'new' look to the rest of the structure, with its smooth, beige wall. By comparison the door seemed almost like it had been lifted from a haunted house on a dark hill somewhere in Eastern Europe.

Ethan crouched down and fiddled with what appeared to be a rabbit hole (though none of the group had ever actually observed rabbits on the island). Eventually he pulled his hand up, clutching a small, rusting key. Ethan frowned at its condition, then inserted the key into the lock and turned it slowly. His face softened as the lock 'clicked' and he pushed the door open.

'Yeah… just like old times Mark…' he murmured as he picked up his axe and pushed forwards, the rest of the group following him in.

As Randolf and Ethan had promised, the mall was entirely empty. Stores and a couple of kiosks lined the first floor, their glass windows displaying all manner of goods; from children's toys to computer hardware, to furniture, and much, much more.

'Barricade the main entrances, that back door and put ourselves near the food and we could probably live here,' Tiffany said aloud, one hand on her hip, the other cupping her chin thoughtfully as she drew up a mental map and considered a number of possibilities before turning towards Randolf and Ethan, impressed, 'nice job guys.'

'You want to thank me, meet me in the guys' bathroom in ten minutes.' Randolf deadpanned.

Tiffany laughed aloud at the Australian, but then realised that he was entirely serious and narrowed her eyes at him before turning her gaze on Ethan, who took a defensive step back and folded his arms across his chest.

'Don't lump me in with that horn dog,' then he scratched the back of his head and frowned, 'shut up Marcus, it was one time and we were both drunk.' He paused, as if waiting for more, before turning away from the group and heading off deeper into the mall.

'I'm going to find a place to sit down and eat.' He said to no one in particular.

'That sounds like a good idea,' said Leah, 'I don't know about the rest of you but I am starving.'

A check of the time revealed that it was almost six in the evening. A pair of growling stomachs confirmed that the rest of the group also felt it was time for a bite.

'Hey, if we get some wood, I can start a fire so we can cook some food,' suggested Sydney 'my brother was in the boy scouts, he taught me how to do it – said it'd come in useful someday.'

Debatable as the idea was, some hot food sounded most welcome to the assorted survivors. While there wasn't much in the way of wood, there was paper, and Sydney quickly had a fire going in the middle of the mall.

'You guys sure this is a good idea?' Sema asked, nervously surveying the interior of the mall.

'If it starts to spread, just stamp on it,' Sydney assured her 'we've got enough people, it won't take that long to do it.'

'What about smoke?' the Turkish woman enquired.

'It's getting dark; a few blocks of the city have lost power. In the pitch black it shouldn't be too visible unless someone really looks.' Tiffany chipped in as she pulled a can of beef from her backpack. Those among the group with cookable foodstuffs also retrieved them. Randolf reached inside his own backpack and pulled out several severely deformed candy bars, frowning at them for a moment before taking the wrapping off and devouring them.

'That can't be too healthy for you,' Sydney observed 'you got anything else in that pack? Besides candy bars I mean?'

Randolf glanced at her before turning his gaze back inside his pack, then back to Sydney before zipping his pack shut.

'No.' he replied, though Sydney didn't appear convinced.

He sighed, picked himself up and walked off, 'If you'll excuse me, I really need to take a drag.' He said, pulling a packet of cigarettes from a pocket. Ellen finished her own meal before picking out a packet of her own and taking off in a similar direction.

'Well...' Tiffany started, as she observed the two set off further into the building 'I guess I can't blame her for not going off alone with that guy. I wish someone could keep an eye on them though.'

'Why's that?' Kit asked 'it looks like those two were telling it true so far; no one's here. So chances are none of those crazy cannibals are either.'

'Those are just the start.' Tiffany murmured, drawing a glance from Kit and those around her.

'What, are you saying you've seen something like this before?' Cassidy asked her.

'I've read about them, heard about it from some in the BSAA, even took part in an operation or two myself,' Tiffany began before craning her head upwards and drawing her knees closer to her body, 'but nothing like this… never.' She squeezed her eyes shut, Kit, not sure of what to say, simply put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Tiffany gave him a grateful smile.

Leah cleared her throat loudly and Kit lowered his hand, while Tiffany shot her an irritated glare. The rest of the group suddenly found their meals very interesting all of a sudden. Crossing her legs, she sighed and leant forward so the rest of the group could hear her speak.

'I was chasing someone with connections to a bio-terrorist attack that took place some years back. It… killed my father. A friend of mine with a contact or two told me that he was spotted in Pelanoi. Here.' The rest of the group raised a collective gasp at the revelation.

'You mean… this is a terrorist attack?' Sydney asked, her voice quivering, 'they can… they can do things like this everywhere?' her voice was a whisper.

'Probably…' Tiffany sighed, holding her head in her palm. She seemed tired, exhausted even.

'I thought he was just here to lay low, that I'd have time to locate and bring him down. If I'd known that he had… shit… I should've moved faster, been faster. I could have prevented this if I'd only known that –'

'But you didn't,' Kit interrupted 'you didn't know. No one could have seen this coming, and you shouldn't be blaming yourself for something you had no control over. Focus on staying alive, focus on helping the rest of us stay alive. It's all we can do for ourselves now.'

Whether or not his words had soothed her uneasy conscience Kit wasn't sure, though the Marine seemed to relax a fraction, which he supposed was a decent result.

'Thanks Kit.' She said, her eyes still shut, but the corner of her lips twitched in another easy smile. Kit gave her a slight smile in return and nodded encouragingly.

Soon the three from earlier reappeared, Ethan took a glance at the fire and frowned.

'Could have told me you were fixing up a cooker, would've saved me eating cold, canned meat. Blech.' He made a face as he recalled the taste.

Ellen rolled her eyes, while Randolf held back a few paces, sneaking the odd glance at her ass, apparently very much liking what he saw. Tiffany fixed him with a disapproving stare and eventually he held his hands up in mock surrender and sat himself down, a lecherous grin on his face. She decided then that she'd rather not know exactly what made this person tick; similar decisions were made around the group.

'Probably a better idea to sleep up on the second floor,' Ellen suggested, 'there's not much in the way of convenience stores up there, but it'd probably be safer.'

'Didn't fix you as the caring type,' Ethan sneered. Ellen didn't rise to the bait, instead electing to extend her arm and casually flip him the bird.

'Good idea, if we're all done eating it'd probably be best if we moved now and set up some barricades on the stairwells and the escalators.' Tiffany said as she considered the layout of the second floor. There were no less than three escalators leading to the second floor as well as a large stairwell sitting pretty in the centre of the mall, splitting once it reached the height of the floor and acting as a bridge shoppers could use to cut across and save a few minutes walking.

Fortunately the shops provided the means.

Heavy furniture was lifted and pushed in front of the staircase, serving most effectively. Smaller items blockaded the escalators. Both the bottom and tops were barricaded, the idea being that – should anything disrupt the first set of barricades – the noise would wake the group up, allowing them to prepare either a defence or an escape plan, the secondary barricade giving them extra time to implement their chosen tactic.

The exercise took them the better part of two and a half hours, and it was well into the night by the time they finished.

'You know, once the morning comes we're going to have to check all the food stores for perishables,' Sema advised 'if we don't, it won't just be the smell we'll have to deal with – it's not sanitary, can lead to disease spreading if it gets really out of hand, and with what's going on outside… well…' she didn't need to say more, her point was made.

The group retired for the night inside a home department store, arranging mattresses so that each person was within easy calling distance. The group quickly settled down, catching some rest and collecting their thoughts on an event that would, in all likelihood, haunt them to their graves.

-X-

I still hate writing endings.

On another topic I hope you have all enjoyed reading this. To those of you who submitted your own characters; I hope you like how I've portrayed them so far.

Comments are appreciated, constructive comments even more so.

Cheers