As I begin to clime up the broken escalator I look around the massive mall. What was once loud and bustling with people was now dead quiet and had vines, plants and trees in every which way. It feels like im not even in a structure, it feels like I’m still outside. As i reach the top of the escalator i look back for a minute, looking back at the mall flooded my brain with memories, but I can’t stay I have to get food. I begin to walk towards what i think is a grocery store. Through the vines I can barley make out the words “Every day market.”

“Bingo” i say to myself. I then begin to slowly and carefully walk in, my hand resting on my pistol in my pocket. As i begin to search it appears everything has been taken. As i carefully look through piles of boxes stacked on top of each other one of them falls down to the ground and a loud shattering sound comes from the inside. So loud that i can hear it echoing through the mall. “Shit.” I say to myself quietly. I grab the box and slowly place it back down with the other boxes. I slowly open it to see the many wine bottles which have now been smashed into millions of pieces.I then leave the box and continue to search. I spot a door at the back of the store labeled “Staff only.” I approach the door and reach to grab the handle. As i open it the loudest of creeks come from the hinges. The creeks echo throughout the mall. I convince myself nothing is here as it would have heard the bottle smashing from earlier. As i move into the staff only room i spot another box. I slowly walk over to the box, being careful not to step on a patch of creeky floorboard. I finnaly arrive to the box after what felt like years of slowly creeping across. I open the box to find many cans of fruit and beans. I felt a sense of warmth that i got what i came here to get. As i start putting the cans into my backpack i hear a noise from outside. I hear several footsteps. As i quickly put the rest in i sneak back to the door. Once i arrive at the door i try to look through the small circular window, but their was to much dust for me to look though, i wipe the dust off and look out to see, people. Shit i think to myself, they must of heard the glass shattering.as i see them spread out and walk around one of them looks directly at me. I quickly duck beneath the window hoping that they didnt see me. The light shining under the door gets blocked by what looks like two legs. I’m fucked i thought. I pull out my pistol, turn off the safety and make sure its loaded. I carefully peak out the window, he has turned back around and is walking away. Thank got i think to myself. As I slowly un-tense myself i hear footsteps coming back, suddenly the door swings open as one of the strangers kicks it. I fall to the floor dropping my pistol. Five stranger begin to walk in, their eyes bloodshot and their body’s filled with scars and cuts. “Give us the shit” one of them says in a quiet yet fierce tone.

“Ok, ok, hold on.” I say as i try to think of a plan I spot my pistol under a table in the corner of the room. No way i can get to that with them shooting me, i think to myself. I then look ahead of me and see a small vase on the ground. I get an idea. “Hurry up, we will shoot you.”

“Yeah alright.” I then slap then push the vase over and shatters extremely loudly, echoing throughout the shopping center. “What the fuck was that?”

“Just shoot him man.”

“I’m giving you the count to three.” One of the men raises his pistol at me

“One, Two, Thre-.”

He is suddenly thrown across the room, crashing into the wall in front of me. I look back, and i see it. A silencer. The creature is almost fully black with small white stripes running cross its reptilian looking face. The creature stands on its hind legs with massive forearms pertruding from the front. Large quills are attached to the bottoms of its arms. The creature has a massive tail and razor sharp teeth. As one of the other stranger turns to shoot it, the creature spins around hitting him with its tail, it then pounces on the last guy to the left and begins to tear his neck to shreds. The exit is now a clear shot, i then begin to book it out. As im almost at the exit of the store i feel a heavy weight land on my backpack. I then manage to squeeze my arms out of the strap. I turn around to see the creature gnawing my backpack to spreads. It’s head slowly rises to look at me as it drops a peice of leather that was in its blood stained mouth. It slowly gets up off the backpack and begins approaching me. As I slowly back up i notice the box from earlier contains the shards of glass, the creature then foils up its legs preparing to pounce. As it leaps into the air I roll out of the way, i get up next to the box and reach down and grab the bigest shard i can see. Before the creature has a chance to get up I jump on its stomach and begin to stab. It’s claws scratching my back ripping and tearing my shirt. I feel the warm liquid of blood rolls down my back, but I ignore this and continue to stab. Eventually the creature lets out a guttural screech and its head flops onto the floor. I feel the weight of it’s claws fall of my back and land on the ground. I then get off the creature covered in its blood, I drop the glass shard which has left a massive cut in my hand. I begin to walk back to grab my backpack then walk back to the staff room to grab my pistol. By the time i return to the store exit the creature is no where to be seen, and a bloody trail leads toward the exit. “I’ll get that bitch next time.” I say to myself. In the distance i hear multiple echoes of the creature calling out to what I think to be other silencers. I better get out of here I thought to myself.