They moved through the maze of corridors with a determined silence, the glowing map on Sophie’s laptop guiding them through the mall’s restricted areas. They were now acutely aware that this mall had been transformed into a calculated prison, each “zone” designed to test and exploit their deepest fears. After the horrors they’d uncovered in the lab, the weight of the military’s control pressed down on them even harder.

Every few minutes, Sophie would glance at one of the security feeds on her laptop, checking for any sign of the Ex-Marine. She could feel the clock ticking. He was on the hunt, a relentless predator moving through the corridors with military precision, and she knew he was getting closer.

“Are we getting close?” Damien whispered, his voice tense. His eyes darted around, as if expecting soldiers or the Ex-Marine to appear at any moment.

“Almost there,” Sophie replied, her focus sharp. She pointed at the map on her screen, tracing their path. “The control room should be down this hallway, past that secured door. If we can get inside, we’ll have access to the cameras, the gates… maybe even the containment systems.”

Lex nodded. “We need every advantage we can get. Let’s go.”

They continued down the corridor, moving cautiously, sticking close to the walls and making as little noise as possible. The sounds of machinery and faint echoes of shuffling footsteps reminded them that danger was never far away. Each step felt heavier than the last, but none of them dared slow down.

Finally, they reached a reinforced metal door at the end of the hallway, the faded words “CONTROL ROOM” stenciled across it. Sophie crouched by the control panel beside the door, her fingers flying over the keypad.

“This might take a minute,” she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Brandon and Damien kept watch, their eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. The silence was suffocating, broken only by the faint tapping of Sophie’s fingers on the keyboard. Each second felt like an eternity, the tension building as they waited.

Then, with a quiet beep, the lock disengaged. Sophie pushed the door open, and they stepped inside, their eyes widening at the sight before them.

The room was dimly lit, rows of monitors lining the walls, each screen displaying live feeds from different parts of the mall: the food court, the shops, the storage areas, even the containment zones. Infected roamed the halls like mindless predators, while Psychos prowled with calculated intent. The entire mall had been turned into a surveillance network, each screen a window into the nightmare they were trapped in.

“They’ve been watching us this whole time,” Brandon said, his voice barely a whisper. “Every move we made, every choice—they saw it all.”

Lex’s jaw clenched as she surveyed the screens, her fists tightening. “Then let’s give them something they didn’t plan for.”

Sophie slipped into the main console chair, her fingers gliding over the keyboard. The interface was complex, filled with military codes and encrypted data. She quickly navigated through the files, her eyes narrowing as she found a directory labeled Project Vanguard: Subject Analysis and Containment Protocols.

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“They have our profiles here,” she murmured, disgust in her voice. “Detailed psychological analyses, behavior predictions… they anticipated our responses, used that information to set traps and manipulate us.”

Damien’s face twisted in anger. “They think they know us so well? Let’s prove them wrong.”

Sophie continued to dig through the files, her expression darkening as she read more. Each Psycho had a profile, detailing their “role” in the experiment. The Butcher was listed as a “Physical Trauma Inducement,” the Taxidermist as “Psychological Disruption, I don't want to mention about the Clown and the Security Guard" It was a calculated breakdown of horror, each Psycho tailored to exploit a specific fear or instinct.

“They’re not just monsters,” Sophie said quietly. “They were selected and trained for this. Every one of them is here to push us past our limits, to see how we react.”

Maya hugged herself, shivering. “So this isn’t just about the infection… it’s about controlling us through fear.”

As Sophie worked, she came across another alert that flashed across the monitors: “Ex-Marine Psycho - Target Acquisition Active.” One of the live feeds showed the Ex-Marine moving with practiced precision, his eyes scanning every shadow. His high-powered rifle rested easily in his hands, and there was a cold, focused look in his gaze that set him apart from the other Psychos. He wasn’t just a random killer—he was a trained hunter.

Lex watched the feed, her face set in grim determination. “They think he can take us down? Let’s see if we can turn the tables.”

Sophie glanced back at her, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “I think I can trap him. If we lead him into Zone C, near the old electronics store, I can trigger the containment gates and seal him in with a swarm of infected. It won’t stop him, but it’ll slow him down.”

Lex nodded, her eyes hardening. “Do it. And keep an eye on his movements—we need to stay two steps ahead.”

Sophie quickly activated the sequence, the screens showing the Ex-Marine as he moved methodically down the halls, oblivious to the ambush being set for him. But just as Sophie was about to finalize the gate closure, a new alert popped up on the main screen: “Phase Three Initiation: Subject Termination Protocol Engaged.”

The screens flickered, and new feeds appeared, showing soldiers preparing weapons, containment units deploying, and infected being released from holding pens across the mall. It was a full-scale lockdown, as if they were about to erase every trace of the experiment.

“They’re wiping us out,” Sophie whispered, horror in her voice. “They’ve decided we’re done.”

Lex’s face was grim as she absorbed the reality of their situation. “So this is it—they’re cleaning house.”

Brandon clenched his fists, his face set with determination. “Then we don’t give them what they want. We’re getting out of here.”

Sophie quickly downloaded as much data as she could from the system, knowing that any information they took could serve as evidence of the atrocities happening here—if they survived long enough to tell anyone. With a final look at the monitors, she shut down the console.

“Let’s go,” Lex said, rallying the group. “We have a map, we know their weak points. This is our chance.”

They slipped back into the hallway, guided by the map Sophie had downloaded in Chapter 38, each of them on high alert as they moved through the corridors. The faint echoes of containment gates slamming shut and infected groaning in the distance reminded them that every second counted.

They moved quickly, their minds racing with the horrors they’d uncovered and the knowledge that the military’s final phase was underway. With soldiers and infected swarming the mall, and the Ex-Marine hunting them with ruthless efficiency, the stakes had never been higher.

As they navigated through the shifting maze of the mall, each of them carried a renewed determination to survive. They were no longer just trying to escape—they were fighting to bring justice to the people who had turned their lives into a nightmare.

They wouldn’t let themselves be erased. And they wouldn’t rest until the people behind this experiment paid the price.