As the group crowded close to the emergency escape, the flickering fluorescent lights in the small hallway created jittery shadows above them. Her heart thumping in her chest, Lex's hand tightened around the metal pipe she had grabbed among the food court turmoil. The others stood in tense silence around her, their faces pallid with fright. Adrenaline had a metallic flavor that hung in the air; nobody ventured to talk.

Though Lex knew this was only the beginning, they had battled off the infected but barely.

She said, her voice forceful yet low: "We have to move." "We can’t stay here."

Still traumatized from the attack at the food court, Maya dabbed at her moist palms on her jeans. "Where should we head too? Every door locks, and the exits we tested are locked as well. We seem to be imprisoned here.”

With crossed arms and squinted eyes, Damien leaned against the wall. "Perhaps they are trying to keep us right here. Like we are involved in some crazy experiment.

Lex cut him off, snapping "Stop." "Right now, we know nothing. We just have to keep concentrated and figure out our way out.”

Finally, Sophie who had remained silently at the rear of the group had a shaky voice. "We ought to try the parking garage if the exits are sealed. It's open air. Maybe the lockdown hasn’t affected it.”

Brandon nodded and a sigh. "It’s a long shot, but it’s better than standing around waiting for more of those things to find us."

Lex glanced at the others, reading the exhaustion and fear in their faces. They needed hope at least something to believe in, even if it was fleeting.

"The parking garage it is," Lex said, motioning for the group to follow. "We’ll check the garage and see if we can get to a car. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll find a way to break through the quarantine."

They moved quickly, navigating through the maze of corridors and stairwells leading toward the parking structure. The sound of their hurried footsteps echoed ominously through the empty halls, and every creak of the building made them flinch. Lex kept a steady pace, her senses on high alert, constantly scanning for movement in the shadows.

"Do you think it’s safe out there?" Maya asked, her voice a soft whisper as she walked close to Damien.

"We don’t have a choice," Lex replied without looking back. "Staying inside will get us killed."

Damien grunted in agreement. "Yeah, and I’m not planning on sticking around to see what else will happen."

Brandon, walking just behind Sophie, who was lost in thought. "The virus is spreading too quickly. There’s no way this is a natural outbreak. It feels... planned."

Lex’s stomach twisted at the thought. She had been trying to push that fear aside, but the more they saw, the more it seemed like Brandon was right. The virus was too fast, too coordinated. Something bigger was happening, and they were caught in the middle of it. The massive metal door was somewhat open when they arrived at the parking garage; its hinges corroded and creased. Lex gestured for the others to back off, then gently opened the door and peeped through the gap. Before her lay the parking garage, barely lighted by flickering overhead lights. With their windows fogged with dust and filth, the rows of parked cars appeared deserted. The garage seemed empty and quiet. But then she noticed it.

A figure moved in the distant corner close to one of the support pillars. It first appeared to be someone—stumbling, aimless—but something was amiss. Its limbs jerked strangely as it pulled itself between the vehicles, twisted. Lex shivered down her spine as a deep, wet gurgling reverberated through the garage.

Her breath caught in her throat as she realized it wasn’t just one.

There were dozens of them, scattered throughout the garage, lurking between the cars. Some moved in groups, while others crawled along the ground, their bodies deformed and grotesque. The virus had mutated them into something far worse than the infected they had fought in the food court.

Lex backed off, her heart pounding.

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"Mutated," she said, hardly able to comprehend what she had seen. "They are worse than they were."

Damien frowned. "What do you mean ‘worse’? We barely made it past the first ones!"

Lex swallowed hard, looking back at the group. "They’re... changing. I don’t know how, They’re not like the ones we saw in the mall."

Brandon’s eyes widened in horror. "Then we can’t go out there. It’s dangerous."

"We don’t have a choice!" Lex shot back, her voice stern. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Look, the parking garage might be our only way out. But we can’t just run in blindly."

Sophie, her face pale, spoke up. "Maybe we can distract them. There are cars in the garage—if we can set off one of the alarms, it might draw them to one side while we escape through the other."

Lex considered the plan, her mind racing. It was risky, but they didn’t have many options. "It’s worth a try."

The group moved carefully, staying low as they crept toward the edge of the parking garage. The flickering lights cast long shadows over the rows of cars. Sophie, keeping her distance from the infected, pointed toward a car near the far wall. "That one," she whispered. "It’s close enough to the door that we can use it to draw them away."

Lex nodded, gripping the metal pipe in her hand tightly. "Alright. Once the alarm goes off, we move fast. Stick together, and don’t stop for anything."

Maya nervously glancing at the lurking zombies. "What if they’re faster than we think?"

"Then we’ll fight our way out," Damien said, his voice grim. "No matter what."

Sophie moved quickly, slipping between the cars until she reached the target vehicle. She crouched down, reaching into her pocket for the small multitool she always carried. The air was thick with tension as she worked to bypass the car’s alarm system, her fingers shaking slightly from fear.

The others watched from a distance, their eyes darting between the creeping infected and Sophie’s slow progress.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the car’s alarm blared to life, its high-pitched wail echoing through the garage. The effect was immediate. The zombies, their senses heightened by the virus, jerked toward the sound, their movements frantic and disjointed.

"Now!" Lex shouted, motioning for the group to move.

They ran, darting between the parked cars, keeping low as they made their way toward the opposite side of the garage. Lex’s heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. The alarm blared behind them, drawing the infected away, but Lex knew it wouldn’t hold them for long.

As they reached the far wall, Maya suddenly gasped, stumbling. One of the mutated zombies had noticed them—a twisted, grotesque figure with clawed hands and elongated limbs. It let out a low, growl and began charging toward them, its movements erratic but terrifyingly fast.

"Go!" Damien shouted, raising his makeshift weapon to intercept the creature.

Lex grabbed Maya’s arm, pulling her forward as they sprinted toward the exit. Behind them, Damien swung his weapon, managing to knock the creature off course, but more were coming. The mutated zombies were converging on their position, their gurgling growls filling the air as they closed in.

The group reached the door, but when Lex yanked the handle, it didn’t budge.

"No, no, no!" she yelled, pulling harder. The door was jammed. "Lex!" Damien shouted as he backed toward them, the zombies closing in fast.

"Help me!" Lex shouted, slamming her shoulder against the door. "We have to get this open!"

Panic surged through the group as the door refused to move. Brandon joined Lex, ramming his shoulder into the door with all his strength. Sophie was frantically checking the surrounding area for another way out, while Maya stood frozen, her eyes wide with terror.

The infected were almost upon them, their twisted bodies moving with unnatural speed and strength.

With one final heave, Lex and Brandon slammed into the door, and it burst open with a loud crash.

"Go, go, go!" Lex shouted, pushing Maya through the opening.

They scrambled through the door, slamming it shut behind them just as the first of the zombies reached it. The metal door rattled violently as the creatures slammed into it, their growls and snarls filling the air, but for the moment, they were safe.

Lex collapsed against the wall, her chest heaving, her entire body shaking from the adrenaline. They had barely made it out, and she knew they couldn’t keep running like this.

"We’re trapped," Brandon said, his voice hollow. "There’s no easy way out."

Lex nodded, the reality of their situation sinking in. The virus was spreading too fast, mutating its victims into something far more dangerous. And the exits, their one hope of escape, were impossible to reach without confronting those monsters head-on.

"We’ll find another way," Lex said, though even she wasn’t sure how. "But we need to be smart. We can’t afford any more close calls."

Damien’s eyes were dark, his expression hard. "Then we better start thinking of something fast, because those things aren’t going to give us a break."