After an hour the group reunites.

The security room felt strangely comforting, like a refuge amid the chaos. Lex was the first to make it back, and she didn’t relax until she heard the soft beep of the door unlocking behind her. She turned, her makeshift spear still gripped tightly in her hand, ready for whatever might come through.

It was Damien, pushing the door open with his shoulder, a bulging bag slung over one arm. Maya followed close behind, her face flushed, her hands clutching two water bottles. Lex felt a wave of relief, a tightness in her chest loosening just a bit.

"Well," Damien said, dropping the bag on the floor with a dull thud. "We’re not dead. That’s a start."

"Did you have any trouble?" Lex asked, scanning their faces for any signs of injury.

"Just a couple of close calls," Maya said, her voice light but still a little shaky. "But we got what we needed. Food, water... it should be enough to last us a few days."

"Good," Lex said, nodding. "The others should be here soon."

They didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes later, the door opened again, and Sophie and Brandon slipped inside, both looking a little worse for wear but otherwise unharmed. Sophie’s bag was stuffed with cables, batteries, and a handful of electronics, while Brandon carried a set of walkie-talkies and a tangle of wires.

"We got lucky," Brandon said, setting the gear down on the table. "The electronics store wasn’t completely picked clean. We found a few things that might help."

"Let’s hope so," Lex said, glancing at the small pile of supplies. It didn’t look like much, but it was better than nothing.

Sophie set down a small toolkit and opened it, revealing a bunch of tiny, intricate tools. "If we’re going to use these, I’ll need to do some tweaking. But we should be able to get at least a couple of these radios working."

The room was quiet, everyone catching their breath and processing what they’d been through. Lex could see the strain on their faces the exhaustion, the fear that they were all trying to keep hidden. But she could also see something else it was a flicker of hope. They had a plan and they were still alive. That counted for something.

"Alright," Lex said, breaking the silence. "Let’s go over what we’ve got. Food and water are enough to keep us going for a bit. Tools and electronics are good, but we’ll need to see how much we can actually use. Did you see anything else out there?"

"Not much," Damien said, shaking his head. "A lot of the stores are trashed, and there are infected everywhere. We had to take the long way around just to avoid a group near the food court."

Lex’s mind raced, trying to process everything. "We need to figure out where the infected are clustering. If we’re going to get to the control room, we can’t afford to stumble into a crowd."

Sophie nodded, her hands already moving across the terminal. "I’m working on it. I’ve been trying to pull up the camera feeds, but it’s like someone’s messing with the system. I’ll keep trying."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

--

Brandon checked his watch, glancing up at Lex. "We’ve got an hour before we need to move. If we’re going to make a run for the control room, we should be ready for anything."

Lex nodded, but before she could respond, Sophie’s screen flickered, and a grainy, distorted image appeared. It was a view of the mall’s main concourse, but instead of being dark and empty, it was filled with the twisted, shuffling forms of the infected. They moved slowly, aimlessly, like they were waiting for something.

"That’s... not good," Maya said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No, it’s not," Lex agreed. "But it tells us one thing. We can’t go that way."

Sophie’s screen flashed again, switching to a different feed. This time, it showed the amusement park, the rides still and silent, bathed in an eerie, flickering light. For a moment, it seemed empty. But then, at the edge of the frame, something moved it was a flicker of color like the flutter of a bright patchwork coat.

"Wait," Damien said, leaning closer. "Is that...?"

It was the Clown. He was barely visible, half-hidden in the shadows, but there was no mistaking the bright, garish costume, the wide, painted grin. He stood perfectly still, his head tilted slightly, as if listening. And then, slowly, he turned and looked directly at the camera.

--

The room went still, everyone frozen as they watched the Clown on the screen. He lifted a hand and gave a slow, mocking wave, and then the screen went dark, cutting to static.

"Well, that’s creepy as hell," Brandon said, his voice shaky.

"He’s watching us," Sophie said, her eyes wide. "He knows we’re here."

"Of course he does," Lex said, forcing herself to stay calm. "That’s why we need to move fast. The longer we stay in one place, the easier it is for him to mess with us."

Damien clenched his fist. "Then let’s go find him. I’m done playing games."

"Not yet," Lex said in firm tone, "We don’t have enough information. If he’s controlling the cameras, he’s got eyes on the whole mall. We need to figure out how to cut him off."

"Maybe the control room has a way to do that," Brandon suggested. "If we can get there, we might be able to disable his access."

Sophie nodded, her hands moving quickly across the keyboard. "I’m trying to get a map of the control room. If we can see what we’re dealing with, we’ll have a better chance."

"Good," Lex said. "Then we make our move. Everyone, gear up. We’re heading out in ten minutes."

The group got to work, preparing their makeshift weapons. Damien double-checked the flamethrowers he’d rigged, testing the aerosol spray to make sure it wouldn’t backfire. Brandon fiddled with the walkie-talkies, setting them to the same channel so they could stay in touch. Maya quietly set aside a few medical supplies, just in case.

Lex watched them, her mind racing. They were scared, but they were still fighting. "Listen up," she said, her voice cutting through the room. "We stick together, we watch each other’s backs, and we don’t take unnecessary risks. We get in, we get what we need, and we get out."

"And if the Clown shows up?" Damien asked.

"Then we handle it," Lex said, her grip tightening on her makeshift spear. "But we don’t go looking for a fight. Not yet."

As they prepared to leave, the radio crackled to life, and the Clown’s voice echoed through the room, distorted and playful. "I see you’ve been busy! But don’t worry...I’ve got plenty of surprises left. I’ll be waiting..."

The radio went silent, and for a moment, nobody moved. Lex felt a chill run down her spine, but she forced it down. The Clown was trying to scare them, trying to throw them off balance. But she wasn’t going to let him win.

"Let’s move," she said, her voice steady. "We’ve got work to do."

The group nodded, their expressions hardening with determination. The fear was still there, but so was the resolve. They had a plan and they were going to see it through. As they stepped out of the security room, the silence of the mall closed in around them once more, heavy and suffocating.

And somewhere, hidden deep within the darkened halls, the Clown was watching.