The sliding doors of the supermarket creaked open, the motion sensor triggering even though the power had been flickering for hours. Lex stepped inside first, her spear raised, eyes darting around the darkened aisles. The air was stale, carrying the faint, unpleasant smell of spoiled food and something else it was something metallic and sharp, like blood.

"Alright," Lex whispered, gesturing for the others to follow. "We grab what we can and get out. Stick together."

The supermarket was vast, the aisles stretching out in every direction, and it felt almost surreal to be there. Just a few days ago, this place had been bustling with people, filled with the chatter of shoppers and the hum of checkout machines. Now, it was a graveyard, silent and eerie, with scattered products and overturned shopping carts creating a chaotic maze.

Damien and Maya took the lead, heading down the aisles in search of food and water. Brandon and Sophie followed closely behind, their eyes scanning the shelves for anything that might be useful. The silence was unnerving, and every tiny sound seemed to echo endlessly, making them all jumpy.

As they moved deeper, they started grabbing whatever they could find like cans of soup, bottled water, boxes of energy bars. Maya found a shelf of first-aid supplies and quickly swept it into her bag, her hands shaking. She still couldn’t shake the image of the Runner from earlier, its wild eyes and unnatural speed.

"I can’t believe we’re actually doing this," she murmured, trying to keep her voice steady. "It’s like we’re in some kind of horror movie."

"It’s real," Damien said, his voice low but firm. "And we’re going to survive it. Just stay focused."

They continued gathering supplies, their movements quick and deliberate. Lex kept watch, her eyes wandering, trying to catch any hint of movement. The encounter with the Runner had left her on edge, and she knew they couldn’t afford to be caught off guard again.

As they turned a corner, they found themselves in the produce section. The dim emergency lights cast long, eerie shadows over the rotting fruits and vegetables, giving everything a sickly, greenish hue. The smell was worse here, thick and cloying, making Maya gag.

"Grab what’s still good," Lex said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Canned goods, dried stuff. If it’s not spoiled, we take it."

Brandon knelt down, rummaging through a display of canned vegetables. "I found a couple of cans of beans, some pasta. Not much, but it’ll keep us going."

"Better than nothing," Damien said, picking up a heavy jar of peanut butter. "This stuff lasts forever. We’re taking it."

Suddenly, a faint rustling sound came from the next aisle over, like something shifting through the debris. Lex froze, holding up a hand to signal the others to stop. The rustling grew louder, and then they heard it a soft, wet groaning, followed by the sound of something scraping across the floor.

"Stay low," Lex whispered, her heart pounding. "We need to see what we’re dealing with.

They crept toward the end of the aisle, peeking around the corner. What they saw made their blood run cold. Several figures were hunched over near the meat counter, their bodies twitching and jerking as they moved. They were crawling on all fours, their limbs bent at awkward angles, dragging themselves across the floor with an unnatural, insect-like motion.

Crawlers.

Their skin was pale and stretched, their eyes wide and glassy, almost insect-like in their unblinking stare. They moved slowly, but methodically, sniffing the air as if searching for something. It was clear they hadn’t noticed the group yet, but that could change in an instant.

"What the hell are those things?" Sophie whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Crawlers," Lex said, her mind racing. "They’re slower, but they’re smart and they’re hunting."

"How do we get past them?" Maya asked, her hands trembling.

"We distract them," Brandon said, his eyes narrowing. "If they’re sniffing around for food, we can lead them away."

Lex nodded, thinking quickly. "Alright. We’ll set up a distraction and make a run for it. Damien, you still have that jar?"

Damien raised the jar of peanut butter, his brow furrowed. "Yeah. What are you thinking?"

"Open it," Lex said. "We’ll use it as bait. If they’re drawn to the scent, we can lure them to one side of the store and sneak past."

Damien pried the jar open, the thick, nutty smell wafting into the air. He scooped out a handful and smeared it on the edge of a nearby shopping cart. Then, with a grunt of effort, he shoved the cart down the aisle, sending it rolling toward the Crawlers. The wheels squeaked and wobbled, making a soft, grinding noise as it moved.

The Crawlers’ heads snapped up, their eyes locking onto the cart as it rolled past. For a moment, they hesitated, sniffing the air, and then they began to crawl after it, their limbs moving in a grotesque, spider-like fashion.

"Go, now!" Lex hissed, waving for the others to follow. "Keep low and stay quiet."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Sophie quickly handed over her scarf, and Lex tied it around the can, creating a makeshift sling. She swung it experimentally, feeling the weight shift, and then looked at the others. "I’ll distract it. When it’s off-balance, Damien, you take it down."

She moved quietly, edging closer to the Crawler. It was still preoccupied, sniffing the air, its movements twitchy and unnatural. Lex took a deep breath, steadied herself, and then swung the sling, releasing the can. It hurtled through the air, striking the Crawler in the side of the head with a dull thud. The creature jerked, disoriented, and stumbled back.

Damien didn’t wait. He darted forward, bringing his wrench down hard on the Crawler’s skull. The creature twitched once, then went still, collapsing to the floor.

"Nice shot," Damien said, breathing heavily. "We need to move before the others figure out what happened."

They made a break for the exit, their bags heavy with supplies, their hearts pounding in their chests. Lex led the way, glancing back to make sure everyone was still with her. They slipped through the automatic doors, which slid shut behind them with a soft hiss, sealing the supermarket in darkness once more.

They regrouped in a small service corridor, panting and out of breath, but alive. Lex set her bag down, her hands still shaking, and looked at the others. "Good job, everyone. That was close, but we made it."

"Close is an understatement," Sophie said, her voice trembling. "If those things had seen us—"

"They didn’t," Lex said, cutting her off gently. "We kept our cool, we adapted, and we got what we needed. That’s what matters." She could see Sophie’s fear, and she wanted to steady it. "We’re learning how to deal with them. The more we know, the better chance we have."

Damien dropped his wrench with a sigh, wiping sweat off his forehead. "If we keep running into more of those Crawlers, we’re gonna need to get a lot more creative. That little stunt with the peanut butter won’t work twice."

"It bought us time, though," Brandon said, pulling out a couple of the walkie-talkies he had scavenged. "We should be able to rig up a few distractions if we need to. Maybe set off some noise further down the hallways to draw them away."

Lex nodded, thinking. "We need to stay unpredictable. The infected might be mindless, but the Clown isn’t. He’s been watching us, setting traps, and I don’t want to give him any more chances to catch us off guard." She took a breath, letting the adrenaline start to settle. "We’ll get back to the security room, regroup, and make sure we’ve got everything ready for the control room run."

"Yeah, speaking of which," Maya said, glancing nervously back toward the supermarket entrance, "I don’t think we should linger around here. That distraction isn’t going to last forever."

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They gathered their supplies and set off down the service corridor, moving quietly, their senses alert. The narrow hallway was dark, with only a few emergency lights flickering overhead, casting long, eerie shadows. It felt like every creak and rustle was amplified, making them all jumpy. Lex kept glancing over her shoulder, half-expecting to see the Clown’s painted face grinning back at her from the darkness.

They were almost at the security room when Damien suddenly held up a hand, motioning for everyone to stop. "Wait. Did you hear that?"

Everyone froze, straining to listen. At first, there was only silence. Then, faintly, they heard it—the distant sound of footsteps. Not the shuffling, uneven steps of the infected, but quick, sharp, purposeful. Someone was walking through the mall, and they were getting closer.

"Is it the Clown?" Sophie whispered, her voice barely audible.

"I don’t know," Lex said, her heart beginning to race. "But we need to move. Now."

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They slipped through the side door into the security room, closing it as quietly as they could. Lex pressed her ear against the door, listening. The footsteps were louder now, almost rhythmic, like someone pacing just outside. She held up a finger, signaling for silence, and motioned for Sophie to check the monitors.

Sophie’s hands were shaking as she pulled up the camera feeds, her eyes scanning the screens. "There," she whispered, pointing. "Near the electronics store. It’s not the Clown... it’s someone else."

The screen showed a tall figure dressed in dark, tactical gear, a mask covering their face. They were moving quickly, scanning the area around them, as if looking for something—or someone. The image was grainy, but there was no mistaking the way they carried themselves, calm and deliberate.

"Who is that?" Maya asked, her brow furrowed. "They don’t look like the infected."

"They’re not," Brandon said, a grim look on his face. "That’s a soldier. Military or something close to it."

Lex’s mind raced. If there were soldiers inside the mall, it could mean a lot of things—none of them good. Were they here to help, or were they part of whatever was happening? And why hadn’t they seen them before now?

"Okay," Lex said, trying to keep her voice steady. "We don’t know if they’re hostile or not. But if we see them, we stay out of sight. We can’t take any chances."

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They spent the next few minutes going over their supplies, organizing everything they had managed to gather. Food, water, medical kits, makeshift weapons. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to keep them going. Lex could feel the group’s tension; even though they had managed to get through the supermarket, the looming presence of the Clown and the appearance of the soldier had rattled them.

"Alright, here’s the plan," Lex said, gathering their attention. "We’re sticking to the original objective. We’re going to the control room. If we can get control over the mall’s systems, maybe we can find a way out or at least figure out what we’re dealing with. But we move carefully. We don’t know who else is in here, or what they want."

"And what if we run into more of those Crawlers?" Damien asked. "Or worse, more Runners?"

"We use everything we’ve got," Lex said, her eyes hardening. "If we have to set traps, we do it. If we have to fight, we fight. But we stay smart, and we stay together."

Maya stepped forward, her hands gripping the strap of her bag. "We can’t just keep dodging everything forever. We have to find out what’s going on here. If we can get into the control room, we might be able to see more than just the camera feeds."

"Agreed," Lex said. "But no matter what we find, we’re getting out of this. We have to."

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As they gathered their things, Sophie hesitated, glancing at Lex. "What if... what if the control room is a trap? What if he’s leading us there?"

Lex paused, considering it. The Clown was smart, and it was possible he had anticipated their plan. But she couldn’t let that fear paralyze them. "Then we’ll be ready for it. We don’t have a choice—we need to get control of this situation, and that’s our best shot."

Damien’s expression softened, and he nodded. "Alright, Lex. We’re with you."

The group finished gathering their supplies, tightening straps, testing their makeshift weapons one last time. As they prepared to leave, Lex glanced back at the monitors, half-expecting to see the Clown’s face staring back at her. Instead, she saw the dark, empty corridors of the mall, stretching out into the shadows.

The silence was heavy, almost oppressive. But as she looked around at the faces of her friends, she saw something else—determination, resolve. They had come this far, and they weren’t going to give up now.

"Alright," Lex said, her voice steady. "Let’s move out."