"What's happening..."
"Looks like what we chose came into life. Remember the Would You Rather game? Shopping mall with rabid hounds, this is exactly it."
"But...how..."
"I don't know, but we'll figure something out, okay?"
Samantha reaches out with her hand to touch her father's wound on his face, "You almost died."
"I didn't wake up in the best of places, but I'm fine." He says while clasping her extended hand.
"...I...I'm scared..." Samantha muttered softly with tears beginning to build up on the edge of her eyes.
"Oh Sam..." He embraced her tightly in his arms and lets her tears fall onto his shoulders, "We've come so far, we'll make it all the way. The game said just one night right? We can do that."
She didn't allow more than 2 drops of tears to fall onto her father's shoulders, albeit she wants to, the fear she was facing was overwhelming. Being covered in blood is an experience, something no one will forget, the disgusting sensation and the metallic smell, it engraves deeply in her mind as trauma.
Her father slowly lets go of the embrace and turned to the survivors inside the store, he knows he can't be too loud however, so he told the nearest person, "Help me spread this message, gather closely so we can discuss our current predicament. If we don't, we're just sitting ducks."
The receiver nodded instantly and followed his instructions promptly, it's instructions from the man who he owes his life to after all.
Not long after, the 30 something survivors in the store was gathered into a circle, with Samantha's father as it's centre.
"Thank you..." A man knelt before Samantha's father, "Thank you so much..."
"There's no need, it's what anyone should do." Samantha's father quickly got the man back up to his feet, but his head remains hung, tears were running through his cheeks and down his chin, he expresses his gratitude yet again, "Thank you so much, I owe you my life."
"You don't owe me anything. I don't know where you guys are from, but I'm from around here and I recognise this shopping mall, and where we are right now should be Gourmet, a shop that sells kitchenware, did anyone find the switches to the lights? I can't see anything in this dim red lighting."
Following his sentence, someone flicked the lights open, revealing indeed a kitchenware store.
"Thank you." Samantha's father looks around, he was still breathing heavily in trepidation and exhaustion, but some part of him was relieved that he remembered the place right.
"Um, excuse me, what is your name?" Someone in the crowd asked.
"Nick, Nick Jones."
"Thank you Mr. Jones."
"No no, like I said, there's no need." Nick said as he halts the bowing movement of a few survivors in the crowd surrounding him.
"Is she your daughter?" The man who knelt down earlier asks. The 'daughter' he's referring to was Samantha hiding behind her father while holding onto the hem of his shirt for comfort.
"Yes, this is Samantha."
"...It's because of you that I might see my daughter again..."
Sensing the incoming 'thank you' and a bow, Nick shows his palm gesturing him to stop, "There's no need, seriously."
Nick's palms were also covered in blood, add that with the deep cut wound on his face with blood pouring over his cheeks, they're evidence Nick has put his life on the line to save everyone, and thus he only gained even more respect.
"Okay, I wanted everyone in this room because I was certain this is a kitchenware store which, thankfully it is. Now, we can arm ourselves with knives or whatever utensils here that are helpful, so we can venture out there, and save more-"
The man who knelt down earlier stopped his speech halfway in shock with widened eyes.
"Wait sorry, sir, are you asking us to go back out there?"
"There's like...maybe 30 of us here, when we first woke up, there was at least a crowd of 100 or above. I'm willing to believe there's more survivors out there that's begging for our help. A 30 people survivor group in this situation is a miracle, we're definitely the strongest group right now, we need to help out the other survivors."
"No it's not a miracle, you saved all of us Mr. Jones!"
"Yes...yes he's right, you saved us, please...I don't want to die."
"I ain't going back out there man, knives or no knives."
As expected, the crowd opposed Nick's idea, but there was some supporting it too.
"My boyfriend's still out there, I caught a glimpse of him, but we were pushed away from eachother when the crowd dispersed. He's still alive, he definitely is, please, we need to go back out there."
"Are you crazy? Are you out of your mind?"
"We don't stand a chance against those dogs, they crush skulls like sand."
"Mr. Jones still risked his life to save us didn't he, why can't you do the same thing?" A man in the crowd sides with the teenage girl who wishes to find her boyfriend.
Nick noticing the dispute, steps back in again, "Guys, no matter what, they're still dogs. Enhanced, clearly enhanced, yes, but dogs still dies with one good stab, and we have strength in numbers, we won't die out there, I guarantee it."
"Mr. Jones, I appreciate what you did and all, but this is a suicide mission."
"Everyone else is probably dead already, why should we bother?"
"He's not dead! He cannot be!"
"Alright settle down settle down! We won't go anywhere if we just argue. How about this? Those who wants to follow me out, follow me out, those who doesn't, just don't. Sounds good?"
No objections this time, everyone was complacent with this solution.
"Alright, who wants to come with me?"
Amongst the 30 people crowd, a measly five people raised their hands. The teenage girl who wishes to find her boyfriend, the man who sided with her before, a middle aged woman and her middle aged husband raised their hands.
"I'm sorry Mr. Jones, I have to go see my daughter..." The man who knelt earlier said guiltily.
"It's fine, I understand." Nick then turns back to see the fifth hand raised among the crowd, Samantha herself.