Chapter Eight: Exit at the back
Slightly opening it, sweat could be seen dripping down if her forehead, Liza was literally going to piss herself, "do anything stupid, I would skin you alive before they do" her voice was calm and sweat, speaking out each word clearly for Liza to hear, all this effort was to open a door, the damn door who had a bell on the top, each time a new customer entered would alarm and in a quiet and dangerous environment, it was not needed.
Liza send the iron bare and block the half open door, Grace put her leg on the gap, removing the bare, the stared at the bell who had already taking a position of ringing, Grace turn towards Liza.
"Better catch it before it rings, or we are doom!" She warned, and Liza vigorously nodded in fright, a minute ago she was against the idea and thought if waiting for rescue, but the glare she received from Grace could be summarised as....
"I shall throw you down there, and when those guys would be feeding and licking your bones, I would been inside already, the noise of your screams would be enough to hide the bells own..."
Like that, she was here trying to catch it, and if she misses, this dangerous woman was going to lock her out and leave her bate the monster away.
"Go!" Grace open the door, and Liza reach out to the bell with her hand, an action of her life, when she open her eyes, she saw herself in the store, her hand paining, only to open her palm to see a bell, she had grip it with all her strength.
Grace was already with a bag, she took two hunting cutlass, daggers, emptied the store of any sharp tool that could be needed, Liza like a small girl sat at stared stupidly at Grace movement.
"Heh?" Without turning, Grace called out, "why are you sitting there?" She asked, seemingly dissatisfied, "get your ass up and move" she ordered, and she turn and look at Liza, "or I throw you out" said with a cold smile.
Liza, without any objection, and in tears search for anything that can increase their survivability out there.
30 minutes later...
The exited the mall, through the back, Liza ran as fast as she could behind Grace, behind them, a mall on fire with wale and screams of once human now a zombies.
What happened...
"Mrs Grace.." Liza called, Grace who sat pondering on how she was going to go out without attracting those things attention look towards Liza, she was pointing something, Grace immediately stood up.
"That's our ticket to leave this place!" She was very pleased, was this girl a charm?
"How old are you?" Asked Grace
"Ehmmm, 23..." Answered Liza.
Grace shook her head, "too old for Luther" she thought, before going towards the tank of gasoline, it wasn't one, but five tanks, well arranged.
"Go back to the other store and bring back cloths, as many as you can" ordered Grace, Liza nodded and left, soon, opening the cover, she send in a cloth inside, did same with the others, carried them out.
"This is a mall, are the other exit?" She asked
Liza look down, surly all exit people enter through have been blocked, but there's an exit that might be accessible, "yes, the personnel entrance, that's where goods are usually discharged and store, we could pass there" informed Liza.
"I see, they back door to resume, good!" She did not say much, she light up the first gallon of gasoline and aimed it at the sea of corps, seeing this, Liza's expression turn cold in fright, she did not wait for Grace to speak, her body moved on his own.
The corps stared at the gallon who drew and arc on the sky before landing, the fire cloth wasn't to effective, the gallon was plastic, but Grace was ready for that eventually, she drew out an arrow and rolled a cloth on it, sprayed gasoline on it and light it, and aimed at the spot the gallon fell and spray the flammable liquid.
Swoosh!
The arrow crossed the distance very fast and hit on a corpse that had gasoline on it, immediately catching fire, which started spraying to the others and reaching the gallon.
Booom!
The whole zone caught fire and it started spraying from body to body, Grace nodded in satisfaction, she threw the remaining gallons around the flammable zone spreading the fire, she stood up and trace down Liza.
It did not take long to find the little lamb, which was actually running back crying, something chasing after her, frowning, Grace immediately sped, she tackle Liza helping her dodge the claw who was going to behead her, took out a short axe and hacked at the unknown creature.
Smack!
The impact of the axe and skin colliding send shivers into Liza's bones, she rolled away rapidly, and look up, seeing the monster, she was certain.
"That's not human!" Her face covered in mucus, tears and dirt looked at the beast unable to evade the sudden attack.
Thud!
The creature badly wounded started convulsing before going still, Grace came closer and observe the corps, looking at the red eyes of the creature, the terror in her heart kept growing dangerously.
After glancing at the beast, she did not linger around, Liza quickly following behind soon, the malls fire emergency activated producing a loud siren and water spraying around trying to stop the fire.
When Grace open the door leading outside, the scene startled both her and Liza, a serious snow storm was going on, visibility low, but they had no choice but to go further into the chaos of the storm.
A distance away from the mall, she turn behind to look at the mall one last time, before tracing where she packed her car, on the way, the could see half buried frozen corps, but she ignored them, it took a moment, but she found her car, she tried opening it, but the door was frozen and buried, she broke the windows and took out the bag inside, opening it, the can food where still inside, frozen but there, she turn but bump on something.
"Huh? Why are you still following me?" Asked Grace.
"Ehmmm, I am scared" said Liza.
"Not my problem!" Answered Grace.
"Wait! Please don't leave me!" Begged Liza.
"Your free to follow, but don't expect any favour from me" said Grace.
"Yes yes, that's good for me" Liza was okay with the arrangement, as long as they are two eyes to watch each others back, she would be okay with everything, as long she wasn't used as bate.
Walking further away from the mall, Liza turn and gave it one last glance, the rising smoke coming from one section of the mall blown by the cold white wind all in a decor of snow made it quite a portrait to look at.
"Hmmm?" She was certain she saw a silhouette at the last floor waving, a corps ? She thought, no, the movement was to human like, but the bad weather rendered visibility impossible, trying to take a further look, she realised that, Grace did not wait for her and had already left, she immediately left aside the topic and ran behind trying to catch up to the silhouette being swallowed by the storm and gradually disappearing in the storm.