Dead Center: Mall (EDITED AUTHORS NOTES)

In the safe house made from the mall entrance...

"I'm not sure if I can take much more of this." Applejack said.

"What? We practically just got started! Am I the only one havin' fun?" Ellis asked, confused.

"Well, you see, I'm not from here. I'm away from my friends that I held near and dear, and the first hour of it was spent almost bein eaten."

"Look at me: I not only lost my friends, but possible members of my family too. But I'm still bein positive and havin' fun. Think of it this way: killin these zombies is like revenge for taking the people away."

"Y'know, you're a very positive human. I admire that."

"Aw, shucks."

"Heh, my friend, Rarity, loved malls. She liked the wide variety of clothes and accessories when she couldn't sew."

"Man, I love malls. Oh, this one time I was in a mall up at Atlanta and these guys were dancin for like, money and stuff and my friend Dave and I were all like-"

"Hey, sorry to interrupt you sugar cube, but do you hear somethin?"

"Hear what?"

"Sounds like a...hysterical laugh."

"Uh oh. I hope there's no creepazoids in this here mall. I'm not in the mood to talk to some weirdo who can't...shit, I don't know...keep his pants on or somethin."

"Perhaps we an talk about it on they way to the evac center."

"I'll back you up on that one. This place is already dark as is. I don't wanna stick around when the sun goes down. You ready, AJ?"

"Let's win this rodeo."

Ellis removed the beam holding the door of the safe room closed. Once it fell, he pushed the door open. The mall, like the other locations the duo were, was quiet. Well, except for the laugh that sounded like a chipmunk combined with a can-opener. The building seemed to have lost all power, and was almost completely dark. It would have been completely dark if it wasn't for the sunroof. They went up the non-functioning escalator and saw the source of the creepy laugh. A zombie that was hunched over ran towards Ellis like a flea, and lunged onto him. However, instead of biting him, it was freaking humping him!

"AGH! HELP! IS THIS THING HUMPIN ME?" Ellis yelled.

"Hang on, I'll get it!" Applejack yelled as she grabbed a bat with her mouth and gave the head-humper a smack on the back of the head.

The jockey lets go of Ellis and stumbled backwards, letting Ellis fill the flea man with .50 caliber desert eagle rounds.

"Shit, man." Ellis groans, rubbing his neck.

"You okay, Ellis?" Applejack asked, poking the jockey's corpse.

"Physically: yeah. Mentally: no. I've been violated by a freaking zombie."

Applejack was trying to hold back a laugh after Ellis finished that last sentence. However, the funny moment made a quick getaway when the two heard a coughing sound. Ellis, not wanting to be snared in a tongue again, quickly motioned Applejack to follow him through a partially closed gate and down another escalator. When they reached the bottom, they heard a distant sobbing noise.

"Hey, you hear that cryin? Someone might still be alive!" Ellis said, excitedly.

"I dunno, something about that cry sends chills down my spine." Applejack said, nervously.

"Well, the least we could do is keep our eyes out."

They head down to their right and encounter yet another escalator. This one was going up this time. When they reach to top, they see what appeared to be a woman wearing nothing but a pair of gray panties and the upper half of a shirt. Her skin was gray and her hair was white. She was walking aimlessly, hands over her face and sobbing.

"See? I told you there was someone else alive here." Ellis said.

"Wait...don't go to her. I gotta bad feeling about this." Applejack warned.

"But she's almost nude! I'd tap it."

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." Applejack rolled her eyes in disgust.

Ellis approached the crying girl slowly, but calmly. The second he got close, he noticed she had sharp claws, and just being around her gave him many feelings like anxiety, stress, and unhappiness. Then she started to growl. Growls turned into almost yells as the creature revealed its red, glowing eyes to him. He immediately backed away, and the creature calmed down and went back to crying as if nothing had happened.

"Ok, you win this time." Ellis said to Applejack as she smirked at him with not only an "in your face" look, but with a bit of relief, as well.

They observe the area around them to find a door that was pushed in and diagonal in the doorway. They climb over to find themselves in the halls where people like staff normally walked or took coffee breaks. They went down the hall to find a split in the path. To the right, there was a door that was blocked off by a soda machine. To the left, there was a door that was clear. Taking the obvious choice, they go down yet another hall leading to a door. Inside, there were a few mannequins (that gave Ellis the creeps) and a table with guns and ammo. Grabbing more ammo, Ellis found himself in a toy store. The main door was locked, and the only way through was if they broke the glass window.

"This may cause a bit of a racket, but," Ellis shoots the window open, sounding an alarm," Agh, that sound! We have to turn that alarm off!"

"Agreed!" Applejack yells over the loud bell.

As they exit the toy store, the worst happened: a loud roar was heard. Like a loud bear through a megaphone. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a massive muscular zombie with arms larger than its legs smashed through a gate behind them.

"OH SHIT! RUN!" Ellis yelled.

Applejack was paralyzed with fear. The zombies just may have gotten to her. She stood there with wide eyes as the hulking zombie made its way to her. Luckily, Ellis was able to grab her and place her on his back like a backpack. Quite a useful way to transport a paralyzed pony. Anyways, after hauling Applejack up 2 floors, she slowly starts to regain her calmness.

"Ellis! What's goin on?" Applejack asks, looking behind them.

"Hang in there! Let me just shut off the alarm and...okay, just stay on my back! I'll carry you to the next safe area! And whatever you do, don't look back! You don't wanna know what's behind us!" Ellis said.

Ellis now running for dear life. He only ran wherever the path took him. The hulking zombie may have been bulky, but it was not slow. Ellis could barely outrun it. If things couldn't get any worse, they reached the evac center. When they did, all they saw were bloody tarps caked with corpses of people. had flies all around them and it smelled worse than spoiled milk left to decompose in a toilet bowl.

"Oh no..." Ellis trailed off.

"Ugh...what's that sme- oh sweet Celestia." Applejack managed to squeeze out of her quivering lips.

"Safe room up there!" Ellis pointed to the floor above them.

The ground then started to shake very hard. Now, Ellis was racing up the escalator like he had dry ice in his boxers (if he even wears underpants). When he reached the floor, he raced for the safe room and shut the metal door. He locked it and said:

"Now, that one was a little bit too close."

Author's Note

Hi! Sorry for the shortness of the chapter. But never mind that, I have good news! Tomorrow is when the escape chapter will be released! Yay!