Trapped in the mall

The window gave in effortlessly against her bat. It was a quick motion to clear any glass that wasn't budging and then cover it with a tarp.

It was funny to think this massive place use to be something so delightful. Now it had mostly boarded-up windows, overgrown vines and the best place to get inside was to climb the fire escape that was broken long ago from rust and decay.

Like many other things. Such as the roadways. now cracked and decayed. trees and other assortments of things growing between the concrete slabs.

She moved carefully through the shattered window on the top floor of the mall. Making her way into a 'Macy's' Store back office. It was cluttered with papers littering the floor.

a large blue file cabinet next to two skeletons at the only door to the room.

The room smelled of mold. So she pulled up her mask to prevent any toxic amounts from entering her lungs.

The paper crinkled and gave in under the weight of her sneakers.

Her camouflage pants just barely made it through the window without being caught on the glass.

They barely fit over her hips but it was the best she could find when scrounging through old-world things.

Her name was Casey. Yet these day's she went by Marcy. She pulled her dreadlocked hair back into a tight ponytail and tied it up with a green ribbon she had found one day. She considered it a score more than anything.

Her emerald eyes scanned her perimeters. Trying to make sure she didn't miss anything while scavenging for useful items for trade or food.

The world had ended when she was 4, Now being 23, she took up what most kid's her age had started doing.

Scavenging the old cities for parts to trade for coins to get by.

Which was useful and the most profitable career currently. Yet, Also the most dangerous.

Usually, when you go into these ruins you risk mutants. You either come back with a new place for people to make into a city or home or town or whatever, or you come back and put an X on the map for that area. Or you don't return at all...

Marcy began to shovel through the mix-matched papers.

Paper clips in good condition were useful for being gathered and melted down.

So, She began to search for anything not already taken before her.

Though this place seemed void of anything other than stupid, tiny, staples.

The girl carefully moved over the two rotting skeletons. Their clothes still reminiscent of office workers from when this whole place was probably under siege.

Poor fools didn't know that'd do nothing to stop the onslaught of what happened. The girl moved the file cabinet, disturbing the slumber of the bodies in the process.

Marcy fiddled with the lock. Jammed.

She moved to press her shoulder against the door, then pulled away quickly. Trying to free up any hinges that may be rusted closed. It wasn't long until she moved to simply pulling out a Philips head and undoing the hinges her self.

The door began to creak and moan, Excess weight being pressed against it as Marcy did the work of peeling the old rusted bolts out of their sockets.

with one final kick the door gave in. Keeling over boisterously in the ominous empty and hallow shopping mall.

There were loud echoes of the rusty door giving way into the marble floors.

It rang through the large mall bouncing off now empty halls.

She paused, Watching to make sure no movement was around to watch her.

She had to be sure there weren't going to be issues in this mission. So far though, Clear.

The stunning silence quickly swept in, reaping any sounds that would have followed.

She carefully climbed over the top of the rusty door, stepping out and taking in the new vantage point.

Encumbering space, where once there was a 3 level shopping mall now stood overgrown tree's brush and roots taking over human corpses from militia and civilian.

The smell of decay had long since made it's way through the building and now had settled on growth.

The soft white specs that floated in the beams of sunlight that managed to break through the inward leaning roof as it hung heavy and ready to collapse at any moment.

It reminded her that she needed to do this quickly.

Old bodies of helper drones stood frozen in time, their teeth bared and tangled as they froze in menacing poses over fearful skeletons.

Marcy moved through the bodies with ease, making her way down to the foyer. Shopping stores decorated the market streets.

She was looking for one store in particular though. One of great value.

Her bat dragged across the floor beside her feet as he came across the way, making a B-line dash for the entrance and smashing it open.

The gates clanged loudly, a high pitched shrieking coming from the alarms.

She jumped inside, moving to gather everything she could. Shoving as many as she could fit into her backpack.

Just as she began to sink one last spec into her backpack there was a flick. Almost like an old TV set being turned on with the high ear splitting ring.

Her heart dropped.

One of the androids had turned on at the sound of the alarm, Its red gaze targeted her particularly as it raced towards her, animatronic arms faster than she could run.

It reached through the window, a high pitched error code in it's malfunctioning eye as it cursed and swore in it's own tongue.

Marcy ducked, racing past it and raising up behind trying to conk this mother fucker on his head to confuse it.

It only swiveled it's head around quickly. She grabbed for her things and began to race carelessly around the corner.

It gave chase quickly. Its beckoned call causing more to stir and writhe to life before her feet.

One grabbed for her foot, Its misshapen red hat adding a strange touch of creepiness as it stared dead eyed at her. She shook, trying to break free of it's tight grasp.

Marcy hissed in absent pain, biting into her lip to as not attract any more unwanted attention.

Her foot slipped free of her boot, taking the moment to get up and run. A quick witted fist coming all to close to hitting her as it pounded into the cement wall and busted open.

There was a creak. It sounded like thunder. She hardly paid it much mind as she tried to race back around to her vantage point on the third floor.

As she raced through the court room, multiple eyes turning to glare and follow as she ran, she could feel the rumble in the earth beneath her feet.

There was a loud crack, as though the sky were caving in a plump of dust and debris came shuttering around her.

It collapsed finally on top of her bottom half while androids hounded her.

She coughed trying to empty her lungs of what had managed to get in her mouth when her face mask toppled off.

She heaved, her nails clawing into the dirt marble as she tried to lift herself. A sharp sudden pain crawled up her leg through her back and rested itself quickly on her right side.

"Fuck!" She finally screamed. Flipping over onto her back to see a large shard of scaffolding embedded into her just below the knee.

The blood pooled but was quickly soaked up by the dirt and dust of the roof's padding.

She worked off her green sweatshirt quickly, tying it tightly around the shard and her leg to keep it mainly in place.

It stung. It hurt like a son of a bitch!

The pain that shot through her legs continued to nestle itself into her lower back as she crawled along the floor. She threw her bag back over her shoulders and continued to claw her way up the stairs until she reached the top floor. She sighed. Gruff and exhausted, wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead.

She could heard the rough sound of rocks moving as they gave way to movement. The stupid thing survived. Mostly.

It was slow moving now, only a torso as it crawled with sparks of mis matched wiring trying to move something that wasnt existing anymore.

She swore under her breath. She dug around her backpack.

Picking up the radio that she held inside it, the short transcript may be her last. She hoped it'd reach someone.

"Radio 2465 coordinates are 44.8550711 -93.2442263. Mall has old drones. It is December 24th Christmas eve. Chrissy. Your big sis is sorry if I dont make it back to you. Final transmission. I love you, I got that action figure and then some you wanted to bad. Merry Christmas"