Lynn's POV

"Where is everybody?" I whispered, blowing my bangs out of my eyes." Niall looked confused.

"The transmission said there was survivors here, along with food, weapons, and medical supplies. How long ago was that transmission?" I shrugged and used the head of my gun to open the door a little more. I couldn't believe that this had used to be a mall. There was clothing spilling from stores, and moldy food from restaurants. I peeked as far as I could without actually having to put my head inside. Everyone was dead silent as we strained to hear anything living. Pushing in further, I noticed a spattering of brown residue along some of the tiling and along the wall.

"Blood." Jason announced what we were probably all thinking.

"Not a good sign." Niall muttered. Suddenly yelling and gunshots erupted from deeper within the mall. We all met each others eyes and nodded. Running to the noises, we were careful to not make much noises. We were close now. Echoes of a horde made it seem like they were all around us. I checked my gun to make sure the safety was off and that I had at least a halfway full cartidge of ammuntion. Suddenly Jason yelled. I turned to see him struggling with an undead man twice as big as him. I hit the zombie under the chin with the butt of the gun and then shot it through the eye twice. More moans echoed and I frowned. We ran up the stairs to where the screams seemed to be coming from. Of course, all that could be heard was a squelching sound and slurping. My stomach gave a lurch as my eyes rested on what remained of the survivors. nearly a dozen of the undead were eating from about 6 or 7 people, 3 being older men and women. I aimed for the head. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Niall and Jason were shooting too, making sure they didn't miss. The gunshots surely attracted more, that was to be expected of zombies. Terrible eyesight, amazing hearing and sense of smell.

"Is that all of them?" Niall huffed, wiping his brow and eyes. I nodded and then turned to the bodies of the ones who had died being eaten.

"Do you think...?" Jason whispered. I shrugged; it seemed that was the only thing I knew how to do because I knew I wasn't breathing of thinking or digesting. I hadn't been doing much of anything but shrugging because I didn't know. I thought I knew what to expect, but in all honesty, my expectations had been underestimated. I didn't spare a second thought as I put a bullet in each brain of the victims. We would not take any risks.

"Looks like someone was infected, died, reanimated then started attacing the others. Once that happened, more got infected and so the last dregs of this group died. I shuddered at the thought of being trapped like that. I sighed and closed my eyes. It wasn't always like this. There was a time before this.. But it seemed to get farther and farther as each day passed.

"Check and see if there is any supplies we can salvage. Watch for the undead. Meet back here." I called out my order. I wasn't even the leader of the group. We all knew I was a coward, that I would crac under stress. We all knew I had... That I had.... I dug my nails into my palms. I reopened my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths after I confirmed that they had done as I said. I couldn't breathe all of a sudden, my heart was hammering loudly. Can anyone hear it? Can anyone hear me screaming silently? Tears prickled in my eyes as I struggled to keep my calm. *whimper whimper* I paused and looked to the elevators, from which the crying sounds were emanating from.

"Hello?" I said, preparing myself. I didn't even realize that the doors were open, just enough for a small child to fit through. I pushed with all my strength and managed to fit my head and an arm through. It was pitch black inside. I grabbed out my last lighter and clicked it a couple times before it kept its flame. I thrust it inside and peeked inside. A dirty face or a young girl peered up at me through tearful eyes.

"Where's Mommy?" She asked me. I was at a loss for words. This isn't good. Just then, Niall and Jason returned, lugging some bags. I motioned for them to pause and looked back at the girl.

"Here. How bout let's get you out of there so we can see you better." She hesitated and I smiled as warmly as I could, my face muscles stiff. "Don't worry. We won't hurt you." I backed away for a moment and blew out the flame. Slowly she crept out. Her clothes were tattered and messy, and there was old blood stains across the shirt. Please don't have a bite. I don't want to... Me and Niall shared a look and he went down on one knee.

"Hey there, honey. Can I ask you what your name is?" He smiled. She blushed and replied while looking down, " I'm Pip." Niall chuckled. "That's a very pretty name, Pip." She nodded then looked up again. "Mister, do you know where my mommy is?" Niall's smile faltered a bit. I could tell he was going to have a hard time trying to explain this.

"She went to go help somebody. She told us to take care of you until she got back.” Pip nodded slowly and wiped her tears away. Niall opened up his arms and she scrambled into them, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We have everything that we could salvage?" Jason nodded and picked the bundles up. Pip started chattering to Niall about anything and everything, while Niall showered her with compliments. Jason and I shared a look, and I knew he was thinking what I was thinking. I hope she doesn't get us killed.