Thread: Shopping Mall

Name Laila Chambers. Location Shopping Mall. Attire Gray cami tank top, black cargo pants, gray knit hat, black boots, glasses, backpack. Weapons Hunting knife in back pocket, pistol on hip, wooden baseball bat. DateTime July 4, 2025. Tagging JC, Shinjiro Open. Shit... shit, shit, shit... Laila muttered under her breath as she ran, her hands gripping a wooden bat tightly against her lean body. She glanced over her shoulder, red flaming hair billowing behind her as she looked through the lenses of her glasses. And there they were--walkers--ever gaining despite their slow, lumbering movements. Laila turned to look away from the ghoulish creatures as they ever pursued her. She knew they'd gotten her scent and that they'd stop at nothing until their teeth sunk into her supple flesh, consuming her whole while she screamed and writhed in pain before finally going lifeless... only to reanimate once more. To become one of them. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought. It was worse than anything she could imagine knowing she could die only to come back. Already she'd come so far. There was no way she was going to lose this battle. Not any battle. Not ever. For a fleeting moment, Laila thought back to her old life back in San Diego, to how it had been with her father. Ugh. She wanted to spit as her mouth got that bitter taste in her mouth--something that always happened when she thought back about her dad. Snapping out of it and focusing on the now, she pressed on, forcing her legs to move and dig deeper. She had to get away, make it out of this nonsense. Silently, she cursed herself for lingering too long at the mall, but she'd wanted to see if she could find some supplies. After losing her car and having no choice but to leave her thing behind, one of the first things she'd wanted to get was a backpack and some basic necessities. Who knew how long she'd be on her own. Goddamn! Laila whimpered as she suddenly got cut off. Terrified and frustrated, she swung her bat at the walker that barred her way. The bat met the walking corpse with a solid thwack, its rotting body falling backward, but she knew it would only stall it. The thing would easily get back up and be back after her. Her strike had only bought her time, precious seconds to hopefully get further away from the stinking bodies that shuffled and meandered ever closer, their groans a deafening roar she wished to never hear again. More than anything, Laila wanted to drop to her knees, to scream out and slam her fists against the pavement. But she had no time to allow herself to process what was going on. Biting down on her lip, she pushed her glasses up on her nose and twirled around on her heels, readying herself to set off at a dead run. Without thinking, she began to sprint between the cars lined up near the mall's exit, her hope to confuse the walkers and make a getaway. As she dashed out into the road, she heard the engine and the screech of tires, the sudden sound of gun fire. Laila let out a scream as the car approached, heading straight for her. She held up her arms and waved them frantically, tears suddenly falling from her blue eyes. Help! she shrieked, wincing in fear that she might get hit if not bitten by the zombies that were starting to overwhelm and surround her.