Surely nothing could go wrong at a mall in the middle of a viral apocalypse...

The two of you drive in silence for a few minutes, as the woman you just rescued struggles to come to turns with the ordeal she has just gone through. Finally, her tears begin to cease and she manages to compose herself enough to speak. "Thank you, I... I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't come along back there."

You introduce yourself. She nods back. "I'm Amanda. Amanda Jennings."

Now that you've had some time to recover from the high-speed confrontation in the carpark, you take a moment to assess your new companion. She's college age, modest build, medium-length dark brown hair, attractive in a cute-girl-at-the-mall kind of way.

"So... father, huh?"

With a sob, Amanda nods in response. "I was driving him to the hospital when he just started to... change, right then and there. The way he was looking at me afterwards... it just, it just wasn't him... wasn't him anymore..."

You put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I understand. Those things, they got my girlfriend too. The thing they made her into came after me in my apartment. In fact, I was running away from her when I stumbled across you."

Amanda turns to you, a look of determination in her eyes. "Listen, my sister works part-time at the West Parkville Mall. We have to go by there and get her, then get my mom at our home. I can't bear to see this happen to another member of my family."

You nod in agreement; it may be too late for her father, but maybe the rest of her family can be saved. Besides, the mall might be a good place to arm yourself in case you run into more hellspawn later down the road.

It's a modest drive down the highway from your apartment to the mall. The West Parkville is a fairly large complex, with several national chains and quite a few specialty shops as well. You know there's a gun store there, a hardware store that sells power tools, you're pretty sure there's even some kind of historical-type shop selling medieval swords and Japanese katanas. You might be able to get some kind of holy items at the Christian book shop. And you'll probably want food and medical supplies, there's no telling how things are going to go in the next few days.

Your mind is already drawing up a checklist of supplies as you swing into the parking garage (since these things can fly, the indoor garage seems safer than parking out in the open), and you and Amanda rush into the mall. The place is relatively quiet, which is typical for a weekday afternoon, but hardly deserted; it seems news of the outbreak only began to spread recently, and many people are still going about their daily business without realizing what's going on.

Amanda leads you to a teen-centered store on the second floor. The place sells an eclectic mix of pop culture items, clothing, skating equipment, comic book stuff, and other teen-focused items. Behind the counter you spot a teenage girl with a familial resemblance to Amanda; about 18 years old, curly dark hair, fresh-faced, slightly foxy features. She's wearing a light, dark-colored tank-top and denim shorts, and looks up in recognition as Amanda rushes into the store.

"Megan! Oh thank God." Amanda exclaims in relief.

"Sis? What are you doing here?" Megan seems mildly confused... it seems she hasn't been paying much attention to the news.

Amanda grabs her sister's arm and starts to lead her out of the store. "Come on! We need to get going, now!"

"What the fuck, sis? Are you trying to get me fired?" Megan pulls out of Amanda's grip, irate. Turning to you, she continues "And who the fuck is this?"

Before you can introduce yourself or explain the situation, you hear a smashing sound and a loud scream echoing from further down the mall.