Through the docks

You quietly pull the second door open, sticking your head through the opening. One of the loading bays is open, letting daylight in to the large room. Rows of appliances are stretched over against the far wall, and you can see numerous pallets laying about. The lighting is kind of eerie, the daylight illuminating the center of the bay, while shrouds of darkness linger behind ransacked shelves and in the corners of the room.

Satisfied the coast is clear, you slip out the door, quietly shutting it behind you. Standing in the gloomy corner, you take a moment to check out the clothing you had found. What you find is quite disappointing. You're holding a red apron, with the store name emblazoned across the front. Groaning inwardly, you put it on, tying it off behind you. It reaches down to your upper thighs, just covering your pussy. The bottom of the apron is quite wide, though, wrapping around your hips, looking almost like a mini-dress, except your ass is still completely exposed. The top half of the apron is a different story, as it's just wide enough to tuck your nipples under, but the slightest movement causes them to pop free again. At least it has almost a half-dozen large pockets on it, giving you a place to tuck your pistol and any other smaller items you may find on your way back to Eddie's office.

Hefting your sledgehammer again, you walk over to the open bay door, squinting at the brilliant sunlight outside. The view is, as always, sobering. Burned out and smashed up cars dot the parking lot, though from here one or two of them look fairly intact. The city itself is falling into disrepair. Windows are smashed, walls are crumbling, and more than a few buildings are nothing more than fire-blackened husks against the sky. You hear a faint gunshot in the distance, telling you that there are other survivors out there, but they're not your concern right now.

You look down. The dock is elevated about four feet from the ground, so that trailers can be backed in with their floor level with the warehouse floor. Stepping onto the cold steel of the retractable ramp, you drop off it, landing in a crouch with a stinging slap as your bare feet hit the concrete below. As you walk up the ramp, wary of your surroundings, you can't wait to get to your gear.

Emerging from the ramp, you move to the nearest wall, remembering a side entrance not too far to the north. It should take you back into the mall somewhere close to where Eddie's office is. You carefully pad along the wall, eyes searching the parking lot again. You can see one or two crazies about, but they haven't noticed you, and you're happy for it to stay that way.

As you approach the side entrance, a new sound intrudes on the otherwise tranquil day. A series of rumbing, wheezing sounds rapidly resolve themselves into engine noise, a mix of big diesels and smaller gasoline engines. As you duck behind a nearby set of bushes, you spot a pickup truck, with what looks to be a couple of men riding in the bed, turning into the parking lot, followed by a pair of buses. The men are armed with an assortment of rifles.

Your options are limited. You've got no idea if these guys are friendly, and there's only one way to find out. Staying hidden might be a better option. The bushes are overgrown, and close to the wall. The men would practically have to stand on you to find you. On the other hand, the mall itself is full of nooks and crannies to hide in, plus it has your supplies, in case they turn out to be hostile. The question is: are you safer out here, or in the mall?