While the group's conversations went on, Jordan eventually began to hear engines in the distance. Surprised by the unexpected noise, he quickly turned around and saw several cars about two blocks away, speeding toward them. The cars slowed down a little as they swerved around wrecked vehicles, but they kept moving fast.
Without wasting time, Jordan warned the others. "Guys, behind us. There are several vehicles headed toward us."
Everyone reacted to Jordan's warning by directing their attention toward the approaching cars. Lilo didn't seem bothered, but the other three kids looked worried. Their eyes kept shifting between Jordan and Skyler, who both now had their weapons pointed at the cars.
Starting to panic, Lydia asked Skyler a bunch of questions all at once. "What's going on?! Who are they?! What do we do?!"
"We don't know," Skyler answered calmly. "Don't worry. We'll protect you. Get behind us."
Amanda helped guide the kids behind Skyler and Jordan, making sure they stayed close. Oliver kept his gun aimed at the cars, ready just in case. Felix, on the other hand, remained quiet. He had a slight grin on his face, but no one noticed it.
Right before the cars reached their block, the one in front suddenly turned right. The second car followed, and the other three farther back did the same.
Jordan lowered his rifle without taking his eyes off the road. "False alarm. It looks like they're not coming after us. My mistake."
"It's fine," Skyler replied. "You were just being cautious. It's always a good idea to be prepared for the worst."
With that settled, they continued their walk along the block. Skyler realized that Felix had become unusually silent since they had spotted the vehicles. He now led the group, his back turned to them, his demeanor oddly relaxed given the circumstances.
"Hey, Felix," Skyler spoke up, "you've been pretty quiet, haven't you?"
Felix's response was a weak attempt at deception. "Quiet? Oh, you know, traumatic situation and all."
Skyler raised an eyebrow. Something about his attitude seemed strange. "Traumatic? You don't look traumatized at all."
Felix sounded annoyed as he countered, "Hey, hey, I'm just trying to cope. Leave me alone, bitch."
Skyler's suspicion grew, but before anything else could be said, Jordan interrupted to ease the tension. "Guys, let's all get along here. We have an even bigger problem to worry about."
"Problem?" Amanda asked. It looked like she hadn't been paying much attention. "What problem?"
Jordan glanced up at the sky, where the sun was starting to set. "The fact that the sun is about to go down is probably the biggest problem we're facing right now."
Amanda turned her gaze to the west and saw that the sun had gone down behind the store across the street. It could no longer be seen from where they were standing. The infected inside hadn't moved, but they were gathered near the entrance, appearing ready to make their exit.
Amanda began to feel increasingly anxious. "This isn't good! What are we going to do?!"
"Calm down, Amanda. We're going to be okay," Jordan assured her. "We can spend the night at a nearby safe zone."
"Safe zone?"
"Yes," Jordan confirmed. At that moment, they turned the corner, and the entrance to the mall came into view. "We're going to take shelter inside that mall over there. We cleared it out months ago and stationed various Wolves to guard it."
Hearing this reduced some of Amanda's concern. "That's reassuring."
Oliver was lost in thought while the others continued their conversation. He wondered why they had considered it necessary to draw their weapons so quickly when they spotted the vehicles earlier. "Hey, bros, why did you assume they were bad people? It looks like they were just trying to get home."
Skyler was the one who answered his question. "There have been times when people have tried to take our stuff at gunpoint, mainly when going on supply runs. We should be glad they haven't taken the shoot first, ask questions later approach."
"Damn, bro. That's messed up," Oliver said.
"When you say that, I hope you're referring to the people who have tried to steal from us."
Oliver nodded. "Yeah, that's totally what I meant, bro."
"I can't tell if you're being genuine or sarcastic…"
As they neared the entrance of the mall, the row of glass panels lining the front gave them a clear view inside. The storefront featured a set of double doors in the middle, with Wolves stationed within.
Julie smiled. "We made it!" she shouted. "See, Lydia?! We're going to be safe!"
"Well, yeah," Lydia replied, "but we still have to hurry. The sun is going down."
Skyler noticed that the five vehicles parked by the entrance were unmistakably the same ones they had seen just moments earlier. Curious if Jordan had noticed too, she mentioned it to him. "Hey, Jordan, aren't those the same cars that we just saw a few minutes ago?"
Jordan also thought it was strange to see those cars parked there. He observed them for a few seconds before responding, "Hmm, I'm not quite sure, but they do look similar. If they're the same ones, perhaps they belong to the Wolves here."
While the others were focused on that, Aiden suddenly realized something. "Wait, why are we walking back? You guys didn't bring a car?"
"Ah, yeah… a van…" Jordan admitted with a short, awkward chuckle.
Julie pressed him for details. "Where is it? We've been walking for a while now. Just how far did you guys park?"
"About halfway between here and the Golden City…" Jordan answered reluctantly.
Lydia seemed confused. "Isn't that a bit far?"
Jordan was about to explain but scratched the back of his head instead, clearly embarrassed.
Skyler found his reaction a little amusing and spoke for him. "Our van broke down some time after we left the Golden City. We ended up having to leave it where it broke down and came for you guys on foot."
"Wait, it broke down?" Lydia asked. "Does that mean we're going to have to walk all the way back?"
Felix joined the conversation after Lydia's question, though it quickly escalated into another argument with Skyler. "Now you know why I wanted to avoid being held up by that girl."
"You're the one who decided to come, weren't you?"
"Hey, hey, bitch. As far as I remember, that girl wasn't part of the fucking mission."
Jordan intervened once again, attempting to calm the situation. "Give it a rest, Felix. We weren't even held up for that long."
"Jordan is right," Skyler added. "Besides, the distance we traveled ended up being farther than we thought. We might've not made it back before nightfall regardless. Besides, you sure as hell didn't seem surprised when our engine broke down out there."
Felix's response grew increasingly suspicious, stumbling through his words. "Oh, uh… W-well, I… I assumed we were already close to, uh, where the runts were. Yeah, that's why I didn't complain."
Skyler narrowed her eyes. "Why are you stuttering? Didn't expect us to only be halfway there? Oh, and I said you didn't look surprised, not that you didn't complain. Although, I am surprised you didn't complain either."
Before Felix could say anything else, Amanda voiced her concern to Skyler. "Hold on a second. Does that mean we're going to have to walk back home? Even if we spend the night here, the kids will still be in danger if we continue on foot."
Skyler noticed how scared the kids looked, especially Lydia, and tried to ease their nerves. "Don't worry. As long as we're here, you kids will be perfectly fine. Don't forget that we do stuff like this often. All we have to do is ask them if we could take one of their vehicles."
Upon reaching the entrance, Jordan waved at the Wolf closest to them. The Wolf didn't wave back but came over and opened the doors, allowing them to enter. He closed them shortly after Jordan and his companions stepped inside. Aiden glanced back and saw the Zeds pouring out of the stores across the street. Night had finally fallen, but they had made it just in time.
Aiden sighed with relief. "We're safe. We made it."
Julie and Lydia turned around as soon as they heard him speak. Their eyes widened when they saw the black-veined Zeds pressing against the glass. Wanting to keep her daughter safe, Amanda stood behind Julie with both hands on her shoulders, fully prepared to pull her away from danger if necessary. Eventually, the three realized that the reinforced panels and doors were strong enough to keep the infected outside. Like Aiden had done earlier, they sighed with relief.
While the others began to relax, Jordan walked over to the Wolf who had let them in. "Thank you for letting us in."
"Jordan, right?" the Wolf asked, resting his gun over his shoulder. "What brings you here?"
"We lost our means of transportation, so we're going to have to spend the night here," Jordan explained, still sounding a bit tired from traveling on foot. "Do you have any vehicles you could spare for us in the morning?"
The Wolf Jordan was talking to glanced at another one who was approaching. They grinned at each other, which immediately made Skyler feel as though something was wrong. She looked around at the rest of the so-called Wolves scattered throughout the mall. Most were grinning too. It didn't take her long to become certain that her suspicions were justified.
"You're not Wolves, are you?"
The fake Wolves burst into laughter, making no attempt to deny Skyler's accusation.
Amanda quickly pulled the kids closer, alarmed by their reaction. Aiden, Lydia, and Julie were terrified, while Amanda and Oliver were noticeably worried. Lilo, however, didn't seem fazed at all. Just as Jordan and Skyler started to reach for their weapons, they froze at the sound of a gun being cocked behind them, followed by a voice they knew all too well.
"Don't take another step."