After making their way through the second floor of the mall, they arrived at a shoe store. At gunpoint, Blitz directed Jordan to enter first. Once Jordan stepped inside, he immediately noticed a breach in the wall. It was wide enough for someone to escape through.
Skyler was sent in next. Felix and Leonard came in behind her, followed by Blitz. Chris stayed near the entrance to stand guard, but he wasn't paying attention. He was too busy fixing his braided blond hair.
While Isaiah forced Amanda inside, Jordan looked at Blitz and questioned him. "Why are you doing this?"
"It's quite simple, really. Business. That's all there is to it," Blitz replied, as if their situation were nothing more than a transaction.
Even after hearing Blitz's answer, Amanda continued to stare blankly at the shoe display in front of her. Her shock began to wear off, but something else seemed to be on her mind. "Why… why do you call them zombies?" she asked, changing the subject completely.
Blitz walked up to her, towering over her by almost two feet. "You're asking me why? Isn't that what they are? Oh, let me guess, they're called Zeds. From the beginning of the outbreak, everyone has been calling them Zeds. It's been all over the news but, well, why? Seriously, why? They look like zombies to me."
Amanda didn't respond. Her earlier defiance was gone, replaced by a fear of provoking Blitz.
Blitz directed everyone to different areas of the store. Chris remained at the door, still standing guard. Felix and Leonard stayed close to Jordan and Skyler, ready to act if either of them tried anything. Though the two Wolves were kept together, Amanda was a bit further away, near Isaiah.
Isaiah yawned and ran a hand through his long black hair. "Hey, Blitz, should we have them line up? It'll make it easier for us to keep an eye on all three of them at the same time."
"Ah, what a splendid idea," Blitz said, gesturing toward the corner across from the breach. "I'm going to need you all to move over to that corner."
At that moment, Jordan realized Blitz had been aware of the breach all along. The smug look on the Spade's face made it obvious.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice? I knew about that breach before I brought you three in here," Blitz told Jordan as he crossed his arms. "I bet you were thinking of using it as an escape route. It's a clever idea, really. But have you forgotten? Zombies are swarming the streets right now. In fact, that's exactly why I brought you three in here. If you misbehave, I can always feed you to the undead. Oh, my mistake. They're not exactly dead, are they?"
Blitz let out a short laugh and turned his attention to Leonard, who had just sat down on the floor.
"Hey, Leonard, getting comfortable?"
"Uh, yes?"
"Well, that's too bad. Go stand guard in front of the breach for now."
Leonard rolled his eyes. "Why not have Isaiah do it?"
Isaiah furrowed his brow upon hearing Leonard's suggestion. "Are you stupid? Just do what Blitz says. That's how shit works around here."
Leonard sighed and got back up on his feet. He then dusted his pants as Blitz approached him. Leonard had to tilt his head back to meet the gaze of the man who stood a full foot taller, his confidence fading under Blitz's cold glare.
"This is the first time you've been on a run with my crew, so I'll let this insubordination slide just this once. Next time, I won't be so lenient," Blitz warned.
Leonard's carefree expression went away as he realized he had messed up. Wanting to fix his mistake, he complied with Blitz's orders and stepped in front of the breach to block any attempt to escape.
One question lingered in Jordan's mind as he thought about their situation. Why had Blitz spared his life? He had expected his end to come swiftly, but instead, he had been kept alive. "Why haven't you killed me yet? I'm not what you consider to be merchandise, am I?"
Blitz responded with a deep chuckle. "Another question with yet another obvious answer. Hostage. A hostage against both the famed Golden City and against yourselves too, of course. If our merchandise happen to act up, we will have them fall in line by threatening to kill you. If anyone from the Golden City tries to rescue you all, we will use you as an example."
He was just another hostage, perhaps the only hostage among the captives since the rest were considered merchandise by the Spades of Egypt. However, Jordan still believed that the true enemy were the Zeds, not other survivors.
Despite the danger they were in, Jordan saw a chance to prevent more violence. "Would you like to make a deal?"
Skyler stared at him in disbelief. "A deal? Seriously, Jordan? You really think you can trust these bastards?"
"I know what you're saying, Skyler, but I want to resolve this without bloodshed," Jordan explained. "Again, you're either with humanity or with the Zeds. And as far as I can tell, they're not Zeds. People should work together to overcome the Zed menace."
Blitz was intrigued by Jordan's willingness to negotiate. "Even now, you still hold on to those beliefs of yours? Honestly, I applaud you. Most would've given up on those ideals by now." The other Spades chuckled, but Jordan didn't react. His determination didn't go unnoticed by Blitz. "You know, Jordan, you don't seem to be afraid at all. Just like I told that white-haired girl earlier, I respect that. What was her name again? Lilo? Anyway, out of curiosity, what kind of deal are you proposing?"
Jordan glanced at Skyler, hoping for some sign of approval, but she said nothing. After taking a deep breath, he looked back at Blitz and made his proposal. "How about an alliance? If we join forces, we'll have an easier time setting up outposts and dealing with the Zeds."
Skyler's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Before she could voice her objection, the Spades burst into laughter, caught off guard by what Jordan had suggested.
Blitz, amused by the idea, turned to his men. "Imagine that, fellas. The Golden City and Stadium Town working together."
The Spades kept laughing for a little while, but the noise subsided when Blitz focused on Jordan again. "It truly is a very noble cause. I mean it when I say that. Unfortunately, I'm not the one who could decide on an alliance. If you want to try your luck, you could ask Octavier when we get there."
"Octavier? Is that the man who's now leading the Spades of Egypt?" Jordan asked, recognizing the name. "If I remember correctly, he was one of Cleopatra's generals."
"That would be correct," Blitz confirmed. "After Cleopatra's death, her empire descended into chaos. You could consider it a civil war to decide the next leader. Octavier took her place, but not without casualties. Thousands of lives were lost in the conflict."
Blitz went silent for a moment, lost in those memories. He closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them. "Anyway, regarding an alliance between us, all I could say is that, unfortunately, we have our own way of doing things. Things that you surely wouldn't approve of."
Meanwhile, back on the mall's first floor, Luther moved slowly around the clothing store as he searched for the girls. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," he taunted, making it quite obvious that he wasn't taking the situation seriously anymore.
Julie and Lydia crawled quietly through the store, trying to stay out of sight. Their hearts were pounding as they looked for a way past the Spade guarding the exit. Lilo, on the other hand, remained completely unfazed. Rather than crawling to stay hidden, it felt more like she was just playing along. As soon as they made it to the back of the store, they came across a pile of corpses. These were the Wolves who had once guarded the mall. One of them was directly in front of Julie, its lifeless eyes staring straight at her.
Although Lydia froze in place, stunned by the horrific sight in front of her, Julie involuntarily let out a gasp. That sound was all it took to draw Luther's attention. A wicked grin formed on his face as he shoved aside a rack of clothes. "Found you," he said, scaring the girls.
Julie and Lydia stood up as fast as they could and started running away. Lilo followed them, though at a more casual pace, not sharing the same sense of panic. Luther reached for the strange girl, but he tripped over a fallen pair of jeans, delaying him long enough for Lilo to avoid capture and catch up with the other girls. However, the reason Lilo was able to close the distance was because Julie and Lydia had stopped after seeing Jeremy waiting at the store's entrance.
"Where do you think you're going?" Jeremy asked, only to be blindsided when Aiden suddenly tackled him from behind. Though the effort barely moved him, he hadn't expected the attack. "What the hell?"
"Leave them alone!" Aiden shouted, holding on tight.
Jeremy pried Aiden's arms off, turned around, and grabbed the boy by the wrists. With a firm grip, he pulled Aiden upward, lifting him off the ground with both hands. While Aiden's legs kicked wildly as he squirmed in the air, Jeremy looked over at Boris, who was down on the floor clutching his groin in pain.
"Boris! What the hell are you doing?!" Jeremy yelled. "Come lend us a hand!"
Aiden used the opportunity to call out to the girls. "Go! Go now! Run away!"
Julie and Lydia, who had been paralyzed by fear, snapped into motion the moment they heard Aiden's voice. Fueled by adrenaline, they ran past Jeremy without hesitation, desperate to escape. Lilo easily kept up with them, staying close despite the burst of speed from the other two.
As they rushed by, Jeremy's attention drifted toward the girls for a split second, just enough of a distraction for Aiden to swing his foot up and land a kick right to his groin.
"Argh! Shit!" Jeremy cried out in agony, releasing Aiden and collapsing to the ground. He curled up on the floor, clutching his groin like Boris had earlier.
Just as Aiden was about to flee, he noticed the pistol in an open-top holster on Jeremy's hip. Taking advantage of Jeremy's condition, the boy snatched it and sprinted away.
"My gun! You damned runt!"
Jeremy tried to get up, but the pain in his groin made it hard. At the same time, Aiden caught up to the girls after they had stopped, unsure of where to go next. In front of them, Boris had already recovered and was now running in their direction. Behind them, Luther had just stormed out of the clothing store. With the Spades approaching from both sides, they did not have many options left.
Aiden looked around for a place to hide until he spotted a restroom near the mall's entrance. He pointed at it and shouted, "In there! Go to the restroom!"
The girls followed his lead and hurried to the restroom. But before they could make it inside, Boris reached Lilo and grabbed her arm tightly.
"Let me go!" Lilo screamed frantically. "Let go!"
Boris was surprised by Lilo's reaction. She went from calm to frantic the moment he restrained her, screaming and twisting like a completely different person. It briefly stunned him, but he quickly regained his focus. "I got this girl! Go get the other ones!"
In the midst of that struggle, Julie, Lydia, and Aiden made it to the restroom. Aiden, being the last one in, swiftly extended his hand toward the door, ready to close it shut. When his hand landed on the handle, his eyes were drawn to Lilo, who was still fighting to break free from Boris. From there, his gaze shifted to Jeremy and Luther, who were no longer chasing them.
It struck Aiden as odd. Why had they stopped so suddenly? And why weren't they even looking at them anymore? Both of the Spades appeared to be staring at the mall's entrance, but from where Aiden stood, he couldn't tell what had caught their attention. What he could see, however, was the disbelief on their faces.
Julie's voice snapped him out of it. "What are you waiting for?! Close the door!"
It only took a second for her words to sink in. With his hand already on the handle, Aiden pulled the door shut and turned its lock until it clicked into place.