"I'm going."
"Sam, it's too dangerous."
"They're all going. Why can't I?" Samantha snapped, frustration flaring as she pointed to the group of volunteers preparing themselves.
Nick put on the sternest face he could muster and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. He exhaled slowly before saying, "No. You're not coming."
"Why not?"
"There's no debating it. No negotiation. You're staying here." His voice was sharp—sharper than she'd ever heard. It wasn't like him, and the rare authority in his tone made Samantha flinch. She took a step back, startled by his intensity, but Nick didn't waver. He turned to the others. "Alright, arm yourselves."
The weapons weren't much—just kitchen knives, some longer than others. It was all they could find.
Nick turned to the man who had earlier declined to join the volunteers. "I have a favor to ask. Keep my daughter in here."
The man nodded solemnly.
"Stay," he said to Samantha. "Your father wants you safe. I can see that."
Samantha's fists clenched. Nick pointed to the back door of the store. "We move through there." It led into a long hallway connecting all the mall's stores—normally used for deliveries.
Without another word, Nick and his team disappeared through the door. Samantha's eyes followed them, her teeth gritted in frustration as the man held her back.
"Let go of me," she hissed, shaking off his hand.
"No. You're not going."
"Who are you to decide that?!"
"Your father decided that."
She looked around the room. Everyone here owed their lives to Nick. They wouldn't help her disobey him. Her only chance now was to persuade them.
"My dad wants me to stay because he wants me to live."
"That's right."
"Then what's so wrong with me wanting to go because I want him to live?"
The man opened his mouth, but Samantha cut him off.
"He's risking his life, but not mine. How does he expect me to live if he dies out there? You'd understand that best, wouldn't you?"
He hesitated, his eyes softening. "…I wouldn't be able to live the same without my daughter either."
"And your daughter wouldn't live the same without you. It's selfish to even think she could. I'd rather die with my dad than live in a world without him. Any objections?!"
Her voice echoed across the room. No one answered. Murmurs rippled through the crowd, but no one stood in her way as she stepped toward the hallway.
"Wait," the man said, grabbing her wrist.
"I agree," he said quietly. "I can't live in a world without my daughter. But I'm willing to be the selfish one… and die."
They locked eyes. Then—
"HARH!"
In one smooth motion, Samantha used his grip to pull him downward and drove her knee into his chin. He collapsed to the floor with a heavy thump.
The room went silent. No one moved.
Samantha had a black belt in taekwondo. Taking him down wasn't difficult. She cast one last glare at the crowd, then turned and stormed into the hallway.
At first, she walked with certainty. But as she passed door after identical door, her pace slowed. She stopped.
"Where is he?" she whispered.
Then she noticed them—bloodstained footprints. Only the right foot though.
—
A few minutes earlier…
Nick had exited the hallway's first door with his team. They returned to the multi-story clothing department.
"Dogs," he whispered. "Their hearing is dangerous. No talking unless absolutely necessary. Understood?"
His team nodded.
Nick accidentally stepped onto a corpse—torn apart, barely human anymore. Just a lump of blood and flesh. He froze, guilt stabbing through him. He quickly stepped off and bowed his head slightly in remorse, then gestured the group forward.
The store was soaked in blood. Trails led from fitting rooms and corners—evidence of violent deaths. In one spot, a smear dragged across the floor told of someone who had been found hiding and pulled out.
Nick scanned the area and signaled a halt. There was no one left alive here. They needed to pick a direction before searching more stores.
He turned to the teenage girl in the group. "Where did you last see him?"
"Where we woke up…"
The central atrium of the mall—completely exposed. No real hiding places.
"Did you see which way he went?"
"The opposite of where I did. I was pushed by the crowd."
They had ended up in the east wing.
"Then we search west," Nick whispered, signaling his team to move.