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🕑 Added 2025-04-28 08:18:01 +0000 UTCA New Beginning From the End of the World
Chapter 115 - In the Dark
The floor of the shopping mall was covered in dust, but there was no trash. This made Jason wonder if it was due solely to the abandonment of the place or something else. By pre-apocalypse common sense, a mall on the outskirts of Atlanta shouldn’t harbor survivors at this point; still, it was obvious the place should have been a disaster, considering the chaos at the start.
However, curiously, there were no items scattered around, only dust. This situation made Jason feel a bit uneasy. He remembered that in the early days of the chaos, people frequently looted stores, as he had heard on the news while he was away.
After an initial inspection, he put away his machete and raised his rifle. He illuminated the floor with his flashlight, but found no footprints. Still, something felt off, and Jason wasn’t the only one who sensed it. For now, he decided to ignore that strange feeling and continued moving forward, keeping his eyes on the surroundings.
Most of the stores on the first floor were electronics shops, alongside a few restaurants where no movement could be detected.
Still, Jason reminded the others to be careful. “Let’s check the restaurants first. It could be helpful to take a look.”
A few people in the group moved forward, occasionally picking up interesting items and stowing them in their backpacks. This was perhaps the only benefit of the last few days: money no longer mattered; they could take whatever they found.
After a quick sweep, they didn’t find much that had been looted, but they did discover some seasonings in several restaurants, which cheered the group. Then, they began to move up to the second floor.
Soon, they noticed that starting from the second floor, there were many more clothing stores. Jason also noticed the sign hanging from the ceiling: the mall only had four floors, and most of the second and third levels were dedicated to clothing. So, everyone began to check from there.
Looking carefully from store to store, they found that the warehouses were full of winter clothes.
Opening several large bags they had prepared in advance, they began to load up all the clothing they could. Although Jason could have asked for this from the safety of the prison, he preferred to do it himself rather than send others.
Separating a little from the main group, Jason and Daryl started checking the clothing stores one by one.
After inspecting five or six stores, Daryl suddenly asked, “Have you already planned your next trip?”
Hearing the raspy voice beside him, Jason turned his head and looked at him. For a moment, he was stunned, but soon understood the meaning of the question and thought for a few seconds.
“Not much…” Jason thought and said, “After we go to the shelter at the University of Georgia, I don’t have a specific destination in mind. But we can discuss it when the time comes. After all, a lot can happen by then, right?”
Daryl nodded silently before adding, “I think we should consider gathering the survivors living in the wild first. Even if they are few, they tend to be the best at survival.”
Jason immediately understood Daryl’s point, so he said, “Thanks! After our first chaotic encounter, I have to say I appreciate your support.”
Daryl’s expression became somewhat uncomfortable; he wasn’t good at dealing with these kinds of situations. He just turned his head and pointed to a nearby store.
“Let’s split up. I’ll check over there.”
“Alright.” Jason agreed, knowing he shouldn’t get distracted.
He watched Daryl walk away, noticing that he was slowly changing, which was a good sign.
While continuing to look in the direction Daryl went, Jason noticed strange movement ahead. He tensed up and whispered:
“Daryl, wait!”
Daryl immediately stopped. Turning around, he saw that Jason had already raised his suppressed rifle; the black body of the weapon reflected the light from the flashlights.
Bang!
In the next instant, Daryl felt a burst of shrapnel whizzing past him, and seconds later, a figure fell behind a trash can, not too far from where he stood.
“Ah!”
Boom!
Surprised by the sudden attack, Daryl quickly raised his crossbow and aimed at various corners where someone could be hiding.
The rest of the group reacted swiftly. They drew their weapons and ran toward the spot. Although the shot had been with a suppressor, the sound was still recognizable.
As the enemy that Jason had shot continued rolling on the ground, Jason remained in place, unmoved, showing no intention of approaching to check if there were more threats.
Daryl also slowly backed away. This time, he was truly helpless, as he wanted to distance himself from Jason to avoid awkward conversations, so he didn’t notice there was someone hiding not far away. Although he did sense that the other person must be very skilled at it!
Before the others rushed in, a group of people quickly assumed a defensive posture, and finally, Jason began to move forward.
Walking slowly, following Jason’s movements, the rest of the group also advanced, maintaining formation, until they reached the person who had remained motionless on the ground.
“Ahhhhh! They’ve killed me, my body’s getting cold! Mom… I couldn’t survive…”
Looking at the boy who was exaggerating loudly in front of him, Jason said coldly, “Stop faking it! I know the bullet didn’t hit you, it just grazed you!”
Before he finished speaking, he saw how the person on the ground stopped struggling and slowly got to his feet. He was a white man about 1.85 meters tall, with a black hoodie covering his head. Only his eyes and nose were visible. He didn’t exactly look like a strong man; in fact, he appeared too thin.
At that moment, he nervously looked at Jason and the others, instinctively raising his hands.
Jason observed him carefully. He could feel a dangerous aura coming from him. This guy was definitely not ordinary, not if he had stopped screaming so suddenly!
Among everyone, Daryl was the most annoyed. He whispered harshly:
“Who are you? Why were you hiding there? What’s your purpose?”
The stranger seemed to have been scared all along. He raised his trembling hands, his voice also shaky:
“I, I’m… I’m José! I was just… just sleeping there before your beast of a teammate shot at me!”
Daryl raised his crossbow even higher, stepped forward, and pressed it against José’s head, asking brusquely:
“Do you think we’re idiots? Sleeping in a trash can?”
José, terrified, collapsed on the ground, putting his head between his hands and responding in a tearful voice:
“What I’m saying is true! I’m not lying, I was so tired. You don’t know how long I’ve been looking for a place free of walkers. I just went up to the second floor to rest. Don’t kill me, I’m too old to die!”
Daryl, seeing the scene, hesitated a little. He turned his head to look at Jason, but at that moment he heard Rick, who was beside him, suddenly speak:
“Where did you come from?”
Still curled up on the ground, José answered in a tearful voice:
“I came in through the back door, it was open. I just wanted to get in to find a place to rest, that’s all, Grandpa.”
Jason suddenly put away his weapon. His tone softened considerably as he said to José:
“Take us to see where you entered.”
Then he turned to Rick and pointed to the large bags of clothing behind him:
“Rick, take the others to keep working with the clothes and load them into the car first. Daryl and I will check that place.”
Rick hesitated a bit, but upon seeing Jason and Daryl, he finally nodded. He then called to the others to continue with their task.
Jason reached out to lift José from the ground and secretly signaled Daryl to keep his distance. Then he gave José a pat on the back, signaling him to lead the way.
The whimpering José walked toward the stairs, and Jason started a conversation:
“José, is it hard being alone?”
Maybe because Jason always had a rather kind attitude, José seemed less nervous than before. He nodded slightly and explained:
“I lived not too far from here. When all that virus mess broke out, my wife, my parents, and my kids got infected. Since then, I’ve stayed around this area.”
Jason patted him on the shoulder to reassure him and said apologetically:
“I’m sorry.”
José quickly shook his head, signaling that it wasn’t necessary to apologize. He then pointed to a hallway ahead of them and said:
“It’s this way. That’s where I came in. You turn and there’s a door that leads to the back of the mall.”
“Let’s go then, José!”
After hearing his words, Jason quickly moved toward the corner... and at that moment, José showed a strange smile.
