3.0 | Conquering the Mall

ONCE ELI UNLOCKED THE DOORS, the teens poured into the mall and slammed the doors behind them. Kai stayed with Eli to help him barricade the doors before rushing into the mall with her friends.

"Holy shit, Eli.." Kai drifted as she looked around the place. "There's power, and air conditioning."

"Everything is so clean." Josh added.

"It still smells like Cinnabon.." Wesley pointed out, hungry out of his mind from smoking so much.

Eli smirked, his eyes studying Kai's expression. "Solar panels on the roof. This is an island of paradise in an ocean of poop."

Suddenly, the metal doors began to clang from the hall that they had just come from. The teens jumped, Kai instantly grabbing her short sword from her bag.

"This way, quick," Eli stated, grabbing the girl's forearm and leading them to a gated off part of the mall. Kai stopped, instantly aware of what Eli was planning. "Get under, you'll be safe there."

After Josh and Angelica had went under the bars, Eli lowered them.

"What the hell?" Josh asked, annoyed.

"I'm not sharing my kingdom with you sheep. No one busts into Eli's mall."

"No one busts into Eli's pants, either." Kai stated, earning an eyeroll from him and a laugh from Angelica.

"And don't even try to escape," the boy continued, "Every door is locked or booby trapped."

Wesley laughed from behind Kai, "Heh, booby."

"Wesley Fists led the state in sacks last season. Take him out, Samurai."

The boy's eyes turned to Eli, "To fight someone so obviously inferior would be dishonorable."

Eli laughed before turning back to Josh, sticking his middle fingers up in satisfaction.

"Fine. Kai Dean has killed more people in this apocalypse than Baron Triumph, the Jocks, and the ghoulies combined. Kai, you take him out." Josh said with a sigh.

Her brows furrowed as she lifted her short sword and pointed it at Josh. "How do you know how many people I've killed?"

Josh stayed quiet and looked towards his feet.

"You're fucking kidding me. You've been watching me since the apocalypse started, haven't you?" She asked in disbelief.

He raised his head, "Kai, it's not like that."

"Oh, really? What's it like then? What, you thought that just because your precious little Sam Dean is my cousin that I'd lead you right to her? Newsflash, Maple Leaf. It was just me and Sophia up until a month ago. Although, I'm guessing you already knew that." She growled before walking away, her anger radiating off of her body.

As Kai was walking away, she heard Eli telling Josh and Angelica about a supposed ghoulie witch who was in there with them. The girl scoffed at the idea and continued her way to the mattress store.

𑁍

"Hey," Kai heard Wesley's voice, "you okay?"

Sitting up, the girl punched the wall. "He watched Sophia and I for god knows how long. It's fucked."

Wesley sat next to his friend on the mattress, "I saw Sophia with the Jocks, too. I was surprised to see her away from you."

"She and I got into an argument," Kai scoffed, "she would never stop talking about how we should've joined the Cheermazons, or the Jocks. I just snapped one day and told her to go ahead and join them. Boy, I regret it."

Wesley nodded in understanding, "You two made a great couple, but some things just aren't meant to be."

The girl nodded, "You're right. I'm gonna go find Eli, see if I can convince him to let Angelica out."

"What about Josh?"

Kai laughed, "What about Josh?"

𑁍

"Eli," Kai greeted, approaching the boy. "I need to talk to you."

The teen turned his head at the sound of Kai's angelic voice. His eyes studied her face, noticing that she had been crying sometime before she found him.

"Woah, are you okay?" He asked, walking over to her.

She nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine, butt munch. I wanna talk to you."

"About?"

Kai shrugged in response. "I don't really know. Just need someone who's not high off his ass to talk to."

Eli furrowed his brows, but nodded. "You hungry?" He asked, motioning to the food court.

The blonde nodded and they began walking towards the food court.

"I barricaded the entrances. Baron Triumph has no chance of getting in here." Eli stated, hoping to cheer the girl up a small bit.

She nodded, "Nice."

"I know about you and Sophia." Eli stated, nonchalantly. "I overheard you and Fists talking about it."

Kai's jaw tightened as she started at the neon pretzel sign hanging across from the counter that she was sitting on. Eli was standing, leaning against the edge of the counter about six inches away from her.

"It's whatever. She chose her path, I chose mine." The girl shrugged.

Eli smirked, "I didn't know that you were a lesbian."

"I'm bisexual, you cum stain."

He smirked again, "So does that mean that I have a chance?"

Kai laughed, genuinely. It caught Eli off-guard, but brought a small smile to his face at the sight of her happy.

"You'll have a chance when pigs fly."

He scooted closer to her, "With all the animals mutating, there could already be a flying pig that we just haven't seen yet." He pointed out.

"Oh my God. Let's make a deal, okay? If you let Josh and Angelica out, I'll give you a chance." Kai said with a smile, "Deal?"

Eli and Kai just sat there, smiling at one another. That is, until a memory that Kai wished she didn't have came rushing back. Just as she was about to speak, clanging was heard from the back of the mall.

The two teenagers looked at each other in panic before rushing to the source, weapons ready for a fight. They met up with Wesley at the elevator that led to the dumpsters.

"What're you two doing together?" Wesley asked with a small smirk.

Kai shook her head, "I was trying to convince him to let Josh and Angelica out when we heard something back here."

The elevator started, causing Wesley's eyes to land on Eli. "Yo, he's comin' up up, shut the power down."

"No, hell no. By the time I get there, he'll already be inside. We have to hold the line here." Eli stated before readying his crossbow.

Wesley's brows furrowed, "You ain't Leonidas. This ain't Sparta! Triumph has fully modded heavy armor. Your arrows might as well be Nerf."

"Then draw your sword and help me fight," Eli stated, watching Kai through the corner of his eye as she pulled out her short sword.

Wesley got on his knee next to Eli, "Check it. I'm a pacifist. My highness can't help your highness. But I know two people who can."

𑁍

Once Baron Triumph entered, Eli shot him with an arrow. When that didn't work, Angelica went to stab him, but was thrown into a pile of garbage bags. Triumph wrapped Josh's katana with a chain and yanked it from his hands.

"Hoyles!" Wesley began, "Chill out, man. This doesn't have to end in violence."

Kai took this opportunity to stab Triumph in the back, quite literally. The person spun and threw her into the wall, knocking her out instantly.

Eli rushed over to her unconscious body and tried to wake her up.

Next thing anyone knew, the ghoulie witch scared Baron Triumph away and they were safe once again.

"Guys, Kai isn't waking up." Eli said, panicked. He picked the girl up and rushed her into the main part of the mall with the others close behind.

Angelica furrowed her brows, "I didn't think he could carry her."

"Neither did I," Wesley admitted as he watched Eli lay Kai down onto one of the many beds in the mall.

𑁍

"So, can we trust her?" Wesley asked as he, Angelica, and Eli were gathered around the ghoulie witch, who just so happened to be the old biology teacher, Ms. Crumble.

Angelica nodded, "She only attacked me 'cause I was bleeding. But everything she's eating is high in iron, so she's trying to find something other than blood. That shows intelligence."

"If eating pillow stuffing is intelligent, I'm Stephen Hawking." Eli said, looking from Kai to Angelica.

Angelica sighed, "She didn't eat Josh, and she just saved our lives from Triumph."

"Maybe she does have superpowers?" Wesley asked.

"Yeah," Eli stated before walking away from the woman.

Wesley stopped him once they were around five feet away from Ms. Crumble. "Hey, for reals, thanks for letting us stay."

"I love my girl Mavis and all," Eli began with a shrug as his eyes drifted to Kai, "but maybe I was kinda lonely."

Wesley followed his gaze, "I can tell you feel guilty for what you put her through. That girl's a badass. She could've killed you on the spot, but she didn't."

"I don't get why she didn't."

The pacifist chuckled, his deep brown eyes traveling back to Eli's person. "I know Kai like the back of my hand. She forgave you a while ago, but I know damn well that she won't forget. Hell, she keeps reminding me about the twenty bucks I owe her from sixth grade."

Eli smirked, "That sounds like her."

"Just talk to her about it, then maybe she'll actually give you another chance."

"You really think she'll give me a second chance after what I did to fuck up the first one?" Eli asked as Wesley walked past.

The taller boy turned, "After the way her cheeks reddened when you two were talking outside? I don't think. I know. And, I'm sorry for the things I've done to you in the past."

"It's cool."

Wesley smirked, "And the present." He pressed the button to lower a gate between him and Eli. "You're a dick. We can't trust that you won't kill us in our sleep, so you stay on your side, we stay on ours."

"You think I'm gonna let you take half my shit? Nah, you'll do whatever I want. You belong to me, Wesley Fists. I know your secret."

Wesley laughed, "Everyone knows I'm gay. Wake up, nobody cares about that shit anymore."

"Not that. The other secret. The reason you're a pacifist. I know what you did in the apocalypse. I know all, Samurai. I know all!" Eli shouted as Wesley quickly walked away from the gate that separated the two.