"I'm going." Samantha said, her eyes and tone forcibly sharp, but her father could see through the facade.
"Sam, it's too dangerous." He warned sternly.
"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?" Her fear slipped through her quivering voice.
"There's no debating it. No negotiation. You're staying here." His voice on the other hand 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 and cleavers, some longer than others. It was all they had at their disposal.
Nick turned to the man who had earlier knelt to express gratitude. "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 suddenly and violently.
"No. You're not going." The man lunged in trying to grasp her wrist again, but she dodged.
"Who are you to decide that?!" Her movements animated yet tense.
The man pointed to the back door Nick and his team went through earlier, "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.
She swallowed a mouthful, put on the strongest face she could, pump her chest forward and spoke with her best voice, "My dad wants me to stay because he wants me to live."
"That's right." The man nodded.
"Then what's so wrong with me wanting to go because I want him to live?" Samantha shrugged with her hands held out, her face fierce and serious.
The man opened his mouth, but Samantha cut him off.
"He's risking his life, but not mine. But how does he expect me to live if he dies out there? You'd understand that best, wouldn't you?" She pointed at the man with a shaking index finger.
He hesitated, his eyes softening. His jaw opened early, words came out late, "… 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." Spit followed with her every words, "I'd rather die with my dad than to live in a world without him. Any objections?!"
Her voice echoed across the room. No one answered. Murmurs rippled through the crowd, which she noticed but didn't care. She turned to leave for her father, no one stopped her, except,
"Wait," the man said, grabbing her wrist.
"I agree," he said quietly as Samantha whipped her head around to him, his head low, "I can't live in a world without my daughter. But I'm willing to be the selfish one… and die." He lifted his head.
They locked eyes. Then—
"HARH!"
In one smooth motion, Samantha used his grip to pull him downward and drove her knee into his chin. A crack soundz then he collapsed to the floor with a heavy thump.
After collective gasps, the room went silent. No one moved or said a word, at least not to Samantha.
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 to herself.
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 to his team, pointing to his ears. "Their hearing is dangerous. No talking unless absolutely necessary. Understood?"
His team nodded, some nervous and fast, some calm and slow. After receiving the yeses, Nick turned to continue walking through the clothing department.
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, there were 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 to be rescued. 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?" referring to the boyfriend she talked about.
"Where we woke up…"
The central atrium of the mall, which was completely exposed. No real hiding places.
"Did you see which way he went?" Nick tried again gently.
"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.
So they returned back into the hallway, by crepting through blood and gore. Almost all of them avoided the gore on the flood successfully, only one who got their feet stained was Nick because of the accident earlier. His right foot now left a red trail.