Dallen joined Elizabeth as she started browsing through the arsenal of weapons. He holstered a desert eagle and a magnum to either side of his hips, and needed both of his arms to pull the .50 caliber sniper forward. He sat down next to the sniper, while the others in the group went over the plan to enter the mall's back warehouse. [color=steelblue] "We get through this city, we're clear of the military," [/color] Dallen said to Elizabeth. [color=steelblue] "We can all go our own ways, if anyone wants to."[/color] He suspected the woman wanted to be on her own for awhile now, though the little girl easily swayed her to stay. It was love. Something Dallen remembered, but wasn't sure if he could ever feel again. He wanted to stay with these people because he knew them, and the rest of the world was different now. [color=steelblue] "I think we should keep moving together, but I won't stop you from your decision. Here."[/color] He handed her a gun and a mini flashlight.[color=steelblue] "We don't need to stay together, but we don't necessarily need to split up either,"[/color] he said, then pointed up to one of the abandoned towers that loomed above them. [color=steelblue] "You go on foot to the warehouse, easier to avoid the walkers. We'll stay in that building for three days, if the horde blocks you in. If not, signal us on the roof if everything is okay, by nightfall. If we don't get the signal, we'll move in." [/color] Giving Dallen a side glance as he sat down, she arched a brow in his direction wondering why he was there. Her attention was on the arsenal in the back, but she still listened to what he was saying even if it wasn't at the forefront of her mind. Forehead creasing as he mentioned going their separate ways, in all honesty Elizabeth couldn't say what it was she wanted to do. Everything felt so hopeless. Reaching out for the gun and flashlight, she tucked them both away. “Thanks,” she said, giving him an appreciative nod. Her gaze following his hand, she stared up at the tower. After haring his plan and not finding any faults she agreed. A slight smile on her face, she confessed, “I really just didn't want Blake with me.” If things got too rough he'd probably end up stabbing her in the back and leaving her to the dead in a desperate attempt to get away. He wasn't a pathetic man. Clapping the man on the shoulder, she gave him an apologetic look since he was going to be the one stuck with him. But after seeing the way Dallen had handled himself back at the hive, she knew he wouldn't take any bullshit from him. [color=steelblue] "Oh, was that it?" [/color] he smiled, almost forgetting the feeling of it. [color=steelblue] "I'll handle Blake, we just, haven't had the chance to relax enough for it yet." [/color] All of them were in survival mode, not really having much to say to one another than bark out orders and commands. Everyone had a voice though, and it's what kept them moving and alive. Even if she didn't need to she said, “Keep her safe.” They both knew who she was talking about. Once she finished gathering her supplies, she rejoined the others as they finalized their plans to enter the warehouse. Dallen looked over to the little girl. She had been with them since the start of it all now, about a month or so. Nobody really kept count of the calender days anymore. She was brave, and sometimes Dallen looked over at her for strength in himself. She was the only thing now in this world that brought a sense of calm. He held her hand and brought her over to his group, filling everyone in on the plan. ... Steven used the bolt cutters to create an opening in the fence. While the horde of the undead could be heard from the side of the mall they were on, they couldn't be seen. All it took was for one of the walkers to see them, then seconds later the rest would be rushing after them. They had to be silent. While Dallen, Erin, Briggs, and Blake climbed the unforgiving stairs up to the top of the tower next to the mall, the rest quietly went through the large lot and approached the warehouse doors. The pastor Leroy Book stayed on ground level outside of the fences, he remained in an alleyway inside the military truck. "Our people are at the doors, let them in," Leroy spoke to the lady on the other side. "Copy that," the lady's voice replied. ... A backdoor swung open and Kenjen, Elizabeth, Steven and Ethan entered. The plan was to get in, gather any intel necessary, then signal they were okay and staying the night. Then in the morning, they would all be ready to exit the city together in the truck. The sun was rapidly dropping in the sky as darkness began to sweep over the city. They were met by the woman they had just been speaking to, she spoke to Leroy from her handheld radio as she offered the group forward and into the warehouse. "We have your people, we will stick to the plan." "Welcome," the elder lady spoke to them. She had a calm pose about her and a soft, kind smile. "I am Sarah Coffman. We didn't think there were any survivors left after the dead swarmed us in." She talked as she led them down hallway after another, a few of the mall group greeting them at each doorway. They were dressed like average people would at a mall, some of them holding rifles in their hands. "We were swarmed to, been on the move ever since," Kenjen replied. "How many people did you say you had? We might not all be able to fit in our one truck." More and more of the members were revealed as they passed through the warehouse and into the actual mall. "It's okay, we have busses under us in the garage," Ms. Coffman informed him. "We thought you guys needed help?" Ethan chimed in. "If you got the transport and the people, I mean, if we all go at once we can clear the dead and be on the highway and out of this city by the next morning." "Military truck like that, must be loaded with weapons," Coffman said. Everyone stopped, they were all standing by the hot topic store when Ethan raised his rifle at the lady. "Not really, what's your game lady?" Ethan said, as the mall group all held their weapons up at the newcomers. "Whoa!" Kenjen said, though he still aimed at one of the members. "Everybody calm down! We can still work together!" "I was hoping I could at least get you all to the food court where the rest of us are, but this will have to do," Coffman spoke. "We've been here for about a month now, since it all started. There were more of us, but they didn't see it our way. And frankly, we're not accepting new members. Lower your weapons now or you all die." "You die too," Ethan said back, aiming direct at her face. "We just want your weapons and your truck," she said. "No one needs to die love, we're not murderers. I just came to the mall with my nephew to buy clothes for him. When all the dead came, the cowards and the murderers came out from the people here. They barricaded rooms and locked people out to die. My nephew was in the halls when I was locked in a store. He was torn apart alive, just on the other side of the gate. I survived because of a coward. We've killed them all, and we've taken back this mall. Now it is our home, and like our god has promised, he has brought you to us with weapons. But unfortunately you all are not allowed to stay." "You killed the others but your not murderers?" Steven pointed out. "It is not murder to kill for your own survival," she replied. "The strong will inherit the earth. Now please, lower your weapons." "We've all lost people," Kenjen said. "No need for any more to die." "You lower your gun BITCH!" Ethan commanded, now pressing his rifle to her forehead. "You go first!" "I don't care for my life, child," she said. "It was our god's will to wreak the dead upon the living, because we are cruel and evil creatures. We are all dead. But if you lower your weapons, we will only take your things. Then we will let you go." "Bullshit!" Ethan spat. "We have others, they will kill you all if you do this," Steven spoke up. "Our people are already after them as we speak," she informed. "There's no way out. Give up and live, or fight back and die." The stalemate stayed strong, as everyone was pointing guns at one another. The rest of the mall group was joining in from the court yard area, all running up to help their own. They weren't dressed like normal mall people, instead they wore brown cloaks with hoods. On their faces they wore a dead person's face, skinned from the corpse and superglued to their own. They joined the standoff, but they only had knives on them. "The fuck is wrong with there faces?" Ethan shouted. "We are the skin-changers," the hooded face wearers all spoke as one. ... Leroy smoked a cigarette as he was about to comm Dallen and tell him the plan was running smoothly. Instead he heard a noise, something like a rock flinging by and hitting the wall. He got out of the truck and looked around the alley, keeping his mp5 firm to his chest. Another rock flew by. "Mother fuckers, who's out there?" Leroy spoke, his voice cracked and shaken. "I'm armed mother fuckers, come get some." Behind him a door opened in the alley, and the undead started coming out. One by one, walkers filled the alley. "Fuck!!" he said, Leroy opened fire. ... By now the skies were dark, the silence broken by the rapid shots the pastor let loose. Dallen and the others of his group had reached their positions, all tired but ready on the top floor of a 42 floor abandoned building. Dallen had the .50 cal sniper set up at one of the opened windows, aiming down at the mall and getting a feel for the weapon. The gunfire broke the plan, as Blake tried to reach Leroy through the handheld radio. There was no reply. "I'll go back and check on him," Briggs said. "Keep looking for the signal." ... Leroy fired off a few more rounds, taking out a majority of the undead. As he attempted to reload, a being rushed out and grabbed him from the back. His weapon fell, as he struggled with what appeared to be a walker, but it wasn't trying to bite him. Another one came out and grabbed Leroy, both were stronger than him and eventually held him still, while another came out. Now Leroy could see, in all his fear, they were not walkers. They were humans, wearing dead people's skin. "Wait, wait..." Leroy spoke in a panic. "What do you want from me!?" "Man dressed like a preacher yet he doesn't beg for his god when he's about to die," the skin changer in front of him spoke, his voice harsh and low. "Who are you?" "We are the cult, we are the skin changers," he replied. "Now we have your weapons. There is no longer a place for a man of god here, not in the new era." They all pulled out their knives, and each of them stabbed into the pastor dozens upon dozens of times until he was dead. The lead skin changer had a smile under his worn dead face, as he ordered the rest to kill the ones in the tower.