We're Still Alive(Book1)BEING REWRITTEN

Thirty-Four

Ohio

   Jared felt the tension as soon as he stepped out of the jeep. His group outnumbered the smaller one, and the oldest looked like he was in his mid-twenties. The rest were younger. Four of them looked like

they were close to the same age, probably between 15 and 17. Behind them was a girl that couldn't be older than 18, and she had her arms wrapped around a little boy.
   The silence stretched out. Jared guessed that others from both groups were also observing. One of the teenagers, a girl with black hair, met his eyes, just for a second, before looking over the others. Finally the silence was broken by the oldest guy from the other group.
   "So are we just gonna stand out here in the middle of the road like a bunch of idiots all day?"
   Surprising Jared, it was Casey who answered. "Right, where are you staying?" The guy looked over at the mall where a pickup truck was parked.
   "We haven't been inside yet." The girl with the black hair answered. "We just got here..."
   "Well I'm sure people had bigger things on their mind than shopping when it started, there shouldn't be too many in there." Tom said, observing the building. Jared felt himself relax as the tension began to fade.
   "What about Columbus?" He surprised himself by asking the question that the two groups had been avoiding.
   "It's gone..." A blonde-haired girl said quietly. She leaned into the boy she was standing next to. He was tallish with dark brown, hair and he was watching the other group suspiciously.
   "Yeah, but..." He trailed off slightly. Everyone was watching him now. "They can't all be dead. I mean, they had to have had hundreds, maybe even thousands of soldiers and even more civilians. What if there were other survivors?"
   "We can't worry about that now." Lynn said. "I say we clear out the mall, barricade it, then talk about looking for others." She looked around expectantly.
   "We better get to it then." A boy from the other group answered. He had short black hair and was standing in front of the girl with the little boy. No one showed any signs of shooting, but he had a rifle gripped tightly in his hands and looked ready to use it if he had to.
   There was hesitation at first, but they made their way to the mall. Miles and Bill parked the jeep and truck  in the lot next to the other group's truck, while the rest of them waited at the entrance to the
mall. Everyone had a weapon, except for the little boy, but the girl watching him held a crowbar at her side. Once the vehicles were parked, they made their way inside. There was a lot of people now, so any of the creatures that tried to sneak up on them were shot down before they could get close. The younger girl and boy were kept in the middle of the group. The girl wanted them to stay out in the truck but the black-haired boy, Jay, wouldn't let them. Once the main area was cleared, the groups split into two again; some kept searching the bottom floor, while the others checked the top. No one said anything, they just moved on their own. Jared noticed them mixing up, too. The girls of the other group, Cora and Cassidy, went upstairs with Jared, Casey, Louis, Miles and Renee. It was almost an hour later when they met up again in the dining hall. Jared sat down at one of the tables, but Casey pulled him back up.
   "We're not done yet, we still gotta make the barricades." He groaned as she said it.
   "At least it's cleared. Imagine locking ourselves in here with those things waiting to jump out at us." Cora said from where she was standing with Cassidy.
   "We don't know for sure that it's cleared." Tom said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
   "We've been at it for almost an hour and every store's been checked more than once." Renee said as she walked up beside him. "It's clear."
   "Let's start on the barricades then, c'mon you lot." Miles called as he walked out of one of the many small kitchens. "Then we'll eat." This seemed to motivate them, especially the boys. They used signs
from stores and any large bits of paper or cardboard to cover the windows, then lined them with shelves, clothes racks, and any other furniture they could find. After bringing all the supplies in, they also barricaded the main doors, although not as heavily as the windows; they might still have to go inside. After finishing, they ate the little bit of food that hadn't rotted away at the few chairs and tables that they had left out.