Looking like second-rate kickass gang sticking out like a sore thumb, the group was going through the three floors that separate Decathlan from MonkiMonki. One of the two biggest supermarket in the mall.
This supermarket was specialised in Japanese products, Nicolas and Lexie were especially fan of this store.
The store was shaped in a big U, at the top right of the U was the entrance and the exit at the top left.
The first branch was for fresh product, vegetables, dairy products, in addition to promotional products. The second section, the bottom of the U, was a mix of dry products, takeaway food cooked on site, meat, and beverage. The last section, the left side of the U, was filled with home product, from the bathroom product to the lady personal care and home cleaning supplies. The cashiers were hidden after a labyrinth of promotional products.
At the exit of the cashier, you ended up in a food court situated in the middle of the U-shaped store.
This Japanese design made the best of the space, it forced the customer to go thru almost every product and offered a chance to promote a large panel of goods.
Reaching the supermarket, the group was welcomed by a loud crowd. A good share of the people that were in the mall at the time of the alert decided to go to the basement and make the best of their time here by gathering supplies.
This time it was different than looting in Decathlan. First the store was full of people. Second, the group did not consider the budget anymore as they were not planning to pay and if they had too, Nicolas would pay, he said.
The store was packed, some grandmas were shouting their ownership of whatever came close to their hand. People were stressed and nervous. What was the most surprising thing were the employees still working. Probably that being in the basement level 2, they felt safe enough to keep doing their thing. And, in truth, the store manager saw in this situation a good opportunity the empty the store.
Leaving Alice at the entrance to guard all their backpacks, the group of four empty ones and went to raid the shop.
"What crazy nuts" thought Nicolas looking at the supermarket staff.
"Ok! Focus on high nutritious dry food! And stay close to me!" Then he rushed in the store.
The alley of the supermarket was narrow, but seeing the intimidating group, people made way. Reaching the middle of the store, they took whatever was left, mainly dry noodles, curry-based dish and lots of biscuits. Then they moved to the bathroom dedicated area. They took the necessary items to support a good hygiene for a few weeks in addition to some sun cream.
It was now time to take the direction of the cashier.
"There is no way we will make it; it is going to take one hour minimum to go through the cashier," pointed out Emmanuelle.
"Indeed, I think I saw the line starting almost at the beginning of the store. Chinese people were cursing at us by the way" added Lexie.
"I have an idea, but I don't think you will like it." Nicolas said with the face of someone constipated.
"Say it anyway" Fred did not really care, he just wanted to get out.
"Just for the record, I don't like my idea!" Then Nicolas continued "I took the meteorite back then, my guess, if I expose it to the crowd maybe they will all faint and it will be easy to go thru."
Three people were looking at Nicolas frowning their eyebrows. Where was their usual very nice, gentle, and righteous Nicolas?
"You're not serious right?" Said Fred unsure.
"You asked for an idea, here is one" Nicolas shrugged his shoulders.
"Do it" said Lexie, very determined, "having bad karma is still better than dying."
"But what about the people here? This is going to end in chaos!" Emmanuelle was shocked.
"Our friend will arrive outside in less than 10 minutes, we need to get out fast," Nicolas answered avoiding the question. "To be honest, I don't think we have much choice. And let's face it, sooner or later, everybody will probably be exposed to this virus or whatever it is, and if not, they will still have to face zombies" added Nicolas.
"What are you saying about zombies?" Emmanuelle was restless, more and more crazy stuff were thrown at her face.
"Sorry honey, I did not have the chance to tell you, but what he says is true. It seems the meteorite transform people some sort of monsters, they really look like zombies." Fred was feeling helpless, on one side he agreed with his wife, he could not help but feel the guilt of exposing all these people to the meteorite, but on the other end, if they wanted to get out of the shop without too much trouble, the cold logic of the young couple was probably the best choice.
"You're not serious right? There are zombies on the street and you just tell me now? Now it makes sense all this stupid attire! And I was wondering how in the world wearing this could save us from a meteorite…"
"I am really sorry dear, by the way, Nicolas has a theory, this is why I could not speak about it earlier, it is about Alice. You know she got bitten. Nicolas is afraid that the same thing can be happening like in the movies. She gets infected, turns, and we become collateral damage."
"But she looks absolutely fine no? I mean besides she lost a lot of blood of course."
Nicolas did not want to argue but seams he needed to convince her "Yes, she looks fine now but what if she dies because of her condition and comeback to life? We have nothing to heal her right now, let's be honest she can faint and even die any time. I saw some dead people rising from the dead back there, I don't want to take too many risks with her. If she dies when we are in the car, what do you think will happen?"
Emmanuelle looked at Nicolas horrified. She had nothing to say, she understood the result would be disastrous, but still, it was hard to swallow.
"Ok, we can't waste any more time! Do it, then we talk." Lexie was looking at her smartphone, continuous messages were popping, she looked anxious.
"Any second though?" Said Nicolas while taking a small container in metal from a small bag he had hanging on top of his chest.
"Of course, we have second thoughts!... But do it." Said Emmanuelle looking at the floor desperate. Tears started to run.
"Ok, once I do that, we rush to the exit. Fred and Lexie, you go with Alice with all the backpacks and wait for us at the rendezvous point.
Fred, lead the way, as Lexie will get you lost."
Lexie handed her phone to Fred showing the map with the rendez-vous point. She did not even bother with what Nicolas just said. She was indeed the worst when it came to orientation or reading a map, for her these things were alien, so much that her everyday life was sometimes a nightmare.
"Oh Ok, this is just the back entrance of the mall." Fred gave back the phone.
"Good, Emma and me, we will go to JustPrice in B1, gather a few more supplies. Emma, we rush there, we take whatever we can in five minutes then rush outside to the rendezvous points." Nicolas paused. "About Alice.. don't tell her yet, if she faints, we tie her up, agree?" The group nodded in response.
Nicolas opened the bottle, and after a few seconds, the first person was fainting. He took less than 30 seconds for dozens of people to faint. Nicolas started running thru with the container open, people falling on the floor along the way. Once they reached Alice, he closed the container and put it back in his front bag.
"You know what you have to do!
Alice you follow Fred!" Nicolas did not wait for an answer and rushed on the upper floor.
JustPrice was just next to the escalators, the store here was crowded too, but facing the restless crowd the employee was starting to leave and disappearing one by one, it was a mess.
"What happen? It was quiet earlier!" Emma was scared.
She heard someone screaming "PEOPLE ARE GOING CRAZY OUTSIDE! AND THE SKY IS FALLING! LIKE I CARE ABOUT PAYING FOR FOOD!" a western guy, one head taller than most of the people around him was shouting at the cashier who look distressed.
"Words of the zombies starts to spread, we don't have the time, let's go in quickly!" Nicolas was pressing Emmanuelle.
"No way this is too dangerous, look at the crowd! They are starting to panic."
"It will be fine! We have protections and two golf clubs. They will be scarred of us! Just pick whatever you can from the entrance".
"I still think this is stupid, I am not going in!"
"But we need this food! Right now, you think it is dangerous but later it is going to be even worse."
"No way, I am not 30's anymore, I am not doing it!"
Nicolas looked at Emmanuelle, then the starting riot. "Ok, let's drop it, but we will have to find another store later as we need as much food as possible."
Emmanuelle did not need more consent, she went towards the escalator while shouting, "why do you want all this food anyway? I am sure once the authorities handle the problem, they will provide the food."
"I am not planning to stay in Singapore as this is not our home. I believe it won't be that easy to handle the situation for the authority. Handling both destruction and people going crazy, I don't think they have any kind of contingency plan prepared for this."
He then added, "But what worries me even more is the food. Think about it, most of the food here is imported, if the word falls into chaos, and I bet it will! Singapore will have to rely on the almost-non-existent local production. What do you think will happen?"
"Are you not being a bit too dramatic?"
"Call me realistic, not dramatic!"
Emmanuelle did not want to drag the conversation, she actually totally agrees with him, it was just it was hard to accept that leaving Singapore was safer than staying. She just kept running through the ground floor, to reach the back entrance of the Mall. There she saw the 3-person group making signs to two vehicles.