Endangered/Issue 25 (Old)

This is a preview for #25 of Endangered and is titled It's Not a Small Word After-All. It is the premier issue of Volume 3 and will be released early January. ''Two months after the previous issue, the mall is doing good for itself as a community. More on point, the lives of the inhabitants have changed. The issue, taking place on Christmas Day, will explore the changed lives of the inhabitants, while at the same time, McCoy and Dre head out for a supply run into the city, where they meet a different kind of 'survivor', and deepen their friendship during the ordeal.''

It's Not a Small World After-All (Preview)
Philadelphia. It was a marvelous city, and no one could deny that fact. Besides being stunning to look at (depending on the hour, of course), the city is the fifth most populated city in the United States, although now it was more like was. That is considering the fact that dozens upon dozens upon dozens upon a few fucking thousand people were, of course, turned into infected beast and prey onto people, and others are to busy fighting each other to even bother with uniting. To think this used to be called The City of Brotherly Love.

Despite the current conflict in the city, it still seemed at peace, when looked at from far away. From an angle it seems as if none of buildings were damaged, one could see the birds soaring through the bright, but yet deep sky like nothing has changed, and on city hall stood the statue of William Penn, founder of the great city. Philadelphia almost seemed at peace.

Of course, that was far from truth. The city is falling apart, as with everywhere else in the world. Instead of the people that once populated the streets they are now full of death and misery, with emphasis on both. There is no joy on the streets anymore, no happy smiles. The only things that roamed these streets were the slouched over, pale, ripped skin, bugged eyes ‘humans’ patrolled the streets. They would patrol all day, but as they found more people, they would tear them apart with nothing but their teeth and hands. Those things, despite what some may some, are no longer human.

However, while the disparity is great in the city, some hope still thrived. Around the city, and it’s surrounding areas, were stations that housed the non-infected people. These stations were shut off from any infected and safe for all: the term safe-zone applied well to them. They were a few scattered around, with some being better then some. There were, however, only two that really stood out. One was down in one of the lowest, most despised sections of Philadelphia, Frankford. It wasn’t the worst section in the city but it sure wasn’t near the best. It was filthy, always cluttered with trash, drugs, and was a known spot for crime. Due to the buildings being low cut and small there weren’t any larger buildings to hold people, except for a handful. The safe-zone down here was based in the Frankford Terminal, the largest station for the public transportation known as SEPTA. The terminal is split into two buildings, each a few stories high, both connected together by a skywalk. The old Septa buses have been used to block up all the wide entrances, while the train tracks, that are placed high above the ground, are being used for people to keep watch. Overall it wasn’t a bad set-up.

The other safe-zone is located far away from the terminal. Located in between the two suburban areas, Bensalem and Bucks County, while also being fifteen miles away from Center City, this particular zone was the Franklin Mills Mall, one of the two largest shopping malls in Philadelphia. The mall, despite the current dangers seeking from the outside world, hasn’t been really been extra fortified in the past few months. On the roof there are numerous lawn chairs and tables, and upon further inspection, people are seen keeping watch on the roof. Their job is to watch out to make sure no infected come close, and if they do, to take them out. However, they have also been told by Ethan Brash to watch out for large groups of people, just in case any prove to be dangerous. The guards are selected voluntarily, and no one is forced to do anything they do not wish to.

Adding to the minor security changes were how five of the six entrances have been sealed off by old cars, or whatever else they could get their hands on. The sixth entrance, however, has not been blocked off, leaving it wide open for all to come. It wasn’t a smart move, but Walsh refused to have all of the entrances blocked, claiming it would like “unfriendly”. Sure, it may, but it would be safer. If a massive group of infected come rolling through then the mall might not stand a chance.

This didn’t seem to cross the thoughts of one man who stood in the center of the parking lot, leaning against one of the many abandoned cars. The young man was all dressed up for the cold weather that controlled the area. He had a thick brown, winter coat, a patterned scarf wrapped around his neck and a decent looking ski hat. His hands, as well, were gloved, but kept them in his pockets due to the brisk cold.

A sudden, powerful cold brushed up against the man. He shivered loudly as his face began to lose more and more feeling. He let out a deep breath, where it turned into a mist and floated off into the unknown. Michael personally thought it would turn into an icicle and shatter into pieces, but mist worked too.

“How we looking back there?” Michael calls back to an unknown person on the opposite side of the car. “I don’t mean to rush you, mate, but it’s freezing.”

“Hold on, Dad.” Sarah calls over to him from the opposite side, kneeled down and trying to pick the lock to the door. “This isn’t easy, ya know.” She jokingly says back, managing a small chuckle to escape Michael.

Sarah, like her father, is dressed up ready for the damn force of nature that is cold air. She wore a pink winter coat, white pair of mittens, snow boots one would probably find in a teenage magazine, and a cute ‘’Adventure Time’’ winter hat. Unlike Michael she was only a little bit cold; she has never been one to be affected by the cold.

“Where did you learn how to pick a lock anyway?” Michael asks dumbfounded at his daughter’s strange new ability.

“I made friends with this former car thief. Pretty cool guy.” Sarah looks over to Michael with a smirk, but he stares back confused on whether not she is joking or not. “Aka, I read a book from the bookstore that explained how to.”

“What kind of a book tells people how to pick locks?”

“You’d be shocked about the kind of books people write.” Sarah shrugs. “Have you ever even read a book?”

“What? Yeah, of course…..once or twice.” Michael pulls up his scarf more. Sarah laughs at his answer to herself. “Reading has never been my hobby. Or anything that involved school, actually.”

“You’re a real inspiration.”

“As I’ve been told.” Michael smirks under the protection of his scarf. The relationship between Michael and Sarah has grown in the past two months, and they’re now on a point where they can joke around with each other. Some may have gotten to that point years ago, like James, but it was a great achievement for Michael. Their relationship is growing better and better, and Michael couldn’t be happier with life. “You know, it’s really getting cold if you wanna try this another day…”

“No need.” Sarah stands to her feet with a prideful smile, and to Michael’s shock, she opens up the car door. “All done.”