Chapter Four: The Mall.

Jay let out a sigh of relief and sat back in the cruisers seat a moment before remembering to roll the window back up. He reholstered his hand gun and went through the glove box and slammed it shut in disgust not finding anything useful.

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes lost in thought.

"You know what I'm scared," Jay said all of a sudden.

"You scared; the way you acted I didn't think anything scared you," Laura said.

"Shitless my dear."

"Hmm, well your not alone; I'm pretty scared myself," Laura admitted.

"Well then you'll survive," Jay said.

"Why do you say that," Laura asked.

"He who is not afraid is a fool and is surely to die," Jay said in a grave voice and then smiled. "So what do you do for a living," he asked her.

"I'm a certified public accountant," she replied without looking away from the road.

"Kewl, a number cruncher," Jay said.

"So what do you do," she asked taking her eyes off the road for a second and getting her first good look at the man sitting next to her; the dash lights didn't flatter him any but he wasn't a bad looking man. About thirty, 6' 1", 210lbs. a mustache covered his upper lip the black color matching his dark wavy hair that was parted down the middle.

"Oh, nothing to exciting; just a security specialist," Jay allowed.

"What do you do as a security specialist," she asked truly interested.

"Well, a business or person calls me in and I first do a routine check of the place without the guards knowing who I am; then later I break in; with the owners permission of course." Jay chuckled gleefully, "nothing better than knocking some rent-a-cops out and making them look like the fools that they really. Did you realize that Security guards are some of the cockiest S.O.B's on the planet."

"No, I didn't know that," she replied, "what else do you do."

"Well after I break in I tell them what's wrong with their security set up and then tell them which guards did a good job and which ones didn't," Jay concluded.

Jay then went on to tell her of some of his more interesting cases and adventures.

Laura stopped the cruiser at the edge of town and they sat for a moment looking around; it was eerily quiet and the streets were oddly empty. Jay commented on the last part.

"I don't know where everyone is; Raccoon City is usually busier than this," Laura replied.

Laura put the car back in gear and they continued on for about two miles but had to stop as the road was blocked in front of them; angry red and orange flames licked at the scene of the accident.

"Looks like a tanker truck smashed into a police cruiser and went sky high," Jay said seeing the light bar that was hanging out of a broken shop window across from the wrecks.

Laura backed the car up and went down another street and they arrived at the Raccoon City Mall a few minutes later.

The parking garage gate was down and Jay got out cautiously to open it.

Laura pulled the car in and waited for Jay to enter; he ducked under the half raised gate. Just as Jay was about to lower the gate something grabbed his ankle.

The Glock leapt into Jay's hand and roared twice putting two 9mm slugs in the head of the zombie clutching his ankle.

WOoOAaoooh, ooooooooohhhhhh, aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh, ooooaaaaaaahhhh, aaaaaaaoooooh, uaaauauuauah.

Jay heard the moaning and slammed the gate down then smashed the electric control panel with another 9mm round.

Laura stepped out of the car a tire iron in one hand and jammed it between the gears of the manual controls for the gate.

Both of them then left the zombies moaning and clawing at the gate and climbed back into the car. Laura parked the cruiser on the next level up and they sat for a moment.

Jay turned to Laura, "You mind telling me why we are here," he asked.

"Umbrella has a small office here," she replied.

"And you figure we'll be able to find some answers there," Jay finished.

"Hopefully," Laura said.

"Well let's go then."

They hopped out of the car and went through the doors leading into the mall.

They stood on the second floor of the mall and looked down; the mall was shaped like a 8-pointed star; a large straight corridor leading off to each point of the compass.

"Okay; I say we split up; you take the north and east parts and I'll take the south and west parts; we'll keep in touch by radio; and if we find anything we'll radio the other."

"Sounds good to me," Laura acknowledged.

They then split up heading in different directions.