The Bullies    

[Kelly]

"Imagine Shizu's face when she got back and found us gone!" Hilde laughed while fixing her makeup. She snatched her compact from her bag and started applying powder on her face and red lipstick on her lips.

"The only regret I have right now is not seeing her shock expression," agreed Jennie, driving her car on the road.

The air-conditioned in the car was a relief after the heat outside. But as the sports car rode towards the mall, Kelly felt her inside turned upside down. No matter how many times it happened, she could never get used to ditching classes.

"God, this weather is so awful. My wet shirt is clinging to my skin." Hilde unbuttoned her shirt and casually hung it over her chair to dry it while she went on her underwear and skirt.

Jennie did the same as the sticky clothes and sweat on their back were very uncomfortable at the sudden cold air of the aircon blowing on their damp skin.

Kelly did the same, and hoping by the time they reached the mall, their clothes would be dry and wouldn't smell of sweat.

"Do you think this weather would persist until fall?" Kelly asked out of nowhere, trying hard not to sneeze when Hilde brought out her perfume and sprayed it on her body and her shirt.

It would be summer soon, and Kelly hated to think what summer would be like when spring was already hell.

"I hope not," Hilde replied with an edge and a frown. "I don't want this damn weather to ruin summer for me. I have prepared months to get my beach body ready, and I wouldn't let any fucking weather to ruin it."

"You mean months of undergoing through the knife." Jennie laughed. "You sure you want to expose your boobs in this heat? Your silicones might melt."

Jennie and Kelly laughed, while Hilde didn't think it was funny. "Silicones are very resistant to heat."

"Not this heat." Kelly looked over at the roads outside of the car's window. There were scarcely any people walking outside under this intense blaze. "It's already 40 degrees Celsius, and the news said that it would just rise.

Hilde turned the aircon to the max and sighed in relief under the comfort of the cold air. "Damn, I hope this thing goes away already. It's been months. There isn't even a drop of rain. And now a blackout. What are we supposed to do? Roast inside that room?"

"I can see the mall now," Kelly said, trying to change the topic to escape Hilde's tantrums.

Jennie pulled over to the parking space, and she cursed under her breath when there wasn't one slot inside the underground parking lot. They spent another thirty minutes in a parking building next to the mall with no such luck.

The mall was full to the brim!

"Why the fuck there isn't a single parking space?" Jennie hissed.

"It's probably because it's a blackout, and everyone wanted to escape the heat by going to the mall."

"Just park over there." Hilde pointed to the outside parking space. The pavement was baked by the morning sun as waves of heat surrounded their car. It felt like the intense heat would burn even the metals of their vehicles.

"I'm not going to park my car under this weather!"

"Oh, come on. The car has some kind of weather-resistant features, right?" Hilde argued with the lack of a better term for her words. "I'm sure your million-dollar car could withstand this little amount of sun."

"Why don't you go out and stand there for ten minutes, then? We'll see if you can withstand that heat, and maybe I will do as you said?" Jennie challenged, and Hilde pursed her lips and brooded back to her silence.

Jennie was stubborn as she was prideful. She was also fierce and unforgiving. She thrived upon attention and sulked when she did not receive it. The same with Hilde. Kelly thought to herself.

They spent another 30 minutes just moving around until finally, one car took off from the unground parking. The driver was particularly in a hurry. His face was a bit odd. Kelly took note.

"What's wrong with him?" Kelly muttered in a low, hushed voice, afraid that the man would hear her even though he was meters apart and she was inside a car.

"Who cares?!" Hilde bristled. "Now's our chance. Hurry before someone might steal the slot."

Jennie didn't have to be reminded twice. As soon as the parking slot was empty, she quickly pulled over and parked her car.

Finally, inside the mall, the burst of cold air was a welcome feeling after the inferno in that parking basement.

In the midst of a scorching spring day, people flocked to the mall to escape the oppressive heat outside. The air conditioning was a welcome relief as they stepped inside, and the cool air enveloped them.

As Kelly and the others walked through the mall, they saw crowds of people gathered in front of the brightly lit storefronts, browsing the latest fashion and electronics. The sound of laughter and chatter filled the air as families and friends took advantage of the air conditioning to spend time together.

The smell of freshly baked pretzels and sweet treats wafted through the area, drawing people towards the food court. There, they found a wide variety of options, from fast food to gourmet fare, and plenty of seating to relax and enjoy their meals.

While Jennie and Hilde chatted about the latest makeup and fashion trends, Kelly couldn't forget the face of that man from before.

Something was definitely off about him. His face was so white, and green and purple veins were visible under his skin. His eyes were red, and his face seemed swollen. There were blisters on his exposed skin, and she even spotted blood dripping from those wounds.

"Hey." Hilde elbowed Kelly. "What are you dazing off there?"

"H-huh? What?" Kelly was startled and a bit disoriented.

Hilde rolled her eyes. "I asked what your thoughts about these foundations. Should I take this brand or that?"

"Oh. Well, what kind of skin do you have?" Kelly forced herself to say and pulled her thoughts on their conversation.

"I have combination skin, so I get oily in my T-zone but dry on my cheeks," Hilde answered. "This is a dilemma. I want this, but I think this suits well with my skin type. But I don't like the packaging, and the design isn't cute."

Kelly sighed inwardly. Hilde's problem with makeup felt like it was the end of the world.

"I have the same skin type," Jennie said, "and I really like this Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation. The packaging is elegant and works well for me."

I have drier skin," Kelly found herself saying, "but I've heard good things about this Infallible Pro-Glow foundation. It's supposed to be good for a range of skin types, and it gives a dewy finish."

Hilde rolled her eyes. "That's so cheap. And looked at its packaging." She then picked what Jennie picked and trotted to the next aisle.

Kelly nursed her anger, and nurse she did. She felt like they were only asking for her opinion, so they wouldn't buy what she recommended. She knew they were doing it on purpose, but she didn't have any choice but to plaster a smile and humor them. One wrong move, and she might find herself in Shizu's place.

"It's always good to have a few options to choose from." Jennie picked a lot of shade from the foundation and blushes, filling the basket on Kelly's hand.

"Definitely," agreed Hilde, but was only picking what Jennie picked, contesting with her. She didn't like to be ousted, that was for sure.

For being a good basket handler and flatterer, Kelly was rewarded with a foundation, a blush, and a lipstick. They were expensive items and best of all, they were free! She rejoiced, and the man before was gone from her head.

The three of them were having a good time even though it was crowded in the mall. They shop, they ate, and they even watched a movie.

Kelly, Jennie, and Hilde stepped out of the movie theater, laughing and chatting about the film they had just seen.

The movie space was crowded with people, some were buying tickets, and others were buying snacks.

Kelly thought that everything would go well. They would go home, chat on their phone in the night while she did their assignments, and then talk about their escapade the next day.

She didn't know that everything would suddenly change when she stopped and saw the man from before. He was jerking and throwing himself around, with blood on his mouth, looking agitated.

An old woman was kind enough to ask if he was alright, while the rest didn't pay any attention. Hilde and Jennie continued their chatter, and Kelly grabbed their arm to stop them from moving forward to the man's location when that exact moment, the man lunged at the old woman.

The woman screamed in terror as the man bit her, drawing all attention to their direction.

At that moment, Kelly knew that something was terribly wrong.

Panic spread through the movie theatre when the man wrestled the woman down and chewed off a large chunk of her neck. Blood sprayed from her torn veins as she kicked and cried and went silent.

Screams filled the air as people ran in all directions, trying to get away from the rampaging man, while authorities and bystanders were quick to pull him away.

Kelly, Jennie, and Hilde stood in shock, watching in horror as the situation escalated. People were screaming out of the movie theatre, and trampling each other in chaos.

The escalators were full and people shoved and push to escape, causing a few to fall to the floor below. The sound of breaking bones, glass and screams echoed through the air as the woman rose from the ground with a half torn neck that made her head skewed to the side.

Her clouded eyes rolled, searching and leapt at the nearest person she could grab.

Kelly watched all that happened. In the blink of an eye, one person who was biting another turned to two and it quickly turned to five until ten people were on the ground fending off a dozen crazed creatures that could no longer be passed out as humans.

Zombies?

Kelly grabbed Jennie and Hilde's hands and pulled them to the opposite side towards the fire exit staircase, screaming.

"Let's get out of here!"