A week had passed since the incident. They were able to live off of whatever was in the home, but after a while, things ran out and Lili needed proper clothes so they decided to go to the mall.
For Lili, it was a magical experience. So many different people going in and out of places. So many different smells coming from the restaurants and bakeries. So many different things to do or just lounge around and look at. It was really fun to see everything that was offered.
But for Yume, it was a fight for her life. She was semi-infamous in the area she lived. Top that off with someone chasing Lili and an indoor shopping center is one of the worst places to be. She wanted to go in and get out quickly.
First, they went to go buy clothes. If there were none for Lili's kind, they could get it fitted while they went to get groceries. Thankfully, it seemed that Lili was rudian and there were no problems. They got plenty of shirts, pants, dresses and underwear.
Next they went to get groceries. Yume almost got picked on but in fashion, she 'politely' told him to go away and carried on. There were some stuff like eggs and a few fruits here and there that were weirdly completely out of stock, but it didn't matter too much since they got most of what they needed.
They were about to head to the counter when Yume noticed even more stock was missing. And it didn't seem like certain things or entire aisles, it felt random. There was a single chocolate bar from a certain brand left on the shelf so Yume picked it up.
Immediately placing it back on the shelf, Yume ran to the appliances section with Lili while someone ran after the both of them. She grabbed the first thing she saw which was a broom and went into a sort of defensive stance.
She was hiding Lili behind her while having one hand holding a broom and the other touching the floor, as if ready to lunge. Lili was confused, but understood what was happening. She helped look around and eventually tugged on Yume's shirt and shouted,
"On the light!"
"How the..." Yume dodged back as a paper needle stabbed itself into the floor. "This bitch..." She grabbed Lili and ran to the counter as fast as she could, dodging more and more nails.
This place was more like a department store than a grocery one. It was connected and next-door to the mall so it was easy to go to. It sold all types of goods and the aisles went up so high that not only were there glass flooring on upper floors so people from below could see what they need, there were also machines similar to elevators that would not only move vertically, but also horizontally.
The counter wasn't far away, but the aisles made it hard to see where the guy was which made it harder to dodge the needles. Eventually though, she did reach it and she threw Lili over the counter.
"Hey! Yume, what's happening this time!"
"Sorry, take care of her for a bit, I'll try not to make a mess this time."
"Please do! It was so hard to clean up last time. Remember, you're paying for damages!"
"Right right..." Yume then ran back to where she came from. This time however, she wanted the needle to come. She kept running through aisles waiting for it to come.
Eventually she was gonna hit a wall and she knew it. The second she stopped running, it was definitely gonna come. She had to guess from which direction though and how fast it would come.
All these thoughts, wondering what's the safest option knowing that it's gonna come no matter what, led all the way up to Yume stopping dead in her tracks right at the staircase.
Doing a small hop, she dodged not just one but several needles. From there, she threw the broom at the nearest light fixture and hit something. The man fell to the ground and rushed at Yume.
Dodging back, she tried taking out her switchblade but the man shot another paper needle, almost cutting her hand. Yume kicked him in the stomach and looked at where she was. It was where she started, the grocery section. Noticing all the missing food, she touched one of the aisles and quietly whispered, "Memento Mori."
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