Malls are vast large open buildings spread across most of the world. They are built with a large variety of shops and restaurants which can sustain a small group of survivors for a limited time. Larger groups require more food. The types of provisions can differ depending on the mall from dry goods available at superstores to newstands. The food court can offer a large amount of food, but without refrigeration, much of it will spoil before use (if it has not been already completely ransacked by desperate looters). With the great abundance of dry goods as well as salt packets, it wouldn't be impossible to salt and cure meats. Although it would be best if someone in the group has prior knowledge, otherwise you can ruin usable food. Weapons can be found at the guard station in a mall. This will most likely be less than lethal weapons such as pepper spray and batons, which can be helpful against humans, but would be mostly useless on zombies. Walkie-talkie radios can be found, which can prove a very valuable resource. A lookout on the roof who can use a radio to warn of incoming bandits instead of yelling can allow you to prepare your defenses much more quickly.
A more upscale mall.
But fortifying a mall should be avoided, because once the power goes out, many of the creature comforts offered by the mall becomes completely useless; from lack of ventilation and heat to general amenities. That will leave you in the dark sweating your skin off wondering on how to cook popcorn with no heat source, then either starving, dying of thirst, or getting your face eaten off because one of the dozens of barricades you put on the large windows failed.
Pros[]
- Sturdier store gates can make for a good last defense in case you get overrun, but they need to be maintained or they will rust.
- Supplies for a few months.
- Different escape vehicles may be available.
- Many fall backs.
- Doors are easy to fortifiy.
- May have a gun shop inside(look below).
Cons[]
- Can be large enough for zombies to be hiding anywhere. This can be overcome if you plan on staying for a while, by days of searching.
- Most of the resources are non-renewable.
- Many entrance points to be concerned with if your party wishes to access the main corridors.
- Large and difficult to hold.
- Many large windows, though they are probably made of safety glass and should hold up for a while.
- Most malls are located in urban or suburban areas, which will have much higher concentrations of zombies than rural areas for several years (they will eventually wander out into the countryside, but not for a long time).
- Not all have gun shops.