No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz
Marco Carvajal is an ordinary person. One day, he finds himself being chased by two boys, Mike and Drew, at a mall. They run over his new bike, and Marco runs away. He runs to a nearby dumpster. He thinks he is safe, when a bleep and a flashing red light above him catches his attention. It’s a bomb, in the suburban mall air ducts. Marco tells the police about this device, and they take Marco to jail for now. Meanwhile, Shay and Preeti, two girls are not only dealing with the lockdown of the mall, but their Nani forgot her medicine at home and cannot go back for it. Then, people start getting a sickness no one can explain. People start dying and security is acting harsher and harsher. Soon enough, Nani dies and Preeti goes missing, lost in sadness from Nani’s death. Shay’s biggest hope is her love, Ryan. Ryan is a smart boy, closely related to Marco. Marco, knows the senator, the ruler of the mall’s daughter, Lexi. Shay thinks Lexi is their ticket out because she has the key cards, but Mike and Drew stand in their way, causing attention to security. Shay, Ryan, and Marco are on the run for Lexi, but when they find her and team up, they realize that even in a group this big, they are not safe. They could get sick, caught by security, killed by stupid teenagers, or more. They will have to outsmart everyone in order to stay safe, and even team up with enemies who have the keys. After Shay is captured, Marco and Ryan team up with their old enemies under one condition. Assured escape. New enemies accomplished. They make their way to escape when they are attacked by security guards and captured. They will have to find a way out or everyone in this place dies.