Stay Out of the Shadows: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller

by A. P. Madden

  ***

  Luke found Caelan in the area that used to be the lobby of the building. The room was filled with people, talking and working and treating the wounded. Through the windows, Luke could see men with rifles keeping watch on the street outside.

  Luke was halfway down the stairs when Caelan turned. He was frowning, scanning the room as if he could feel someone watching him, and he finally his eyes found Luke. A wide grin broke across his face, and he started pushing through the crowd between them to cross the room.

  Luke jumped the last few steps. “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  “You’re alive.”

  “So are you. You took your time coming back.”

  Luke shrugged. “We took the scenic route. Did I miss anything fun?”

  “Not much. Threw a few punches, saved a few people, helped the survivors to scare away the rest of Morgan’s guys. Thought you might be happy to hear that.”

  “I am. And you came out of it without even a bruise, it looks like. You just won’t die, will you?”

  Caelan laughed and threw his arms around Luke. Just for a moment, then he released him, holding him at arm's length. His eyes skimmed over him, up and down, and he nodded to himself. “You don’t look too bad yourself. Had me worried for a minute.”

  “I’m still as handsome as always,” Luke grinned. “A few scratches can’t take that away.”

  Caelan raised his eyebrows. “Oh, you poor boy. No one ever told you how ugly you are.”

  Luke laughed.

  “Where have you been all this time?” Caelan asked. “When I turned around you were gone, and the room was a hole in the ground filled with rubble and stone.”

  His words were light, but Luke saw the dark lines under his eyes. It had only been a few hours, by Luke’s best guess, but he could see the toll it had taken on Caelan. He couldn’t blame him - if it was the other way around, Luke would have been losing his mind.

  “Tunnels,” Luke said. “Underground. Lots of walking, no natural light, a few friendly mutants. Not my best holiday, not my worst.”

  “Sounds relaxing.”

  “What about you? How did it end with Morgan?”

  “Bad for him, good for us. It turned out these people were better equipped than we guessed. Their armoury was a thing of beauty. When it was over, I checked the bodies, but there was no sign of him. No sign of you, either.”

  “I’m sorry-”

  “Don’t apologise. You came back, that’s all that matters.”

  “Did you find out why Morgan was here? He’s a long way from home.”

  “No, and I’ve been thinking about it. I can’t imagine him doing all of this for some supplies and one doctor.”

  “Have you come with any explanations?”

  “Not yet.”

  Luke nodded. “Any sign of him since?”

  “No, it looks like he slipped away. Again. Probably back to the hole he crawled out of.”

  “He has a habit of doing that.”

  “We’ll get him eventually,” Caelan shrugged. “But it’s not all bad news. I made some friends while you were off sightseeing.”

  Caelan jerked his head to the side, and Luke realised that some of the people standing around the lobby had crowded near the door. They all looked like they were waiting for something - or someone.

  “I left you alone for a few days and you formed a gang?”

  “Not a gang,” Caelan said. “A group. I was thinking about what you said back in the cell. You were right. We do need more people. These are people, and they’re coming with us.”

  “Back to the factory?”

  Caelan nodded. “Come over and I’ll introduce you.”

  Luke listened as Caelan ran through the names, and he tried to remember who was who, but there were so many people that their faces all started to blur together. A few people stood out - mostly because Caelan nudged him or gave him a sign that this was someone important.

  Towards the end of the introductions, Caelan brought him over to a woman named Simone. She was a pretty woman with sharp eyes that seemed to take in everything around her all at once, and she was wearing nondescript, practical clothes. There were two handguns holstered on her belt, a heavy rifle slung across her back and a long blade in a sheath strapped to her back beside the rifle.

  “Simone wasn’t here when the attack started,” Caelan told him quietly. “She heard the noise, saw the shooting and violence, and she wanted to help.”

  “I like the sound of her.”

  “I thought you might.”

  “Don’t you have a problem with her showing some humanity?” Luke said with a smile.

  Caelan smirked. “She also seems to have some training with weapons and combat. She hasn’t said it outright, but I’d guess military.”

  “Ah, of course. You want her because she’s useful.”

  “They’re all useful.”

  “Does she want to come?”

  “Ask her yourself.”

  Luke introduced himself and did exactly that. “Have you decided?”

  “I’ll come with you,” Simone said. “I saw your friend here helping the survivors. Families and children and people who couldn’t help themselves.” She shrugged. “There are worse people to fight beside.”

  Luke glanced at Caelan, trying to imagine him helping people for no reason other than that they needed it. “We’d be happy to have you,” he said.

  “So, what is this factory, anyway?” Simone asked.

  Several of the other people chimed in with their agreement, and Luke raised an eyebrow at Caelan. “You didn’t tell them?”

  “I thought I’d let you do the honours,” Caelan said. “It was your idea, after all.”

  The men and women around him looked like they had been living rough for a long time. It had been months since there were any truly safe places in the area, and all of them needed a decent night’s rest, a hot meal and the comfort of knowing that they didn’t need to constantly look over their shoulder.

  “The factory is our base,” Luke said. “We have a community of people there - men, women and children. Strong walls, big guns and enough people to defend it from mutants and men. You’re all welcome to join us. It’s not far from the city, on the east side of the valley.”

  “The valley has a lot of forests, doesn’t it?” someone said.

  Caelan gave the man a quick once-over. “Name?”

  “Myles,” he said. “I was with John and the others before the attack, but this place isn’t safe anymore. I’m not waiting around for someone to stab me in my sleep or blow up the rest of the building.”

  “Smart choice,” Caelan said, looking at a handful of other people nearby. “Staying here is dangerous, especially after all the noise from the fighting.”

  Luke guessed those people were undecided about leaving their home for an unknown destination, and Caelan was trying to convince them to come.

  “But what about the forests?” Myles insisted.

  “There are forests,” Luke admitted. “But that just means there are less people. We can deal with mutants - they’re predictable, and the most dangerous ones don’t come out of the darkest parts of the woods. Unless you’re planning to walk straight into the forest or wander around outside on a moonless night, you’ll be fine. We’ve been living in the factory for months, and we haven’t lost a single life to mutants.”

  Excited muttering broke out across the crowd. Luke noticed several more people joining them as they overheard his words.

  “Safety, community, food and shelter,” he said, repeating the sentiment from earlier for any newcomers. “Come with us, and you can have all of it.”

  “Why were you here?” Simone asked, gesturing to the still-smoking building behind them. “If this factory is so perfect, why are you in the city?”

  “Looking for people like you,” Caelan replied smoothly. “All of you. People are our greatest resource. We need you to help us defend it and maintain it. We need people to
teach and cook and farm and entertain. Everyone has a job, and everyone contributes to the group.”

  “What do we have to do?” Myles asked. He glanced between Luke and Caelan suspiciously. “There has to be a catch.”

  “Nothing, except do your part. We help each other, and no one is more deserving of food or supplies than anyone else. If you have a problem with that, or you step out of line, there is a group decision about whether or not you have a place with us.”

  “What happens if the answer is no?” Simone asked.

  “You’re asked to leave,” Luke said.

  “What if they resist?”

  “They don’t resist for long,” Caelan said, the threat in his voice obvious to everyone within earshot.

  Luke wasn’t surprised - it would just be the first of several ‘hints’ about what would happen if anyone tried anything funny. If people thought they were weak, they would try to take what they could. Caelan preferred to get ahead of those dangerous ideas and deter anything that might end badly for them.

  It wasn’t the first time they welcomed newcomers into their group. Luke knew Caelan’s process, and he knew it worked.

  Even so, occasionally, someone would get greedy or violent, and they had to be dealt with. On those days, Luke was glad that Caelan was on his side.

  “I’m in,” one of the men said. After a moment, Luke recognised him as the same man that freed them from the cell. Ronnie. “When do we leave?” he asked. “I don’t care what we have to do, just bring us with you.”

  It seemed like most of the crowd shared Ronnie’s opinion. A few others, like Simone, seemed more cautious, but in the end, they all agreed to come.

  They had more questions - a lot more - but Luke let Caelan handle them. He had spotted Naomi standing near the back of the group, and he walked over to her.

  “How much of that did you hear?” he asked.

  “Enough to wish I was going with you.”

  “You’re not coming?”

  “I can’t. My family is determined to stay. I tried talking them out of it, but...”

  “Your father doesn’t trust us.”

  “No. Well, yes, but that’s not the reason. Mom thinks she can do more good here, and she has the equipment and the resources to continue her work. We won’t leave her.”

  “There are people in the valley that she could help.”

  “I said that to her, but she doesn’t want to give up her equipment. She can continue her work here without limiting herself.”

  “We could try to transport it.”

  Naomi smiled. “It’s not that easy. Most of it doesn’t take well to travelling, and the rest is too big or too heavy. Besides, even if we managed to get it there, it all demands a lot of power. I doubt you have a dozen extra generators lying around.”

  “No, we don’t,” Luke said. “But it’s too dangerous to stay. Everyone on this side of the city must have heard the fighting. Violence attracts violence.”

  “We’ll be careful,” she said. “Dad has some ideas about disguising the building to make it look like it’s deserted, and if that fails, we still have a few tricks up our sleeve. We can take care of ourselves.”

  Luke glanced at the pile of weapons and ammo that was lying near Caelan. “I hope you kept enough to defend yourselves properly.”

  “That’s only half of what we had,” Naomi said. “It seemed fair to split it evenly. I don’t recognise everyone talking to your friend, but most of them are our people.”

  “Still...”

  “Are you worried about me? I thought bandits didn’t care about anyone except themselves.”

  “I’m not a-” He broke off when he saw her quick grin. “Hilarious.”

  “I try.”

  Luke looked back at Caelan. The man was wrapping up the discussion, and Luke knew they would be leaving in the next few minutes.

  “Going already?” Naomi asked, following his gaze. “You could spend the night and leave in the morning.”

  Luke smirked. “Spend the night?”

  “All of you,” she corrected. “But if you want to cuddle up to someone, I’m sure John is available.”

  Luke laughed, but he saw Caelan dividing the group into smaller teams, and he knew his time was almost up.

  “I should go,” Luke said. “He doesn’t like to hang around. I don’t either. Trouble seems to find us wherever we go, and I don’t want to wait here until something comes around the next corner and messes up our plans. The sooner we leave, the safer we’ll be.”

  Naomi nodded. “I should get back inside, anyway. We’ve barely started cleaning up, and they’re going to need every pair of hands. I’m sure Mom is overwhelmed with the injured. I should go help her.”

  Luke stood there, trying to think of something to say.

  “Good luck,” he finally said.

  She smiled. “Bye, Luke. I hope I see you again.”

  “Bye.” He watched her walk away, and then he cursed under his breath. “Wait! I almost forgot.” He caught up to her and took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “Take this.”

  “What is it?”

  “A map. It shows how to get to our camp from the city. I carry a few of them around, just in case we run into anyone who needs some time to think about joining us. If you change your mind, or you ever need a safe place outside the city...”

  “Thank you.” She unfolded it, scanning it briefly. “I appreciate it.”

  Luke shrugged and turned away. “See you around.”

  “I mean it,” she added. “Thank you for everything.”

  “Back at you,” he said brilliantly.

  She smiled and tucked the map away in her jacket. “Caelan’s waiting for you,” she said, nodding over his shoulder.

  Luke turned to find Caelan standing at the edge of the street. When he looked back at Naomi, she was gone. The front door of the building was swinging shut, and it bounced against the doorframe a few times.

  Luke hesitated for a moment, and then he turned and followed Caelan.

  ***

  Chapter 9 - The Factory

  Luke got out of bed with the sunrise. He groaned, rubbing a hand over his face and stretching. He padded across the room and grabbed his towel, and walked from his bedroom to the shared bathroom across the hall.

  He went through his morning routine like he did every day. He always missed the luxuries they used to have before the world ended, but it was worst in the mornings. He hated cold showers.

  Wide awake, he returned to his room and got dressed. He grabbed a clean shirt and started to pull it on, but he saw himself in the mirror. He stepped closer, running his fingers over the curved scar on his shoulder. It was healing well, and soon it would look like the other scars that were scattered across his skin.

  His eyes moved from his shoulder to his opposite arm. The thin cut on his bicep that Naomi bandaged in the tunnels. It had been months since that happened, but Luke found his thoughts drifting back to it often. He should have been thinking about the darkness and the mutants and how close he came to dying, but he wasn’t.

  He was thinking about her.

  Luke touched the scar for a moment, and then he shivered in the cold morning air and pulled on his shirt. He grabbed his gear and left the bedroom.

  The scars were physical reminders of everything he had been through, all the fights and the trauma and the pain, but he preferred to see them as memories of every time someone saved him. It was usually Caelan, but others had left their mark on him, too. Not all of them were still here, but he carried them with him on his skin.

  The open area on the ground floor of the factory was wide and almost empty. Most people were still in bed, and Luke only saw a handful of people scattered around the room. The ceilings were high, and metal staircases crisscrossed the walls, leading between the different floors above. A few platforms and metal catwalks loomed overhead, and wide corridors led to the rest of the ground floor.

  Simone and Eric were standing near one of
the long tables that stretched across the wall. Luke gave them a wave as he started walking up the nearest staircase. Simone had been with them since the last time they were in the city - when Luke met Naomi - but Eric was relatively new. He arrived a few weeks ago.

  This was the first time Luke saw him speaking with Simone, but it was obvious that they were friendly.

  She was showing him how to hold a rifle, how to improve his aim, and Luke knew she would bring him outside to let him practice firing a few rounds. They had targets set up in a makeshift shooting range around the back of the building.

  He heard snippets of their conversation as he crossed the catwalk overhead - she was reminding him to be careful with the rifle, it wasn’t a toy, and how easy it was to accidentally shoot himself or someone else. She gave a similar talk to everyone she taught, and Luke had heard it several times.

  Simone moved closer to him, adjusting his grip on the weapon, and he said something that Luke couldn’t hear. She laughed and flashed him a bright smile, and Eric grinned back at her.

  More than friendly, Luke decided.

  Caelan’s office door was closed, but Luke knew he was inside. He knocked quickly and opened the door without waiting for an answer.

  Caelan nodded to him. He was sitting behind his desk with a pen, working on something, and he pushed a cup across the desk without saying anything.

  Luke took the cup and sipped the coffee. It was still hot, and he sighed happily. “Thanks. Did you sleep well?”

  Caelan grunted in reply.

  “That’s good.” Luke gave him some space to finish what he was doing and walked to the window.

  The office was on the front of the factory. It wasn’t always an office, but Caelan liked the size and location of the room, so they brought in new furniture and everything he needed to use it as his base of operations. The walls were covered in maps and charts and information about the groups in the area, and several tables around the room were covered in office supplies, weapons and equipment.

  Luke sat on a leather couch by the window and looked out at the forest. It surrounded the factory, but the empty space around the building kept them at a safe distance from the darkness lurking within the woods. Right in front of him, a small road parted the trees and led through the trees. The edge of the forest was only a few minutes away.