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

by A. P. Madden

  Most people avoided forests whenever they could, so the factory’s location kept them hidden from travellers and raiders, especially since most people wouldn’t bother coming in here unless they already knew the factory housed a community of people. From outside, all they would see was the top of an old factory building that looked abandoned.

  It should have been dangerous to live here, so close to the playground of mutants and monsters, but they were prepared. Strong walls, fences lined with sharp projectiles to deter the mutants, and generator-powered floodlights. They tried to avoid using the lights at night when they could, so they wouldn’t waste unnecessary fuel. As soon as the sun went down, the factory went into darkness, and they kept the noise to a minimum. If the mutants didn’t know they were here, they wouldn’t try to get in.

  Fortunately, the creatures that lived in the darkness weren’t very smart. Even if a few of them noticed the presence of a large group of humans, the rest of them didn’t join them. They didn’t seem to have any herd mentality or desire to flock together.

  So, most nights, the fences kept them at bay, and if any of them got inside, the night guards flashed the floodlights until the mutants ran screaming into the safety of the forest. They had been lucky enough to avoid drawing the attention of any mutants bigger than a horse or even a bear, but they all knew there were much bigger and more dangerous things lurking out there.

  The floodlights were working, for now, but their most pressing need was stocking up on fuel for the generators, and also improving their other defences. Eventually, they would run out of fuel, and they wouldn’t be able to use the lights. When that day came, the rest of their protection had to be impenetrable.

  If it wasn’t, they would have to abandon the factory and start over somewhere new.

  “I’m done,” Caelan said. “Sorry that took so long. I was making sure everyone had signed off on their jobs for the week.”

  “No problem.”

  “We have a few scouting groups going out today,” Caelan said, standing up and crossing the room to join Luke by the window. He spread a map over the table and sat in a chair across from Luke.

  “Are they looking for anything specific or trying to find other groups?”

  “Groups,” Caelan said. “It seems like every week now that we lose another ally. It’s Morgan, of course. He overpowers them, and they join him or he crushes them and takes everything they have. Either way, we lose contact.”

  “Have you thought about spreading our search outside the valley?”

  Caelan shook his head. “It’s not worth it. Not yet, anyway. There’s still plenty of ground to cover, and I’m sure there are more groups out there.”

  Luke noticed that there were new lines drawn on the map. “Has Morgan extended his territory again?”

  “He has. He controls everything up to the river now, and his men have already been spotted in the villages on the eastern shore.”

  “When did we get this information?”

  “Last night,” Caelan said. “It was late. I didn’t want to wake you,” he added, seeing the look on Luke’s face. “There was nothing to be done about it until today.”

  Luke sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. He’s expanding faster than we thought.”

  “He is.”

  Luke examined the new territory lines. A worryingly large amount of the west side of the valley was controlled by Morgan now, and their own territories on the east were looking a lot less impressive than they did yesterday.

  “The farms,” Luke said, changing the topic. “Are they still our next hope for allies?”

  Caelan nodded and pointed to the map. “They’re out here. Half a dozen farms across this whole area that have been trading with each other since the very beginning. Their lands are flat and wide, and the mutants have nowhere to hide from the sun, so they’ve mostly avoided the area.”

  “I’m surprised they still haven’t been taken by Morgan. He must know that they’re there.”

  Caelan shrugged. “He might already have some kind of trade agreement with them. Maybe he doesn’t want to maintain the farmland with his own men. It must take a lot of work, those farms are huge.”

  The door opened and Jackson stepped inside. There was a steaming mug in his hand and his blonde hair was still damp from the shower.

  “Morning,” he grunted.

  Caelan nodded to him, and Luke returned the greeting, but Jackson barely acknowledged him. While Caelan updated Jackson on the discussion so far, Luke watched him. He still couldn’t figure him out.

  Jackson had been with them almost since the beginning of the group. He had arrived, alone, after speaking with a group of travellers he met the day before. They gave him one of Luke’s maps showing the factory’s location, and he set off to join them. He was determined, capable and ruthless.

  It didn’t take long for Caelan to bring him into his inner circle. Luke didn’t exactly agree with the decision, but he had to admit that his reluctance when it came to Jackson was mostly because he didn’t like him.

  Luke swallowed his arguments and decided to trust Caelan’s judgement. After all, he couldn’t exactly tell Caelan not to confide in Jackson because he didn’t like him.

  And from what Luke could tell, the feeling was mutual.

  Jackson didn’t come to the city with them because he was taking care of the factory. Jackson and Caelan had a massive argument about it at the time, but Caelan wouldn’t give in, and eventually, Jackson agreed, but he wasn’t happy about it. He thought Luke should stay behind - Jackson was clearly the stronger fighter, and he didn’t share Luke’s reluctance to hurt or kill anyone who stood in their way.

  He was good at keeping people in line, and he did a good job of keeping things under control while they were gone. It was a smaller group then, but now, a few months later, their numbers had almost doubled. Luke kept hoping for Caelan to find a new favourite to replace Jackson, but it never happened.

  “Morgan is a threat,” Jackson said after hearing about the new territory lines. “We need to do something about it before he gets too strong.”

  “If it’s that easy, what would you suggest?” Luke said.

  Jackson didn’t bother hiding his sneer. “We kill him.”

  “A genius idea,” Luke said. “Why didn’t anyone else think of that?”

  Jackson dropped his mug on the table with a loud clack. “What’s your plan? Sit around and hide and hope he doesn’t find us?”

  Caelan lifted a hand, and Luke bit back his retort.

  “We don’t have the numbers to attack him,” Caelan told Jackson. “Until we do, we have to bide our time and wait for an opportunity.”

  “I’m not talking about an attack,” Jackson said. “He’s taking new people in every week. We send someone in, they integrate with his group, and when they’re close enough, they kill him. If they’re lucky, they’ll make it back here, but if not, it’s still worth it. He’ll be dead either way.”

  “You’re talking about assassinating him,” Luke said. “You can’t be serious.”

  Jackson rolled his eyes.

  “What?” Luke demanded. “If you have something to say, then say it.”

  “You think you’re too good to get your hands dirty,” Jackson said. “The rest of us have to live in the real world while you have your head in the clouds. Morgan is a threat. He’s a danger to everyone living here, and all the innocent people in the valley that you claim to care about. I came up with a practical solution.”

  “It’s murder.”

  “You’ve killed people before. I know you have. This isn’t different.”

  “Of course it is. I’ve killed people when I had to, in self-defence, when they attacked me.”

  “So you refuse to kill someone unless they throw the first punch,” Jackson said, laughing coldly.

  Luke gritted his teeth. “Something like that.”

  Caelan put his hands on the table. “Listen-”

  The door opened and Simone st
epped inside. “A group of survivors has arrived.”

  “Were we expecting anyone?” Luke asked.

  “No,” Caelan said. “No one.”

  “I wonder who they are.”

  “Come downstairs and see for yourself,” Simone said with a smile. “I think you’ll remember them.”

  ***

  Chapter 10 - I Can Try

  Luke stepped onto the catwalk, and he looked down at the large group of people standing near the wall. Several of Caelan’s guards were watching them with their weapons ready, and even though Luke felt bad for the newcomers, he couldn’t argue with the process. Bandits and raiders loved to pretend to be travellers who needed help, and once they were inside, they attacked.

  Then he saw her.

  Naomi stood near the front of the group. He recognised her immediately - he would have known her anywhere. Her clothes were dirty and worn from travelling, her hair was tied back to keep it out of her face, and she was watching the guards with wary, suspicious eyes.

  “Stop staring, Romeo,” Caelan nudged him. “You’ll trip over your own feet going down the stairs.”

  Luke cleared his throat and followed his friend down to the ground floor.

  “Luke!” Naomi smiled when she saw him, and she stepped forwards.

  One of the guards moved to stop her, but Luke waved him off. “It’s okay,” he said. “She’s safe.”

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” she said, taking a tentative step closer to him. When the guard didn’t do anything, she relaxed. “I didn’t see anyone I recognised, and it crossed my mind that some other group might have taken over this place since we talked in the city. I thought I led my family into the lion’s den.”

  Luke saw Caelan walk past him to speak to some of the other arrivals - he didn’t see John anywhere, but a few people moved forward to meet Caelan. They must have been the group’s leaders. Luke saw Naomi’s father among them, but his attention was clearly torn between Caelan and Naomi, and he kept throwing worried glances at his daughter while she spoke to Luke.

  “No lions here,” Luke grinned. “Just us. Sorry about the wait, we have to make sure none of you is a threat before we can bring you further inside.”

  “I guessed as much,” Naomi said. “They seem very curious.”

  Luke turned and realised most of Caelan’s people were standing on the far side of the room, watching the newcomers.

  “Yeah, we don’t usually see new groups that are this big. Mostly, it’s families and smaller communities that were forced out of their homes.”

  “There are a lot of you,” Naomi said.

  Luke just shrugged. “Where’s your mother?” he asked, noticing her absence.

  Naomi’s smile faded. “She’s with the injured. We were attacked on the road.”

  Luke frowned. “Where?”

  “About halfway between here and the city-”

  “No, I mean where is she now?”

  “Outside with the vehicles. One of the women got shot in the- Luke? Where are you going?”

  He walked past his friends, searching the crowd. “Eric! I need your help.”

  Eric was a paramedic before the apocalypse, and he was the only person in the factory with any medical training. The man didn’t even question Luke - he knew by his expression that someone was hurt.

  Naomi joined them, and Simone brought her rifle. Luke felt a lot safer with her watching his back. If there was any danger outside, she would be able to handle it. He wondered how much of her eagerness to come with them was because it was Eric. Even now, they stayed quite close to each other, even though Simone was a guard and Eric wasn’t.

  Several people eyed them as they walked outside, and several people started asking questions. The group was exhausted and their frayed nerves were pushing them towards fear and confusion.

  Luke caught Caelan’s eye and pointed to Eric. Caelan got the message.

  “You have injured people?” Caelan said loudly, grabbing the group’s attention. “Our man Eric will...”

  Luke didn’t hear the rest because the door closed behind them. Caelan would handle them. He had a talent for calming people. Or riling them up, for that matter. He was a natural-born leader - something that Luke knew he would never be.

  “Over here,” Naomi said.

  Luke looked into the backseat of the car and grimaced. That was a lot of blood. Eric quickly introduced himself and joined the doctor.

  Luke took a few steps back. He had a strong stomach, but what he just saw in the car was enough to make him glad he didn’t eat breakfast.

  “We need to move her inside,” Eric shouted.

  Luke ignored his turning stomach and moved forward to help them. Close up, the woman looked even worse, and he decided it would be a miracle if she survived.

  “Can you save her?” Naomi asked, echoing Luke’s thoughts.

  Maria’s expression was set, determined. “I can try.”

  ***

  Luke stood in the corridor and waited. On the other side of the closed door, Maria and Eric were fighting to save the woman’s life. Her name was Audrey, Luke found out. Her husband was pacing the room, angrily pacing the room and muttering about Maria, Eric and everyone else he could blame for what happened to his wife.

  It didn’t make much sense to Luke, but people dealt with trauma in different ways.

  The corridor was filled with people from both groups. Mostly people who knew Audrey, but there were several others who were there because of Maria or Eric, or just because they wanted to see if the surgeon could do the impossible. A few other people were sporting bandages and recent injuries, and Luke wondered how many of them had been treated by Maria.

  Naomi stood nearby, and she gave Luke a small smile when she saw him looking at her.

  “Does Maria need your help?” Luke asked.

  Naomi gave him a helpless look. “This is out of my league. I offered, but it was obvious that I was just in the way.”

  Her father patted her back gently. “You’ve done more than enough, and she has help. That man, Eric, seems very capable.”

  “I know,” Naomi said.

  “We didn’t get off on the right foot,” David said to Luke and Caelan. “But I appreciate you letting us come in.”

  Luke shrugged. “No problem.”

  “We haven’t decided if you can stay yet,” Caelan added. “But we’re open to a discussion.”

  Luke knew that Caelan was just being cautious - unless there was a significant reason to turn them away, they would be allowed to stay. They almost never refused anyone who wanted to join them.

  “Thank you,” David said.

  Caelan nodded to him, and Luke decided that now was as good a time as any to mention the elephant in the room.

  “Who attacked you?” Luke asked.

  Naomi grimaced. “It was-”

  “Men on the road,” Stanley said sharply, stepping closer to join their conversation. “Thugs. They wanted our supplies.”

  Naomi frowned at him, and he ignored her.

  “Men on the road,” Caelan repeated. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” Stanley insisted.

  Luke and Caelan watched him for a moment.

  “I don’t believe you,” Caelan said.

  “It’s true, we-”

  “Stop it,” Naomi said. “Why are you lying? They’re not allied with him.”

  “You can’t know that,” Stanley hissed. “They could be more of his lackeys. Stay out of this.”

  “Allied with who?” Luke asked.

  Naomi ignored Stanley’s angry protests. “Morgan.”

  Immediately, everyone within earshot focused on their conversation. Everyone in the factory knew who Morgan was. He was their biggest threat, and most of the drills they ran revolved around response plans to an attack by his group.

  “Why did he want you?” Luke asked.

  “For my mother,” Naomi said. “We thought it was just because she’s a doctor, at first, but it’s more tha
n that. We’ve heard stories from other travellers. Morgan has been searching for scientists. He wants them for something, but no one could tell us what it was. All we know is that the scientists never came back.”

  “He’s killing them?”

  “We don’t know. They could be his prisoners. I can’t see a reason why he would be gathering them just to kill them, so I think he needs them for something.”

  Luke glanced at Caelan. “What could Morgan want with them?”

  Luke didn’t often see his friend looking worried but at that moment, he did. Luke doubted anyone else would recognise it as worry, and soon Caelan’s features smoothed out and he looked completely calm.

  “I don’t know,” Caelan shrugged, “but it explains why we ran into him in the city. For some reason, he needs Maria.”

  “I don’t like it,” Jackson said, speaking for the first time. Luke almost forgot he was there. “He’s already dangerous, and now he’s doing something weird with scientists? Whatever it is must be bad news for us.”

  “You know, I could help you with your Morgan problem,” Stanley said. “I could give you information about the new super-city north of the valley.”

  They exchanged looks for a moment - they had heard about it, but it was too far to send scouts to check it out, so they didn’t know anything about it.

  “What kind of information?” Luke asked.

  Stanley lifted his finger in a tut-tut gesture. “Ah, not so fast. I have a price.”

  “Isn’t that your wife being treated by Maria and Eric?” Jackson pointed out. “Eric is one of ours, and he’s helping her. By extension, you owe us.”

  “The good doctor is doing most of the work,” Stanley said. “Your man is simply... assisting her.”

  Jackson narrowed his eyes. “You’re still just a guest here. Don’t push your luck with me.”

  Stanley looked thoroughly unruffled. “You can’t take on Morgan by yourselves. We all know that. You need my information. I can tell you how to contact the super-city, and they can send you reinforcements and weapons to take down Morgan. From what I’ve heard, they’re quite altruistic. I have no doubt they will jump at the opportunity to help you quash a tyrant like Morgan.”