Page 2 of Her Shadow

“Let me look at that. It looks bad. You’re clean, huh? You weren’t infected?” the woman said matter-of-factly, already reaching for some bandages tucked into her backpack.

“No! I’m fine. It’s a cut. It was glass…or a piece of metal or some junk on the ground,” Kara lied, the tremor in her voice betraying her.

The woman looked skeptical. She raised one eyebrow in jest as she pulled out a cloth. “Ha! Sure you are, hon,” she mumbled under her breath as she moved closer. Come here, would you? Let me see.”

Kara felt the urge to argue with this woman who had appeared out of nowhere, but her body had other ideas. The moment the stranger’s hand touched her arm, she felt a shooting pain radiate down her side.

I think this is worse than it looks.

“Sit down,” the woman ordered, leaving little room for protest.

Kara sank to the ground, leaning against the wall as the stranger crouched in front of her. Her movements were efficient and professional as she inspected the gash.

This clearly wasn’t her first time patching someone up in the field.

“Do you realize how lucky you are? I can’t believe we found you.” The woman held the cloth to Kara’s wound as she continued. “Another few hours, and you wouldn’t have made it. Hell, not even that long. I reckon you’d have bled out pretty quickly.”

We? What’s with the ‘we’?

Kara winced, biting back her tears as a fresh wave of pain flowed through her shoulder. “Who…who are you? There’s more than one of you?”

The woman glanced up. She smiled slightly with amusement. “Sam,” she replied in a relatively neutral tone. “And there’s only one of me. And that’s more than enough for anyone, trust me. And let me tell you something else. You’re going to owe me big time when we get back.”

“When we…what?” Kara’s words trailed off. She was struggling to keep up with this conversation.

Sam nodded toward the street. “There’s no way you’re staying out here. You can’t. When my friends and I saw you, we knew without even saying it out loud that you wouldn’t survive your injury. They’ve run back to our camp just outside town. I volunteered to stay back and help you…persuade you to join us. You’ll be safer there, okay? If you made it this far out, you must be a survivor, and we could do with more.”

Kara blinked rapidly as she tried to process what Sam was saying.A camp? Others?She opened her mouth to respond, butthe words wouldn’t come. Instead, she found herself staring at Sam, at the way her jaw tightened, and her hands moved with care.

“You with me?” Sam’s voice broke through Kara’s daze. “Let’s get you up.”

Kara gulped before nodding. “Yeah. I’m…with you,” she said, her mouth feeling dry.

“Good.” Sam pulled back, satisfied with the temporary dressing she’d applied to Kara’s shoulder. “Can you stand?”

Kara nodded again, though she wasn’t entirely sure she was telling the truth. Her body was drained of every last ounce of energy, her muscles aching.

I guess sticking around here isn’t an option. I’ll never get back to Haven in this state.

Sam offered her hand, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Kara took it.

The warmth of Sam’s grip sent an unexpected shiver across Kara’s skin. This was a strange sense of connection that she hadn’t felt in years, maybe. It wasn’t just the physical contact—though that was pretty jarring, to say the least. Rather, it was something about Sam herself. Her presence and her calm command of the situation stirred something deep inside Kara, something she definitely hadn’t been ready for.

But now wasn’t the time or place to be thinking about such things. Sam pulled her to her feet. Kara started swaying slightly, and Sam placed the palm of her hand on her back to steady her.

“Take it easy. Not so fast, girl,” Sam whispered, her arm sliding around Kara’s waist for support. “I’ve got you. Don’t sweat it.”

Kara didn’t protest. For the first time in days, she allowed herself to be led. And it felt incredible.

I’m not the one in charge here. That’s a relief. She’s guiding me. And I trust her, for now.

They moved quickly, Sam helping Kara through the winding streets. Kara stumbled, her legs barely cooperating, but Sam refused to let her rest. The pain in her shoulder was pulling her deeper into exhaustion, but the promise of safety—of a camp somewhere nearby—kept her going.

It wasn’t long before they reached the outskirts of Campdale, where there was very little left of the civilized town it had once been. Kara had been back here several times since the outbreak but could never quite get used to the untamed wilderness that had taken root there. As they ventured further into the woodlands that surrounded Campdale, Kara could make out the shapes of tents and makeshift structures hidden among the trees.

“We’re finally here,” Sam said, her voice quieter now, as if the camp was sacred ground not to be disturbed. “I know it’s not much, but we move around a lot. It’s home. A home we take with us wherever we go.”

Kara didn’t have the energy to speak. All she could offer the woman was a weak nod. The camp appeared small but well-organized, a collection of tents and sheets huddled close together, presumably for warmth and security. A few figures moved in the near distance. Kara found it hard to make out their faces in the fading light, but no one approached them.

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