Page 16 of Her Shadow

Kara stepped closer, her presence warm beside Sam in the morning chill. “Are you okay? You don’t seem okay.”

Sam wasn’t sure how to answer the question. How could she explain the claustrophobia creeping up her spine, the sensation of being trapped? Not just in the cabin, but in the place Kara saw as her home.

“I guess I’m fine,” she said, though she knew her voice was probably betraying her.

Kara’s brows hardened slightly. “Sam? You don’t have to pretend with me. That’s not what we’re about. Let’s try to keep this thing between us real, okay? You said we’re all about honesty.”

Sam let out a long breath as she scratched the back of her neck. “It’s…it’s just different here compared with what I’m used to. I don’t know how to explain it. Basically, I don’t fit with this environment. I feel trapped.”

“You’re not supposed to fit. We can’t all just magically become BFFs just because we all live together inside these walls. Who said you had to fit in, anyway? This place is safety, community, and a new life,” Kara said, leaning against the wall next to her. “You’re supposed to survive. And you know how to do that better than anyone.”

“Is that actually true, though?” Sam’s voice was tinged with doubt. “This isn’t really survival. I feel like I’m suffocating.”

Kara’s hand brushed Sam’s arm gently. “I know exactly what you’re saying. Fort Haven can feel a little like a cage at times. But the people here…they don’t have much of a clue what it’s like out there. Not really. They think they do. We all saw stuff at the beginning. We all lost people. But they haven’t seen half of what you’ve seen. Do you really prefer being out there, where the world is your enemy?”

Sam’s throat felt dry suddenly. Since the collapse of society, she had seen things that still haunted her dreams—the rapid rot of civilization and the way it became very quickly evident that the dead weren’t the only ones to fear. The things people did to survive had left scars on her mind, scars that Fort Haven, with its neat little cabins and polished façade could never erase.

“I miss the road,” Sam admitted, her voice quiet. “Don’t get me wrong. The solar-powered showers here are a thing of beauty. I mean, congratulations on the way you guys have put all this together. But I think I miss the freedom. This isn’t freedom, Kara. The simplicity of it. I knew who I was out there. I know we’ve not been here long, but it’s as if I’m wearing a mask. Like everyone is wearing a mask. The captain? What’s the deal there? Why do you all call her that? We are back to law and order,higher ranks and scum of the ground. Out there, it’s just survival and freedom.”

Kara nodded with understanding. “I miss it, too. But I need them, Sam. Fort Haven—this place…it’s been my lifeline. And the captain? She asked us to call her that. She’s the brains behind the outfit. The leader. Maybe it’s an authority thing. I’ve never really thought much about it. It’s just that there are rules here…and we need to stick by them. That’s why it works.”

Sam’s gaze fell to the ground, her eyes searching for something to focus on. Kara was sweet and kind, and in need of a home.

“What if we don’t need the rules? What if this place ends up grinding us down?”

Kara’s hand slid down to grasp Sam’s, her grip firm and steady. “I’ve not changed since I’ve been here. And I won’t let them change you…change us. Just give it a little longer. We can try to get the others here to try to make something more inviting for you.”

Slowly, Kara wrapped her arms around Sam, drawing her in for a tight hug.

“Come on,” Kara said, tugging her gently. “We’re heading outside today. And I need you focused.”

Sam snorted lightly. “I’m always focused.”

Kara laughed. “I know.”

The gate to Fort Haven groaned as it opened. Sam felt a familiar rush of adrenaline as she looked out onto the vast emptiness stretching out in front of them like a wound that refused to heal. The landscape was overgrown with weeds and wild vegetationreclaiming the land. In the distance, the silhouette of the mountains rose against the dark and foreboding sky.

The world beyond the walls was eerily quiet. There were no birds, no animals—just the faint rustle of wind.

What’s going on?

But she knew the silence was deceptive. The dead could be anywhere, lurking in the shadows, waiting. Sam knew better than to trust the quiet. Moments like these, the calm before the storm, could turn deadly in an instant.

Kara walked beside her, her steps confident and sure. Behind them, the rest of the group followed—five in total, including Riley, one of the captain’s sidekicks, who’d already made his disdain for Sam abundantly clear. Sam could feel his eyes on her even now, as if he was waiting for her to slip up, to give him a reason to rush to Laticia. Or to kill her on the spot.

“Stick to the plan,” Kara said under her breath so that only Sam could hear. “We’re just scouting an old army barracks out east. We’ll be in and out. The army has long gone, of course. The last time we went up there, the place was overrun with the infected, but Laticia thinks they’ll have moved on by now. Or they’ll be weaker.

Sam nodded, adjusting the strap of her backpack. The weight of her gear was familiar, comforting in a way that few things were anymore. Her fingers brushed the hilt of her knife, the cool metal a reminder of the countless times it had saved her and her friends’ lives.

As they walked, the remnants of the old world became more apparent—rusted signs, abandoned vehicles, and homes with shattered windows.

This was once someone’s home, someone’s life.

The barracks loomed ahead. Sam’s stomach twisted at the sight of it. The army had fallen soon after the outbreak. The cities and towns were overrun with the sick and dying, andpeople had turned violent. They’d been unable to contain the sheer volume of the infected. Sam imagined that soldiers must have gone AWOL in search of their loved ones until there was nothing left.

They approached the entrance cautiously, weapons drawn. Sam’s eyes scanned the area for any signs of movement, and her senses were on high alert.

Kara signaled for them to split into two groups. She and Sam would take the east wing while Riley and the others covered the west. Sam was grateful for the distance from Riley. His presence had been grating on her since they’d left Fort Haven.

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