Her Shadow: A LesbianSapphic Apocalyptic Romance by Grace Parkes

Author:Grace Parkes [Parkes, Grace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-03-24T00:00:00+00:00

7

KARA

Kara sat cross-legged on the wooden floor of their small cabin, her back against the rough wall. Every muscle in her body seemed tight with tension. Her fingertips lightly brushed the ragged scar running along her wrist. It was only the slightest, faintest of lines but a reminder of one of many close calls. How many battles had she fought since the outbreak? There are too many to count. But she had memorized each scar on her body—etched into her skin like a roadmap of survival. She never forgot the faces, either. The faces of those she couldn’t save.

She glanced at Sam, who was quietly sitting on the edge of the bed across the room. Sam wasn’t making eye contact with her, but Kara could still feel her watching. It felt as if there was a storm brewing.

God, we’re going to have to talk about it at some point.

Kara inhaled, slow and deep, but the air felt thick and soupy as if the room were full of smoke or fog. The small space was barely big enough for a bed, a small table, and their scattered gear. It was true that it often felt too confining, but it was safe…and still. And that meant they were the lucky ones. Out there in the wilderness, in the land of the undead, you didn’t have time to sit and just be still. Every second was spent watching, scanning, and moving. Here within Fort Haven’s walls, her mind had nowhere to go but inward.

“You’ve been quiet since yesterday,” Sam said with no discernible emotion in her voice. “And I guess I have, as well.”

Kara hadn’t realized how much she’d needed to hear Sam’s voice. Her nerves were raw, and she needed Sam to acknowledge what had happened at the barracks.

Kara didn’t respond immediately. She shifted her weight, her fingers absently tracing the old, jagged wound along her arm. “I guess I’ve just been thinking,” she finally muttered, her voice coming out harsher than she intended.

Sam tilted her head. “Really? About what?”

Kara wanted to look away. She couldn’t handle the weight of Sam’s questioning gaze. But she couldn’t back down, either. She held it in, letting the silence stretch between them. The truth was right there in front of her, threatening to suffocate her if she didn’t let it out. And Sam... Sam needed to give her answers.

“Listen. It’s about yesterday,” Kara finally whispered, her voice cracking at the edges. “That woman. I don’t know how you knew she was infected. What if we’d been able to help her? Did you just kill her for the sake of it? I don’t know what gives you the right to make that kind of decision. I couldn’t sleep last night. The image of what you did kept playing through my mind, Sam. I haven’t seen many people kill like that.”

Sam’s expression didn’t change, but there was a subtle shift in the way she moved as if bracing herself for a fight. “Really? You’ve come this far and never seen anything like it? You’ve been fucking lucky if that’s the case.

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