Day 64: The Aftermath, Part 2
Luke crouched behind the crumbling wall of the old loading dock, his breath slow but his pulse racing in his ears. From his vantage point, he could see Vince and the Black Fangs searching through the wreckage of the warehouse, picking through crates and scattered supplies. Vince's crew moved methodically, but the tension in the air was thick. Luke knew they were looking for something—signs of life, signs that Luke's group hadn't been wiped out by the chaos of the night before.
They had barely survived.
The noise Vince and his men had created had drawn in a horde of creatures, overwhelming the warehouse. In the chaos, Luke, Cass, and the rest had scattered, barely making it out alive. The creatures had torn through the building, and in the end, it had been a miracle that any of them had escaped.
But not all of them had made it. Mae hadn't.
Luke swallowed hard as he remembered finding her body, far from where the main battle had raged. Mae, always calm, always resourceful, had gotten separated in the confusion. They had only found her once it was too late—her body crushed beneath fallen rubble, a victim of some smaller creature that had stalked the edges of the fight. Her death had hit them all hard, but they'd had no time to mourn. Survival came first.
Now, crouched in the shadows, Luke couldn't afford to think about what had been lost. Vince and his men had returned, combing through the wreckage of the warehouse. Luke's group was hidden nearby, watching, waiting, hoping Vince wouldn't figure out they were still alive.
"They're not finding us," Cass whispered beside him, her voice steady but cold. She kept her eyes on Vince, watching his every move with the intensity of someone who had seen too much, someone who knew what was at stake. "But he's looking. He'll figure it out eventually."
Luke nodded grimly. "We need to stay hidden until they leave. Then we move."
Cass was right. Vince wasn't stupid. He'd noticed the lack of bodies. The blood-streaked floors told a story, but not the one Vince expected. Luke could see the frustration building in Vince as he paced through the warehouse, barking orders at his men.
"We should've buried Mae," Sarah whispered from behind them, her voice choked with grief. She hadn't spoken much since they'd found Mae's body, her pale face telling the story of her pain. "He'll find her."
Luke didn't respond right away. He felt the same guilt, the same anger that they hadn't had time to give Mae the burial she deserved. Instead, they'd hidden her body as best they could, hoping the creatures or Vince's crew wouldn't stumble upon her in their search.
Cass's voice was firmer, cutting through the moment. "If they find her, there's nothing we can do. We have to focus on surviving."
Sarah fell silent, but Luke could feel the weight of her grief. Losing Mae had shaken all of them. She'd been a nurse, a calming presence in their group, and her loss left a hole they couldn't fill.
"We honor her memory by staying alive," Luke muttered, mostly to himself.
From the warehouse, Vince's voice rose in anger. "They were here," he snarled, kicking over a crate. "Where the hell are they?"
Luke tensed, his muscles coiled, ready to move at a moment's notice. Vince's men were rifling through the remains of their supplies, but they weren't finding enough. Most of the food had been destroyed in the chaos or taken by the creatures, and what little was left wasn't worth the risk of staying here any longer.
"He's frustrated," Cass whispered, her eyes narrowing. "That's good. He'll think the creatures got to us."
Luke wasn't so sure. Vince was thorough, methodical. If he didn't find their bodies, he might not stop searching. The Black Fangs relied on control, on fear, and Vince wasn't going to let any loose ends slip away.
One of Vince's men, a tall man with a scar down his neck, approached the wreckage of the giant's body—the creature that had stormed through the warehouse the night before, leaving devastation in its wake. Its enormous form lay broken, its skull shattered, its massive beam weapon still clutched in its hand.
Vince crouched next to the creature's body, inspecting the wounds. Luke's stomach churned as he remembered the desperate fight, how they had barely managed to bring the giant down. It had taken everything they had—debris, makeshift weapons, and sheer will—to kill the beast.
"He knows something's off," Luke whispered, his brow furrowing. "No bodies, and the giant's dead. He's starting to put it together."
Cass's lips tightened. "We can't let him figure it out. As soon as they leave, we move."
Luke nodded, his mind racing. They couldn't stay here. The industrial district was too exposed now, especially with Vince sniffing around. They had to go deeper into the ruins, somewhere more remote, where the Black Fangs wouldn't follow. But they couldn't leave too soon. Vince had to think they were dead.
As if on cue, one of Vince's men kicked over another crate, sending a few dented cans rolling across the floor. There was little left to salvage, and the frustration on Vince's face was palpable. He stood up, wiping his hands on his pants, his gaze sweeping the area one last time.
"They're dead," Vince growled, though Luke could hear the doubt in his voice. "Even if they got away from the creatures, they won't last long."
Luke clenched his fists, holding his breath as Vince finally turned toward the exit. The Black Fangs began moving toward their motorcycles, gathering what little they had scavenged.
"They're leaving," Sarah whispered, her voice filled with cautious relief.
Luke didn't move, his eyes still fixed on Vince. "Not yet. Wait until they're gone."
Vince lingered near the entrance, his hand on the doorframe, his expression dark. He barked one final order to his men, sending them off. The Black Fangs mounted their bikes, their engines rumbling to life. The sound filled the air, but Vince's attention was still focused on the wreckage, as if something didn't sit right with him.
Luke could feel the tension rising, his heart hammering in his chest. Vince was suspicious, but he wasn't going to find anything more today. Not unless they made a mistake.
Finally, Vince pulled away from the warehouse, his motorcycle roaring as he and his crew sped off into the distance. The sound of their engines echoed through the ruins, growing fainter with every passing second.
Luke let out a slow, shaky breath as they disappeared from view.
"We're clear," Cass said, her voice tight but calm. "For now."
Luke glanced back at Sarah, then at the rest of their group, who had been watching in silence from the shadows. They were shaken, exhausted, but alive. That was all that mattered for the moment.
"We need to move," Luke said, his voice low. "Vince will come back, and when he does, we can't be here."
Cass nodded, already standing up. "Agreed. We pack up what little we have and leave. The deeper we go into the ruins, the harder it'll be for them to track us."
Luke took one last look at the warehouse, the scene of destruction where they had fought and lost so much. The bloodstains, the broken crates, the body of the giant—it was all a reminder of how close they had come to death.
But they weren't dead. Not yet.
"Let's go," Luke said, leading the way as they disappeared into the shadows of the wasteland, ready to survive another day.