In a world where danger lurks around every corner, survival is not just a skill—it's a way of life, and Izzy is determined to prove she's more than just another lost soul in this apocalyptic wasteland.
The landscape is treacherous, teeming with monstrous creatures and untrustworthy scavengers. Scouring the ruins of civilization, Izzy and her group of companions must scavenge for much-needed supplies if their people are to survive. But their mission takes a harrowing turn when one of their own is kidnapped by a rival scavenger faction lead by their brutal leader, Hawk.
Hawk isn't just any villain; he's cunning, manipulative, and absolutely ruthless. Izzy is forced to navigate a deadly game with an enemy who shows no mercy. With her dog Shadow at her side, she must lead her companions on a mission through creature-infested streets, encountering new allies and lurking dangers. As she fights to rescue her kidnapped friend, Izzy must navigate the desolate world around her, realizing the peril she and her group face extends beyond Hawk's tyranny.
Forced to outwit both human and monstrous foes, can Izzy rise above the doubts of others, rescue her friend, and emerge as a leader in this unforgiving world?
In a world where danger lurks around every corner, survival is not just a skill—it's a way of life, and Izzy is determined to prove she's more than just another lost soul in this apocalyptic wasteland.
The landscape is treacherous, teeming with monstrous creatures and untrustworthy scavengers. Scouring the ruins of civilization, Izzy and her group of companions must scavenge for much-needed supplies if their people are to survive. But their mission takes a harrowing turn when one of their own is kidnapped by a rival scavenger faction lead by their brutal leader, Hawk.
Hawk isn't just any villain; he's cunning, manipulative, and absolutely ruthless. Izzy is forced to navigate a deadly game with an enemy who shows no mercy. With her dog Shadow at her side, she must lead her companions on a mission through creature-infested streets, encountering new allies and lurking dangers. As she fights to rescue her kidnapped friend, Izzy must navigate the desolate world around her, realizing the peril she and her group face extends beyond Hawk's tyranny.
Forced to outwit both human and monstrous foes, can Izzy rise above the doubts of others, rescue her friend, and emerge as a leader in this unforgiving world?
Izzy’s green eyes fluttered open, feeling the pulsating grip of an unbearable headache. She reached for the back of her head, feeling for the source of the pain. Her hand brushed through her auburn hair, stopping over a lump. She flinched in pain when she touched it.
The incessant barking only intensified her headache.
Izzy sat up sharply. “Shadow!”
Shadow never left Izzy’s side. He was a loyal and majestic Weimaraner dog, a seventy-pound hunter by nature, with striking gray fur and piercing blue eyes, and he was Izzy’s ultimate companion.
“She’s awake,” a man said.
Izzy’s vision came into focus. She caught sight of Shadow, beyond the large animal cage that confined her. He was tied to a metal table.
A man stood up from a chair beside the dog. He was tall, with a broad, muscular build. His salt-and-pepper hair was cropped short and swept back, matching his rugged beard.
Another man stepped into the room.
Shadow started to growl.
“Shut up, you mutt!” he said, and kicked the dog in the side.
Shadow collapsed onto his belly and let out a brief whimper.
The man who walked into the room then approached Izzy’s cage.
Izzy recognized him. How could she not? His hulking figure and jet-black hair was immediately familiar. He was a part of a local scavenger group, the Reavers, and went by the name of Hawk. If he had a real name, Izzy didn’t know what it was. It had been lost in the annals of their post-apocalyptic world.
Hawk had a fresh scar on his cheek. A thought crossed Izzy’s mind—possibly a fight within his own group? He certainly wouldn’t have gotten it from one of the Drifters. He’d be dead before that would ever happen. He wouldn’t survive an encounter with those creatures.
As Hawk approached Izzy’s cage, his heavy boots thudded against the concrete floor. A cruel smile twisted his lips as he gazed at her.
Izzy backed up against the wall of the cage. The cold bars against her bare shoulders added to the shiver running up her spine. She wished she had worn something less revealing.
Her green tank top hugged her athletic physique—it was her favorite to wear when hunting for supplies. It had stains of dirt and mud. Even with the tank top beginning to fray and the multiple holes in it, she still wore it almost all the time. Her rugged, muted, earth-toned cargo pants allowed her to stuff as much as she could into its pockets. On her feet she wore vintage Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers, once black and white, but now worn and encrusted with dirt.
Despite the unfavorable conditions, Izzy still managed to incorporate a hint of her personal style into her post-apocalyptic attire. A few bracelets were wrapped around her wrist, but the necklace was her most important piece. A thick black string wrapped around her neck, tied at the bottom to a silver ring.
“You’ve made a big mistake,” Hawk growled, his voice echoing off the empty white concrete walls of his hideout. Rusted and worn out tables littered the musty cafeteria. He slowly backed away and turned to grab Izzy’s backpack off the table behind him, then walked around to the other side of the table to face her. “You know what happens when you steal from us?”
She met his gaze, her heart pounding in her chest. Her survival instincts screamed at her to run—but to where? She was trapped inside this cage. She could possibly kick the door free, but what good would that do? Hawk and his minion were in the room with her. She wouldn’t be able to crawl out of the cage before they got to her.
“I didn’t steal anything from you,” she said, her voice steady despite the knot of fear in her stomach.
Hawk gave a faint chuckle, then tossed her backpack onto the table. He unzipped the bag and began rummaging through her supplies.
“Hawk, I—” she started to say.
“Shut up!” he yelled. He continued to reach inside and toss item after item onto the table. He then lifted her backpack and dumped the remaining items out, scattering them all over. “All of this stuff is now mine,” he said. “You see, we found you sneaking around our territory. We have rules about that.”
“You can’t just claim everything as your own,” Izzy said.
With a burst of anger, Hawk forcefully brought his fist down upon the table, creating a resounding thud that echoed through the room.
“Did I ask you to speak?” Hawk said, before taking a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm himself down. “Now, as I was saying. We have rules. You break these rules, you need to be taught a lesson.”
He glanced at the man with the salt-and-pepper hair by the door, and nodded. The man reached for his holstered gun and took a step towards the dog lying on the ground.
“Shadow! No! Stop!” Izzy pleaded.
Hawk brought his gaze to her. “I told you, there are rules.”
“But I didn’t steal anything!”
“You did. You took supplies from my territory.”
“Your territory?” Izzy rolled her eyes. “You can’t just claim everything as yours.”
Hawk shrugged. “I believe I can. You entered my territory, filled up your bag with supplies without my knowledge, and then tried to leave. That’s what I call stealing.”
“Dammit, Hawk. You’re upset because I found supplies two blocks away from here? And you want to claim everything within a giant radius of this building is yours? You can’t do that.”
Hawk smiled. “I believe I just did. Say goodbye to your dog.”
“Stop! Please don’t hurt Shadow!”
Hawk snickered. “Shadow?” He shook his head and said, “What a stupid dog’s name.” He turned to face the man holding the gun. “Do it.”
“No!” Izzy yelled.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling howl echoed throughout the hideout, and Shadow immediately jerked his head around. The atmosphere in the room shifted. Hawk and his goon exchanged looks at one another. Gone were the smug smiles and their empowering sense of being in control. They all knew what that sound meant—chaos, destruction, death.
“Go check on that,” Hawk said.
The salt-and-pepper haired man stared at Hawk wide-eyed. He didn’t move.
Hawk took a step towards him. “I said, go check on that.”
With a nervous nod, the man cautiously stepped out of the room with his gun raised, and disappeared into the darkness.
“You need to let me go,” Izzy whispered.
“Shut up,” Hawk said.
“Hawk, please.”
“I said, shut—”
Multiple gun shots rang out in the hallway, distracting Hawk. The distant sound of someone screaming in pain pierced the silence. The chilling scream filled Izzy with a profound sense of terror. She gripped the cage’s doors and pulled on them. She had to get out of this cage—now.
In a single swift motion, Hawk reached behind him and retrieved a concealed handgun that had been nestled in his waistband. He aimed at the doorway.
“Hawk—” Izzy said again.
He shushed her and moved towards the entrance, slowly peeking out into the hallway, aiming his gun in all directions. Hawk then disappeared, leaving Izzy behind. Her heart was pounding like a war drum in her chest. Another howl echoed through the otherwise silent building again, louder this time. Closer. The screams of dying men and sporadic gunfire punctuating the eerie silence. Izzy knew this was her chance to escape.
Shadow barked ferociously at the empty doorway. He knew what was coming. The two of them had seen enough to know what came next.
Death.
Izzy had to get free.
With her adrenaline surging, she swung her legs and kicked at the cage door with all the force she could muster. It shook violently under the impact, but held fast. She kicked again, harder, this time bending the metal hinges. She kicked again. And again. The cage rattled and the door pushed outward with each forceful kick. With a final kick, the hinges snapped, and the door flew open. She was free.
She crawled out from inside the cage and climbed to her feet. Shadow’s tail wagged furiously as he started to bark in excitement. Izzy made her way over and knelt down beside him. He began licking her face.
Izzy smiled. “Okay, buddy,” she said, trying to hold him back slightly. “Let’s get you free.”
She had no time to untie the knot holding her companion to the table. She stood up and began rummaging through all the items Hawk had dumped out of her backpack. Not finding what she had wanted, she grabbed the bag and unzipped one of the smaller pockets in the front. She reached inside and pulled out a pocketknife. With one swift motion, she flicked the blade outward and knelt down to Shadow.
As quickly as she could, she worked on the knot with her knife, slicing back and forth, fraying the rope a little more each time.
The hallway continued to echo with the sounds of gunshots, adding to the growing chaos. Shrill screams were consumed by the chilling howls coming from the Drifters. Death was approaching, and Izzy needed to move fast.
With one more pass-through with the knife, she cut through the rope and freed Shadow. He immediately threw his front paws up onto her shoulders and licked her face.
“Shadow, down,” she scolded. To her relief, he obeyed instantly, and looked up at her with attentive eyes. It was crucial for Shadow to be well-trained in this perilous environment. A single misstep, or even a moment of excitement, could be a matter of life or death for both of them.
The sounds of the Drifters grew louder.
Izzy’s eyes were fixed on the doorway, her hope for freedom within reach. However, she had to postpone her escape for now. The menacing sounds of the Drifters were not far away.
Izzy glanced around the room and noticed a door on the far side.
“This way,” she commanded Shadow.
The two of them hurried towards the door. Izzy opened it to find a small closet, possibly somewhere used to store food. It would have to do. They had no choice—they had to hide.
They stepped inside and Izzy slowly closed the door, careful not to make a noise. She bent down and placed her soft hand on his snout, quietly shushing him.
Izzy laid flat on her stomach and peeked through the sliver of space between the floor and the door. Two creatures suddenly glided into the room. She quietly backed away from the opening and snuggled next to her dog.
A high-pitched screeching sounded inside the room.
Izzy shuddered and held onto Shadow tightly. Her heart thumped loud and hard in her chest, making her terrified the Drifters could hear it.
A faint light came from under the door. Izzy became accustomed to the otherwise dark room she found herself in. She glanced at Shadow—his eyes were wide, his ears stood stiff, attuned to every sight and sound. Could he hear her heart beating? Her breathing? If he could hear her, could the creatures?
A low, guttural growl came from beyond the door, making Izzy’s blood run cold. It was followed by the sound of the Drifter’s tentacles slapping across the tiled floor. The closet door rattled slightly as a shadow passed by, causing Izzy to hold her breath.
Izzy felt Shadow’s body twitch next to her, ready to spring into action. She held onto him tightly, and placed a calming hand on his head, hoping he’d understand her answer—no. They needed to remain still and quiet. One wrong move or sound and they’d be dead in seconds—or quite possibly worse: infected.
Seconds stretched into what seemed like minutes. Each one ticking by agonizingly slow. Izzy could feel the sweat trickling from her shoulders around her chest and onto the floor. Her heart continuing to pound against her ribcage.
A loud, and unexpected noise startled Izzy and made her jump, followed by a deafening silence. Had they been discovered?
She dared to peek through the tiny space under the door. To her horror, she saw that one of the creatures was hovering directly outside their hiding spot, its grayish figure illuminated in the dim light. Izzy immediately retreated back to a sitting position, covering her head with her hands.
Another gunshot went off. Someone then started yelling in the distance, and fired a few more times. The Drifters responded with loud screeches.
Izzy could hear them leave the room, but she was waiting for one more sound. A moment later, she heard it. The sound of death. Whoever had run off shooting at the Drifters hadn’t got far. Screams of agony sounded from the distance, followed by silence.
Izzy held on tightly to Shadow, her fingers wrapped around his collar. He whimpered softly under his breath. Even he understood the gravity of the situation. Izzy knew better than to assume the coast was clear. She could still hear the faint howls of the creatures in the distance. She knew they were further away, but she wouldn’t open that door until she was certain they were gone.
After what felt like an eternity, Izzy slowly turned the doorknob, wincing at the faint creaking sound it made. She cracked the door open just enough to peek outside.
Everything was still.
Silent.
Izzy pushed the door open wider, stepping out into the room. The cage in which she had been held captive was dented and unusable. The table Shadow had been tied to had been flipped over. Bullet casings littered the floor by the entrance.
She crossed the room and picked up her backpack. Her belongings were scattered across the floor, so she bent down and quickly started tossing everything into the bag, not wanting to linger any longer than she had to. Every second counted.
When she had finished, she zipped her backpack and tossed it over her shoulder. Then she and Shadow ventured towards the entrance and looked out into the hallway.
It was a gruesome sight. Bodies lay strewn about, some still clutching onto their weapons. The Drifters had left no survivors, as usual. Izzy tiptoed around the bodies, occasionally rummaging through their pockets for anything worth keeping. She grabbed two handguns, some ammo, a granola bar, and a small container of Advil.
Finally, Izzy reached the exit. The heavy metal door was already open, revealing the world outside. As she stepped outside, the sun was beginning to set, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink—a stark contrast to the horror she had just escaped. But she knew all too well how deceptive this beauty could be. After the sunset, the night would bring more danger.
Shadow gave a soft bark, nudging her leg. Izzy looked down at him, then back at the setting sun. They had to move. Their camp wasn’t far, but they certainly didn’t want to travel at night. With one last glance at the hideout, she set off towards their camp.
After the Darkness is a riveting new post-apocalyptic tale featuring terrifying, seemingly indestructible aliens and the desperate human survivors of a city. Society quickly collapsed with the coming of The Drifters, aliens that feasted on the human inhabitants of the planet. The handfuls of survivors huddled together in small groups to maximize their resources while they scrounged the remnants of their broken city for critical leftovers from the past and avoid detection by the predatory invaders. Izzy and her dog Shadow work together as a team, locating and retrieving useful and necessary supplies for their camp situated on the town’s outskirts. But when a roving band of lawless scavengers arrives, making the abandoned local prison their base of operations and claiming the entirety of the city as their territory, Izzy discovers the real threat to their survival may not be The Drifters but her fellow human beings.
Wow! This story is one exciting sequence of events after another from start to finish. The action kicks off on page one with Izzy’s capture by the evil leader of The Reavers, followed by an attack from the alien Drifters, and things never let up from there. The plot is tense as one threat after another presents itself, and Izzy, Shadow, her friend Matt, and a surprise benefactor work to overcome insurmountable odds. The author makes their successes believable and their losses shocking and heartbreaking. A horrifying twist is that victims of The Drifters can be infected, resurrected, and used to lead the aliens back to their former compatriots’ hiding places, where they help exterminate all those they encounter.
Izzy, the heroine of the story, is initially relegated to less vital roles in her hidden community when the head of their camp dismisses her skills and potential value. Still, she perseveres and proves herself more than capable over and over. As if the day-to-day, hand-to-mouth existence of the camp isn’t dire enough, the kidnapping of one of their members sparks a chain of events that pits them against the evil Reavers entrenched behind sturdy prison walls. Not only does this amp up the suspense, but it forces Izzy to face all the fears Hawk embodies.
This author’s writing just keeps getting better and better. The plot is well-paced, and the storylines are tight and focused. The settings are vivid and easy to visualize, putting the readers right in the scene with the characters. I highly recommend AFTER THE DARKNESS to readers who enjoy thrilling post-apocalyptic tales of action, adventure, and suspense.