Chapter 1
The sky was a bruised shade of purple, choked with ash and the remnants of long-dead cities. Once, the city soared high into the sky, proudly piercing the clouds, but now crooked ruins clawed at the same clouds like skeletal fingers, haunted by the echoes of its demise.
Down below, the lights were barely visible, and that’s exactly how Lena, along with the rest of the population, wanted it. A dying solar panel was the last thing anyone needed right now.
The Council had ordered the evacuation of Block C, declaring it unsafe. Dozens of residents moved calmly as directed, with Blocks A, B, and D providing shelter for one or two people each. No one objected; everyone wanted to help.
“Once everyone’s out, we’re going in. The faulty panel is yours. Xav and I will check the others,” Lena gave a curt nod, silent as she watched the evacuees. Despite her petite size, she exuded confidence, her head held high and arms crossed over her chest. To others, she seemed stoic, even intimidating.
But, under that façade guilt gnawed at her. She should have checked the panels a week ago, but work at the main office had swallowed up her time.
“Is everyone out?” she asked impatiently as the last person exited the block.
“Yeah, they’re all—” The man didn’t get to finish before Lena grabbed her gear: a massive bag of equipment slung over one shoulder and two additional toolboxes skillfully maneuvered between people.
“And off she goes,” Aydan muttered, watching her in amazement, something he didn’t want her to notice. Clearing his throat, he saw Xav smirking at him. “Alright, we should get moving too.”
With that, they entered the flickering remains of Block C, flanked by armed soldiers.
It was no surprise the faulty panel was near the edge of the block, close to the fence—the flimsy barrier meant to keep them “safe.” Lena glared into the darkness that stretched endlessly beyond the gate, shaking it with a cynical smile. The gates were a joke; the aliens could tear them down with ease. The real protection came from the UV light posts, not this facade.
After some effort, Lena pried open the base of the solar panel. Wiping sweat from her brow, she crouched beside the malfunctioning device. This panel, like others across the city, had held up well until now, and keeping it functional was crucial. The solar panels powered the light posts that lined the enclave’s perimeter, emitting the UV rays that kept the aliens at bay. A faulty panel was a catastrophe waiting to happen, especially with nightfall only hours away.
“Shit.”
“Is it fixable?” one of the soldiers asked, his voice low. Lena gave a grim smile.
“Everything’s fixable.” Her smile faded as she turned back to the access panel. After unscrewing the cover, she revealed a mess of wiring and circuit boards. The damage was worse than she’d hoped. It wasn’t a blown fuse or a loose wire—it was the whole power conduit, fried beyond repair. Sparks had scorched the casing, melting key components.
“Great,” she muttered, kneeling for a closer look. “Not going to be a quick fix.”
She pulled out a diagnostics device from her toolkit and connected it to the system. As it hummed quietly, Lena’s mind raced with possible solutions. Replacing the power conduit was out of the question. Spare parts were scarce, and even if they had some, the Council would probably drag their feet on approval.
Pacing back and forth, her gaze drifted to the horizon, lost in thought—until a solution clicked. She turned back to the panel, but something in the shadows shifted. Ignoring it, she focused on the intact cluster of capacitors and relays. If she could reroute the power through the undamaged components, she might be able to bypass the fried sections. It wasn’t a perfect fix, but it would hold for now.
Grabbing her pliers, she began snipping and reconnecting wires, her hands steady despite the ticking clock.
“Steady as a surgeon,” she muttered, carefully rewiring the circuit. One wrong move could overload the post, rendering it useless—or worse, causing it to explode.
Two hours later, with her focus still sharp, Lena made the final connection. She double-checked her work—and then checked it again, just to be sure. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the main power switch and flicked it, pushing aside the fear gnawing at her gut.
For a moment, nothing happened. Her heart sank as she exchanged a wide-eyed glance with the soldier. Then, a low hum broke the silence, and a triumphant green light beamed from the panel. The lights along the perimeter flickered back to life, steady once again.
“Good job, Gear Head,” Aydan called as he and Xav approached.
Lena flashed a tired smile and knocked her knuckles against her head. “It’s ‘Sparkie’ this time.”
Xav glanced at the wrecked panel and tsked. Lena just nodded. It was well and truly fried. Aydan gave her shoulders a light squeeze, patting them in a brotherly way.
“Let’s get you a drink.”
“No, not tonight. I’m beat. I need sleep.” She groaned, gathering her tools.
As they headed back to the enclave, Lena couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. She glanced over her shoulder once more, but the darkness revealed nothing. She frowned, anger bubbling inside.
Later, she stumbled across the bridge to her boat home, knocking on the door. Her mother greeted her with a warm smile.
“Hi, Mom.” Lena embraced her quickly as she was ushered inside.
“Shoes off! We have guests!” Lena rolled her eyes at the familiar rule.
Inside, familiar faces greeted her.
“Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Hoss, how have you been?”
“Those damn lights keep scarin’ me, darlin’!” Mrs. Hoss fanned herself dramatically.
“I’ve been keepin’ her busy so she doesn’t blow a gasket!” Mr. Hoss added.
Lena laughed along with them, excusing herself to check on her brother. She padded down the hall to Reg’s room, knocking softly before entering.
“Hey, bud,” she said quietly. Reg smiled, book in hand.
“How’ve you been?”
“Good. You?”
“I’m fine. How’s your cough?” She touched his forehead, relieved to feel no fever.
“It’s better. I started reading Harry Potter,” he changed the subject quickly.
“Oh really! A manly boy like you, reading a girly book?” she teased, poking him until he squirmed.
“Okay, okay! I was wrong!” he laughed.
Satisfied, Lena stood up. “I’m off to shower and sleep. I’m dead.”
“I heard you fixed the panel again,” Reg’s tone was serious.
“Yeah...” They exchanged a knowing look. “Again,” they said in unison.
“It’s been acting up a lot.”
“You’re right.” Lena left his room in a daze, the exhaustion finally catching up to her.
As the faint morning light bathed her small room in warm rays, Lena’s eyes fluttered open.
“Great,” she mumbled vaguely as the clock read 6:03 a.m., meaning she had only slept for two hours. The house was quiet, so she briefly closed her eyes in contentment. For now, everything seemed fine.
Sometimes Lena managed to forget the constant danger from the alien invasion, but most of the time, it felt like a heavy chain around her neck. Sleepless nights were a regular part of her routine, but she didn’t want to rely on smoking pot to sleep.
The pills.
The alert blonde sprang from the bed, shaking off the lingering haze of sleep. Grabbing a small face towel, she stepped out onto the boat’s worn deck. The morning sun glinted off the water’s surface. Their home, a moderately-sized boat named The Wanderer, was docked along the edge of a half-submerged street.
Walking barefoot across the planks, Lena enjoyed the cool, damp wood beneath her feet. This space, fashioned from scavenged materials over the years, was her favorite. After years of working hard for the Council, she had been able to buy the boat, and the deck was a cherished addition. It was Lena’s sanctuary, a place where she could breathe and think, away from the Council’s relentless demands.
Leaning over the edge, Lena peered into the surprisingly clean water, clear enough to reveal the bottom—a mix of scattered debris, smooth stones, and resilient aquatic plants that had thrived in the absence of human interference. Her unruly hair framed her face in the water’s reflection, the blue strands swaying with the breeze.
Dipping her hands into the water, she relished the cool, refreshing sensation against her skin. Splashing her face, the chill jolted her fully awake. The water trickled down her cheeks and neck, catching the first rays of sunlight in their reflective wetness. It was a rare clear day—no smoke from the distant industrial sectors, no hovering alien drones scanning for trouble. It still wasn’t clear why they had not attacked yet. Everyone could see their drones and aircraft and sometimes even hear them. Her body shuddered.
The boat rocked gently as a breeze swept over the river, bringing her back to the present. It was peaceful here, deceptively so. The water, with its illusory calmness, was a barrier the aliens couldn’t cross, providing Lena and the other river-dwellers a rare sense of security. Even in a world overrun by chaos, the river remained a boundary they wouldn’t dare breach.
Lena stood, stretching and letting her gaze drift to the shore. The remains of the city sprawled out in a tangled mess of crumbling structures and overgrown streets. Block A was visible in the distance, with its towering walls and guarded perimeters, a stark contrast to the wild, uncontained wilderness surrounding the enclave. Somewhere beyond those walls, deals were made, secrets kept, and lives gambled. But here, on her boat, with the sun on her face and the sound of water lapping against the hull, Lena felt removed from it all. She was still part of this fractured world, but out here, one could almost pretend to be free.
Half an hour later, she was at the Security Department, requesting permission to scavenge for Reg’s medicine. She needed to review some protocols and route adjustment plans before she could leave. Weapons were issued to those who needed to venture out, so she received her share as well.
With practiced efficiency, Lena inspected the equipment—running her hands over the familiar shapes of the weaponry. She strapped the compact pistol to her thigh, sheathed the sharp, balanced knives along her belt, and secured the small gas bombs that could buy precious seconds if things went south. The Security Department officers regarded her with a mixture of indifference and impatience, their expressions weary. It was just another day, another desperate citizen seeking permission to risk their life outside the enclave.
“Route’s clear up to the old industrial zone,” one officer said, tapping at a map that had seen better days. “After that, it’s a mess. Stick close to the river to avoid the hotspots. You know they don’t like it.”
Lena nodded, scanning the crude map. The industrial zone was now alien territory—dangerous but familiar. It wouldn’t be her first venture out there. It was a calculated risk, but the further out she went, the better the scavenging prospects. Reg was running out of time, and she couldn’t afford to come back empty-handed.
“Your authorization is valid for the next 48 hours,” the officer continued. “If you’re not back by then, we’ll assume you’re dead or compromised. Understood?”
“Understood,” Lena replied, her voice steady. It was a grim formality, a reminder of the precarious nature of every outing and their lack of concern in the end. She signed the necessary forms, the pen scratching across the paper forcefully. She glanced at the Bic pen—a relic of a simpler era—one last time before setting it down.
The officer handed her a small tracking device. “Keep this on you at all times. If you get into trouble, hit the distress signal. It’ll broadcast your location, but don’t expect us to come running. We’re stretched thin as it is.”
Lena took the device and clipped it onto her belt, her jaw tightening. She wasn’t expecting any rescue. Out there, beyond the safety of their district, everyone was on their own, which she preferred—no one should risk themselves for her. The distress signal would remain unused.
“Anything else I need to know?” she asked, slinging the backpack over her shoulder and adjusting the strap.
“Yeah,” another officer said, his tone gruff. “Watch out for the hybrids. We’ve had reports of them moving closer to the perimeter. Nasty little bastards—fast and unpredictable. Don’t engage unless you have to. They’re not worth the bullets.”
Lena nodded again, her mind already focused on the task ahead. Hybrids were a new complication—unpredictable remnants of genetically mutated animals. They had rendered parts of the city uninhabitable. Hostile and territorial, staying low and moving quickly was the plan to avoid them.
“Good luck,” the first officer said, though his voice held no warmth, only rote professionalism. “And remember, if you’re not back by the deadline, you’re on your own.”
With that, Lena turned and headed for the exit, the heavy door clanging shut. The sun climbed higher, casting long shadows over the enclave’s fortified walls. Lena pulled her hood up, shielding her face from the biting wind sweeping in from the river. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the journey ahead.
The world beyond the enclave was a wasteland—crumbling buildings, twisted metal, and endless greenery, where every step was a gamble. But for Lena, it was also a place of opportunity—a chance to find what was needed or at least buy a little more time for Reg and others. Tightening the grip on the strap of her bag she set off, her footsteps echoing in the desolate silence.
It was time to go hunting.
Hey everyone! I’m beyond thrilled that I’m officially posting my ever first chapter on this platform! 🎉📚
I can’t wait for you all to dive into this world I’ve poured my heart into. I hope you find the characters, the plot, and the universe as fun as I do. Your support means the world to me, and I’m excited to hear what you think!
So, grab a cozy spot, a cup of hot chocolate, and join me as we embark on this adventure together. Here’s to new beginnings and the stories yet to unfold! 👽
✅Updating: every Monday, Wednesday (sometimes Saturday)
