LOSS System: Last Store Standing

Jack stood in front of Mort.

“How did you end up like this? You weren’t injured when you left yesterday.”

Mort paused, as if the question had brought back everything that had happened after they left.

For a moment, he said nothing. Then he gave a bitter laugh.

“Valkyrie did this to me.”

Cass frowned. “What do you mean?”

“She’s lost her mind,” Mort said quietly. “After Barak died, something changed in her. Scar refused to keep following her, so she tried to kill him. They fought, and Jagger eventually sided with Scar.”

Mort stopped for a moment as pain twisted through his abdomen.

Jack caught one detail immediately. “Wait. Barak’s dead? Did my shot kill him?”

Mort did not answer. After catching his breath, he continued, “Valkyrie saved my life once. When Scar and Jagger nearly killed her, I stepped in.”

Reed’s gaze lingered on him.

“Scar and Jagger escaped, but Valkyrie decided I had betrayed her too,” Mort said. “That’s how I ended up like this.”

He looked down at his bandaged abdomen.

“Maybe it’s for the best. I don’t owe her anything now.”

Cass gave a cold laugh. “Raiders turning on each other. Can’t say I’m surprised.”

Mort did not argue.

“You’re right,” he said, his voice barely above a murmur. “We were raiders from the start.”

Elias looked at him. “What about Valkyrie? She simply let you escape?”

Mort went quiet for a moment before answering.

“She wasn’t going to let me escape. But before she could kill me, the Crag Lynx that ate Barak showed up again.”

The mention of the Crag Lynx immediately caught everyone’s attention.

“It probably followed the scent of blood,” Mort continued. “Valkyrie had completely lost control and attacked it. I used the chance to get away.”

He glanced at Vane.

“The next time I opened my eyes, I was already at the settlement.”

Jack considered that for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Since I helped save your life too, doesn’t that mean you owe me one?”

Mort stared at him, clearly unprepared for the question.

“You’re not worried that I’m a raider?”

Jack scoffed. “Can you outrun a bullet?”

Mort opened his mouth, then closed it again.

After a moment, Mort asked in a hoarse voice, “Then what do you want me to do?”

“Work,” Jack replied. “I’m not going to kill you, but that doesn’t mean you get to walk away without consequences.”

Mort looked at him. “That’s all?”

“For now.” Jack looked him over. “Once you recover, you’ll handle the heavy work around here. Don’t expect to be paid. I’ll feed you, and that’s it.”

He added, “So hurry up and get better. I already have plenty for you to do.”

Mort was quiet for a long moment before giving a faint, almost helpless smile.

“All right. If you’re not afraid to keep me here, I’ll do whatever work you give me.”

An idea suddenly occurred to Jack.

He turned to Vane. “Move him over to the pit and find a shaded spot. Untie his hands, but leave his feet bound.”

Cass frowned. “Jack…”

“Relax. I know what I’m doing.”

Jack leaned over and whispered his plan to him. By the time he finished, the concern on Cass’s face had been replaced by a grin.

Cass looked at Mort and chuckled.

Mort immediately knew that nothing good was coming.

“Do what Jack said,” Cass told Vane. “Hurry.”

Vane looked between Jack and Elias, still uncertain about what they were planning. Jack gave him a nod, confirming the order.

Vane wheeled Mort over to the pit and stopped beneath the shade cast by the tent. It was still hot there, but at least Mort would not be sitting directly under the sun.

He untied Mort’s hands but left his ankles securely bound.

Cass followed with a folding chair and settled a short distance away, looking ready to enjoy whatever Jack had planned. The others watched in confusion.

Jack soon returned from the store with the pressure nozzle. After attaching it to the hose, he handed it to Mort.

“Your job is to keep filling that pit with water,” Jack said. “Don’t stop until I tell you.”

Mort looked from the nozzle to the pit. “You want me to pour water into it?”

“Just do what you’re told,” Cass said. “Why so many questions?”

Mort said nothing more and took hold of the nozzle.

Jack nodded, then went over to the tent and brought out the portable air conditioner. He set it beside Cass, aimed the vent at him, and tossed him an ice-cold soda.

The moment the cool air reached him, Cass leaned back comfortably. He caught the bottle and burst out laughing.

Marlin looked between Cass and Mort, thoroughly confused. Elias appeared equally puzzled.

“What exactly are you two doing?” Marlin asked.

Jack chuckled. “It’s simple. Mort spends the day filling the pit, while Cass sits beside him and makes sure he keeps working.”

Elias still looked confused. “And?”

“Cass gets the air conditioner and a cold drink. Mort gets to sit one step away in the heat and watch.” Jack grinned. “Tell me that isn’t worse than a beating.”

Reed answered without hesitation. “He might die from anger instead.”

That sent everyone laughing.

Elias shook his head. “What kind of punishment is that?”

“I said I wouldn’t kill him,” Jack replied. “I never said I’d make things easy for him. Besides, this is only the beginning. Once his wound heals, I’ll have plenty of real work waiting for him.”

Marlin shook his head at Jack. “So you really are keeping him.”

“We already saved him,” Jack said with a shrug. “Might as well put him to work.”

No one argued with that.

Beside the pit, Mort held the pressure nozzle and watched the water pour into the hard, dry earth.

He sat sweating in the heat while Cass relaxed barely a step away, enjoying the air conditioner and an ice-cold soda. Mort looked at him for a moment, then silently lowered his head and aimed the nozzle back at the bottom of the pit.

Jack watched from nearby.

Mort had been an enemy—and a raider. Jack still did not know whether keeping him alive would turn out to be the right decision.

Far out in the wasteland, the wind swept low across the dunes.

Behind a stretch of scattered rocks, a dark red figure slowly raised its head. The Crag Lynx sniffed the air, catching the metallic scent of blood that still lingered on the wind.

The wounded prey from the night before had passed this way.

The Crag Lynx lowered its head and followed the trail across the sand. The wind had nearly erased it, but the beast moved steadily, its heavy paws making almost no sound. Whenever the wind shifted, it stopped and tested the air again before continuing.

After some time, a cluster of crude shelters came into view.

The Crag Lynx lowered itself behind a dune and watched the settlement through dark, steady eyes. But the blood trail did not end there. It passed the front of the settlement and continued toward the distant wasteland.

The beast sniffed the ground, lifted its head, and let out a low growl.

Then it circled around the settlement and disappeared between the dunes, following the fading scent toward the convenience store.