LOSS System: Last Store Standing

Jack immediately went back to Cass. On the screen, two men were struggling to push a handcart loaded with four bulging sacks.

“Bring the drone closer.”

Cass lowered the drone, bringing the two men into clearer view.

The two men stopped when they noticed the drone. One tightened his grip on the shovel resting against the handcart, while the other watched it approach uneasily.

Their names were Dale and Roy. They came from a nearby settlement with only six people.

A few days earlier, Marlin had passed through and traded food for several old-world items. Before leaving, he told them about a place where black rocks could be exchanged for food and water, then gave them the location of the coal deposit and directions to the convenience store.

Walter, the seventy-year-old leader of the settlement, had found the offer hard to believe.

“You’re not joking, are you?”

Marlin had only smiled. He had delivered the message and told them where to find the coal. Whether they believed him was up to them.

After discussing it for a long time, Walter and the others decided it was worth trying.

What if Marlin was telling the truth?

Dale and Roy were sent to find out.

They reached the coal deposit around noon the next day and spent the entire afternoon filling four large sacks. After spending the night nearby, they set out again at dawn and began pushing the loaded handcart toward the convenience store.

Neither of them knew whether the trip would be worth it.

Dale wiped the sweat from his face. “We spent all afternoon digging, and now we’ve pushed this cart all morning. If that trader was lying, we’ve wasted our time.”

“Exactly.” Roy stopped to catch his breath. “I still don’t understand why Walter believed him. Who trades food and water for rocks?”

“Who knows?” Dale glanced at the four sacks on the cart. “All we can do is hope he was telling the truth.”

Still complaining about Walter’s decision, the two continued pushing the handcart forward.

A faint buzzing came from overhead.

Roy glanced up and saw the drone closing in.

“Why is there a drone out here?”

“It probably belongs to that settlement,” Dale said, tightening his grip on the shovel. “They already know we’re here.”

“You don’t think they’ll attack us, do you?”

Dale couldn’t be sure, but turning back now would make everything they had done pointless.

“We’ve come too far to give up. Keep moving.”

Roy clearly had his doubts, but after all the work they had put into digging and transporting the black rocks, he followed Dale’s lead.

Back at the convenience store, Jack and Cass watched their reactions through the drone.

“What are they afraid of?” Jack asked.

Cass didn’t understand either. “It’s just a drone. Is it really that frightening?”

As he spoke, he accidentally pressed a button in the upper-left corner of the controller.

On the screen, Dale and Roy suddenly began searching the surrounding wasteland. Dale raised the shovel across his body, ready to defend himself.

Their reaction caught Jack and Cass by surprise.

“What happened to them?” Jack asked. “Is there something nearby?”

Cass flew the drone in a circle and checked the surrounding area, but found nothing unusual.

Dale and Roy remained where they were, still searching for something.

After watching the screen for a while, Jack noticed a tiny opening in the upper-right corner, similar to the microphone hole on a phone.

“Did you do anything just now?”

“No. I was just flying the drone.”

Jack asked Cass for the controller and checked it more carefully. He soon found an unmarked button in the upper-left corner.

Keeping his eyes on Dale and Roy, Jack held down the button.

“Hello.”

Both men jumped. Roy stumbled back and nearly fell, while Dale immediately searched for the source of the voice before fixing his attention on the drone above them.

Jack released the button, pleasantly surprised.

“It even has a communication feature.”

“They can hear us?” Cass asked.

“Looks like it. That must be why they reacted like that.”

Cass took the controller back and pressed the button.

“Hello. Who are you?”

Dale and Roy heard the question clearly this time. They remained wary, but after a brief hesitation, Dale answered the drone.

“We’re here to trade. Are you the people offering food and water for black rocks?”

His voice came through the controller.

Jack raised his eyebrows. “It works both ways?”

Cass pressed the button again.

“Yes, that’s us. Follow the drone. It’ll lead you here.”

That answer finally put Dale and Roy at ease. They started pushing the handcart again while Cass guided the drone ahead of them.

Talking to a drone felt strange at first, but their tension gradually faded. Before long, they were even asking how much farther they had to go.

Jack remained beside Cass, watching the four full sacks on the screen with a growing smile.

His plan to trade food and water for coal had worked.

The conversation drew Elias over.

“What happened?”

Jack showed him the screen and briefly explained the situation. Elias hadn’t expected someone to bring coal so soon.

“That was fast.”

With the two men already on their way, Jack moved on to the next problem.

“We should get the food and water ready. But where are we going to put everything? We can’t leave it sitting in the sun.”

“We could set up a tent behind the convenience store and use it as a temporary trading point,” Elias suggested. “Once the real trading post is finished, we can move everything there.”

“The trading post is already half built. We might as well use it now and call this an early opening.”

“What about the growing area?”

“There’s only one sprout, and no one will notice it unless they walk right up to the plot. We won’t let them wander around anyway.”

Elias accepted the idea.

Jack took Susan and Ray into the store to prepare the supplies, while Elias went to the growing area.

“You three shouldn’t stay here. You’ll attract too much attention.”

“What happened?” Hal asked.

“Someone is bringing coal to trade. They’ll be here soon.”

Hal, Marg, and Mort hadn’t expected Marlin’s message to produce results so quickly. After returning to the main canopy, Hal brought up another matter.

“Shouldn’t we decide where to build the brick kiln?”

“We should,” Mort agreed. “Let’s take a look at the other side of the store.”

The two headed over to find a suitable location.

Inside, Jack was already carrying boxes of bottled water out of the storeroom.

“Are all of these going to the trading post?” Susan asked.

“Yes. We’ll need plenty of bread and canned food too.”

Neither Susan nor Ray moved.

“Isn’t that too much?” Susan asked. “If those people see how much food and water we have, word could spread and attract the wrong kind of attention.”

“That’s exactly why I want the supplies out there,” Jack said. “Other settlements need to see that we have enough to trade. Otherwise, why would they come all this way?”

“It’s still a big risk.”

“They need to see it for themselves. Besides, once the trading post opens, we’ll have to keep supplies there. We can’t run back into the store every time someone comes to trade.”

Elias eventually came inside to see what was taking so long. After hearing both sides, he understood Susan and Ray’s concern. Displaying that much food and water could attract the wrong kind of attention once word spread.

But without seeing the supplies for themselves, other settlements might not believe the trading post could offer enough in return.

“We’ll do it Jack’s way,” Elias decided.

With Elias supporting the plan, Susan and Ray stopped objecting.

Jack called Reed and Harvey over to move several old shelves from the convenience store into the unfinished trading post. The canopy was already in place, so the supplies would at least be protected from the sun.

After several trips, bottled water, bread, and canned food filled the shelves. Jack also added a few cans of pepper spray, hoping to promote them later.

They had just finished unloading the last box of water when Cass returned with Dale and Roy following behind, slowly pushing their coal-laden handcart.

After a brief round of introductions, Jack and Elias led them toward the trading post.

Dale and Roy were still a little reserved, but the moment they saw the shelves, both stopped in their tracks.

Rows of clean bottled water stood beside sealed packs of bread, canned food, and several cans they didn’t recognize.

They had expected the settlement to have supplies. They hadn’t expected to see this much.

Neither man spoke for a while. Jack and Elias simply waited.

At last, Dale asked, “Can we really trade these black rocks for food and water?”

“Of course,” Jack said. “How much did you bring?”

Relief washed over both men. Dale pushed the handcart forward.

“Four full sacks. What can we get for them?”

Jack left the inspection to Elias.

Elias opened one of the sacks and called Hal over to confirm the contents.

Hal took out a black rock, examined it, then broke off a small piece and crushed it between his fingers.

“It’s coal.”

Roy repeated the unfamiliar word. “Coal? What is it used for?”

“It’s for burning,” Jack said.

Dale and Roy studied the coal, then Jack. Their expressions gradually became strange.

Food and water were precious. Trading them for rocks that could burn hardly seemed like something a normal person would do.

Jack knew exactly what they were thinking, but he didn’t care.

“For each sack, I’ll give you two packs of bread, two bottles of water, and one can of beef. Does that work for you?”

The two men could hardly believe the offer.

“Of course!”

Searching ruins for supplies could take days without producing anything useful, and every trip carried the risk of running into mutant beasts or raiders. Digging coal was exhausting, but at least it was relatively safe. One afternoon of work had earned them eight packs of bread, eight bottles of water, and four cans of beef—enough to feed the six people in their settlement for several days if they were careful.

Susan and Ray brought over the agreed supplies and loaded them onto the handcart. With every pack of bread, bottle of water, and can of beef added to the cart, Dale and Roy’s smiles grew wider.

Even after the last can was in place, they still seemed unable to believe that everything Marlin had told them was true.

Jack was equally pleased.

The trading post’s first trade had gone smoothly.

He took two cans of pepper spray from the shelf and handed one to each man.

“You’re my first customers, so these are a welcome gift. When you get back, help spread the word. We’ll accept anything useful.”

Dale examined the can in his hand. “What is it?”

“Pepper spray. It’s for self-defense.”

Jack briefly showed them how to use it.

“If you’re in danger, aim for the attacker’s face and spray. It should give you enough time to get away. Just don’t use it carelessly around your own people.”

Dale and Roy immediately understood its value. They had few weapons, and something that could help them escape danger was almost as valuable as the food and water they had just received.

They carefully put the cans away and thanked Jack several times. Dale also promised to tell Walter and any other survivors they met about the trading post.

“You’ve traveled a long way,” Jack said. “Rest here for a while before heading back.”

Neither man tried to refuse. They found a place out of the way, sat down, and watched the people around the settlement continue working.

After resting for a while, Dale called out to Jack.

“You said you’ll accept anything useful?”

“That’s right. Why?”

Dale and Roy exchanged a glance.

“Then there’s something else we know about. We’re not sure if you’d want it.”