LOSS System: Last Store Standing

Elias studied Henry for a long moment before calling out uncertainly, “Lone Wolf... Henry Mercer?”

Henry’s face changed. He studied the elderly man before him until the aged features gradually aligned with someone from his memories.

“Chessmaster... Elias Ward?”

“It really is you!” Elias could hardly believe it. “Everyone thought you died in that battle. I never imagined you were still alive!”

Faced with a comrade he hadn’t seen in decades, Henry found himself at a loss for words.

Jack and the others had no idea what was going on. After glancing between them several times, Marlin finally asked, “You two know each other?”

“We served in the same unit,” Elias said. “The rest is a long story. I’ll tell you about it another time.”

Hal didn’t press them for details. Instead, he glanced at Martha.

“But why did all six of you leave the settlement together? You and Martha are already quite old. Weren’t the younger people usually the ones who went out looking for supplies?”

Dean’s expression darkened.

“We weren’t out looking for supplies. We were driven out.”

Hal’s smile disappeared.

“Driven out? What happened?”

“Calvin Holt rallied a group of people in the settlement and accused Henry of being unfair and unfit to lead,” Dean said. “They chose Calvin as the new leader, and he drove us out that same day.”

Hal turned to Henry, but Henry remained silent.

“The settlement was running out of food, but Henry refused to abandon the elderly, the injured, and the children,” Dean continued bitterly. “Calvin told everyone that the people going out for supplies were risking their lives, only to return and share the food with people who couldn’t contribute anything. He said it wasn’t fair.”

“He blamed the entire food shortage on Henry,” Noah added. “According to him, if the settlement stopped feeding those who couldn’t go outside, there would be enough left for everyone else.”

Jack frowned.

“The four of us opposed him,” Dean said. “Henry and Martha obviously couldn’t stay. Erin and Lydia had always taken care of the elderly and injured, while Noah and I refused to follow Calvin. So he threw all six of us out together.”

“And they kept everything we owned,” Noah added. “We left without even a mouthful of water.”

Hal’s expression grew darker with every word. Calvin had often made things difficult for him in the past, but he had never expected the man to go this far.

“What happened to the other elderly people and the injured?”

“They were still there when we left,” Henry finally answered. “Calvin had only just taken control. He didn’t dare go after them immediately.”

“So you just left?” Hal asked.

“What else could we do?” Henry replied. “Calvin had more supporters. If we had stayed, there would’ve been a fight. Once that happened, the elderly and the children would’ve been the first to suffer.”

“What happened after you left?” Jack asked.

“We had no idea where to go,” Dean said. “We had no food or water, so we just kept moving and hoped we could find some ruins to shelter in.”

After walking for an entire day and night, they finally found some ruins nearby.

“We only planned to rest for a while and search for anything useful,” Dean continued. “But as soon as we approached, we ran into a herd of Ashback Elk.”

“Ashback Elk?” Hal frowned. “Don’t they rarely attack people?”

“There were calves in the herd,” Henry said. “We were exhausted and thirsty, so we didn’t notice them in time. By the time I heard something, it was already too late.”

“Erin was near the back,” Dean continued. “When one of the Ashback Elk charged, she pushed Martha out of the way and was knocked down. Another one ran past her right afterward. Its hoof must have scraped across her thigh.”

After Erin was injured, Henry and Dean drew the elk away while Lydia and Noah pulled her to safety. They didn’t dare remain near the ruins, so they helped Erin back to her feet and continued walking.

“All we could think about was getting away from those ruins,” Dean said. “Eventually, we couldn’t even tell which direction we were heading. If that drone hadn’t appeared, we might still be wandering out there.”

Hal glanced toward the temporary treatment room. The fact that all six of them had survived long enough to reach the trading post was already incredibly fortunate.

Elias turned to Henry.

“What are you planning to do now?”

“We haven’t decided.” Henry shook his head. “Everything happened too suddenly. For now, we can only take things one step at a time and hope we find somewhere suitable to settle.”

“Erin shouldn’t travel any farther in her current condition,” Megan warned them. “If she stays out in the heat for too long, her injuries could easily worsen.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?” Lydia asked. “We can’t leave her behind.”

Hal thought for a moment.

“Why don’t you stay here?”

Henry hadn’t expected the invitation.

“You need somewhere to settle anyway,” Hal continued. “We already know one another, and we can look after each other. Wouldn’t staying here be better?”

Henry turned to Martha and the others. After a brief discussion, he faced Hal again.

“If we stay, what would we need to do?”

“There’s still plenty of construction work here, and we need help in a lot of areas,” Jack said. “You can work alongside everyone else, and I’ll provide daily necessities in return. No one here will be left to starve.”

He paused before adding, “But there’s one thing I need to make clear. Even though you know Hal, your homes will still have to be built outside the moat. Anyone who arrives from now on will be settled outside as well. I hope you can understand.”

“The moat?” Henry glanced toward the nearly completed trench in the distance. “So that really is a moat?”

“That’s right. It’s almost finished.”

Henry studied the long trench.

“But how are you planning to fill it? Is there a spring nearby?”

“No,” Jack said. “We have our own way, but we can’t tell you about it yet.”

Henry realized he had crossed a line.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s fine. As long as you understand.”

“Then it’s settled,” Hal said. “Henry may have a bad temper, but at least he can be reasonable.”

Henry shot him a look.

“What do you mean, I have a bad temper?”

Hal pretended not to hear him and turned to Jack.

“Do you have any spare tents? If so, could you lend them a few? You can deduct the cost from my payment.”

“There’s no need for that,” Jack said. “They’re your old friends, and Henry served with Elias. I’m not stingy enough to charge you for a few tents.”

Hal smiled.

“Then I’ll thank you on their behalf.”

Henry was about to speak, but Elias cut him off.

“Don’t worry about that now. Getting settled is more important. Once everything here is taken care of, we can talk about what happened back then.”

Henry considered the offer for a moment before accepting it.

“Then we’ll take you up on it.”

He walked over to Jack and held out his hand.

“Thank you for letting us stay, and for saving Erin.”

Jack shook his hand.

“Welcome.”

With everything settled, Elias addressed the newcomers.

“You’ve been traveling for a long time. You must be exhausted and hungry. Come on. I’ll get you some food and water first.”

Henry and the others followed him toward the trading post.

After the six newcomers had eaten and been given tents to stay in, Elias finally asked Henry about the past. Everyone nearby remained where they were, clearly ready to hear the story.

“What exactly happened back then?” Elias asked. “Everyone thought you died in that battle. We sent people to search for you afterward, but they found nothing.”

Henry was quiet for a while.

“I thought I was going to die too. I was badly wounded during the battle, and when I woke up, I was already in enemy hands.”

He took a moment before continuing.

“I had already accepted that I would die there. Then I discovered that one of our people had infiltrated their ranks. He freed me during a shift change and stayed behind to cover my escape.”

“What happened to him?” Elias asked.

Henry’s expression darkened.

“He didn’t come with me. He deliberately created a disturbance to draw the pursuit away, and that exposed his identity.”

“They captured him and tortured him in front of everyone.” Henry’s hands slowly tightened into fists. “I was hiding nearby, but I couldn’t do anything. I could only watch as they killed him.”

Even after all these years, the memory still filled his voice with anger.

“I never even learned his name. I wanted to kill every last one of them right then and there, but I was too badly wounded. I had no choice but to escape.”

Elias let the silence linger for a moment.

“Why didn’t you report back afterward?”

“I couldn’t make it back, and returning wasn’t even on my mind at the time,” Henry said. “My injuries were too severe. I had to find somewhere to hide and recover. All I could think about was avenging him.”

“Later, I hunted down everyone involved. I didn’t let a single one of them get away. Only after I had avenged him did I start thinking about returning.”

A bitter smile crossed Henry’s face.

“But that was when the disaster struck. Communications collapsed, the roads were destroyed, and people were fleeing everywhere. I had no idea where the military had withdrawn to, and I couldn’t contact anyone. In the end, all I could do was leave with the other survivors.”

Elias said nothing for a long time.

“Fate can be cruel.”

“Everything changed overnight,” Henry said. “The military, the country, the cities. All of it disappeared. By the time I wanted to find the rest of you, I didn’t even know where to begin.”

His voice grew quieter.

“My greatest regret is that I never learned the name of the man who saved me.”

Elias placed a hand on his shoulder without saying anything.

Then a voice came from nearby.

“His name was Arthur Coleman.”