LOSS System: Last Store Standing

By the time Cass, Reed, and Vane returned to the settlement, the sky had already begun to darken.

They came back carrying water, bread, and a story that was going to spread faster than either.

“Settlement” was a generous word for it.

It was little more than a patch of ground fenced in with sheets of scrap metal, old vehicle frames, and whatever junk they had managed to drag together. Beneath several slanted metal panels were resting spots that barely kept out the wind and sand. Old cloth and worn-out mats covered the ground, while several water buckets sat against the innermost wall, their lids held down with stones.

Cass was still a few steps from the outer wall when someone inside spotted him. He couldn’t hold it in anymore and lifted the water and bread high.

“We’re back!”

The settlement quieted almost at once. Every eye turned to the bottles and loaves in his hands.

Marg reached him first, her gaze fixed on the supplies.

“Where’d you get those?”

“The outsider gave them to us,” Cass said quickly. “His name’s Jack.”

Marg said nothing at first. She took one bottle of water, then a loaf of bread, turning both over in her hands as she checked the seals.

Her expression shifted.

“These are new? Still sealed?”

Cass nodded hard. “Still sealed! Everything in that place looked new!”

Marg shook her head at Cass’s excitement, but there was no real scolding in it. She handed the water and bread back and pointed to a cleaner sheet of metal nearby.

“Put them there for now. We’ll divide them up in a bit.”

A woman stepped out from one of the shelters, younger than Marg but no less worn by the wasteland. Her eyes went to Reed first.

“Anyone hurt?”

Reed shook his head. “No. We stayed back and kept our distance.”

Some of the tension left her shoulders. Then she turned to Cass.

“Medicine?”

Cass thought back to the wall behind Jack’s counter.

“Yeah. A lot. An entire wall.”

The woman’s expression sharpened.

“What kind?”

Cass opened his mouth, then closed it again.

“…No idea.”

He scratched the back of his head, looking almost embarrassed. “I was too busy trying not to lose my mind. But there was a lot. Seriously, a lot.”

That earned him several silent stares.

Ray was the first to break the silence.

“What does he want?”

Cass blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Nobody gives away clean water and sealed food for nothing.”

That finally jogged Cass’s memory.

“Oh. Right. He said this time was a welcome gift. If we want more next time, we need to bring something to trade.”

Ray’s frown eased. “Good. That makes sense.”

Thomas had already moved closer, his attention fixed on Cass. “What else did you see in there?”

Cass spread his hands. “A lot. I didn’t even know where to look. The shelves I saw were almost all full.”

“Tools?” Thomas asked at once. “Did you see any tools?”

Vane answered before Cass could start guessing. “Probably. We didn’t get a close look, but besides medicine, there were a lot of everyday supplies.”

Reed added, “There was power too. The lights worked. So did the cold air.”

The words settled over the group, and Thomas went still.

Working lights.

Cold air.

Neither of those had belonged in the settlement’s daily life for a very long time.

Cass nodded hard. “Yeah. Exactly.”

By then, Ava had drifted closer to the metal sheet where the food had been placed, her eyes fixed on the bread.

Vane caught the movement. “Don’t touch.”

Ava froze, then tucked both hands behind her back. “Can I have some later?”

“After Grandpa Elias checks it and divides it,” Vane said. “Then you can have some.”

Ava nodded obediently, but her eyes never left the bread.

That was all it took for Cass to launch into the story again.

The strange store appearing after the sandstorm. Jack standing behind a spotless glass door with that thunder-weapon in his hand. The Red Sand Badgers closing in on the Dustchucks. Then the shot, the sharp-smelling liquid, and the Dustchucks smashing their way through the opening.

Halfway through, Cass was already on his feet, gesturing with both hands.

“I’m telling you, I’m not exaggerating. The Red Sand Badgers had the Dustchucks nearly boxed in. Then Jack made that weapon thunder, threw out that horrible-smelling stuff, and everything fell apart. The Dustchucks pushed right through and knocked one Red Sand Badger straight into a pit.”

Susan’s brows drew together. “He did that by himself?”

“By himself,” Cass said. “I thought those Dustchucks were his at first, but nope. Jack said he only met them today.”

That got Marg’s attention.

Thomas stared at him. “He met them today, and they still moved with him like that?”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Cass said, almost bouncing on his feet. “The guy’s amazing.”

From the innermost part of the settlement, Elias finally looked up.

“Hand out the food first,” he said. “We’ll talk after that.”

Marg nodded, moved toward the metal sheet, and opened one of the loaves. She tore off a small piece for Ava before dividing the rest into portions.

Ava took the small piece of bread with both hands, sniffed it, and bit into it carefully.

Then she froze.

“It’s soft.”

The words were barely louder than a whisper, but the settlement fell quiet around her.

In the wasteland, food that lasted was usually dry, hard, and hard to chew. Softness was not something people expected from food anymore.

To Ava, that small bite of bread might as well have come from another world.

Marg divided the rest of the bread, then opened one bottle of water and poured out a small share for everyone.

Only after everyone had taken a bite and a sip did Elias turn back to Cass and the others.

“This Jack,” Elias said. “What’s he like?”

Cass thought for a moment. “Careful. But I don’t think he’s a bad guy. And honestly? I can’t blame him. Anyone would be careful out here.”

Elias nodded slowly.

“Fair.”

For a while, he said nothing. Then he looked at the water, the bread, and the people waiting around him.

“If he’s offering peace, we don’t turn it away,” Elias said. “Go back tomorrow.”

Cass’s face brightened at once.

Elias glanced at him. “The same three of you will go. Bring something worth trading. See if he’s actually willing to trade first. Don’t walk in and ask for water, food, medicine, and tools all at once.”

Cass nodded quickly. “Got it.”

Marg put away the remaining water and bread.

Elias walked to the edge of the wall and looked out across the darkening red sand.

Somewhere beyond the dunes, a building that should not exist was still standing.

By tomorrow, they would go back to it.

And this time, they would not go empty-handed.