LOSS System: Last Store Standing

With Mort settled beside the pit, Jack turned back to the conversation that had been interrupted earlier.

He looked at Elias.

“Let’s finish discussing the workers and their pay.”

Elias nodded.

They quickly worked out a temporary arrangement. Reed and Thomas would help build the wall, while Elias and Vane continued guarding the settlement.

For the two workers, Jack offered ten cans of beef, ten potatoes, and ten bottles of drinking water per day. If more people joined later, they could negotiate the additional pay separately. Jack would also provide three meals a day whenever they worked at the convenience store.

Marlin let out an impressed whistle. By wasteland standards, it was an exceptionally generous offer.

Elias thought it over, then nodded. “That works.”

Jack looked at Vane and Reed. “Since you’re both already here, we might as well start today. Thomas can come tomorrow and take over for one of you.”

Neither of them objected.

With the workforce and payment settled, construction on the convenience store’s defenses officially began.

Jack put Reed in charge of bringing the wooden pallets out of the storage room, while Vane began taking them apart.

As they got to work, Susan asked, “What about Ray and me? Is there anything we can do?”

Jack pointed toward the store. “I’m going to move the metal shelves outside and dismantle them later. For now, you can clear them off and sort everything.”

Susan and Ray agreed and followed him inside. The moment they stepped through the door, however, both of them slowed down.

Susan and Ray had known the convenience store was well stocked, but the sight of so many supplies still stopped them at the door. Their attention lingered longest on the wall of cabinets filled with medicine.

Jack waved a hand in front of them. “Stop staring. We still have plenty to move.”

Susan quickly nodded, and Ray pulled her gaze away. The two went to the metal shelves and began sorting the goods.

Jack headed upstairs and soon returned with the tools Vane would need to dismantle the pallets and shelves.

Work quickly got underway.

Reed began by carrying the wooden pallets out of the storage room one at a time. Some were still in good condition, while others had cracked boards or bent nails sticking out along the edges. He stacked them beside Vane, who used the tools Jack had provided to pry the boards apart and remove anything that could not be reused.

The work was slow at first. Several nails had rusted into the wood, and some of the boards split when Vane tried to pull them free. He set the damaged pieces aside and arranged the usable boards by length so they would be easier to work with later.

Inside the store, Susan and Ray cleared the metal shelves from top to bottom. They placed food in one area, bottled drinks in another, and cleaning supplies farther away. The medical items received their own separate space, with Susan checking each one before setting it down.

Jack moved between the store and the storage room, showing them where everything should go before returning to his own work. The storage room had become increasingly crowded, so he first shifted the remaining boxes against the walls and cleared a path between the shelves.

Once enough space had been opened, he began checking which shelves could be dismantled without damaging the goods around them.

For a while, the area around the convenience store was filled with the scrape of wood, the clink of tools, and the sound of boxes being moved across the floor. As everyone became familiar with their tasks, the work gradually settled into a steady rhythm.

Beside the pit, Mort continued directing water into the dry ground.

As the soil became saturated, muddy water began collecting in the lower parts of the pit. Mort watched the water spread, then adjusted the nozzle and aimed it at another section.

Something about the soil caught his attention.

Instead of breaking apart like ordinary sand, the wet earth clumped together. Wherever the water passed, it left behind a smooth, sticky layer of mud.

Mort tested several more spots before finally calling over his shoulder.

“Hey, you. Something’s different about the soil. Come take a look.”

Cass was leaning back in the folding chair, enjoying the cool air with his half-finished soda in hand. He immediately glared at Mort.

“My name is Cass, not ‘hey, you.’”

Mort rolled his eyes. “Fine, Cass. Something’s different about the soil.”

Cass remained in his chair. “What’s different? Don’t try anything.”

“Come see for yourself,” Mort said, pointing toward the pit.

Cass finally pushed himself out of the chair and limped over to the pit. He studied the muddy water and wet soil for a while but saw nothing unusual.

“What am I supposed to be looking at?”

Before he could start accusing Mort of wasting his time, Elias noticed the commotion and came over with Marlin.

“What’s going on?”

“Mort says there’s something different about the soil,” Cass said. “I don’t see it.”

Elias examined the bottom of the pit, then asked Mort to spray the dry ground near the edge.

Mort turned the nozzle, and the soil quickly darkened beneath the stream of water. Elias crouched down, scooped up a handful of the wet earth, and worked it between his fingers.

His expression changed.

Cass looked into the pit again. “So there really is something unusual about it?”

Instead of answering, Elias turned to Mort.

“You think this is clay?”

“Most likely,” Mort said. He glanced at the water flowing from the nozzle. “Water is too valuable in the wasteland for anyone to pour it over bare ground. It’s not surprising that no one noticed before.”

Cass looked between them. “What are you talking about?”

Marlin was equally confused. “What’s so special about clay?”

Elias suddenly burst out laughing.

“What incredible luck! I thought this punishment was nothing but nonsense, but you somehow stumbled onto something valuable.”

Elias immediately straightened and hurried toward the convenience store, leaving Cass and Marlin staring after him.

Cass turned back to Mort. “What are you two talking about?”

“If I’m right, there’s a layer of clay under this pit,” Mort said, looking down at the wet soil.

“Clay?” Cass frowned. “What good is that?”

“You can make bricks with it.”

Cass stared at him.

Marlin’s head snapped toward the pit. Now Elias’s excitement made sense. If there was a large deposit of usable clay beneath the ground, Jack would not have to settle for a wooden wall. They could build one from brick.

Elias reached the convenience store just as Jack emerged from the storage room.

Jack saw him hurrying over and went to meet him. “What happened?”

“Jack,” Elias said, barely containing his excitement, “there may be an entire layer of clay beneath that pit you dug!”