LOSS System: Last Store Standing

Both vehicles traveled slowly to make sure the Gray-Eared Jump Hares could keep up. By the time Jack and the others reached the convenience store, it was already afternoon.

The Tesla had barely stopped beside the store when everyone came over to see what was happening. Their attention first went to the unfamiliar car, then to the CUEV behind it and the Gray-Eared Jump Hares hopping after both vehicles.

The Jump Hares drew plenty of surprised reactions.

“Did you bring them back too?” Elias asked.

Megan briefly explained Jack’s plan. When Elias learned that they wanted the Gray-Eared Jump Hares to settle near the convenience store, he agreed that it was worth a try.

While they were discussing the Jump Hares, Cass had already made it halfway around the Tesla.

“Is this the Tesla you’ve been talking about?”

Jack had just climbed off the CUEV.

“That’s it. When we go looking for the CUEV factory, we’ll be relying on this car.”

Elias walked over and studied the Tesla for a moment.

“Is this a vehicle from your homeland?”

The question caught both Jack and Megan off guard. Megan was the first to answer.

“Yes.”

A smile crossed Elias’s face.

“It’s good that you managed to bring it back. At least you’ll have something from home whenever you start missing it.”

He seemed to be talking about the Tesla, but his words carried another meaning as well. Neither Jack nor Megan knew how to respond.

Elias let the subject drop. He sent the others on their way and asked Marga to start preparing dinner.

Ava stayed behind instead of leaving with Vane. She came over to Jack and gazed curiously at the Gray-Eared Jump Hares nearby.

“Uncle Jack, did you bring those Gray-Eared Jump Hares back? Are they going to stay here from now on?”

“Yes. They’ll be living here from now on.” Jack crouched down beside her. “Would you like them to play with you?”

Ava readily agreed, but then something seemed to bother her, and her cheeks puffed out slightly.

“The Dustchucks don’t pay attention to Ava anymore. All they do is dig every day. Even when Ava calls them, they won’t come over.”

Jack burst out laughing.

“Then Ava can ignore them too and play with the Gray-Eared Jump Hares instead.”

“That’s not right, Uncle Jack,” Ava said seriously. “Ava and the Dustchucks are friends. Friends can’t ignore each other.”

Her answer caught Jack by surprise. He smiled and gently ruffled her hair.

“You’re right. Uncle Jack was wrong. Then both the Dustchucks and the Gray-Eared Jump Hares can play with Ava. How does that sound?”

“Good!”

Ava brightened again. After taking a few more glances at the Jump Hares, she ran off to find Vane and tell him the news.

Jack watched her go, still smiling.

Elias was about to ask about the Tesla and the old fabric in the cargo trailer when Jack spoke first.

“How did the group outside behave today? Did they cause any trouble?”

“They were fairly cooperative overall,” Elias said. “Harvey showed them how to make brick blanks a few times, and most of them have gotten the hang of it. They’re still a little slow, but at least they’re taking the work seriously.”

That was good enough for Jack. Since it was their first time doing this kind of work, they were bound to be slow. As long as they worked without causing trouble, he had no complaints.

“Their leader is another story, though.”

“What did he do?” Jack asked.

“Everyone else was taking the work seriously, but he kept making excuses to slack off. Then he tried to get someone else to do his share,” Elias said. “When Mort caught him, he refused to admit it and came up with all kinds of excuses.”

Jack nearly laughed.

“Does he still think he’s in charge?”

“Old habits,” Elias said. “Mort taught him a lesson, and that was enough to send him back to work.”

Jack considered the situation.

“There’s no need to single him out for now. Let this happen a few more times, and they’ll start turning on one another without us having to do anything.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Elias said. “I already told Mort to leave them alone unless someone causes serious trouble.”

“Good. We can just stand back and enjoy the show.”

Elias changed the subject and indicated the Tesla and the old fabric in the cargo trailer.

“By the way, where did all this old fabric come from?”

Jack realized he still hadn’t explained it.

“I found a lot of old fabric at Gordon’s settlement, so we took advantage of having two vehicles today and brought all of it back.” Jack rested a hand on one of the rolls. “I’m going to let Marg, Susan, and Ray try making clothes with it. That way, everyone will have a few more sets to change into.”

“Don’t we all have clothes already?” Elias asked. “Do we really need more?”

“Of course we do. We can’t wear the same set forever, can we?”

Elias considered that for a moment before giving in.

“Fine. If you think we need them, then we need them.”

He left to find someone to help with the fabric.

Jack smiled and headed back to the convenience store. He still had plenty to take care of and no time to worry about the group outside the moat.

Gordon had already carried the drained energy cell inside. Jack plugged it back in and made sure it was charging, then ran an extension cord outside so Megan could plug in the Tesla as well.

Once both were charging properly, Jack and Megan went upstairs and sat on the living room sofa.

A short while later, Megan brought up what Elias had said earlier.

“Do you think Elias already knows we came from another world?”

“He probably doesn’t know exactly how we got here, but he must have figured out a long time ago that we don’t belong to this world.”

“Did you ever tell him?”

“No. But I never tried to hide the convenience store or any of the supplies inside. It’s not surprising that he figured it out.”

Jack leaned back against the sofa, clearly unconcerned.

“It’s something we both understand without having to say it. If he doesn’t ask, I don’t see any reason to explain.”

That made sense to Megan.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jack said. “Elias doesn’t mean us any harm. Where we came from isn’t important. What matters is making the best of our life here.”

That reminded Megan of the fourteen men outside the moat.

“Did they cause any trouble today?”

“The others behaved themselves. Only their leader tried something again.” Jack briefly told her what Elias had said. “Too bad for him, Mort caught him and taught him a lesson. After that, he went back to work.”

Megan found that troubling.

“This can’t go on forever. They were already a gang of thugs before they came here. They’re bound to cause more trouble.”

Jack wasn’t particularly concerned.

“They’re just a bunch of guys who act tough around anyone weaker and back down as soon as they meet someone stronger. How much trouble can they really cause? If we didn’t need the extra hands right now, do you really think I would’ve let them stay?”

Megan was startled.

“You were planning to kill them?”

Jack stared at her for a moment, then let out a helpless laugh.

“What are you thinking? I wouldn’t dirty my hands with that. I meant I would’ve driven them away and told them to get as far from here as possible.”

“Besides, do you really think they’re willing to stay?” Jack continued. “Right now, they’re only scared of the drone and the CUEV. Once they get over that fear, some of them are bound to try escaping.”

Megan still didn’t understand.

“Why?”

“Think about it,” Jack explained. “Even if the drone spots them escaping, we only have one CUEV and, at most, your Tesla. If they all run in different directions at the same time, who are we supposed to chase?”

Megan finally understood, but that raised another question.

“Then why are you treating them this way?”

“Screening,” Jack said. “I’m using rewards to divide the group and identify the ones worth keeping as workers.”

Megan studied him with newfound interest.

“I didn’t know you could be so calculating.”

“What do you mean, calculating?” Jack said helplessly. “Reality forced me to think this way.”

“Elias and the others really are good people, and they genuinely care about us,” Jack continued. “But when it comes down to it, a big part of the reason is that I have supplies they need.”

That caught Megan off guard.

“You mean they’ve been after the supplies in the convenience store all this time?”

“That’s not what I mean. If they had bad intentions, they would’ve made a move a long time ago. What I’m saying is that we each have something the other side needs.”

“They need my supplies, and I need their help. We’re cooperating because both sides benefit. Maybe they all had their own reasons in the beginning, but after everything we’ve been through together, at least they no longer see me as an outsider.”

Megan realized she had taken his words the wrong way and felt a little embarrassed.

“I judged them too harshly.”

“You can’t really be blamed for that,” Jack said. “This is the wasteland. If the people here were as naive as most people in our old world, they probably wouldn’t have survived this long.”

Megan had to admit that he had a point.

“So even if Elias and the others need my supplies, that isn’t a bad thing,” Jack continued. “People always need something from one another. What matters is that their concern for me is genuine. I can tell the difference.”

Megan considered his words for a moment.

“As long as you know what you’re doing.”

She got up from the sofa and headed toward the bathroom to wash up. Jack watched her leave before leaning back against the sofa.

Just then, the system’s voice sounded in his mind.

“Human, the fourth mission has been issued.”