LOSS System: Last Store Standing

Jack woke early the next morning. He skipped breakfast, hurried through a quick wash, and went downstairs to find Elias.

Elias was assigning the day’s work and hadn’t expected to see Jack so early. He was even more puzzled when Jack said he wanted to prioritize the trading post.

“Didn’t we decide to wait until the first batch of bricks was ready before rebuilding it? Why the sudden rush?”

“I’ve been thinking, and the current setup doesn’t feel very safe,” Jack said vaguely. “Especially with that group outside. Who knows if they might suddenly go crazy and rush into the trading post to steal something?”

Elias studied him for a moment. Jack was clearly leaving something out, but since he had no intention of explaining, Elias let it go.

“Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

“Then let’s ask Hal and Mort when the first batch of bricks will be ready.”

They headed behind the convenience store and soon found Hal and Mort beneath the shade shelter Thomas had recently built.

As they approached, Jack noticed a simple brick kiln nearby that hadn’t been there before. It had been built from dried brick blanks and mud. The structure looked crude, but a faint glow was already visible through the kiln opening. The first batch of bricks was already being fired.

The sight surprised both Jack and Elias.

“When did you finish building the kiln?”

“Yesterday,” Mort said. “It was nearly done before dark. We checked it over this morning, and once we were sure everything was fine, we started firing the first batch.”

“When will you know if the bricks turned out properly?” Jack asked.

“Not for at least seven days,” Hal replied.

“That long?”

“That’s already fast,” Hal said. “We’re using the first batch of brick blanks we made. They’ve had plenty of time to dry, so most of the moisture inside is already gone. With freshly made blanks, drying alone could take more than ten days. Add the firing and cooling, and the whole process could easily take close to twenty.”

Jack still didn’t understand why it required so much time.

“Isn’t firing bricks just a matter of starting a fire and keeping it going until they harden? Why does it still take seven days?”

“We can’t make the fire too hot at the beginning. The temperature has to rise slowly,” Hal explained patiently. “The brick blanks may look dry, but there could still be moisture trapped inside. If they heat up too quickly, the moisture won’t have time to escape. The blanks could crack or even break apart.”

“Once most of the moisture is gone, we can build up the fire and gradually raise the temperature throughout the kiln. Even after the firing is complete, we can’t take the bricks out right away. We have to seal the kiln and let them cool slowly inside. If they cool too quickly, the finished bricks could still crack.”

Jack finally realized that firing bricks involved far more than simply putting the blanks over a fire.

“I thought we could start today and use them for construction in a couple of days,” he said, disappointed. “I didn’t know it would take this long.”

Hal laughed.

“The first batch is always slower. We have to keep an eye on the fire and figure out which parts of the kiln need a tighter seal. If this batch turns out well, the next ones will be much easier.”

“How long will the next batch take?” Elias asked.

“If the brick blanks are prepared in advance, we can load the next batch as soon as this one comes out.” Hal considered it for a moment. “Once we’re familiar with the kiln, firing and cooling should take around two to four days per batch.”

It was still slower than Jack had hoped, but there was nothing they could do about it.

“Since the first batch still needs seven days, let’s keep the current trading post and continue building it. Once the bricks are ready, we can build a new one.”

“That works,” Elias said.

“We still need a new trading post. A brick building will be much sturdier than what we have now,” Elias said. “But once the old one is finished, there’s no need to tear it down. We can keep it as a place for traders to rest after a long journey.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” The more Jack considered the idea, the more he liked it. “And it doesn’t have to be just a rest area. I can keep running my stall there too.”

“You’re really planning to keep that stall going?”

“Why not?” Jack replied. “Ice water and burgers are easy enough to prepare. If more people start coming here to trade, my little stall might grow along with the trading post.”

More ideas quickly followed.

“And Marg, Susan, and Ray are going to make clothes from the old fabric, right? Once we have enough for ourselves, we can hang the rest up for sale at the trading post.”

Jack grew more excited as he continued.

“We can use the new trading post for bulk goods and turn the old one into a small market. Ice water, burgers, clothes, and anything else we make can all be sold there. If traders see something they want, they can offer something in exchange.”

Elias, Mort, and Hal fell silent, regarding him with odd expressions.

“What?” Jack asked. “Is there something wrong with my idea?”

Elias was about to respond when Cass called from the distance.

“Jack! Marlin is back, and he brought a few people with him!”

That caught both Jack and Elias by surprise. They hadn’t expected Marlin to return so soon, much less bring another group of people with him.

The discussion about the old trading post immediately came to an end. They hurried over to Cass to see how many people Marlin had brought this time.

Cass was speaking to Marlin through the drone when they arrived. He handed the controller to Jack, who checked the screen. Marlin was pushing the familiar cart and waving cheerfully at the drone. Six strangers followed behind him, four elderly and two middle-aged.

“Six people,” Elias said. “Marlin really outdid himself this time.”

Jack had to agree. This wasn’t the first time Marlin had brought people to the trading post, but bringing four elderly people across the wasteland was no small matter. There had to be something unusual about the group, or Marlin wouldn’t have brought all six of them along.

Jack activated the microphone and greeted Marlin and the others.

“How much longer until you get here?”

“Not long,” Marlin replied through the controller. “At this pace, we’ll definitely arrive before noon.”

“All right. Be careful on the way. I’ll have Cass guide you with the drone.”

After ending the conversation, Jack handed the controller back to Cass and headed toward the convenience store.

“What are you going to do now?” Elias asked.

“Make ice,” Jack called back. “They’ve been traveling under the sun for hours. They’ll need something cold to drink when they arrive.”

Elias laughed helplessly.

“You really never forget about that little stall of yours.”

“Of course not.”

Jack continued toward the convenience store without slowing down.

Megan had already come downstairs by the time he returned.

“Did you work things out with Elias?”

“Yes, but the first batch of bricks will take at least another seven days.” Jack briefly explained what Hal had told him about the brick-firing process. “So we’ll finish the current trading post and wait until the bricks are ready before starting the new one.”

Megan noticed him heading toward the ice synthesizer.

“What are you doing now?”

“Marlin is back, and he brought six people with him. I’m going to make some ice so they can have something cold to drink when they arrive.”

“Marlin?” Megan thought for a moment. “The merchant you told me about?”

“That’s him.”

Megan didn’t ask any more about Marlin.

“By the way, I’m going to start teaching Cass and the others how to drive today.”

“That soon?”

“The sooner, the better,” Megan replied. “If something really does happen, at least we’ll have another way to escape.”

Jack’s good mood immediately vanished.

“I’d almost forgotten about that. Why did you have to remind me?”

Megan laughed.

“Relax. The mission has a sixty-day time limit. Even if there is danger, it would be quite a coincidence for it to show up today.”

Jack gave her an irritated look.

“I’m done talking to you. I’m going to make ice.”

Megan stopped teasing him and left the convenience store to find Cass and the others.

Jack went over to the Polar Pulse Ice Synthesizer and reconnected the water and power. This time, he turned up the water flow and cooling intensity to see if the machine could produce ice any faster.

Half an hour later, the notification sounded right on time. Jack checked the time and muttered, “No difference. It still took half an hour.”

He switched off the power, opened the compartment, and removed the finished ice cubes. After transferring them into the portable cooler, he carried it toward the trading post.

As he approached, he spotted Megan in the planting area, staring at the ground in surprise. The moment she noticed him, she waved him over.

“Jack, come here!”

“What happened?”

“Come see for yourself.” Megan indicated the planting area. “There are potato sprouts everywhere.”

That immediately caught Jack’s interest. He hadn’t paid much attention to the planting area since the first potato sprout appeared. After setting the cooler beside the trading post, he walked over to take a closer look.

The sight stopped him in his tracks.

The lone sprout from before had already grown much taller, and countless new seedlings had emerged around it. Green shoots pushed through the reddish-brown soil, covering nearly the entire area where they had planted the potato pieces. The planting area that had once been bare was now covered in a layer of fresh green.

“There are so many.”

Jack carefully made his way forward, afraid of accidentally stepping on one.

Marg was already in the planting area and smiled when she heard him.

“They actually started sprouting several days ago. There were only a few at first, and I was worried they wouldn’t adapt to the environment here. I thought they might wither soon after sprouting, so I didn’t want to tell everyone too early.”

She carefully examined the leaves of one of the potato plants.

“I didn’t expect all of them to survive. New sprouts have been coming up every day.”

As Jack took in the thriving patch of green, the uneasiness caused by last night’s mission began to fade.

“As long as they survive, we’ve succeeded,” Jack said. “Now we just have to see how many potatoes this field can produce.”

Marg’s smile widened.

“I’ll go tell the others so they can come and see.”

She hurried out of the planting area, and the news soon spread around the convenience store. Everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered outside the planting area.

They could barely contain their excitement as they looked at the potato sprouts emerging from the ground. When only one seedling had appeared, everyone had been happy but worried that it might have been a fluke. Now that sprouts were emerging throughout the planted area, they could finally set those worries aside.

Hal crouched among the potato plants and carefully examined each seedling. The others kept their distance, but none of them could take their eyes off the greenery they had gone so long without seeing.

Outside the moat, Derek and his men also noticed the commotion.

They were too far away to see what everyone had gathered around, but the excitement was obvious even from a distance. Several men continued making brick blanks while stealing glances toward the planting area, curious about what was happening.

Derek stopped working and stared in that direction for a while before calling Bryce over.

Bryce set down the brick blank he was working on and hurried to his side.

“Boss, what is it?”

After making sure Mort wasn’t watching, Derek lowered his voice.

“Find out what happened over there.”

Bryce glanced toward the planting area.

“Why?”

“They all rushed over there, so it must be something important,” Derek said. “Maybe we can use the distraction to escape.”

The mention of escape immediately caught Bryce’s interest.

“All right. I’ll find a way to ask around. If we can really get out of here, that would be great. I don’t want to stay here another minute.”

“Neither do I.” Derek scowled at the brick blank he had just made. “They actually dared to keep us here and force us to do this kind of work. Damn them!”

His anger continued to build until he spat on the ground beside him.

“Once I get out, I’ll come back and make them pay. Everything here should belong to me. They don’t deserve any of it!”

“Exactly,” Bryce quickly agreed. “Everything here should belong to you, Boss. That guy Jack doesn’t deserve any of it.”

The answer pleased Derek. He gave Bryce an approving pat on the shoulder and motioned toward the planting area.

“Go. Be careful, and don’t let them notice what you’re doing.”

Bryce picked up several newly made brick blanks and pretended to take them over for inspection as he slowly made his way toward the trading post.

Jack and the others were still focused on the potato sprouts, so no one noticed the exchange between Derek and Bryce.

The excited discussion around the planting area continued for quite some time. Eventually, Elias became worried that someone might accidentally step on one of the seedlings and sent everyone back to work.

“You’ve all seen them. Now get back to whatever you were doing. The potato plants aren’t going to grow any faster just because you stand here watching them.”

Everyone laughed, but they knew there was no reason to stay. The crowd soon dispersed.

Jack took one last look at the young plants before returning to the trading post. He still needed to store the ice in the cooler and prepare the cups and drinking water. Marlin had said he would arrive before noon, and judging by the time, he should be there soon.

While Derek was hiding in the distance and plotting his escape, Jack was far more interested in what surprises Marlin’s six new arrivals might bring.