LOSS System: Last Store Standing

As the two CUEVs moved farther from the convenience store, the temperature around them rose rapidly. Even with the onboard cooling systems running continuously, the hot air rushing toward them remained difficult to endure. Gordon kept his CUEV close to its maximum speed, unwilling to waste a single minute.

More than an hour later, the two familiar rock walls finally appeared ahead.

Gordon slowed down and led Harvey around several massive rocks. The entrance to the cave soon came into view.

The two CUEVs drove into the cave one after the other. Gordon and Harvey stopped the vehicles, grabbed some drinking water, and split up to search deeper inside.

The CUEV headlights illuminated the cave. Gordon soon spotted an elderly man sitting against the rock wall.

“Harvey, I found him! Come help!”

Leonard was barely conscious. Hearing someone call out, he managed to open his eyes.

“Who are you?”

“Don’t talk yet.”

Gordon crouched in front of him and carefully held the water bottle to his lips.

“Take a small sip. Slowly.”

Leonard tried to keep drinking, but Gordon pulled the bottle away. After giving him a moment to recover, Gordon let him have a few more sips.

“Who are you?” Leonard asked. “Did you see my son?”

“We did,” Gordon said. “He found us and sent us here to save you.”

“How is Daniel?”

“He collapsed after reaching the convenience store,” Harvey said. “But don’t worry. The doctor said he was severely dehydrated, and someone is taking care of him.”

Leonard finally relaxed and closed his eyes.

“As long as he’s safe. This is all my fault.”

“Save your strength.”

Gordon handed him a small piece of food.

“Try to eat something. We’ll take you back right away.”

Leonard managed only a few bites before he could no longer swallow. Gordon didn’t force him and put the rest of the food away.

When Gordon and Harvey moved to help him up, Leonard braced himself against the rock wall.

“I can walk.”

The moment he tried to stand, his body tilted to one side. Gordon and Harvey caught him before he fell.

“There’s no one else here,” Gordon said. “You don’t have to pretend you’re fine.”

Leonard stopped insisting and allowed them to support him.

They helped him toward one of the CUEVs. When Leonard saw both vehicles parked inside the cave, he stopped in surprise.

“CUEVs? Two of them? You have electricity?”

“We’ll explain when we get back,” Gordon said.

They helped Leonard into the back seat. Gordon made sure he was sitting securely before getting behind the wheel.

The two CUEVs left the cave one after the other.

The sky was growing dark, but the temperature across the wasteland had barely fallen. Gordon and Harvey followed the recorded route all the way back.

Only when the lights of the convenience store and trading post appeared in the distance did they finally relax.

Daniel had been placed beneath the canopy in front of the shelter.

Megan had given him some water and treated the abrasions on his palms and knees. After resting for a while, he finally regained consciousness.

He opened his eyes to an unfamiliar canopy overhead and bright lights all around him. For a moment, he had no idea where he was.

Megan held some water out to him.

“Drink a little. Take it slowly.”

Daniel barely looked at the water.

“Please save my father.”

“Calm down,” Megan said. “We’ve already sent people to the cave you mentioned.”

Daniel still couldn’t relax.

“It’s a long way from here. I don’t know if my father can hold on until they get there.”

“Don’t worry. They took CUEVs,” Jack said.

Daniel paused, then finally relaxed a little.

“Thank you!”

“Are you feeling any better?” Jack asked.

“Much better. Thank you for saving me.”

“Can you tell us what happened?”

Daniel told them what he and his father had been through.

“It was terrible,” he said at the end. “I saw quite a few people collapse along the way.”

Jack’s heart sank, but he continued asking questions.

“What’s your name?”

“Daniel Whitaker. My father’s name is Leonard Whitaker.”

Elias and the others came over while they were talking.

“Did you find out what happened?” Elias asked.

Jack briefly explained Daniel’s situation.

“Things are getting worse,” Elias said. “We need to prepare.”

“We’ll talk about that later. Let’s get Daniel settled first.”

Jack turned to Daniel.

“If we find your father, the two of you will stay here tonight. Don’t wander around. I hope you understand.”

Daniel quickly agreed.

Jack sent Reed to the convenience store for another folding bed.

By the time darkness settled over the area, Daniel was still watching the shelter entrance.

When he finally heard vehicles approaching, he tried to stand, but dizziness washed over him before he could get up.

Harvey’s CUEV arrived first.

“We found him!” Harvey called as he climbed out. “He’s alive, but he’s very weak.”

Daniel finally relaxed.

Gordon arrived soon afterward. He and Harvey helped Leonard out of the CUEV and brought him beneath the canopy.

“Father!” Daniel called.

Leonard raised his head. When he saw Daniel sitting there, he finally relaxed as well.

“You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

“Father, we’ve been saved!”

They helped Leonard sit beside his son. He saw Daniel’s bandaged palms and the injuries on his knees.

“You foolish boy.”

Megan checked Leonard’s awareness and breathing, then asked Gordon and Harvey about his condition when they found him in the cave.

After making sure there were no other immediate problems, she said, “Get some rest. You both need time to recover.”

“Thank you again,” Daniel said.

Leonard thanked everyone as well.

“Rest well tonight,” Jack said. “We’ll talk about everything else tomorrow.”

After Leonard and Daniel settled down, Jack and Megan prepared to return to the convenience store. Elias walked with them toward the trading post.

“Things probably won’t stay peaceful for long,” Jack said.

Megan and Elias understood what he meant.

As the temperature continued to rise, more people would be forced to abandon their settlements. Once they learned that this place had plenty of food and drinking water, trouble would likely follow them here.

Jack walked in silence for a while.

“Let’s get some rest. We’ll call everyone together and discuss this tomorrow.”

Elias agreed, and they continued toward the trading post in silence.

Beyond the moat, the night remained quiet, though none of them knew how much longer that quiet would last.

The next morning, Jack and Megan arrived at the new trading post to find Elias and the others already discussing the situation.

As soon as they entered, Elias said, “We’ve come up with a preliminary plan. Listen to it first. You’ll still have to make the final decision.”

Jack rolled his eyes and pointed at Henry and Mort.

“One of them was the best soldier in his unit, the other used to be a raider, and then there’s you, the great strategist. The three of you came up with a plan, and now you want a complete amateur like me to make the final decision? Are you kidding?”

“That’s different,” Henry said. “You’re in charge here. Nothing should be carried out without your final approval.”

“In charge?” Jack said. “I’m just a convenience store owner. Do we really have to be this serious about it?”

“Yes,” Mort said. “You don’t have to understand everything, but none of us can make major decisions without going through you. That’s a line we can’t cross.”

“Mort’s right,” Elias said. “Anyone who crosses that line gets expelled. No exceptions. Otherwise, sooner or later, everyone will start doing whatever they want.”

Warren and Walter entered the trading post in time to hear the conversation.

“Henry’s right,” Walter said. “Everything here came from you, and you’re the reason all of us gathered here. Whether you like it or not, you’re in charge.”

“If you don’t believe us, ask everyone else,” Warren added. “See if anyone gives you a different answer.”

Jack opened his mouth but found nothing to say. He felt as though everyone had pushed him into a position he had never asked for.

Megan found his predicament amusing, but she brought the discussion back on track.

“Why don’t you explain the plan first? Our highest authority needs to hear it before he can approve it. Though I’m not sure he’ll understand any of it.”

Everyone laughed before turning serious again.

“At first, we considered building a wall around the entire area so the shelter would be protected too,” Elias said. “But we don’t have much time before the heat wave arrives. The days are getting hotter, and we don’t have enough materials for a complete outer defense. There’s no time to build one.”

Their current plan was to use the drone to check the surrounding area at regular intervals.

If anyone was spotted approaching, everyone beneath the canopies would immediately return to the shelter or the new trading post. The others would move to their assigned positions.

Elias would coordinate everyone.

Henry would lead a group to intercept anyone approaching the shelter. They couldn’t wait until outsiders reached the wooden walls before stopping them.

Mort, Vane, Reed, Cass, and Marlin would guard the moat entrance and prevent anyone from forcing their way inside during the confusion.

Jack and Megan had guns, so they would remain between the two positions and support whichever side needed them.

“That’s the best we can do for now,” Elias said. “As long as we spot them early enough, we should have enough time to respond.”

Warren considered the plan.

“No. We may still be able to build a wall.”

Everyone turned to him.

“We can use wooden pallet boards and clay to build a section of wall connecting the shelter to the new trading post,” Warren said. “It won’t be a large project. We can start after the temperature drops tonight.”

He pointed out the gap between the two buildings.

“Once that gap is sealed, no one from outside will be able to circle around and approach the shelter directly.”

After a moment, he added, “You’re all too focused on what might happen immediately. The refugees aren’t going to arrive tomorrow. We still have time.”

Everyone fell silent.

Warren was right. They had been so focused on the danger that they had overlooked the time they still had.

Elias considered the idea and quickly saw that it would close the gap in their original plan. He turned to Jack.

Jack didn’t hesitate.

“Then that’s what we’ll do.”

With the plan settled, Elias began assigning the work.

Since digging and transporting clay would take more effort, Warren decided to spend the day preparing the wooden boards. They would handle the clay after the temperature dropped at night.

Reed and Vane continued bringing wooden pallets out of the storage room and loading them into the CUEV cargo beds. Jack transported them to the canopy in front of the shelter.

Aaron, Eli, Roy, and several others dismantled the pallets, while Grant and Thomas joined some of the boards into wall panels for the nighttime construction.

Meanwhile, Leonard and Daniel had recovered enough to move around.

Jack set up a two-person tent for them inside the shelter.

“You can stay here for now,” he said. “Once you’ve recovered, you can decide what you want to do next.”

Daniel thanked him at once. Leonard accepted the arrangement as well and entered the shelter with his son’s help.

The temperature inside was much lower than outside. Daniel put away their few belongings, then helped Leonard lie down.

After resting for a while, Leonard heard the steady sound of hammering outside.

“What are they doing?”

“They’re dismantling wooden pallets,” Daniel said.

“What for?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”

“Help me outside. I want to see.”

Outside the shelter, piles of dismantled boards covered the ground. Several younger workers were still pulling out nails, while completed wall panels were stacked nearby.

Leonard watched them for a while.

“Excuse me, what are you planning to do with all these boards?”

Thomas briefly explained their plan to build a wall.

Leonard listened, then studied the boards piled on the ground.

“Have you ever found ruins similar to an agricultural supply center?”

Thomas was caught off guard by the question.

“We have. Why do you ask?”