LOSS System: Last Store Standing

Megan stood in the hallway outside Jack’s closed door, her hand raised but motionless. After a brief hesitation, she finally knocked softly.

There was no answer at first. A few moments later, footsteps approached from inside.

Jack opened the door and forced a faint smile when he saw her. “How’s Nolan?”

Megan didn’t answer the question. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Jack leaned against the doorframe with a self-mocking smile. “I just haven’t fully processed everything yet.”

He tried to sound casual, but the exhaustion on his face made Megan’s chest tighten. Jack usually carried himself as though nothing could keep him down for long. Looking at him now, she realized how much he had probably been keeping to himself.

“You don’t have to carry everything alone,” she said softly.

Jack looked at her.

“At least here, you have me.”

He seemed caught off guard. “I have you...”

Silence settled over the hallway. Neither of them looked away.

After a moment, Megan stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. The embrace was brief. Before Jack could fully react, she had already released him and stepped back.

“Get some rest.”

She turned toward her room without waiting for an answer. Jack remained in the doorway, watching her walk away. The warmth of the embrace still lingered, unsettling the heartbeat that had only just begun to calm.

When Megan reached her door, Jack finally said, “Thank you, Meg.”

She paused but didn’t turn around. A slight smile crossed her face before she opened the door and went inside.

The hallway fell quiet again. Jack remained there for another moment before returning to his room and closing the door.

The next morning, Megan came out to find Jack placing the last plate of breakfast on the table.

“Perfect timing,” he said with a smile. “Come eat.”

Megan studied him briefly. He seemed much more like his usual self, so she didn’t mention the night before. She took a seat, and Jack pushed a plate toward her before sitting across from her.

They ate quietly for a while before Jack asked, “How’s Nolan?”

“He’s stable. He’ll need some time to recover, but he should be fine.”

“That’s good.”

“The man who was shot in the leg is more complicated,” Megan continued. “The bullet is still inside. We need to find a way to remove it.”

Jack was silent for a moment. “Then operate on him.”

Megan didn’t answer.

Jack noticed her hesitation. “What’s wrong?”

“We can’t do it here. Removing a bullet isn’t as simple as you think. I can’t have him lie beneath the canopy and operate on him out in the open.”

“How long can the bullet stay in his leg?”

“That’s not the issue. The longer we wait, the more difficult it becomes. In an environment like this, once the wound becomes infected, something that isn’t life-threatening now could still kill him.”

“We can’t exactly make a hospital appear out of nowhere,” Jack said helplessly.

“Exactly.” Megan sighed. “In a place like this, avoiding infection after an injury is already a blessing. What more can anyone ask for?” After a brief pause, she added, “If it weren’t too hot to stay outside, I could set up a tent and try to remove the bullet.”

Jack stopped with his utensil halfway to his mouth.

“Too hot... Can’t use a tent...”

Megan looked up at him. “What are you muttering about?”

Jack repeated the words under his breath, then suddenly set down his utensil. “If we can’t use a tent, why don’t we build a small clinic?”

Megan stared at him. “How?”

“A small brick building between the trading post and the shelter,” Jack said. “It doesn’t need to be large. Just enough room for a bed and for you to move around while treating someone. We can install a PCCU to keep the temperature down.”

Megan considered the idea. “The location would work. Anyone injured at either building could be brought there quickly, and a separate room would be much cleaner than treating someone outside or beneath a canopy. But how are we supposed to build it in this heat?”

“We work at night,” Jack said. “It’ll still be hot, but with the protective gear and a few PCCUs running, everyone should be able to manage for a while. If we can’t finish it in one night, we’ll spread the work over several days. It won’t be a large building anyway.”

He smiled. “What do you think, Doctor Megan?”

The title brought a slight smile to Megan’s face. “It’s worth trying. We’ll need enough room to treat injuries and store medicine. Water will have to be connected too.”

“Fine. Whatever Doctor Megan says.”

Megan ignored his teasing and continued eating. After a moment, she added, “We’ll also need to plan where the sink, medicine cabinet, and lighting will go.”

“We haven’t even started building, and you’ve nearly finished arranging the inside.”

“It’s better to plan ahead than change everything afterward.”

Jack smiled and nodded. “Fair point.”

After breakfast, they cleared the table and went downstairs. The moment they opened the convenience store door, scorching air pressed in around them. It was still morning, but outside already felt like an oven that had been heating all day. Even the air they breathed carried an obvious heat, while the distant scenery wavered beneath the rising temperature.

“It feels even hotter today,” Jack said.

Megan had noticed it too. They closed the door behind them and quickly made their way to the new trading post.

Elias was discussing the day’s arrangements with Mort and Hal. When Jack and Megan arrived, he gave Jack a quick look.

“You all right now?”

“I’m fine.” Jack smiled. “I got some sleep. I feel much better.”

Elias didn’t press him further, and Jack told them about the clinic.

“That’s a good idea,” Elias said after hearing him out. “If something happens again, having a proper place nearby will make things much easier.”

Jack turned to Mort and Hal. “How much longer until the second batch of bricks is ready?”

Hal thought for a moment. “Another day or two.”

“Perfect. Set some aside for the clinic.”

After briefly discussing the plan, Jack and Megan took a CUEV to the shelter. As soon as they drove beneath the canopy, Jack noticed the refugee who had been shot the night before sitting near the entrance under guard. The man visibly stiffened when he saw Jack but said nothing.

Jack ignored him and followed Megan inside to check on Nolan. Nolan looked much better than he had the night before and tried to sit up when they approached, but Megan immediately pressed him back down.

“Don’t move. The wound has only just stabilized.”

Nolan reluctantly leaned back again. Jack stayed for a while, and once he was sure Nolan was doing better, he went to find Warren and told him about the clinic.

“Build it between the shelter and the trading post. It doesn’t need to be large, just enough room for a bed and for Megan to treat someone. We’ll need water, electricity, and a PCCU connected as well. I’ll leave the details to you.”

Warren studied the open ground between the two buildings before nodding. “All right. I’ll take a look tonight.”

He then turned to Megan. “What do you need inside?”

“A bed, a sink, somewhere to keep medicine, and enough room for me to treat someone,” Megan said. “If possible, I’d also like a small table for instruments and another bed in case more than one person is injured.”

Warren shook his head. “Then it won’t be a small clinic anymore.”

Megan paused.

“We don’t have many bricks, and building in this heat will already slow us down,” Warren continued. “If you want it finished soon, we can only build what you need most. One bed, a sink, a medicine cabinet, and enough space for one or two people to move around. Anything else can be added later.”

Megan considered it for a moment, then nodded. “That should be enough for now. At least it’ll be cleaner than treating someone beneath the canopy.”

“I’ll measure the site tonight and work out the layout.”

Jack smiled. “Good. I was starting to think Doctor Megan wanted an entire hospital.”

Megan glanced at him. “I only said what would be useful.”

As Jack was about to leave, Leonard came over. “We’ve run out of ice. You’ll need to make some more. The cooling vests can work with water alone, but they won’t last long in this heat.”

“All right. I’ll make some now.”

Jack and Megan returned to the convenience store in the CUEV. While Jack started the ice synthesizer and prepared enough water and insulated containers for several batches, Megan brought the available medicine and medical supplies to the table and began sorting out what the clinic would need.

She separated the disinfectants, painkillers, antibiotics, gauze, and suturing tools, then made a list of anything that was running low. Each time Jack passed the table, the spread of supplies seemed to have grown larger.

“The clinic hasn’t even been built, and you’re already preparing to move in.”

Megan ignored his teasing and continued counting the medicine.

Once the ice was ready, Jack packed it into the insulated containers and drove back to the shelter. Leonard was already waiting beneath the canopy. He filled the cooling vest’s fluid pouch with ice and water, put on the rest of the EAPG, and headed toward the PACS.

“I’m going to check today’s readings.”

The ground soaked the day before had already dried out again, and the air above it twisted in the sunlight. Leonard recorded the data from the display and quickly returned to the canopy.

After removing his face mask, he said, “The outside temperature has reached 74.1 degrees Celsius. The surface temperature of the soil is 85.3 degrees, and the humidity is even lower than yesterday. At this rate, the temperature will probably exceed seventy-five degrees today.”

Jack looked out at the pale ground inside the fence.

“Then we’ll keep spraying water. For now, we need to bring down the surface temperature inside the perimeter.”

Walter retrieved the lightweight fabric lay-flat hose they had used the day before and checked the connections. Since Nolan was still recovering, Eli put on a set of EAPG and dragged the hose and PWDN to the center of the open ground.

Once Eli signaled that everything was ready, the faucet inside the shelter was opened. Water rushed through the hose, and the PWDN soon began spraying.

Water droplets spread beneath the sunlight and fell onto the scorching ground. Dark patches appeared across the pale surface, slowly expanding as the spraying continued. A faint rainbow once again formed within the fine mist.

Jack carried the insulated container to the edge of the canopy, planning to have someone scatter the ice after the PWDN had run for a while.

The refugee with the wounded leg sat nearby, watching everything in silence. He had assumed Derek’s claim that Jack poured water onto the ground was just another lie meant to incite the refugees. Now, water was falling across the wasteland right in front of him.

He stared at the spray, unable to understand what he was seeing. Even more unbelievable was the insulated container full of ice beside the canopy, apparently waiting to be scattered across the wet ground as well.

The wounded man opened his mouth, but no words came out.