NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 111: Day Seven Morning
The next morning, everyone gathered for breakfast. Olivia turned to Atlas, her voice wavering with uncertainty, “What would happen to us if we stayed?”
Atlas continued, “If you do decide you want to stay, you are welcome to become part of our settlement.”
“What, you want us to join Fort Bone?” asked Olivia.
“We never came up with a name for it, but yeah, that’s a good one,” said Atlas.
“You’d be treated as full members of Fort Bone,” Atlas replied, nodding reassuringly, mentally confirming the name in his head. “You’ll have responsibilities like everyone else, but you won’t be slaves or bait.”
Olivia returned to the group, relaying Atlas’s words. They huddled together, whispering their concerns.
“Maybe it’s safer here,” said August, glancing nervously at the dark forest.
“But what if they’re just using us?” Moonlight whispered, her eyes wide with fear.
“No one’s going to make me bait. I don’t trust him. Did you see their treatment of Snedlie?” Starpo muttered, his fists clenched.
“I don’t think that Atlas would do that.” Olivia said.
After chatting for a while, Olivia and the group eventually chose to stay. They approached Atlas with their decision.
“Well, I’m glad to have you guys here,” Atlas said, smiling. “Here are your contracts. John, Amber, get them set up.”
“So that’s it? You’re definitely not making us into some sort of second-class citizens?” Olivia asked, still uncertain.
“Hell no,” Atlas replied firmly. “But I hope you can see why we couldn’t let people run free during a demon dog attack last night.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Olivia conceded.
“So, what are you going to do?” Atlas asked.
“I think I’ll be a crafter,” Olivia said thoughtfully. “It’ll be a nice change not to have to lead a group.”
“Well, I was thinking we could use someone for our diplomatic team,” Atlas suggested. “I definitely can’t do it, as you can tell. And John’s going to be really busy running the camp.”
“Me, as a diplomat?” Olivia echoed, surprised.
“You did a good job when you came here,” said Atlas.
“Yeah, it turned out really well for us. You captured us. And glued us to the poles.” Olivia shook her head but couldn’t help a rueful smile.
“Hey,” Atlas laughed. “It worked out, didn’t it? You’re all alive. If you hadn’t come, we wouldn’t have known you didn’t have enough defenses, and we wouldn’t have rescued you. Then your whole camp would’ve died.”
Olivia nodded slowly, finally understanding. “Yeah, I get it now.”
“Now get some sleep. Perhaps grab a bath. Actually, definitely get your whole group to take a bath. You’ll all be tired tomorrow.”
‘And having stinky hippies in my camp was not in my plans.‘
‘‘‘
The next morning, Atlas finished his Ultra Manly Buff Bar, it's barely tolerable beef chow mein flavor barely registering as he focused on the day’s plan. Standing in front of the assembled group, he addressed them with a serious tone.
“All right, folks, today is Day 7. It’s going to be a huge clusterfuck. Tonight, a whole bunch of freaked-out, panicking people are going to get portalled in. What do you think is going to happen when that chaos hits?”
John didn’t hesitate, “I can tell you exactly what’s going to happen. People are going to go through the same thing you all did when you first got portalled here. They’ll be scared, disoriented, and dangerous if we’re not ready.”
Amber nodded, recalling the fear and confusion she felt upon arrival. “We definitely need to make preparations for them.”
Atlas agreed. “You’ve got a good idea. We need to turn these shitty defenses into a real fort. We’re probably going to be facing about five demon dogs tonight, so let’s get serious. Also, it’s time to start upgrading our living conditions. These tented-off, tarped areas have served their purpose, but I want us living inside proper houses.”
Olivia spoke up, “Most of us Earth Children prefer living in these tents.”
“Well, anyone who wants a house can buy one,” Atlas responded. “With the contracts out, everyone should have enough coins soon. Since we’ve got more people coming tonight, we need to get them settled in fast. Amber, make sure we have everything ready in a cordoned area, so they can’t run around causing havoc. And no, you don’t need to glue them to poles,” he added with a wry smile.
“So, what are our big needs for tonight?” Atlas continued. “What do we need to get?”
John chimed in, “We need food and water, now. We’ve still got a lot of Soylent, thanks to the Earth Children, but we need to figure out distribution. Food might be short. Even with the big mutated herds of deer we’ve seen roaming around, which were delicious by the way. Are we providing all the food in the camp?”
Atlas shook his head. “No. With the contracts in place, everyone’s going to have to start paying for their own food through the vending machines. We’ll provide one meal of Soylent a day for everyone, just in case someone falls behind. And of course, if they’re sick or there’s a medical emergency, we’ll take care of that. But beyond that, we’re done being a central government that pays for everything. Now’s the time for people to start stepping up. We’ve got a big group of people coming in, and if we try to make them all just follow our orders, it’s going to be anarchy. I’ve seen that happen before, and I’m not letting it happen again.”
The Earth Children quickly divided themselves based on their skills and interests. Five joined the crafters' group, eager to learn and contribute, while one chose to become a porter, ready to assist wherever needed. Atlas, watching them integrate, felt a sense of satisfaction but knew the day’s work was far from over.
‘That’s a few extra lives saved versus last time. It’s not a lot. But it’s a start.‘
“All right, everyone, listen up,” Atlas called out, gathering the team. “I’m heading out too. So, break into your partners, grab your porters, and let’s get moving. We’ve got a lot of hunting to do today before the fairy wipe and before people portal in tonight. Let’s make it count—get a good hunt in, collect coins, smash skeletons. If you see a herd of mutant deer, try to take it down. And remember, we’re doing this together.”
He raised his fist, leading the rallying cry. “Portal Crushers on three! Three, two, one—Portal Crushers!”
The group echoed the shout, their spirits high as they set off.
‘‘‘‘
"Another skeleton group over here!" yelled Isabella.
The crossbows fired from the team, shattering skulls.
CRACK! CRACK!
The porters picked up the bones after the fight. They were all proudly sporting remnants of skeletons in the form of bone armor.
“It feels good to be contributing”, said Lark.
“Well, we definitely appreciate it,” said John.
"Over here! A herd of mutant deer."
The deer were oversized, with vicious venom dripping off the antlers of the stag.
“Go! Go! Go!”
They fired their crossbows.
THWIP!
And missed.
“Fuck!” said Stu.
The mutant deer ran off.
“No, my steaks!” said Hank, the disappointment of not having a nice meal clear in his voice.
They hunted relentlessly throughout the day, gathering coins, destroying skeletons, and maintaining a generally positive vibe despite the looming challenges. The camaraderie and shared purpose fueled them as they worked together, focused on preparing for the unknowns of the night ahead. The only thing they hadn’t accomplished was hunting down one of the mutant deer herds.
‘I really want a steak,‘ thought Hank. ‘I wonder when we will have all the gear we need to survive and can really start chowing down on some good food. Lots of choices in the ASalt&Buttery machine, just don’t have enough coins yet.’
***
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