Benjamin steps out of the pharmacy with the map spread between him and Elias. Humid air hangs over the street, and the block ahead sits half-swallowed by vines and neglect.
Elias
If we can mark the cross streets, we can keep the house from getting boxed in.
He traces a finger along the paper, then points toward a narrow residential lane where two driveways pinch the road into a natural choke point.
Mara Miller
That corner is good. Fewer angles, easier to watch.
Ahead, the group spots a collapsed mailbox and a knee-high hedge that would slow a rush. Benjamin marks it while Jenny and Louis scan the quiet windows.
Louis
Quiet streets can turn ugly fast.
A distant thud rolls through the block, and every head turns at once. Nothing appears, but the silence after it feels thinner than before.
Benjamin
The map already has three useful turns on it.
With the first intersections logged and the safest route back taking shape, Benjamin's group is no longer just scavenging. They are building a perimeter.
“Is Dane still with us?”
YES (VeryLikely, rolled 32)
Dane
I am still here, Benjamin. Just keeping my eyes on the rear while you handle the navigation.
Benjamin
Dane is trailing a few paces behind the others, his hand resting near the hilt of his blade.
Dane
I know we have had our differences, but I am not going anywhere. We need this perimeter to hold as much as you do.
“Keep walking down the street marking off any houses that look like they might have supplies”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled +1)
Benjamin slows at the next corner, bat tucked low, eyes scanning porches, driveways, and half-open garages for anything worth taking note of.
He taps the map once, then marks the first house with a quick slash, a likely storage shed beside it making the place worth remembering.
A second look catches a cracked mailbox, a chained side gate, and a neighboring home with a soot-stained roof. Benjamin circles both addresses without breaking stride.
Benjamin
The street is quieter than it looks. Good cover, bad visibility.
Behind him, the others keep pace while he tags another stretch of road, each mark tightening the shape of the perimeter in his hands.
Jenny
Two of these houses still have sheds and back entries. Those are worth checking later.
Benjamin makes one last notation at the far end of the block, then pauses at an intersection where the map now shows a clean route back toward the house and several useful stops along the way.
Quest Complete
Map the surrounding streets
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Great→Superb