Under the oak’s heavy shadow, Benjamin and the others drop into a loose circle around the stone. The map lies open, its fresh marks bright against the grit. For a moment, nobody speaks. The street beyond them is quiet, only leaves shifting and distant city noise from deeper Old Orleans.
Jenny
We covered a lot of ground. More than I expected.
Louis
That route back home is real now. That helps.
Jenny taps the circled houses with two fingers, then lets her hand fall to her side. Louis keeps his eyes on the map, shoulders a little less tight than before. Mara and Dane stay posted at the edge of the camp, scanning the road by habit, but their stances look less strained.
Mara Miller
If those places still have storage, we are not starting from nothing.
Dane
And if the house holds, we can actually build something there. Walls, supplies, the whole deal.
Jenny
I like the sound of that. Better than running until we drop.
Louis glances toward Benjamin, then back to the map, as if measuring the weight of the next step. The group settles into the pause, breathing steadier now, with the stone, the oak, and the marked streets all holding the shape of a plan.
“I check the marked houses for supplies”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled +1)
Benjamin rises from the stone and follows the first circled house on the map. The gate hangs open, and the front walk is choked with weeds, but the porch is quiet. He checks the windows, then slips around the side with his bat ready.
Benjamin
The side door is the best angle.
At the back step, he finds a shed door already cracked loose. Inside, two intact water jugs sit beside a sealed crate of canned food, all dry and untouched. A small stash of batteries and a roll of duct tape is tucked behind the crate.
Jenny
That is better than we hoped.
Benjamin marks the house with a quick slash on the map, then checks the second circled address. The garage there is locked, but the rear window has been shoved inward just enough for him to see a half-full toolbox, a coil of rope, and a package of flour on the shelf.
Louis
That gives us food and repair stuff. We can work with that.
Mara steps closer, eyes narrowing at the penciled notes. Dane lifts their chin toward the street, listening while Benjamin finishes tagging the new supplies route. The map now holds a clear haul path, and both houses are usable before the light fades.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure supplies from the marked houses
“I will start loading the water jugs and canned food into our packs.”
SUCCESS (Good Strength, rolled -1)
Benjamin is already moving, scooping the first jug up by its handle and shrugging it into an open pack. The plastic thumps once against the stone, then settles as he tightens the straps.
He drags the sealed food crate closer, cracks it open, and starts stacking cans into the remaining bags with quick, economical hands. The weight spreads out cleanly instead of dragging one pack down.
Jenny
That balance is perfect. We can carry all of it without wasting a trip.
Louis kneels in and takes the duct tape and batteries, tucking them into a side pocket before they rattle loose. Mara steadies the second jug while Dane watches the street, then steps in to pass over the flour and rope.
Mara Miller
We are not leaving anything useful behind.
Benjamin cinches the last strap, and the packs sit full and ready on the stone. Behind the crate, he notices a folded store receipt with a handwritten note on the back, a second nearby address and a short line about a locked pantry.
Dane
Benjamin, do you want the next stop marked too?
Quest Complete
Secure supplies from the marked houses