Benjamin hauls himself out of the crawlspace, the oilcloth bundle heavy in his arms. He lowers it to the cabin floor with a dull thud.
Jenny stares at the cache, then at the dimming window. Louis swallows hard, already doing the math in his head.
Jenny
Weeks of food. Weeks of medicine. If nothing else goes wrong, this changes everything.
Benjamin starts opening the bundle, revealing bandages, antibiotics, and sealed rations. Hope flickers across the room, quick and bright.
Louis
This is enough to keep us going. For a while.
Then the cabin settles into silence again. Outside, the woods go strangely still as the last light drains from the treeline.
Jenny
Dane should be back by now.
Louis looks toward the door, jaw tight. The new supplies promise survival, but Dane's missing return turns the stash into a deadline.
✓ Quest Accepted
Find Dane
“"I can stay with Elias. Jenny? Louis? Go out and search for Dane."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Leadership, rolled +0)
Benjamin straightens from the crawlspace and shuts the bundle with a firm hand. The cabin feels smaller now, crowded by supplies and by the missing chair Dane should have filled.
Benjamin
I stay with Elias. Jenny, Louis, go find Dane.
Jenny
Got it. We move quiet, we come back fast.
Louis
I’ll take the door side. If he made it back, we’ll catch him before he wanders off.
Jenny snatches up her gear and checks the window line first. Louis grabs his weapon and angles toward the door, already scanning the darkening trees.
Benjamin eases the cache closer to the wall, keeping it out of sight. The new stores are real, and that makes every minute Dane stays gone feel heavier.
Outside, the woods remain still. Inside, the two-search party waits for the door to open on the wrong man, the right man, or nothing at all.
“Did Dane seem emotionally stable before he left?”
YES (Unlikely, rolled 30)
Benjamin
Dane was steady. He was focused on the perimeter, not on his own nerves.
Elias
He was calm, Benjamin. Maybe too calm. He didn't say much, but he didn't look like a man about to break.
Elias shifts his weight, wincing as his shoulder brushes the rough cabin wall. He looks at Benjamin with a tired, knowing expression.
Elias
Some people just get quiet when they have a job to do. He wasn't scared. He was just... ready.
“"Well me and my people are here for you, man. You've been helping us out ever since we rescued you guys from that house. That much means something."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Leadership, rolled +0)
Benjamin
Me and my people are here for you, man. You've been helping us out ever since we rescued you guys from that house. That means something.
Elias
He lets that land, then lowers his eyes to the floorboards. For the first time, his jaw loosens instead of tightening.
Elias
Yeah. I know. I just keep thinking I should be doing more than sitting around.
Benjamin's words take some of the strain out of the room. Elias shifts his good hand against the wall and gives a small, tired nod, like he is accepting a weight he did not realize he was still carrying.
Elias
You pulled me out of a bad end, kept me fed, and let me help. That counts, Benjamin.
He reaches into his pocket with care and sets a folded scrap on the floor between them, a quick count of beans, canned fruit, and two sealed water pouches penciled in neat, ration-sized marks.
Elias
If Dane comes back, tell him we still have enough to hold for a while. If he doesn't... we keep the cabin.
