The front door of Benjamin’s house slams shut behind them, and the deadbolt bites home with a heavy clack. Inside, the living room feels suddenly huge and still after the street’s noise.
Jenny and Louis help lower the injured survivor onto the rug. The Miller woman hovers close, one hand at her throat, watching the room like she is trying to believe it is safe.
Mara Miller
My name is Mara Miller. Thank you... for getting us in here.
Benjamin’s house holds the silence for a beat, broken only by the injured survivor’s shaky breathing and the soft scrape of boots on wood.
Louis
Let me look at the leg first. Just keep pressure off it.
Jenny
I’ll stay by the door. If anyone needs water, say so.
Mara nods once, then glances from Benjamin to the others, her guarded face loosening into tired relief. The injured survivor is finally still enough to be checked over.
✓ Quest Accepted
Care for the injured survivor
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what Mara Miller wants
“"And what about you two? What are your names?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Leadership, rolled -1)
Benjamin
And what about you two? What are your names?
Dane
I’m Dane. I’ve got her up front, I’m not here to start trouble.
Mara Miller
Mara already told you mine. This is my brother, Dane.
Dane shifts his weight, still keeping himself between Benjamin and the injured survivor, but the edge in his posture eases when he says it.
Mara Miller
You got us inside. That counts for something.
Dane
And if you’re asking what we want, it’s simple. Help him, then help us figure out what happens next.
Louis glances up briefly, then returns to the leg, while Jenny keeps her post by the door and watches the room without interrupting.
Mara Miller
After that, I can tell you what I know about the Miller place. It matters, and it isn’t all bad.
“I check the injured survivor’s leg”
SUCCESS (Good First Aid, rolled -1)
Benjamin kneels beside the injured survivor, careful not to jostle the leg Louis has just wrapped. He eases the cloth back and studies the swelling, the torn skin, and the ugly angle where the pain settles.
The wound is dirty but not shattered. Benjamin finds no bone sticking through, only a deep, angry strain around the joint and blood dried into the hair above the ankle.
Benjamin
Sprain or bad twist, not a break.
Arthur
That bad?
Benjamin adjusts the bandage with a steadier hand, checking the circulation in their foot and tightening the support just enough to hold.
Louis
He’ll need to keep weight off it, but it’s workable.
Mara Miller
So he’s not going to lose it.
Dane exhales through his nose, watching Benjamin’s hands instead of the front door for once. The room stays tense, but the injury stops looking like a countdown.
Quest Complete
Care for the injured survivor
New Gift: Field Medic