- In terms of group survival, a chain of command is required.

  - But in smaller groups, it’s more like a wreath, everyone interlinked.

  - If you lead with bullshit, you’ll get followed with bullshit.

  - Like an ouroboros human centipede. If you give shit, you eat shit.

  - Damn, I’m using a lot of “shit.”

  ---

  Harun killed the last zombie while I gave Nora and Max ten minutes to finish looting. Once the time was up, I called everyone to the center of the plaza.

  “Put your loot on the table, please! Class is in session.” I said, hauling over one of those heavy plaza tables.

  Nora stepped forward, silently dropped her bag, and went back to where she stood. Max followed, placing his own haul beside hers.

  “Oh, I got some of these too.” He reached into his cargo shorts and pulled out mason jars and canned food.

  “I’m surprised your pants held up under all that weight,” Harun said. “Didn’t get over-encumbered? Should I call you Dovahkiin?”

  “The Dragonborn? I’m not that grand,” Max laughed.

  “The honor’s wasted on me,” he added.

  I leaned on the table and began inspecting Nora’s loot first.

  Beeswax. Soap. A couple of knives. Dried fruit. Plastic tarps, twine, ropes, honey, seeds. A shovel, a crowbar, and three hammers.

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  9/10. Lacking in food, but clearly thinking long-term.

  “Nora,” Harun asked, looking over her haul. “What was your thought process while looting?”

  “I figured Max would grab a ton of food,” she said. “So I went for tools and materials instead.”

  Then I turned to Max’s bag.

  Assorted was an understatement.

  Cloth bags. Strawberry jam, blueberry jam. Carving knives. A bucket. Pickled jars, dried nuts, five-kilo bags of rice, empty mason jars, canned food, tablecloth, rags, aprons — and essential oils. A ridiculous amount of essential oils.

  “What’s with all the oils?” I asked.

  “Some of them are antimicrobial, some are good fire starters,” Max explained, sheepishly. “And since some Variants sense by smell, we can use oils to bait or lure them away. The shop was untouched, so I figured, why not?”

  “I’ll admit, I never thought of that,” I said, rummaging through his find. “Smart thinking, Max.”

  “Thanks,” he said, scratching his neck.

  “Alright. Both of you, nitpick your loot. Keep what’s crucial, leave or use what we can’t carry. Nora’s haul is all practical, but Max, you’ll have to cut down. It’s good to plan for the future, but cardio is still the number one survival skill.”

  Max nodded meekly and started separating his things.

  This is still light. I should probably be sterner.

  …Or maybe I’m being too stern already. I don’t know. Maybe just stern enough to set things straight.

  “After that, we rest. Let’s find an easy dwelling,” Harun said, clapping his hands and smiling.

  ---

  Forty minutes later, we were passing through a suburban subdivision. Cheap side of town, houses all connected, alternating layouts. Not ideal. Get caught in the middle of the block, and there’s no way out.

  Still, it was quiet. Peaceful in a way.

  We searched for a house that looked easy to breach. I found one. Climbed the gate and used my sawed-off to blow the lock. Loud — too loud. It will call zombies. I gestured for everyone to hurry inside.

  “There’s just two,” Nora pointed out. “We can handle them.”

  “Max, let’s go.”

  “Get back here!” I hissed.

  Nora ignored me. Max hesitated, then followed her.

  They took care of the zombies quickly, but sloppily.

  Why can’t they listen properly? Am I being too tight… or too loose?

  “Harun,” I said as I walked inside. He was already unrolling his camping bed.

  “Yeah? What’s wrong? Where are Max and Nora?”

  “They decided to play ‘whack-the-zombie’ when I told them to come in.”

  He chuckled. “Maybe they’re just finding out the thrill of ‘surviving.’” He said the word like SpongeBob says ‘Imagination.’ “Let them. I read your Tip Book, Tip 32, remember?”

  “Ride the high,” I said. “You memorized my Tip Book?”

  “Yep. Everything except the new entries. Haven’t had time to sneak a peek.”

  “So I should just let them go full Leeroy Jenkins on the undead?”

  “Why not? They’re adults. As much as we want to keep them safe, they’ll do what they want, same as you.”

  “I was gonna say I’m not like them,” I muttered, “but yeah. Throwing caution to the wind sounds like me.”

  “Exactly. Just bail them out if it goes south, like you did for me when we got chased by Barbie.” He held out a small bag. “Prune?”

  I took a handful. Sour, but keeps me awake. “Thanks.”

  “No prob. I’ll grab the two rookies.”

  Harun stepped out, leaving me with the silence of the half-empty house.

  I sighed.

  I’m really not cut out for this leading thing.

  A chain of command, huh? Sometimes it feels more like a tangle of frayed rope.

  …I miss Jules. I miss Gail and Alex too.

  I hope they’re okay.