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AA 1.47 - Lunch in the Park
🕑 Added 2025-06-30 17:24:56 +0000 UTCEnjoy the chapter :)
-Plum
47 – Lunch in the Park
When he reached the little park, Andy was surprised to find it crowded. Kids were running all over the place, and people were sitting around at folding tables on lawn furniture. It was such a different scene from what he'd have seen before the System came that he had to stop and take it all in for a moment. Things had changed a lot for their little community, and the deaths and mayhem were only the start of it.
The weather was a significant factor; although it was still hot during the day, the occasional breeze from the east made the heat feel more bearable. More than that, as the sun started dipping in the west, the temperature dropped noticeably. Then, there was the issue of electricity. The insides of the trailers were gloomy unless you wanted to burn up some fuel, and who wanted to waste a valuable resource like that? And then, you had to consider the kids and how they entertained themselves—no more screens of any kind.
In other words, the community had moved outdoors, and now they were part of each other’s entertainment. Chatting, checking for news, discussing the System, and all the weird stuff it had brought with it—those things had replaced scrolling on social media. “And it’s only been a few days.”
Lucy spotted him and waved. She was in the park, standing near one of the folding tables. Andy waved back and walked over.
“Hey! I got us a spot. Sit down.” She pointed to a lawn chair.
“Whose chair? I don’t want to take—”
“No, it’s fine. Bernice said these were for the ‘community.’ Everyone’s sort of pitching in.” She pointed to the table. “Look what I got for us.”
Andy smiled when he saw two lunch-sized bags of potato chips and napkin-wrapped sandwiches beside two light beers. Peering closely, he asked, “What’s in those?”
“The sandwiches? First of all, I didn’t make them. Tasha—you know, one of the people you rescued from Construction City?”
“Yeah,” Andy nodded, sitting down in the lawn chair.
“She’s volunteering in the supply trailer, and she and another lady in there are making sandwiches and stuff for people. Anyway, that’s spam.”
“Oh, shit, really? I’ve never had it.”
She nodded. “Spam and ketchup. I haven’t tried it yet, either. Anyway, when they heard I was getting food for you and me, they gave us these, too.” Surreptitiously, she pulled a half sleeve of Oreos out of her hoodie’s pocket.
“Oh, nice!” Andy felt saliva spring into his mouth and was suddenly achingly aware of his empty stomach. “Let’s try that spam.”
Lucy passed him a sandwich, and Andy unwrapped the napkin before taking a big bite. He chewed and swallowed, then shrugged. “Not bad. Kinda like ham.”
He watched as Lucy took a bite—much smaller than his—and chewed. After a minute, she shook her head. “Not my favorite, but I’m hungry.” She took another bite.
Andy picked up one of the beers and twisted off the top. “Warm beer, but you know what? I don’t care.”
Lucy smiled, nodding as she chewed. She still had bloodstains on her hands, and Andy was sure he was filthy too. The thought prompted him to ask, “Did you see the showers?”
She set her sandwich down and reached for her beer. “Yep. Going to go there after this.”
Andy thought it sounded like a good idea. “Me too.” He glanced at the sun. “Then I’m gonna take a nap. I think I might go out again tonight.”
She looked at him sharply. “Why?”
“Turns out the System gave James a pretty weird crafting quest, and one of the things he needs is a rattlesnake skin.”
“Oh my gosh!” She sipped her beer. “Seriously?”
Andy shrugged, smiling crookedly. “Yeah, for real. Also, I figure I should scout out the enemy.”
“I’d come with, but I’d just slow you down, right?”
“Unfortunately, yeah. My Umbral Warden class gives me that spell that lets me run faster in the dark. Plus, I can hide from things I don’t want to mess with.” He took another bite and chewed, watching Lucy as she did the same. Her eyes drifted around the park, watching the kids play. After a minute, he asked, “Did you get a level for bringing the food here?”
“I did! Got an improvement point, too.”
“I was going to ask you that. I bet your Monster Hunter class gives you more improvement points than your plain old Hunter one did.”
She sipped her drink, then narrowed her eyes as she asked, “What makes you say that? Just because it has a fancier name?”
“Well, I don’t think it’s a—well, I dunno… basic class. You had to do something different to upgrade your Hunter class. I don’t think my classes are basic either. That’s why I’ve been earning more improvement points than you.”
“You think so?”
Andy nodded. “Remember how I talked to you about intention?”
“Yeah…” She continued to narrow her eyes as she took another bite.
“Well, I think the damn System is always in here”—he tapped his temple—“and I think the frickin’ thing is trying to, like, determine if we’re being smart by planning the use of our improvement points, and maybe even rewarding us if we are. I think it goes beyond improvement points, too. Like, um, remember those wolves we killed at Sandy’s place?”
She put her sandwich down, cocking her head sideways at him. “What’s going on?”
Andy sighed, shaking his head. “I’m just trying to get this out before I get busy with something again and don’t remember to tell you stuff that might help you.”
“Don’t remember? I mean, we walked through the desert together for hours. Plenty of chatting we could have done, but you were quiet most of the way.” She pushed a bag of chips at him, and Andy stalled his response for a few seconds while he opened it.
“I mean, what I said was at least half of it. I haven’t had much sleep, and I keep running off to deal with stuff—fair point, though. I had time to talk to you. I think… I think part of it is that I’ve felt guilty. I feel almost like the System’s spoiling me, and I don’t want to rub it in when people are working just as hard and getting less reward for it. I mean, that was how I was thinking, but now I wonder if there’s something you others can do to get more out of it.”
Lucy pulled open her chip bag. “So what about the wolves?”
“Uh, when we killed them, it gave me something called a ‘notable distinction’ called ‘Mark of the Predator.’ It basically says I’m more intimidating now.” He laughed. “But I haven’t seen that play out much.”
She chewed on a chip for a moment, then smiled at him. “I see why you were feeling guilty. I helped with that fight as much as you did!”
Andy nodded. “Exactly.”
“Anyway, two things: one, haven’t you noticed how people around here respect you? I mean, sure, you’re a good guy and you’ve done a lot for the community, but I think maybe you're wrong about that thing not working. The other thing is that I’ve gotten one of those distinctions, too.” She grinned like she’d just gotten away with stealing.
“Okay—” Andy laughed, shaking his head. “I feel dumb. Well, what was it?”
“Archer’s Grace—I got it for ‘shooting my foes while they assailed my companions.’ Hah, so, I guess you’re to blame for me getting it. I’m always shooting monsters that are surrounding you.” She shrugged. “So, yeah, you’re not the only one.” She smiled up at him, and Andy felt like it was the most genuine joy he’d seen out of her since they’d met. Her eyes were bright in the afternoon sun, and he could see little dimples in her cheeks as she looked away shyly when she realized he was staring.
“You’re pretty surprising, you know that?” Andy leaned back and drank more of his beer—it was warm and a little flat, and he could barely taste the alcohol, but it was damn good after the day he’d had.
Lucy shifted so she could lean back in her chair more easily as she stretched out her feet and continued munching on her chips. After a few comfortable moments, she said, “So, are you done confessing, then?”
Andy chuckled. “Confessing, huh? Well, I guess so. I was feeling pretty guilty.”
“Don’t be dumb. We’ve known each other for a few days, and so far you’ve been pretty great. I don’t expect you to share every little thing with me.” She waved her mostly empty beer bottle, indicating the people in the park. “Most of these folks, and especially the kids, have lost someone. Everyone’s lost something, but look how… positive they are. You have to know that’s in large part because of you, right?”
Andy couldn’t deny having noticed how everyone looked over at him now and then, and there wasn’t an ounce of hostility in their eyes. They looked at him, and if he caught them, they smiled. It was strange as hell for a guy who’d been trying to lay low and sulk for the last year. “I’m just—”
“Don’t you dare say something corny, like ‘doing my best,’ or ‘doing what anyone else would do.’ I’m serious! You’re the highest-level person here by a long shot, and yet you choose to stick around and help us muddle through this mess. I mean, sure, I’d probably be okay with my bow, but half the people in this settlement don’t have a clue about life-or-death. If they had to fight without your help…” She trailed off, shaking her head.
Andy reached over and jostled her shoulder. “Without our help. You’ve been pretty great, too.”
She gave him another half-smile as she pulled out her roll of Oreos. She took two out and handed him the rest. “Eat ’em all, you’re twice my size.”
Andy looked inside the waxy paper and counted four. “Not really fair…”
“Nah, I’m full from all that spam.” She grinned, then stuffed a cookie in her mouth whole.
Andy shrugged and stuffed one in his mouth. He ate his four cookies about as fast as she ate two. When they were done, they gathered up their trash, separating their beer bottles out because… well, because it was the apocalypse, and who knew when people would be able to make things like glass bottles again?
Lucy gestured toward the lane. “Showers?”
Andy held up a finger and nodded at the System Node. “We got a new boon point. I haven’t looked at the settlement menu in a while. Gimme a sec.” While she waited, looking on patiently, Andy pulled up the menu:
Settlement Menu:
Settlement Name: Sleepy Saguaro Trailer Park
Leader: Andy West
Successor: Lucy Huff
Active Effects: Newly Settled – 22 hours remaining
Settlement Level: 1
Citizens: 63
Boons:
System Node
Freshwater Spring
Natural Bulwark
Boon Points: 1
Boons Available:
Forager’s Bounty
Hearthflame Ember
Veil of Stillness
Quests Available:
1. Sabotage the Surveyors: Scouts from Hardhead Construction City have been exploring the desert close to Sleepy Saguaro. If left unchecked, they may bring conflict to your doorstep.
Objective: Locate and disrupt the Hardhead scouts’ efforts.
Threats: Hardhead scouts and hostile fauna.
Reward: Experience, (possible) Improvement Points, System-Generated Treasure, (possible) Settlement Boon.
2. Strike the Enemy: Hardhead has an outpost in the foothills of the Catalinas. They could be gathering intel on your settlement even now!
Objective: Seek out their advance base and destroy it.
Threats: Hostile defenders from Hardhead, hostile fauna, and potential environmental hazards.
Reward: Experience, System-Generated Treasure, (possible) Crafting Materials, (possible) Improvement Points, (possible) Settlement Boon.
While he looked it over, he said, “We’re level one, now. Maybe ’cause we’re up to 63 citizens.”
“Yeah?”
Andy nodded absently, looking over the boons. “We have the same boon options. I was hoping for something new.”
“Is the forager one still there?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, we might want that. We can only scavenge for so long.”
“True. I mean, there might be tons of food in the city—big supermarkets and stuff—but who knows what kinds of monsters or people are there eating that stuff up?”
“It’s not something you need to decide this second; we have enough food for a while.”
“Right.” Andy hesitated briefly, not sure he wanted to get embroiled in more adventuring, but then he decided it wasn’t something that should be put off. “There are a couple of quests, too. We might want to think about getting some folks together and dealing with them. My snake project might have to wait.”
