Page 50 of Ash Fall

"I also talked to two neighboring families," Anders tells us. "Good people. Farm people. They know livestock, equipment, crops, repairs. They've got their own stock and trailers, and both families are coming with us."

"How many people?" Jules asks.

"Nine between the two households."

Jules's expression tightens. "Nine."

"That a problem?"

"No. I'm recalculating supplies."

"Good. Because I think we need more."

That gets several confused looks. Gage folds his arms. "More people?"

"Yes." Anders leans back against the trailer. "Don't make the mistake of thinking fewer mouths automatically makes survival easier. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it just leaves you without enough hands to keep those mouths alive."

We all slowly nod in understanding.

"Think about what we're taking on. We have to move into that mine and make it livable. We'll need people setting up sleeping quarters, sanitation, kitchens, water, ventilation. Someone has to care for the animals every single day. Someone has to work on food production. We'll want crews out scavenging while there's still anything worth getting, and the vehicles and equipment will need constant maintenance with the ash getting into them. People can get sick." His eyes move across all of us. "And security."

Nobody jokes now.

"That one may end up taking more of us than anything else," he continues. "Once the ash starts falling for real and people understand nobody's coming to fix this for them, fear is going to turn ugly. Food gets scarce, medicine gets scarce, fuel gets scarce. A good man with hungry kids can make choices he never thought he'd make."

My arms tighten around myself as I wonder just how far I would go to make sure the people I love survive. What I find scares me a little bit.

"You understand what I'm telling you?"

"Yeah," Gage says.

"People won't all be bad, and that's just as important to remember. But desperate people can be dangerous whether they're good people or not."

"He's right," Torrin says.

Anders gestures toward the road. "We'll want a watch posted around the clock, more than one person at a time if we're smart, and rotations so nobody gets exhausted. Put the same ten people on guard every night while they're working twelve hours during the day, and they'll start missing things. They'll make bad calls."

My eyes move around our group and count. Even with the two neighboring families, he's right. I picture Gage moving equipment all day and then standing watch all night. Torrin trying to work after two hours of sleep. Reid already overwhelmed by voices he can't control. Jules making decisions while exhausted. Mars pushing himself past his limits because he thinks suffering is something he owes us. It would break us down fast.

"We need enough people that everyone gets to sleep properly," I say quietly.

Anders looks at me. "Exactly."

"But how do we know who to trust?"

That's the part that scares me. How do we let people join us when we don’t know them? They could let others in, steal our food, cause fights.

Jules answers before Anders can. "We don't." His tone is flat. "We vet everyone we can. Nobody gets access to everything. Weapons stay controlled, food storage stays controlled, and we build layers of security."

Kara lifts one eyebrow. "Look at you becoming a bunker dictator."

"Someone has to keep you people alive."

"Dictators are rarely good for group morale."

Jules gives her the finger. Kara smiles sweetly, and the tension eases enough for a few of us to laugh.

Anders scratches his chin. "I'm not saying invite every stranger we come across. I'm saying don't turn away useful, decent people just because we're scared of numbers. Skill matters. Character matters. Community matters."