It took about an hour to get everyone comfortable. It was warm outside, so no one needed blankets, just somewhere to sleep. The kids were the toughest to settle, bouncing off the walls after their confinement. Jennifer, Carl's daughter, took charge and had the four children set up in one room after minimal fussing. Jennifer and Deena took the one right next to them, and Diana was solo in the final one. Travis looked at his wife questioningly, but Deena shook her head.

"Boys are downstairs, for now, honey. We'll figure something out soon."

Diana looked like she would say something but hunched her shoulders and returned to her room. Joe watched it all play out and felt sadness for about the hundredth time today. They were all a little broken in this group. In a way, it made it easier, though. Joe had made many mistakes in the last two years and even more in the last week. If everyone around him were making perfect choices in the face of the apocalypse, it would be difficult to drag himself out of bed in the morning.

The men didn't need to divide much. They had two mattresses and two chairs. Joe suggested they needed to have two on watch at any given time since they had the people to do it. Diana and Deena would take the first shift and wake up Joe and Nik when they were tired. Carl and Mike would take the last watch. Everyone packed away the little gear they had and assembled in the lower level. Joe was asked very politely to move his ridiculously large polearm to the living room, and dinner was laid out. The rescued group had done a great job hiding food. There was enough stale bread and canned beans that everyone had something in their stomach with enough for a second meal.

Diana looked at Joe as people were sipping water with her eyebrows raised. Joe looked back and shrugged. He had no idea what she was getting at. It had been a long day, and he was pretty tired. Diana pointed to the side of her hip with the same raised eyebrows. Joe still didn't get what she wanted. He tilted his head with a confused expression on his face. Diana rolled her eyes and came over and grabbed Joe's arm, pulling him away from the wall he'd been leaning against.

"Excuse us a moment," Diana said, "we'll be right back."

Joe was dragged into the garage, which was poorly lit from its single small window letting in the fading light. He looked at Diana as she let go and almost unconsciously stepped back two spaces. Joe didn't sigh. These things took a lot of time. He knew that if she stuck around, she'd be comfortable around him someday.

"Yessss?" Joe drug the word out to its fullest possible length to emphasize that he had no idea what she wanted.

"The berries. Joe, what are we going to tell the new guy about the berries?"

"I figured we'd hand one out each after dinner and explain it to everyone in one go. It would be easiest that way. After that, we should save them for emergencies."

Diana's mouth hung open for a moment before she reflexively closed it. She stared at Joe for a moment before she regained her speech.

"You are just going to tell everyone? Everyone? Nik seems like a decent guy, but we don't know him. These berries are our single greatest asset right now. Are you really going to give him one?"

"First of all, it would be rude to give one to everyone but him." Joe enjoyed the stunned look on Diana's face. He knew it was poor form to tease her after the day they'd had, but he couldn't resist. "Second, he kept up with my running after you guys without any issues. He's not level one and not from here or Dublin. Think about it."

"He's got access to a different rift." Diana's words were a whisper, as if she was afraid they would run away if she were too loud.

"Got it in one." Joe didn't bother to hide the big grin on his face. "It might be a better situation with a group that doesn't hate us. If we want his trust, I think we need to give some as well. Besides, it's only a matter of time. I'm sure half of Plain City knows something by now."

"Hhhhmmmm." Diana pondered Joe's statement for a minute and then nodded to him with a small smile. "You are actually kinda smart for a big dumb animal that gets hurt all the time."

"I'll take it. Let's head back in before people wonder what we're talking about."

The pair went back in, and everyone's eyes turned to look at them. Diana blushed slightly, but Joe just smiled. This conversation would be the fun part of the day, and the little kids would especially love the thought of magic berries. Plus, if they were like him, no one was feeling particularly full after the hobo dinner half an hour earlier. Joe held up his hand and cleared his throat. It wasn't hard to get silence in the small group, and he launched forward with the conversation.

The newcomers were skeptical, and Nik seemed unimpressed. Joe ate a berry first and let it diffuse through him, healing the minor muscle tears before slightly helping his more significant injuries. Mainly the extra nourishment took the edge off his hunger. Now that he'd eaten one in front of everyone, he passed them out around the room. Everyone watched the kids eat one. Their faces showed anticipation followed by disappointment. That lasted only for a moment when the effects kicked in.

"They really are magic berries," Jennifer said to her father.

Nik still looked skeptical as Joe explained to the adults how to try and move the flows of energy towards the part of their bodies that needed it most. If they didn't, it would make them slightly healthier and give them extra nourishment. Then Joe told them that if they practiced in a rift, there was a chance of getting a bonus attribute.

"What!?" Nik's outburst stunned everyone but Joe and Diana. Joe knew he was dropping bombs on the other man, but he was determined to show Nik they were open and honest. "What do you mean bonus Attributes?"

"Yeah, I was pissed when I found out." Deena commented off to the side while her husband stared at her. She looked back at him. "I was going to tell you later. It only seems to work in rifts."

Joe then had a ten-minute impromptu lecture on everything they knew about bonus Attributes and rifts. Nik's eyes were wide when he finally put the berry in his mouth. He scrunched those eyes shut a moment later, and from the scowl on his face, he was trying to follow the energy flow. Joe gave him the time and smiled out at the group. He faced Nik and sat down a few feet away. The ladies hustled the kids upstairs while Carl, Mike, and Travis cleaned the kitchen. After fifteen minutes, Nike opened his eyes and looked over at Joe.

"That's a lot of information to give to a stranger."

"Trust needs to be shown on both sides. You trusted us when you came here, and I'm trusting you with what we know. If you want to work together, it's better if we're all on the same page."

"You know about our rift." Nik's words were flat as they hung in the air. He didn't speak it as a question.

"Yeah. You move too quickly to be level one and aren't from here. It wasn't too hard to figure out."

"What do you want?"

Joe took a moment to answer. Nik's gaze was unwavering as he stared back at Joe. Honesty had worked well for him, so Joe went forward with the truth.

"We want to kill those monsters in the fields. To do that, we need to get stronger, and the locals aren't friendly if they aren't in charge. Hell, Frank isn't friendly even when he is in charge. If we can find a new rift, that would be ideal. Besides, aside from the berries, this rift sucks."

Nik sighed after Joe finished speaking. Joe hoped it wasn't a bad sign, but he was terrible at reading body language, so he had to wait for Nik to explain himself.

"Our rift is small. It has six rooms and a boss. It can only get someone up to level two. There are no special rewards, just the bodies of the animals you kill. It's good for food and skins but not leveling."

It was Joe's turn to sigh. That sucked. He'd been hoping that he could relocate the whole crew to someplace that didn't have it out for him. That was certainly still an option, but Joe wasn't going to leave the area until those monsters were dead. Joe admitted to himself that it would be a bad idea to have the kids and low-level adults exposed on the road while those hounds were still alive. Without cover, it was a massacre waiting to happen. That was probably why Nik came over solo in the first place.

"Well," Joe said, "food isn't nothing. The berries are supplementing us for now while we work on a garden, but actual meat would be amazing. You know, if we can take those damned hounds out, we could set up a pretty easy trade route."

At that point, both men lapsed into silent thought. Joe had given Nik a lot to think about, and he had plenty to mull over himself. The situation was more complex than he'd wanted, but what else was new. Joe knew that was how life was working lately, and the sooner he learned to roll with it, the easier it would be in the long run. Life wasn't going to get simpler to make Joe happy.

The sun had almost set, and the room was getting very dark. Joe could still see OK, but Mike and Carl had to shuffle their way to the mattress in the corner. The ladies came down to take the first watch, and Joe motioned for Nik to take the other mattress. He gathered up a scavenged towel for a pillow and laid down on the ground out of the way. After the day's stress, it took him very little time to drift off to sleep.

Diana shook Joe awake sometime later. The room was pitch black except for the sliver of moonlight coming in from the windows. Deena nudged Nik's mattress with her foot, and he came awake quickly and quietly. Joe sat in the kitchen, facing the small window to the side, and Nik was under the arch. The night passed quietly with only the loud buzz of insects and frogs from the pond punctuated by the occasional call of a night bird. It would have been peaceful if Joe wasn't straining his senses to ensure that nothing snuck up on them.

The moon wasn't far from the horizon when Joe nudged Carl and Mike awake. Both men made it to their feet, though quiet would never be their strong suit. Once the men had settled into their watch, Joe took one mattress and Nik the other before drifting off to sleep again. This time Joe's dreams were less pleasant. Shadowy shapes and figures darted around and grabbed for him as he walked toward someone. The person turned around, and it was Dylan, the guard who'd died.

Joe awoke with a start. He brushed the sleep from his eyes and swore under his breath until his heart rate dropped. Things had been so crazy lately that he'd been too tired for his subconscious to torment him with his failures. Apparently, that moratorium was over. Joe shook his head and glanced over at the windows. It had only been a few hours, and sunlight was starting to creep through the house in earnest. He stood up and dusted himself off before quietly greeting Carl and Mike. They said it had been all clear with only the distant sounds of a few roosters coming from town.

Eggs. Joe would do a lot to get some eggs in the near future. Bacon. Joe would do so many things to get his hands on eggs and bacon. This trade with Nik's group had to work out so that Joe could get some meat back in his diet. Besides, it was in everyone's best interest anyway. Joe contented himself with a glass of warm water and thought about the day. They had mouths to feed and one more meal for the group. Everyone was going to have to hustle today, and it would still be a berry-dependent plan in the short term.

It only took an hour for everyone in the house to wake up and handle their morning bodily needs. Breakfast was a spartan affair with rationing bread and a pretty gross can of corned beef. No one received a berry supplement today as they were running relatively low. There was plenty of warm water to wash it down, but they were also at the end of that. Joe called everyone's attention and started going over the plan.

"Hey everybody, glad to have you here." Joe started with a smile. He focused on the newcomers and children so that they felt included. "But, we're hitting a pretty big resource shortage. I've got an idea, though. I say we speedrun the rift in groups of two."

There were plenty of wide eyes and questioning looks, but no one interrupted him. Joe was happy that they had a cohesive group. All it would take is one whiner, and the team spirit would go right down the tubes. His proposal wouldn't be the most popular but could solve many of their problems. Joe looked over at Nik before he spoke again.

"If you need to get back this second, I'll help you get there. Promises need to be kept. But, if you can stick around for a day, I think this would help both of us."

"I'm listening."

"Great. If we have two groups of two speedrun the rift at the same time, we could maximize our berry yield and potentially gain some stats and levels, but we would need to enter after Frank or anybody else goes home. The night crew is usually a bit easier to handle. No offense."

Joe punctuated his last statement by looking over at Carl and Mike. They had been the night crew before defecting over to Joe's team. They'd been surprisingly good guys considering they took bribes to let him in the rift.

"None taken," Carl said. "If we're willing to risk the night, the rift should be open. I talked to one of the guards before we left. Not everyone is happy about how Frank is handling things. He let me know all guards are back behind the walls before sundown."

"That simplifies things. It's still a risk, but it gets us access, and the rest of the plan is valid. One team can be overwatch from Diana's old townhouse, and the other two can go through as fast as possible."

"Do we need an overwatch?" Diana entered the conversation, and Joe was surprised at the question. "If we all went through at the same time, it would be a bigger haul."

"It would," Joe conceded. "But, I feel better knowing that if there is some issue, there would be someone around to help once they exited the rift. I don't want anything to happen to anyone."

Everyone nodded at that, and Joe took it as decided.

"Teams are the D-Team followed by Nik and I. Carl and Mike, you are on overwatch. We'll rotate things as needed to get experience and essence."

Nik seemed surprised at the team placement, and both women frowned at his team nickname. One day Joe would manage not to annoy people with bad jokes, but he hoped it wouldn't be any day soon. Now it was time to direct everyone to their tasks during the day. If everyone were going to live here, it would take some work.

"Carl and Diana, you are on garden duty. Let's test out Carl's skill and get some plants going around here. Anything will be better than what we have. Diana, Carl is the only one with an active external skill. Watch him like a hawk. You are our best chance at figuring out magic."

Diana's cheeks colored ever so slightly, and she nodded at Joe's statement. It was all true. They needed a garden and magic. With Diana's plethora of detection skills, she had the best chance of any of them to figure it out.

"Nik and Mike, I'd like you to scout out the rest of the neighborhood. Mike, we need to get you some supplies and set up a proper workshop in the garage. You've done great without it so far. Let's see if we can make things easier. Deena, Travis, and Jennifer work out a watch schedule and see if we can get the kids hauling in water. First to the garden and then here. We can purify it this afternoon."

"What trouble are you causing today?" Diana's question was a little cheeky, but Joe admitted that it wasn't without merit.

"No trouble for a change. I'm going to cross the road and dig a latrine. Any of you are welcome to join me."

Surprisingly, Joe had no takers on his offer.