"Of course we got you some snacks," smiled Zhenlan, his shoulders softening as he pointed to the bags and boxes of supplies sat where they had been dropped. "We can empty them now and you can check them out."
It had been an invitation, a test, and a deciding factor for him... to see what the survivors would do. But no one moved.
Zhenlan looked at Rouxi, but she didn't look up from her phone. And for a moment, nothing happened.
Then Rouxi lifted her hand.
It wasn't a big motion. Just a small flick of her fingers, like she was brushing something away, but the survivors moved immediately.
They didn't rush, or push each other. Instead, they simply stepped forward as if something had been released, each of them moving toward the supplies with quiet purpose.
Hands reached for bags, for boxes, for water. They lifted and carried, turning toward the kitchen, toward the pantry, toward the storage spaces they had already claimed.
No one spoke.
No one argued.
