Choices

A meeting was called involving everyone that was staying on the floor in one of the available rooms that had been cleared out or had been new arrivals that came from another floor.

Brick had stood in front of them all calmly and started to speak towards them. "Me and my group will be leaving very soon so there is an option in front of you all when that times comes.

Do you have the confidence to face the threat outside or would you rather remain here where you may feel safe? Perhaps some of you are hoping for someone to come save you and think that this will all be over very soon but I have to tell you all.. stop dreaming."

"This kid… how rude."

"You ought to speak well to your elders."

"The kid thinks he knows how things will turn out. Where does he get his confidence."

"The young master was right.. following someone like him will only get us into trouble."

Brick rolled his eyes and continued. "Those things greatly outnumber the living and do not need to feed or rest in order to sustain themselves unlike all of you. Do you really think you can outlast them? What happens when your supplies run low? What about when help does not come?"

There were some that had been more vocal previously and protested against him but they had quietened down a little.

It allowed Brick to speak over those that tried to interrupt. "This hotel has been made partly habitable thanks to my efforts but that is only a couple of floors. You still only have so much to split between you all and the consumables will be far less.

You could all survive on snacks and drinks from each room but those will not last too long when there are more of you so you will need a better way to sustain yourselves. The water source is tainted too so you will have to find a way to gain access to a water tank."

It was his honest advice that was given to them based on what he knew about setting up a base and keeping it going in such a building.

Clearing it out and fortifying it was one thing but being able to keep everyone fed and alive was another difficulty they would face if they did not ration what they had or looked for alternative sources of food and drink.

The fridges in each room only had so many snacks and drinks available so even if all of them were put together from the floors that Brick had cleared out, they would only last so long if split between many people.

If they could make their way to a storage room of the hotel then they may have been able to temporarily hold off their future issues but with the lack of power, there would be some things that would spoil quickly and anything frozen would already be useless.

Brick had shown a lot of them how to face off against a zombie and kill them effectively so it was possible for an organised group to take the hotel back if they worked together and did not make any major mistakes that could get themselves or others killed.

The water being supplied to the building was another main issue but there were some buildings that had a water tank that held a reserve supply of water for emergencies even id it was meant for to stop a fire.

If they could get to a water tank that would usually be found on the roof then everyone would have access to usable water which could last them some time.

If they did not ration what they had then there would still run into problems in the future.

Brick continued. "So here is the decision you will all have to make. Will you join me and join the fight against these undead? If so then you will face many dangers but your efforts will surely be rewarded and you ill not have to go hungry.

The second option is to come a part of the way and to take the risks on your own once you go off towards a different location than my group. This option will help you get set up for wherever you may want to go but you will have to face dangers along with us.

You will then have to face dangers on your own once you have split off from the group and we have no obligation to hand over our supplies to you so you will have to use your own or gather more for yourself.

The last option would be to remain here where you can either wait for help or set up a place to survive in for a long time. Well.. it is up to you all but I want everyone to make their decisions quickly. Oh.. and my distribution may be different to how you all do things.

So I am just warning you all in advance that if you come with me then those that contribute and work hard will be the ones to gain what they deserve but if you think that you can get a free ride then you will be left greatly disappointed."

Once he had finished speaking, he left everyone behind to discuss among themselves.

He had told them the truth and given them options to be able to decide their own fate but he was not willing to be taken advantage of any further than he had already been.

It was better to state the cold truths early and to let them know how he was going to handle things if they chose to follow him so that they would not follow along with the hopes of him giving them things and keeping them safe for nothing in return.