The Endgame Chronicles (by Hugh White) novel Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Hayley’s territory looked completely different now.

The vegetable patch had been cleared and organized. The fresh greens were stacked neatly in the shade, sorted into tidy piles. All the weeds were gone. The chicken and duck pens had been cleaned, and all broken parts were patched. The whole place looked spotless, inside and out.

Hayley was more than satisfied. The soldiers really did know how to work.

“Boss, where do we store all these vegetables?”

“No rush. Wash a few for now. Tonight, we’re having stew.”

The second the word “stew” left her mouth, the guys who had been sprawled out as if they didn’t have a care in the world suddenly perked up with shining eyes.

Before long, Hayley had set up a big pot over the fire. Beef and chicken bones went in first to make a hearty, golden broth, followed by a packet of seasoning.

Then came the good stuff. Fresh meats, fish, and crisp vegetables were laid out like a feast. Ethan and the others couldn’t help but lick their lips in anticipation.

“Boss, that’s a ton of food!”

Hayley gave him a look. “This is nothing. I told you, stick with me, and eating well is the baseline. Get used to it.”

The guys‘ ears practically twitched at her words. One by one, they glanced at Leonard, envy

faces.

Baseline. Get used to it.

ritten all over their

Back at the base, things were nothing like this. They had left with only a few packs of hardtack and a few cans of beef.

With food shortages hitting hard, soldiers like them were the first to lose rations. Meals got downgraded to one dish, one bowl of soup, and some grain. The “soup” was little more than cloudy water with a few scraps of veggies floating inside.

Even that was considered lucky. Plenty of people couldn’t even get bread.

Compared to Hayley’s place, the difference wa

akin to heaven and hell.

She dropped more chunks of beef, slices of pork, fresh shrimp, and pieces of fish into the bubbling broth. The smell was so rich and mouthwatering that the guys could practically taste it on their tongues.

God, they wanted some!

“Let’s eat,” one of the guys said.

“Eat?” Derek muttered, turning away. Watching her feast while they gnawed on hard biscuits was torture. “I can’t.

“Then drink some water,” Gavin sighed. “Pretend it’s food.”

So they sipped water, trying to fool their stomachs, clinging to the hope that Leonard might sneak something to

them later.

+25 Bonus

When Hayley finally finished eating, she wiped her mouth and spoke before Leonard could even open his mouth.” Leonard, pack up the rest. Looks like you can’t eat much. I’ll make smaller portions next time.”

The guys immediately widened their eyes. 1

Leonard was just as blindsided. He had only eaten until he was about two–thirds full, hoping to leave leftovers for his squad. But now…

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