Bad Leader

John woke up earlier than others as always and visited the bakery to buy bread again. They were walking around the city yesterday night and it took them a few hours since they needed to be sure no one is following them at the same time trying to not look suspicious so this time he bought bread in normal hours. He strikes a deal that he will get 3 bronze coins for 2 days of moving flour from the windmill to him. While he was going back to the cemetery John suddenly felt something small and wet dropping on the back of his hand and then again and again.

'Rain!'

As soon as John understood the situation he started running to gather everyone and move.

'Being sick is almost certain game over for us now! We need to stay under the roof or something. I can only hope that they will let us all stay in one room in an inn and now it's almost certain that we will encounter bandits.'

"Everyone, get up, we will it while walking. We can't stay here because of the rain, we need to stay tonight in an inn. If anyone has any useful abilities tell me. I will try and get you a job. By staying inside a building working you will be safe and bring us money we will need. We have 16 bronze coins left and I don't know how much we will spend today."

"Then why are we going there if it will cost us more?"

"Because if anyone gets sick we won't be able to afford the medicine that will heal him"

"But aren't we exposing ourselves to bandits by doing this?"

'Clara it's good that you are intelligent but could you please not sow discord between us even if it's unintentional? I'm doing my best to keep it all together.'

"We will talk about it later! Now we need to find an inn that is far away from slums since that's were bandits were staying and at the same time a one that we can easily afford. I want to inform you that we will sleep all in one room. We will talk about who sleeps on the bed later. Now move!"

After running through almost whole city John decided where to stay. It was an inn that was at the corner, close to the city wall. It looked worse than other inns that they have encountered before but can be living in an inn worse than living in a cemetery. It turned out it can. After John paid 2 bronze coins for a night it turned out that there was only a bed in this room. Sure he didn't expect much but this bad wasn't big enough for an adult. After a while of quarrelling with others, it was decided that Emma and Elizabeth as the youngest will sleep on the bed while others will try to do their best in taking as little space as possible.

"Thomas, can you come with me? I want to talk with you"

"Alright."

After leaving their room and making sure that no one is listening John started talking.

"I wanted to talk about what Clara said. If bandits appeared would you be able to do the same thing as back then? I'm asking if I can count on you if we will need your help."

"I-I don't know. It's hard to tell. I, Okay I think you can count on me but I'm not sure how it will go I will do my best."

Meanwhile, inside the other room, another conversation was going on.

"John and his secrets. It's always like this. Do this! Do that! He's behaving like he is our boss. Weren't we meant to be free? We are his slaves now!"

Leo finally couldn't accept it and told what he thought about this whole matter.

"Come on! You can't be thinking that he is our only way out, right? I spent the last few days thinking about it and found that he is just 4 years old! What can he help us with? I think we should tell him what we think and all vote for solutions. He created one plan by himself and you already saw how it ended! Elizabeth! You told us on the way that your mother was a seamstress and you learned a few things from her! You didn't tell him because you are scared If being used by him right?"

After hesitating for a while Elizabeth nodded her head.

"But what will we do if he won't accept our terms?"

Arthur asked.

"So you are with us Arthur? I see, you too don't like how John is ordering you around without asking for your opinion! What will we do if he doesn't agree? We will abandon him, of course! Either he accepts that we are all even or leaves us. We have Elizabeth she can work and we will find jobs that we like too. He promised us better lives but we are leaving like before. I'm sure he hid most of the money and just don't want to share it with us! So, who is with me?"

"I and Emma are with you"

"Me too!"

Arthur agreed too.

"I will vote the same as Thomas"

Grace didn't change at all and still followed after Thomas who currently wasn't here.

" I think that John is a good leader."

"Good leader? Haven't you saw what-"

Leo suddenly stopped shouting when he heard doors opening.

"What were you arguing about while we were absent?"

"We were talking about you! We don't want you to behave like you are our leader! We want to be equal and have the right to choose what we want to do! And we want you to tell us where do you keep the money you are hiding from us!"

"But aren't we currently equal? I'm just trying to keep us alive and I'm always asking for your opinion. Besides, what money are you talking about?"

"You see? He's playing dumb now! How could a chief of bandits have only 20 bronze coins on him? When they started gathering us there were 120 of them and you want to say that they were meant to survive with 20 bronze coins?"

"Why should he bring with him more money to deal with us? He probably left most of it in an inn he was staying back then?"

"I'm sure you kept at least a little of it for yourself! And what do you mean that we are currently equal?! Aren't you using and ordering us everyday?!"

"Then what do you want me to do to make you feel like we are equal?"

"You will take out the money you are hiding and give everyone an equal part of it! And you won't order us anymore you can ask us for help if you need us so much!"

"I don't have any hidden money and I can change the way I ask you for help but I can't give you the money because you will spend it all at once unless we will vote and that's what everyone wants."

"Alright!"

"Everyone who wants their money raise your hand."

Soon there were four hands up. Arthur, Elizabeth and Emma. Chose to side with Leo while Grace, Thomas and Clara thought that money was safer in hands of John.

"What do we do now?"

John asked since he didn't expect to see so many people against him. They were all acting like they were on his side except Leo.

"You know what? My father was a hunter! Since you want to stay with John then stay and wait until bandits will find you! We will go and live in a forest until they won't leave this city!"

Seeing how Leo was leaving being followed by Arthur, Elizabeth hesitated for a second before coming closer to John and handing him Emma over.

"I don't want to be controlled by you but it doesn't mean that I will force my sister to live in a forest. I know I'm being unreasonable but please let her stay here with you. It will be better this way for both sides."

Leo listened to it but he didn't say anything since surviving with one more person who won't help him now would be much harder.

"Okay, I will take care of her. I promise"

John said reaching his hands in sleeping Emma's direction. Elizabeth hesitantly handed her over to him and left with Leo. John then started thinking to himself while placing Emma back on the bed.

'Am I really a bad leader?'