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"USE ONLY WHAT YOU NEED." The decrepit billboard seemed to shout a warning at them as they travelled along the deserted highway, slowly being overgrown with weeds. It looked like it was made of LED lights that had died out a long time ago.

She wondered what possible reason the people from years ago thought these giant things could be used for. They seemed to serve no other purpose than to startle people at any given time. At one time, it probably glowed as bright as the moon at night.

She was born 30 years after the Great Decolonization of  the United States of America, when most of civilization collapsed. Once a superpower cannibalizes itself and goes down, the rest of the world follows, like dominoes. So much blood had spilled that the streets were dyed copper red and brown forever. Some sins can't be washed away.

USE ONLY WHAT YOU NEED. The billboard's message stuck with her even days after they'd left it behind. Her mother and two brothers were gathering supplies to take back to the compound they lived in while she kept watch against poachers, thieves and the like. 

This week had been rough. Reavers had poured in from the south, pillaging and killing whatever was in their way. Luckily the compound was fortified and withstood the attacks. Everyone that was stuck outside the compound weren't so lucky. 

22 people had died in less than a day before the Reavers got bored and moved on. She looked over at her best friend, who couldn't stop crying. Her boyfriend was one of the dead. She was inconsolable. 

USE ONLY WHAT YOU NEED. She couldn't it out of her head, especially right now where everyone was arguing about the unnecessary junk a group of foragers brought back.

"I'm sorry, I thought it would be nice to actually wash our hair and bodies with something other than dirty water for once," one of the foragers said, in a nasty tone, indicating that she was not, in fact, apologetic.

"We can't keep wasting precious resources and people just so you can go hunting for fucking shampoo," one of the council leaders growled. 

The arguing continued, but she had had enough of it. Her best friend's boyfriend died trying to get them fruits and vegetables from a nearby farm and this is what they thought was the best use of their allotted time outside of the compound? 

USE ONLY WHAT YOU NEED. That was the plan.