My current project is a post-apoc story with the central cast (CC) doing a lot of travel as a medium to introduce the reader to the conditions of the setting. I'm 59k words in, and the CC are resting from one leg of the journey. the next leg is up an old interstate through unclaimed territory. Along the way they are going to run into a hostile group from a local 'nation'. I am struggling with two variants: 1) The CC travel alone on this leg, and run into a smaller group of irregulars who are busy beating a captive for fun and information. This leads to harsh words and harsher action, leaving the CC with wounds and body disposal issues. Body disposal leads to an interesting place to search and loot. 2) The CC travel with a similar-minded group as there is safety in numbers. They encounter a larger, official patrol from said nation. The patrol leader makes a few insulting comments, harsh words leads to one of the NPCs travelling with the CC loosing a shot, and the end result is that the CC have wounds and body disposal issues. Body disposal leads to an interesting place to search and loot. Now, #2 also means the CC have to deal with potential witnesses. While they are not morally upset about the fight, the nation the deceased are from are known to carry a grudge. If word leaks out there will be warrants and bounties out for them. Given I'm looking at a trilogy I am debating on options: #1 is quick and dirty, no problems. #2 gives the CC loose ends which could crop up in the future, since the trilogy takes place within the same general region. I could ignore the loose ends, as I have plenty of plot, but the CC will have to factor the loose ends into their planning, and avoid entering the lands of the nation in question. It will also cause the CC to re-think their travelling with others policy, which could create problems down the line. I am within a thousand or so words of starting that travel & incident, and am writing every days, so I have to make a descision soon.
I'd go with the incident that you are going to have more fun writing. I mean, #1 could still have a survivor down the road if you want one. Some guy that was off taking a piss or chasing a Radstag or whatever comes back to see (in the far distance) the CC rifling through corpses, sits there, and watches it happen. And this scene doesn't even have to happen in book one, the guy could just show up and be all like "I know what you did" if you decide that you want that tension. Of course, #2 gives you the option of introducing other friendly supporting characters. Do you want/need to do that? It might make the story unnecessarily complicated - or it might allow you to achieve the level of complication that you want/need to have in your trilogy. On the other hand, you could have #2 be a wash - somebody gets away, but in book 2 when the CC ends up going into that territory, all scared and whatnot, they bump into Rando the Wanderer from that other group, and he's all like "No sweat, y;all. We totally murdered those dudes that got away and no one ever found out it was us." So either situation can resolve either way, down the road. You do you, bruh.
