The third man licked his cracked lips and let out a savage grin. "Heh... so there really
is
a fat sheep? Living alone? Damn, he must be living the good life."
"Absolutely true!" Hannah nodded vigorously, her tone edged with coaxing. "Heâs got so much stuff at home, he doesnât take anyone seriously. Arrogant as hell!"
She added quickly, "But his place has been reinforced... the doorâs solid. Hard to break through."
The man with glasses and the third man exchanged a glance.
The supplies in Hannahâs apartment werenât even enough to fill the gaps between their teethâbut the guy in the photo? Just hearing about his stash made their hearts race.
"Top floor? 2001?" the man confirmed.
"Yes! No mistake!" Hannah replied eagerly, a twisted flicker of satisfaction passing through her chest.
Richard Stone... donât you love showing off? Didnât want to let me move in? Fine. Let these people go share it with you.
"Sean, then what about these two girls...?" the third man cast a leering glance at the still-shaken Hannah and her companion.
Sean paused for a moment, then sheathed his knife.
Robbing Richard Stone was the real prize. There was no need to complicate things right now.
"Weâll go take a look first," he warned Hannah coldly. "Youâd better be telling the truth. If we make this trip for nothing..."
He didnât finish the sentence, but the brutality in his eyes said enough.
With a tilt of his head, he signaled the third man.
The two of them swiftly gathered what little supplies Hannah had left and walked out without another glance.
As the sound of their footsteps faded away, Hannahâs legs gave out. She collapsed to the floor, her back drenched in cold sweat.
Olivia lunged toward her, her voice trembling. "Hannah... how could you...?"
A flash of madness crossed Hannahâs eyes. Her nails dug deep into her palms. "What else was I supposed to do? Wait for them to... what? Or let them take everything and starve to death? Richard Stone deserves this! He has so muchâwould sharing a little kill him?"
The two of them sat there in silence at the entryway for a long while.
Hannah was the first to stand, a ruthless glint in her eyes. "Maybe... we can even work with them."
"Work with them? Youâre joking, right?!" Olivia stared at her in disbelief.
But Hannah had already made up her mind.
Richard Stone did it on purpose.
Showing off in front of her. Stringing her along while refusing to let her move in.
If that was how he wanted to play it, then he couldnât blame her for being ruthless.
"Yesâletâs cooperate," Hannah said. "He was never going to let us move in. Heâs just been toying with us!"
She couldnât stand seeing him live so comfortably.
Now that all their food was gone, they wouldnât last much longer. But if they teamed up with those men and took Richard down, theyâd at least get a share.
With that much stockpiled, even a fraction would keep them alive for a long time.
This wasnât her fault.
Richard Stone had forced her hand.
Olivia hesitated, her voice uncertain. "Hannah... is there really no chance between you and him? Wasnât he basically obsessed with you...?"
Hannahâs expression shifted unpredictably.
***
Emergency stairwell, twentieth floor.
The man with glasses and the third man exchanged another look before shoving hard against the stairwell door.
The heavy door didnât budge.
"Sean, itâs locked from the inside," the third man said.
Sean nodded. "Looks like that woman wasnât lying."
They had checked every unit along the wayâthis was the only one locked from within.
"This doorâs been replaced," he then observed. "This one is solid."
The third man pressed his ear against it, listening.
Inside, there was the faint hum of electricityâmaybe even music?
He licked his lips again, now completely convinced Hannah had told the truth. There was power in there. Someone was living inside.
From the outside, this apartment looked no different from the others. But this small test revealed everythingâthere was something hidden within.
"Forcing our way in would make too much noise," Sean said calmly. "And we donât have the tools right now. Besides, I have no idea what that guy has prepared inside. We take this slow. Letâs pull back for now."
The third man said nothing and just nodded.
***
The days that followed seemed calm on the surface.
For several days, Julia didnât come to bother Suzy again.
Leonard and Suzy took the time to reinforce the stairwell door, adding two more locks.
Rumors spread that a group had formed in the neighboring building, looting supplies. Panic began to ripple through the residents.
But none of it affected Suzy and Leonard. Their daily routines remained unchanged.
Occasionally, a few messages would appear in the buildingâs group chatâbrief, cautious exchanges.
Most households had already lost power. Phones couldnât be charged, so everyone used what little battery they had sparingly, afraid of missing critical updates.
Then one day, a notification suddenly tagged everyone.
Suzy and Leonard opened it immediately. The message came from a resident on the second floor.
[3-201: I heard thereâs been a death in Building 1. We in Building 3 need to start preparing.]
The message instantly stirred the group into activity.
Suzy didnât recognize the sender and chose to stay silent, watching instead.
Holding her phone, she knocked on Leonardâs door. "Uncle, did you see the group chat?"
Leonard opened the door. "Letâs wait and see."
Messages began pouring in.
[What? Someone died? How??]
[Heard it was murder. A coupleâboth dead.]
[Someone in their building did it?]
[No, robbers. Itâs terrifyingâthere was blood everywhere.]
[If we donât prepare soon, it could be us next.]
...
The news of that death sent waves of fear through the group.
Then 201 spoke again:
[3-201: These are special times. I suggest we choose a leader for our buildingâsomeone to manage things and unite everyone. Thatâs the only way weâll get through this.]
Many quickly voiced their agreement.
[What do you mean by "manage"?]
The question came from a user without a floor number, their profile picture completely black.
[3-201: Food is scarce. I suggest everyone hand in their supplies for centralized distribution. We help each other. Each household sends one person to patrol and protect the building.]
After that message, the group fell silent for a long moment.
But soon, a few people began to support the idea:
[Agreed! Thatâs the best way to organize everyone!]
The black-profile user spoke again:
[Hand over our food for redistribution? Are you fucking kidding me?]