Chapter 135
Jane exhaled slowly, watching Karl as he double-checked the locks on the door. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Layla remained close, her brows furrowed with worry.
Jane broke the silence first.
"We don’t have much time." She sheathed her knife back into its hidden spot near the kitchen counter. "If Evelyn keeps pushing, it won’t take long before the others get riled up. And once that happens..."
Karl rubbed his temples. "Yeah, I know. The whole building will turn on us."
Layla fidgeted, wrapping her arms around herself. "But why now? We’ve been careful. I mean, sure, they’ve probably smelled the food before, but no one’s ever knocked on our door like this before."
Jane leaned against the counter, tapping her fingers restlessly. "It’s the silence, Karl. Think about it. Every other apartment is filled with people starving, arguing, scavenging. The whole place reeks of desperation. Except for here."
Karl’s stomach twisted. He knew she was right. While the rest of the apartment complex was in a state of slow decay, his unit remained untouched by the chaos. The warm glow of firelight at night, the occasional sound of cooking, the absence of distress—these things had become too noticeable.
"They’re going to come for us." Jane’s voice was calm, but the underlying certainty in her tone made Layla shudder. "Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not even this week. But Evelyn planted the seed tonight. The others might not believe her yet, but hunger changes people. Eventually, they’ll start knocking too."
Karl sat down, his mind racing. He had planned for a lot of things. Supplies. Security. Escape routes. But an organized mob of desperate neighbors? That was a different beast entirely.
The Neighbor’s Suspicions Grow
Meanwhile, back in Evelyn’s apartment, she sat by the window, her fingers drumming impatiently against the wooden table. She stared at Karl’s door, lips pursed in frustration.