A short while later, there was a knock at the door.
Along with it came Uncle Ray's voice.
"Ethan? You home, son?"
Ethan instinctively checked the monitor feed before getting up—and immediately frowned.
Uncle Ray wasn't alone.
Beside him stood a woman bundled in thick winter coats, cradling a child in her arms.
Lisa May.
Even through the layers of down and scarves, Ethan recognized her. That calculating look in her eyes—he'd seen it before.
What the hell is she doing here?
Ethan respected Uncle Ray, sure. But Lisa? Not so much. Not in this life—or the last.
He stepped up to the door but didn't open it. "Uncle Ray, that you?"
"Yeah, it's me," Ray replied.
But before he could say more, Lisa's voice cut in behind him, desperate and dripping with practiced tears.
"Ethan, please! My baby girl Sugar has a terrible fever. I'm begging you—help her!"
Ethan didn't say a word. He grabbed a box of Tylenol Suspension Drops and a packet of Children's ColdEase, walked over to the shooting port built into his steel door, and tossed the meds outside.
"Take this. Get her treated fast—she can't afford to be sick in weather like this."
Ray bent down to pick them up, eyes glimmering with gratitude.
"Ethan, thank you. Really… thank you."
Lisa took the medicine in silence.
Ray clearly intended to head back immediately. But then—
Lisa's eyes glinted.
She stepped forward. "Ethan… please. One more thing."
"Could you let Sugar stay in your place for a little while? Just until her fever breaks?"
"It's warm inside. We… we don't have that. My baby's already sick—I'm scared she won't make it…"
Ray blinked.
That hadn't been part of the plan. She hadn't said a damn word about this before they came up.
Now she was pulling it out of nowhere, cornering both him and Ethan.
And damn it… she was good. That pleading, teary-eyed look? Right on cue.
Ray looked painfully awkward, caught in the crossfire.
But Lisa knew exactly what she was doing.
Inside, Ethan's lips curled slightly.
There it is. Classic foot-in-the-door strategy.
She hadn't mentioned the big request up front. No, she waited until Ethan had already handed over medicine—to guilt him into taking a bigger bite.
Rookie mistake. She thought I was soft.
Ethan folded his arms and leaned against the door. "Lisa, if this was before the apocalypse? Maybe. But now? You've seen what this building's become."
"Everyone wants in. Everyone wants what I've got. I'm not risking my life because you say it's for the baby."
"And let's be real—once your kid's in here, you're not far behind, right?"
Inside the apartment, Dr. Chloe stayed quiet. She knew the rules. Ethan was in charge.
Outside, Ray turned to Lisa and whispered, "Come on. He already gave us the meds. Don't push it."
Lisa wiped her tears and turned to Ray with an indignant huff. "You don't understand. She's just a baby!"
Then back to the door: "Ethan, I know I'm asking a lot, and I'm sorry, I really am. But please—do it for the child. Or at least… do it for Uncle Ray. Please?"
She'd gone all in now—throwing Ray's name into the deal.
The move was psychological warfare.
You already gave me the meds, now you can't turn me down without looking like a monster.
But Lisa miscalculated one key factor: Ethan didn't give a damn about looking like a monster.
"I get it," Ethan said coldly. "But let me say this: I'm not letting anyone else inside."
"People in this building have tried to rob me. Kill me. I've got reasons to keep my doors shut."
"Ray, you understand, don't you?"
Ray nodded immediately. "Of course. No need to explain. You've done more for us than anyone would. The meds alone—hell, they're gold right now."
Lisa bit her lip, staring at the door. She didn't argue further, but her eyes were glistening, her face the picture of fragile heartbreak.
But then she played one last card.
"…But what about Chloe?" she whispered. "Didn't she get to move in?"
That one landed hard.
Ethan let out a soft, mocking laugh.
"She's my girlfriend. Got a problem with that?"
Inside, Chloe's lips curled into a small smile. She knew Ethan was just playing defense, but damn if the words didn't hit sweet.
"Girlfriend," huh? Noted.
Lisa didn't have a retort.
But Ray sure as hell did. He stepped in quickly, before this could spiral.
"Enough. We're leaving. Ethan's helped us more than anyone—don't put him in this spot again."
Seeing Ray genuinely upset, Lisa dropped the act. Her expression shifted instantly to something more pitiful.
"I know… I know, okay? I'm just desperate. I didn't mean to—"
Ray turned back to the door. "Thanks again, Ethan. Sorry for the trouble. We'll head back now."
Ethan nodded. "No worries. I get it. Just… be safe."
Through the monitor, he watched them walk downstairs, Sugar wrapped in a dozen layers.
As he returned to the kitchen, he muttered to Chloe, "That woman's gonna be a problem."
Chloe shrugged. "She's not exactly one of a kind. We'll see a lot more like her."
Ethan exhaled. "Yeah, but Uncle Ray? He's one of the few people I trust. If she keeps whispering in his ear… she could turn him."
Ray was Ethan's pick for a future right-hand man.
Loyal. Military background. Still held onto basic morality.
Ethan couldn't afford to have that corrupted.
Lisa May had just moved several squares forward on his mental chessboard.
From this point on, she was someone he'd keep both eyes on.
Someone with intent.
Someone with an angle.
And most of all—someone who wanted in.