17

The north wind howled, making the doors and windows rattle incessantly.

Standing on the balcony, even with an extra coat, the December chill still seeped in through the collar.

Chris knocked on the balcony door, and I turned to look.

Through the glass, I couldn't hear him clearly, but I could tell from his lips that he said, "Go check on her."

The hallway was dark.
Chris shone the flashlight around, ensuring everything was clear before returning to the door of 901.
"Knock, knock." He raised his hand and knocked.
No response. He knocked again.

Still nothing.

Chris handed me the flashlight, motioning for me to step back.

He inserted the spare key Anne had left into the lock, then picked up the fire axe from the ground.

Just then, the door suddenly opened.
A sleepy head peeked out, "What are you guys doing here?"

I was stunned for a moment, then quickly pushed Chris aside and pulled her out from behind the door.
I checked her over from head to toe several times. Confirming she was unharmed, anger surged within me, and I dragged Anne back home by her collar.
"Hey, hey, hey, weren't you all sweet and gentle in your letters?"

"Cut the crap," I glared at her, "What were you doing today? Why didn't you eat the food I brought you?"

She scratched her spiky head and laughed sheepishly, "I was afraid I might turn into a zombie when I opened the door..."

"Do you see what time it is now?" I pointed to the clock on the wall.
It was four hours past the isolation period we had agreed on.

"I was so hungry, I thought sleeping would help."
She immediately put on a pitiful expression, "Helen, I'm starving..."

... ...

I gritted my teeth and went to make her food, nearly breaking the spoon in the process. While I was clattering around in the kitchen, Chris returned.
He was holding all the isolation supplies I had prepared for Anne, along with a thick quilt. In my excitement, I had completely forgotten about him.
Anne muttered softly, "When did this guy become so considerate?"
I shoved the chopsticks into her hand, "Hurry up and eat."
Chris sat down too, and we both watched as Anne devoured the food on the table like a whirlwind.

When she was almost done, Chris handed her a stack of papers, "These fell out when I was tidying up. Do you still want them?"

Huh?
I looked closely.
Wait...
Aren't these the notes I wrote to Anne?
The top one clearly read, "Chris eats too much; I regret taking him in."
Anne still hadn't figured out what was going on.
She wiped her mouth and took a moment to read the notes.
"What's this?" she immediately played dumb, "Never seen it before, don't know, never heard of it... definitely not mine..."

"I see," Chris said as he put the notes back in his pocket, "Then I'll keep them for now."

"Sure, sure. Whatever you like."
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Anne quickly made an excuse to leave, "Um... I'll go wash the dishes on the balcony."

Leaving just Chris and me at the table.
I felt incredibly uneasy, like sitting on pins and needles.
I silently cursed Anne for being such a coward.
Had Chris read them?
He didn't seem like the type to snoop on others' letters...
But...
Why was he smiling so happily? Wait, he definitely read them...
He did it on purpose...

While I was mentally wrestling with myself, Anne suddenly screamed, "Helen! Come here!"
She ran in and dragged me outside.
"Look!"
The wind had stopped at some point, and it was eerily quiet outside.
I looked up to see snowflakes falling from the sky.
It was snowing in Springvale.
I extended my hand, and a delicate snowflake landed in my palm.

December 24, 2022.
The 38th day of the lockdown.
How wonderful, tonight is Christmas Eve.

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