Finding a Friend in the Chaos

8

But the next moment, I regretted it.

This was crazy.

What was I thinking?

I had actually knocked on a stranger's door.

Just as I was hesitating and thinking of leaving, the door opened.

A clear face appeared before me.

She seemed to have had a rough night as well, her face pale and looking somewhat haggard.

But when she saw me, she seemed genuinely happy.

"Hi..." I stared at her blankly, "It's not convenient to talk here... how about..." 

"Let's go to your place."

Before I could finish, she stepped out and pulled me back to 902.

Since the sofa and coffee table had long been cleared out, I led her to the dining table and poured her a glass of water.

"Sorry... for the trouble last night."

After deliberating for a while, I cautiously asked, "I want to know... why?

Why did you help me?"

She had seen it.

The day the water was delivered, the worker had made several trips back and forth.

She happened to be in the hallway waiting for the elevator.

Having lived here for over three months, we had barely crossed paths a few times, not even enough to nod in passing.

I didn't understand why, in that situation last night, she chose to do what she did.

She took the cup from my hand and drank deeply.

"Well... Hmm... let me think of how to say this... It's not just the water; I also saw many of your packages. Although there had been various rumours about the pandemic, I never really paid much attention. So, in a way, you reminded me. Yes, that's it." She blinked, "So, consider it a way of repaying the favour."

What? Does that mean she stocked up too?

"Of course," she didn't avoid the topic, "As someone in the know, I'd really like to be your ally. But don't take this as a threat. What happened last night was just a small favour."

I looked down and sipped my water. I had thought she might expose me or use this as leverage to make demands. I wouldn't have compromised in either case. But I hadn't expected her to do nothing, merely leaving the decision in my hands.

She was smart.

She chose the gentlest way to show her goodwill.

But at the same time, she was unexpectedly honest.

So honest that I couldn't find a plausible excuse to refuse her.

For some reason, she seemed to exude a kind of friendliness that was hard to reject.

After a long silence, I heard myself sigh.

"I might disappoint you. Actually, I know nothing."

Knowing I couldn't explain, I decided to reframe my dream: "A friend told me that bad things might happen soon. Not just 'bad,' it could get worse.

" She didn't question my words but picked up where I left off.

"Last night, we couldn't make any calls. "

"So when you said you'd call the police... "

"It was just to scare them."

The dining table fell into silence.

Had the communication network also collapsed?

The whole world seemed to be gradually derailing, irreversibly slipping towards the abyss.

I thought I had prepared myself to face everything alone.

But at this moment,

when someone reached out to me, I instinctively wanted to hold on.

I had to admit, people are always more fragile than they imagine.

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