Chapter 4

Eleanor was lost in the chorus of flattery from the group chat and seemed to be enjoying herself.

She had no idea the best part was yet to come.

…

Three days later, the temperature had soared from 114 °F to 126.14 °F.

Many people in the group chat were complaining that their air conditioners were no longer working properly. They were right.

Even when the air conditioners were on, the air they blew out felt hot.

Occasionally, due to voltage issues, the air conditioners would not even start. The only way to cool down was to take a shower.

I was in no hurry to leave. Instead, I was waiting for the right moment. I had even secretly installed pinhole cameras in hidden locations at night while they were all asleep.

Today was the day that I would set the trap.

Before long, the neighbors tagged me, Eleanor, and our mother. They said they were running low on supplies and asked for help. They even offered to pay.

Without waiting for Eleanor’s reply, I mimicked her past actions and did the same.

[Don’t even worry about paying! We’re all neighbors here. That’s what we’re here for. If you’re running low, just come by. Everyone needs a little help sometimes.

[Come on over. We have plenty to spare.]

As soon as the message was sent, numerous neighbors texted saying that their households were short of supplies. I agreed to help every one of them.

Eleanor stood up and yelled at me when she saw the message.

“Brielle, are you out of your mind? People ask, and you just hand over our supplies for free?!”

I continued to play innocent and asked her, “What are you talking about, Eleanor? You’re the one who said we had enough to spare. You said we should all stick together because people are struggling.

“Are you thinking of selling this stuff at a markup instead? Eleanor, everyone is suffering so much already. Are you really thinking of price gouging at this time? Isn’t that too heartless?”

While we were still arguing, there was a knock on the front door.

As soon as I opened it, the crowd outside all pushed their way in.

It was clear how scorching it was outside. They had only come from their own homes to mine. They were drenched from head to toe in a trip of mere minutes.

Eleanor was annoyed. But the moment she spotted a few good-looking male neighbors in the crowd, she jumped right in to help.

For every person who came seeking help, she gave away a bag of flour. Not only that, but she also distributed some of our stored vegetables and fruits.

Once the whole crowd had finally cleared out, I did an inventory. Just from that one round of giveaway, we were down by half on our supplies.

More people came later in succession. Eleanor generously continued the handout of the supplies like it was nothing. A few of the older folks called her a saint.

This was exactly how it went down last time. By the end of it, we were left with only enough supplies to last ten days.

…

When the temperature soared to 126.14 °F, we heard many knocks on the front door.

I knew the most important person had arrived.

Just as expected, I saw the “little boy” standing outside through the peephole.

He was crying and knocking on the door.

He claimed he had not eaten in days. He said his parents had gone out and never returned. He said he would die outside if no one took him in.

Yet, anyone who looked at his eyes could instantly tell he was not a child at all. He was a person with dwarfism and was disguised as a child.

I tried to stop it back then, but Eleanor mocked me.

She had opened the door and said to our mother, “See, Mom? This is just how she is. She’s cold to the bone! Whoever’s knocking is probably one of our neighbors. What if they really need help?”

She not only belittled me but also made the person with dwarfism resent me. In the end, he assaulted me.

Seeing the “little boy” outside, I turned to ask Eleanor, “Eleanor, there’s a little kid out there. He’s maybe seven or eight. Do you want to let him in?”