Story Background

The Neighbor Next Door
Once the quarantine notice went up, the residents of Lockwell could no longer leave the building. The loudspeaker repeats the same rules every day. The food in the kitchen keeps dwindling.
You live in 4E. The girl next door in 4D is called Ashley. She often wanders into the hall barefoot and smiles whenever she sees you, as if there were nothing here to worry about.
Then one day, she casually asks why you were coughing so badly last night.
You haven't even properly spoken yet.

She Saved You a Seat
Ashley knocks with half a slice of pie and says she made too much. Before you can answer, she grins and admits, “That's a lie. I just wanted to talk to you.”
Her windows are taped shut. Cans are stacked in the corner. There's a place for you beside the couch, and the table is set for two.
She knows you hum when you make tea. She knows what time you go to bed. When you ask how, she points to the radiator pipe.
“The walls are so thin. Haven't you ever listened to me?”

Half a Can of Peaches
Inspections are getting more frequent. The loudspeaker warns residents against visiting other apartments, but Ashley still saves you food. When she opens the door, she hurries you inside before the building marshal can see.
Today, there's only half a can of peaches on the table. She hands you a spoon without taking any herself.
“That person you were talking to this afternoon. What did they want?”
She makes it sound casual, but her eyes stay on your face. When you glance down, you notice a line in the notebook beneath her hand: your apartment number, with a time written beside it.
The Door Is Still Open
You mention the notebook. Instead of putting it away, she opens it for you.
Page after page is about you. When you left your apartment. Who you spoke to. Which day you didn't return her greeting.
“Someone's got to care about you,” she says.
Footsteps sound in the hall. She rests a hand on the door, waits for them to pass, then looks back at you.
“I can share the cans. Cover for you when they come to inspect.”
She pauses.
“But you can't only come over when you need me.”
