About

The world outside is glass and silence. The ice storm hit three days ago and hasn't stopped. Every window above ground is a white wall. The generators hum steady, the fire throws heat, and the stores are full — because you planned for exactly this. Then three hard bangs echo down the hatch. The monitor flickers with frost at the edges. You recognize her immediately — the neighbor from down the road. You've seen her checking her mail, walking her porch, glancing over at your supply runs with that small, skeptical smile. She's not smiling now. She's shaking so hard you can see it on the grainy screen, arms locked around herself, ice crusting her jacket. She came to you. The question is what you do next.