I opened up the tenants ' group chat . Someone had pulled the hallway security footage . On the video , David showed up with Mason and Brittany , begging for food . That family looked reluctant but still handed over a pack of ramen noodles . But before the bag even reached David's hands , another neighbor cut in . The woman squinted , " Wait - hey , isn't that the guy from that video ? " They compared him to the clip I'd posted earlier . Once they confirmed it was the same David , their expressions turned downright disgusted . David froze , not even knowing what was happening , just awkwardly standing there . Brittany's greedy eyes locked on the noodles , and she reached for them - only to have the lady of the house smack her hand away . " You tramp . You love stealing other women's men so bad? " " Well guess what - no food for trash like you . " They cursed the three of them out and slammed the door in their faces . I scooped up Lily , who was happily stacking her blocks , and pinched her cheek . " Sweetheart , the most important thing for a girl is to respect and love herself , okay ? " She probably didn't understand what " self - respect " meant yet , but she nodded obediently anyway : I ruffled her hair and let her go back to playing . We'd moved into the basement for good . No sunlight , but the insulation was solid . It wasn't cold down here, and our food stockpile was more than enough . Another couple of weeks passed . Through the cameras , I saw the three of them barely clinging to life . They'd stripped their whole apartment of fabric - curtains , tablecloths , sheets - wrapping themselves up just to block the chill . But that figh - rise was brutal . Thin glass , no insulation . The place was nothing but a giant freezer . Their faces turned bluish , huddled together for warmth . Then my phone buzzed . A message from David . [ Chloe , I screwed up . I really screwed up . Please , I'm begging you save me . I think I'm gonna die out here . ] [ I'll leave Brittany . I'll come back to you ! I'll never betray you again ! ] [ Didn't you love me the most ? Please , save me ! ] 09:14 Rone Chilling D Chapter 9 His words were dripping with desperation , like he'd suddenly found redemption . Yeah . Nobody survives this kind of cold . The will to live always crushes pride . But me ? I felt nothing . I skimmed his messages and let a slow smile curl at the corner of my lips . In the group chat , I found an avatar I remembered well . 27-10-3 . The old creep next door . Old Man Miller . [ Hey . I need a favor . Think you can help ? ] He replied instantly . [ Well , if it isn't the pretty girl from 24. What can I do for you ? ] Even through the screen , his words made my skin crawl . I swallowed my disgust and typed back , [ It's easy . I'll make it worth your while . ] [ What's the job ? ] he shot back . I laid out the plan . When he replied with just " Got it , " my eyes narrowed . Truth was , I'd hidden a stash of food in that apartment . The spot was so tucked away no one would find it unless they were cleaning thoroughly . Not long after , I heard a knock at David's door . Sure enough , it was Old Man Miller . David eyed him suspiciously . Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!