Work continued as usual, though everyone tended to stay indoors more during the cold, snowy days. Ben spent more time gathering and chopping firewood to keep everyone warm than doing any of his normal work. The electricity, though fairly dependable, was still temperamental, and a day without heat was not uncommon.Brian spoke with Nataliya the day after Andy saved Nathan. Though she defended her brother and denied involvement in robbing the store or any other nefarious behavior, she knew her comfortable living depended on residents like Brian and his friends, so she promised to confront Mikhail about what happened at the store. Wary of her promises, Brian raised the incident at the council meeting two days later where a full-fledged war of words erupted.“You have no proof!” Garrett barked at Brian. “Nathan will deny anything that Andy told you.”“That’s because you’ve made him too scared to talk!”The meeting spiraled out of control even further, with old feuds resurfacing until they peaked into threats of violence.
