The candles burned low, throwing soft yellow flickers across the sandbagged living room. Kane sat in the armchair with the Mk18 across his lap, the weight of it familiar and steady. Outside, the wind kept rattling the plywood over the broken window, and every so often a distant pop of gunfire drifted through the dark. Inside, the house felt warmer than it should have with four people sharing the small space.
Raven and Willow hadn't moved much from the couch. Raven stayed curled under the blanket, her bandaged side making her shift carefully every few minutes. Her long black hair with the silver streaks fell across one shoulder, and the soft curve of her belly showed again when she reached for the water bottle. She drank slow, small sips like he'd told her, then set the bottle down and looked at him.
"Um… I guess we should tell you a little about us," she said, voice soft and hesitant. "So you know who you let in."
Willow nodded beside her, pushing her glasses up with one finger. Her red curls were still messy from the alley, but she'd tried to smooth them down. "Yeah. We don't want you thinking we're just… random people taking up your stuff."
Kane stayed quiet, letting them talk. He kept one ear on the street outside, but his eyes stayed on them. They both looked at him like he was the only thing holding the night together.
Raven went first, picking at the edge of the blanket. "We met in college. Freshman year. Both kind of kept to ourselves. I was doing graphic design, Willow was in biology. We ended up roommates because the dorm screwed up the housing list." She gave a small, tired smile. "We just… clicked. Stayed friends after. We were supposed to graduate this spring, but then everything shut down and the power went out and… well. Here we are."
Willow picked up the thread, her voice quiet but steady. "We didn't have anybody close by. My parents are in California. Raven's family is back east. We figured we could ride it out in our apartment for a couple days until things calmed down. Then the looters came last night." She looked down at her bandaged arm. "We ran. That's pretty much it."
Raven nodded. "We're not… experienced with any of this. Like, at all. We've never even been in a real fight before today. We just read books and played games and stayed inside most of the time." She glanced at Kane, cheeks flushing a little. "I know that sounds dumb right now. But it's true."
Willow gave a small laugh that didn't have much humor in it. "Yeah. We're the girls who stayed virgins because we were too busy studying and too awkward to do anything else. Didn't think that would matter when the world ended." She pushed her glasses up again, a nervous habit. "Sorry. That probably sounds weird to say out loud."
Kane shook his head once. "Doesn't sound weird. Sounds honest." He kept his voice low and even. "You're both still here. That counts for more than most people right now."
The girls relaxed a fraction. Raven sat up a little straighter, wincing at the pull on her bandage. "I'm hungry. Is there… anything I can try to make? I'm not great, but I used to cook for us when we were studying. Mostly junk food stuff, but it kept us going."
Kane pointed toward the kitchen. "There's some canned stuff in the pantry and the last of the rice. Nothing fancy. Go ahead if you feel up to it."
Raven stood carefully, moving like her whole body still ached. Her combat boots scuffed on the floor as she walked past him, close enough that her soft hip brushed his arm for a second. She didn't pull away fast. "I'll see what I can do."
Willow got up too, but slower. "I can organize the supplies while she cooks. Make sure everything's easy to grab if we have to leave quick." She looked at Kane like she was asking permission. "If that's okay?"
He nodded. "Go ahead."
They moved around the small kitchen together while he kept watch from the armchair. Raven found the rice and a couple cans of beans, heating them over the small camp stove he pulled out from under the sink. The soft glow of the flame lit her face while she stirred. Her shirt rode up again as she reached for a spoon, showing the gentle pooch of her belly from all those late-night snacks she'd just mentioned. She didn't try to hide it. She just kept working, quiet and focused, like cooking was the one normal thing she could still do.
Willow sorted the bug-out bags on the coffee table, folding clothes neatly, stacking the water bottles, lining up the ammo cans so the labels faced out. Her movements were quick and nervous, red curls falling in her face every time she bent over. She kept glancing toward Kane, then at the hallway where Liora's door stayed shut.
After a few minutes the smell of warm beans and rice filled the room. Raven brought two bowls over on a tray she'd found, plus a third smaller one. "I made enough for Liora too. If she wants it."
Kane took the bowls. "I'll check on her in a bit."
Raven sat back down on the couch, closer to him this time. Willow settled on her other side. They ate slow, the spoons scraping softly against the bowls. The candlelight made their faces look younger and more tired at the same time.
Raven set her empty bowl aside and looked at Kane again. Her dark eyes were steady now, the fear from the alley fading into something else. "You make it feel like maybe we'll be okay," she said softly. "Like… we don't have to figure everything out alone tonight."
Her fingers brushed his arm as she reached for the water bottle on the table. The touch lingered a second longer than it needed to—warm, hesitant, grateful. She didn't pull away right away. Kane felt the softness of her skin against his sleeve, the faint tremble still in her hand.
Willow watched the touch but didn't say anything. She just adjusted her glasses and kept eating the last few bites, her tight frame leaning a little closer to the couch arm like she wanted to be part of whatever was happening without pushing in.
From the hallway, Liora's door stayed closed. No light underneath. She'd probably fallen asleep by now, but Kane knew she wasn't sleeping easy.
He stood up after they finished eating, took the bowls to the sink, and rinsed them quick with the last of the bottled water. When he came back, Raven was watching him again, her bandaged side making her sit careful. Willow had started folding one of the spare blankets into a neat square, like keeping her hands busy helped.
"You two get some rest," Kane said. "Couch is yours. I'll stay up."
Raven nodded, pulling the blanket higher around her shoulders. "Okay. But if you need anything… just wake us. We want to help."
Willow gave a small smile. "Yeah. We're not going anywhere. Not unless you tell us to."
They both looked at him the same way—dependent, trusting, like he was the only thing between them and the dark outside. Raven's fingers brushed his arm one more time as she settled back, soft and accidental but not really. Willow's eyes stayed on him behind her glasses, wide and quiet.
Kane dropped back into the armchair, rifle across his lap, and listened to their breathing even out. The house stayed still except for the wind and the occasional far-off shot.
The two girls were already leaning on him harder than they probably realized.
And Liora's door stayed shut down the hall.