In the hallway, Dorothy hunched her shoulders, rubbing her back as she struggled to her feet and staggered down the stairs. When she finally made it back to Unit 1301, Brandon was lying on the couch, fanning himself in frustration. He was clearly annoyed by the heat. He heard her come in but didn't bother getting up. Instead, he called out from the couch, "So? Did you bring back anything good to eat?" When he got no response, he got impatient and sat up. "Hey, I'm talking to you ... " Looking up, he was startled to see Dorothy's bruised and battered face. He frowned. "What happened to you?" Dorothy knew just how hot-tempered her son could be. Remembering Natalie's icy stare, she was afraid Brandon would try to pick a fight with her and end up getting hurt himself, so she made up a story. "Brandon, I slipped and fell down the stairs. Let's just make do with the crackers we have tonight, okay?" Brandon didn't look pleased, but seeing how battered she was, he couldn't say much else. He grumbled as he pulled out a bag of crackers. "Didn't we agree to save these and get more from Olivia? You couldn't even handle that. What a useless old woman!" Dorothy forced a smile. "Be good. I'll go ask her again tomorrow." With that, she went off to her room, rubbing her aching back. She'd been bitten by a dog, kicked down the stairs, and slapped until her head spun—all in one day. If she wasn't tough from years of farm work, she would've passed out from the pain. Brandon sat there eating crackers, grumbling at her retreating figure. "Look at how useless you are! You can't even keep your daughter-in-law in line! Some mother-in-law you are!"When the sun went down and things cooled off, he decided he'd go upstairs and take care of things himself. If being nice doesn't work, then I'll use force. Olivia's only a woman. No way she can take me on. Hmph! If she won't listen to me, I'll make her pay for it! Stupid woman! Inside Unit 1402, Natalie had slept soundly and woke up feeling refreshed. It was already dark outside, and people were starting to head out in search of supplies. She got up to brush her teeth and wash her face. Just as she finished tidying up, she heard a knock at the door and a familiar voice. "Idol, is that you? Are you back?" Harold? Natalie got dressed and went to open the door. As soon as Harold saw her, his face lit up. "Idol! It's really you!!" Natalie couldn't help but smile at his excitement. "How'd you know I was back?" Harold grinned. "I vaguely heard that shrew yelling about a dog in the hallway. At first, I thought she was just cursing at someone again. But when she suddenly went quiet ... "I figured you must have come back and taken care of her!" Natalie laughed. "You guessed right!" Harold checked the time and said, "I figured you'd be resting, so I waited until it got dark before coming over. Hope I didn't wake you." Natalie replied with a grin. "No, I just woke up." Harold gave her a quick once-over. "Idol, you didn't run into any trouble while you were out, did you?" Natalie shook her head. "No." Then she eyed the long box in his hands. "What's that?" Harold immediately handed it over. "Your gun." Natalie was a bit surprised. Why is everyone giving me back my guns all of a sudden? Isn't a gun supposed to be a valuable item now? Why doesn't anyone want to keep them? She spun the silver ring on her finger. "Didn't you already trade this for the ring?" That ring had gotten her out of a lot of tight spots. Harold said, "I always meant to give you that little gadget anyway. Think of it as payment for using your gun. "Besides, when we took down those guys extorting food, I barely did anything and still got a share of the loot. I couldn't just take your gun for free." When he saw she still wanted to refuse, he added, "If anyone stirs up trouble in the future, you can always lend me a gun again." Natalie gave a resigned laugh. "You sound just like Olivia." So, instead of arguing, she took the box from him. Harold asked, "You've seen Olivia already?" Natalie nodded. "Yeah." Harold brought up Dorothy. "Did that shrew ... " Before he could finish, a sarcastic voice cut in behind them. "Well, well, well! If it isn't the cheater and her lover. Caught you red-handed!" Harold scowled and turned around.It was Brandon, swaggering as usual. At first, Brandon thought Olivia was the one at the door, but when Harold moved aside and he finally got a good look, he realized it was a stunning woman he'd never met before. He stared at Natalie, clearly smitten with her graceful figure and her porcelain-like skin. "And who might you be, you pretty lady?" Harold shot him a look of pure disgust. "What do you want now?" Brandon ignored him, flashing Natalie a sleazy grin. "Pretty lady, don't listen to this guy. He's no good. He's been messing around with my sister-in-law, and now he's coming after you, too." Natalie was downright revolted by the chubby, greasy-faced man. Seeing his hair plastered in oily strips to his forehead, she felt nothing but disgust.