So instead, she spoke softly. "I've already told them you're down here. When they're done upstairs, they'll come for you." Guinevere still couldn't stay calm. She hated every second in this place. "But I—" Before she could finish, Selina reached out and grabbed her hand. "She's right. Let's wait. A few minutes won't kill us." Selene gave her an approving look. At least one of them had a brain. The other just cried or yelled at everything. Exhausting woman. Her tone softened as she explained to Selina, "The shooting stopping doesn't mean it's done. They could've been captured. Either way, since they came to save you, they'll come once it's safe." Guinevere backed away quietly and said nothing else. Upstairs, Natalie looked at the wrecked room and frowned in disgust. She wiped her hands clean and pulled her mask back on—the one she'd removed earlier when drinking juice. The stench hit her hard. It wasn't just the rot; it was the thick metallic smell of blood that made her stomach twist. She brushed some grime off her clothes and started doing the math in her head. She'd already taken out around a hundred outside. Another two hundred were down in here. The note said there were still at least seven hundred more. But "over a thousand" could mean anything. A thousand and one counted as over a thousand, and so did 1999. That was a hell of a difference. Still, planning for the worst was the only way to stay alive.If the total was closer to two thousand, then seventeen hundred were still left. That kind of fight would burn through way too much ammo. Not because she was cheap, but because they were only three years into the apocalypse. No one knew how many battles were still ahead or how many people they'd have to kill. Even with plenty of bullets, wasting them was stupid. The real issue was their guns. They could fire fast, sure, but not endlessly. If the enemy charged in with numbers, the risk of getting overwhelmed was real. Natalie frowned, thinking hard. She asked quietly, "Cass, what do you think? Should we just go with the explosives instead?" She still had a whole stash of explosives from the Grayhound Sect, along with a few bombs looted from foreign scavengers. They weren't incredibly powerful, but their blast radius covered a lot more ground than bullets did. It saved both time and effort. "Not a bad idea," Cassian said after a moment's thought. "But there's one catch. Bombs only work when the targets are close together." If the enemies spread out, the explosives wouldn't reach far enough, and shooting would be a better option. For now, their opponents hadn't shown up, and no one knew what formation they would take. The temperature seemed to drop again. Both of them shivered and tightened their clothes around themselves. Natalie pulled out a thermometer and checked. The screen blinked back a reading of negative 85 degrees Fahrenheit. "The temperature's gone too far. The climate suits hit their limit," she muttered. Normally, the suits kept their body temperature steady at about sixty-eight degrees, but now it felt closer to minus twenty or thirty. Even wearing thick coats, the cold bit through the layers.Still, the suits had raised their body temperature by more than thirty degrees. It wasn't comfortable, but it was a lot better than freezing to death. Natalie took a few heat packs and stuck them on Cassian and the pets. "If we're this cold in thermal gear, the other survivors must be stuck in an ice-covered hell." Cassian's eyes flashed. "I know how we'll fight." Natalie looked up. "How?" He smirked. "What's the most lethal thing about Frostfall?" "Temperature," she answered automatically. Then her eyes lit up as realization hit. "Oh. I get it. You're saying—" Cassian saw her hand twitch upward and nodded with a grin. Natalie's lips curved. "Clever. Saves time, saves energy, and saves bullets." The pets exchanged baffled looks. Cash tilted his head. "What does that even mean?" Baron shrugged. "No clue. We don't have their connection." Lucky huffed. "Please. I've been with her the longest!" Natalie gave Lucky a firm pat on the head. "What are you three whispering about? Let's move." She and Cassian didn't linger in the mall. They walked out without hesitation. Their enemies already knew their location, and the sound of gunfire had surely given them away. Staying there would make them easy targets. If the enemy had explosives, things could go downhill fast. Cassian glanced at her. "Should we check on the women downstairs?" Natalie knew who he meant—Selina and Guinevere. She shook her head. "No. We don't need to." They were barely acquaintances. What was she supposed to do? Go down there and offer hugs? Comfort them? Cry it out together? Not happening. Once the gang was dead, the women would be free. That was enough of a good deed for one day.