Scarlett's eyes widened as she took in the scene unfolding before her. The other survivors, who had been quietly eavesdropping, scrambled to their feet, their faces etched with fear and uncertainty.
"Damn it," Garvin muttered under his breath, frustration seeping into his voice.
Rose, clutching the baby who had been fed and fallen asleep again tightly in her arms, stepped forward, her voice trembling. "Is everything you said in there true?"
Garvin's expression turned serious, his gaze shifting to the crowd. "You heard all of it, didn't you?"
"Of course, we did. We're not deaf," replied an old man with snowy white hair, stepping forward, his eyes cold and accusing. He lifted a shaking finger and pointed it at Scarlett. "You… you're one of them. A monster."
Scarlett felt a sharp pang of dread as the group's fear turned into hostility, all of it directed toward her.
