On Day Forty-Seven of the quarantine in Frank’s Toronto apartment, Jeevan sees smoke rising in the distance and realizes that a fire in a city without firefighters could spread unchecked, even in winter. At night he sometimes hears gunshots, and the hallway stench seeps in despite their improvised seals, forcing them to keep windows open and sleep bundled together for warmth.

Jeevan tells Frank that they will eventually have to leave, but Frank—confined to a wheelchair—doesn’t know where he could go or how he could manage it. Jeevan calculates that they only have about two weeks of food left, and he worries that even reaching open roads would be impossible through the expressway’s crush of abandoned cars.

With the corridor silent for more than a week, Jeevan risks leaving the apartment at night, moving the dresser away from the door and climbing to the roof. In the cold, dark city he feels exposed, but the silent metropolis strikes him as starkly beautiful. Smelling snow and watching clouds swallow the stars, Jeevan decides they should leave during the storm and use the weather as cover.

Back inside, Frank challenges Jeevan’s plan: Frank has heard the gunshots and saw the news before broadcasts ended, and he doubts there is anything outside but danger. When Jeevan suggests finding a town or a farm, Frank forces him to admit he has no practical survival skills—no farming, hunting, or fishing—and questions whether farms can function without modern infrastructure.

Frank explains that after being shot and losing the use of his legs, he spent time thinking about what civilization means and that he never wants to live in a war zone again. He tells Jeevan that there may be only survival outside and insists Jeevan should go try to survive. When Jeevan refuses to abandon him, Frank says he will “leave first,” making clear he has been considering ending his life so Jeevan can go.