#yippee.

Laquita shoves them away, her shoulder to their chest, hitting hard enough that it makes Nat hit the back of their legs on the lid of the toilet. She thrusts her hand inside the medicine cabinet again, takes ahold of the gun—black market blaster model, handheld, modified, serial number filed off—and fumbles for the safety. Between the two of them, Nat and Ron are only carrying knives. He's just barely picking himself off the floor again, Nat is trapped between him and Laquita—they are running out of options, and fast. If Nat doesn't manage to disarm her, if this woman gets them at gunpoint, they're toast. Nat kicks for her shins. Pulls their knee up, into her stomach, feels her organs squish up against their bones. Lets the gun fall out of her hands, safety still on. Grabs for Laquita's braids, forces her head back, tears her mask off, and spits. Nat barely registers her crying out behind them, nor her retching as they whirl around to grab their shirt from Ron. Ron, who stares at them like he's staring death in the face, wide eyed and terrified. "She's dealt with," Nat tries to soothe him, even as their heart beats a mile a minute. "Come on, move, go." But the look doesn't leave his face.

I like this section because there's a lot happening here:

Nat hasn't mentioned that they're ex-mil by this point, but they identify the gun that Laquita pulls on sight.

They've demonstrated that they have combat training when they kicked Matcha's ass, but she was easy pickings. Laquita is still a civilian and clumsy with the gun, but she's an actual threat.

Despite their training, Nat doesn't just disarm her and leave it at that. They go straight for the nuclear option and infect her.

They take the look on Ron's face to be fear of the situation, but deep down, in the places they don't mention to the narration, they know it's directed at them :)

This is the point where Nat starts to get anxious about him leaving them, and sets the stage for Chapter 5 Fever Bright, their argument in it, and the eventual consequences for Ron. Fever Bright being a top contender for my favorite chapter, along with Rabbit Den.