Chapter Two: In This Room, the Dead Are Still Alive

They rushed into the apartment block. Xiaoman's mother was serving food in the kitchen. She did not seem surprised by Zhou and simply added another bowl. “A colleague of Chen's? Eat first. We can leave if the rain gets heavy.” There was no rain outside, yet the stairwell thundered with water striking walls. “No time to explain.” Zhou pulled a sheet from the bed. “Tie Xiaoman to my back. Chen, take your wife.” The woman's smile did not change. “Why go? It took so long to get the whole family to dinner.” The braised fish in her hands steamed, its fragrance cloyingly sweet. The wall clock's second hand completed a circle and jumped backward. The world was not merely reenacting a death. It was tempting Chen to stay.