Chapter Five: Forty Minutes

Lin’s livestream opened on his borrowed phone. The camera shook. In the hospital lobby, holding his documents, she told tens of thousands of viewers, “There is a backflow risk in East District underground spaces. Leave low ground. Give elevators and vehicles to people who need help moving. Do not wait for a prettier notice.” Some comments called her an alarmist; others began sharing escape routes. Xu had no time to read. He ran to the parking level where the cabinet stood. A schoolgirl was helping an old man who had fallen, crying that her mother was still in the food court. “Take him up,” Xu said, putting his coat around the old man. “Tell everyone to follow the lit exit signs.”