Chapter One: The Fixed Diet

A distant clock began striking midnight. Gu served the twelve, then placed the final dish before an empty chair at the head of the table. Its back rose higher than all the others. There was no name card beside its silverware, only a drop of blood that had not yet dried. The twelve guests turned together. They did not look at Gu. They looked up at the vent where Zhiwei was hiding. Gu raised his face as well. “The thirteenth guest has arrived.”