Chapter Three: Twelve Water Stations

At the third six o'clock, Lin Xi did not touch an exit. She folded the blank rota into her badge and headed directly to the medical station. Every face along the way was sickeningly familiar: the man who would spill popcorn at 6:03, the twins who would ask for the restroom at 6:19, the drunk who would embrace her after the goal. The future filed past like a rehearsed show. Cheng Ye was replacing the defibrillator battery. He was about thirty, sleeves rolled to his elbows, a black sports watch on his wrist. An unopened promotional bottle sat on his desk. Lin Xi locked the door. “If you want me to believe you're sane,” he said without looking up, “explain why you've locked an emergency station.”