Chapter One: The Empty Car

His map showed nothing. The girl sent a hand-drawn route and told him to follow streets without shadows. The tower was four blocks away. Cheng ran. No one walked Daocuan, but its shop windows were crowded with motionless people. They wore the clothes of Linchuan citizens and tracked Cheng with their eyes. At a convenience store he saw his sister behind the glass, still nineteen, rain dripping from her hair. “Ge.” Cheng Yao tapped the window. “I've waited so long.” He stopped. The girl shouted through his phone, “Keep moving. That isn't me!” Every window shattered. The figures poured out, each wearing Cheng's face—old, young, bloodied. They did not chase him. They only asked in unison, “Why didn't you come?”