The Madwoman

The next morning, Hui Nan arrived at school and heard from the gateman that Zhai Jia had come in at dawn — long before the other teachers, before it was even fully light. The gateman had let her through without thinking; she came every day.

In the corridor outside the office, Hui Nan passed Zhu Hua, who had a strange expression on her face. "Something's wrong with Zhai Jia," she said quietly.

Hui Nan pushed open the office door. Zhai Jia was sitting at her desk. She had her head down and her hair unwashed, so tangled it looked like a bird's nest. Her clothes were wrinkled, obviously slept in. But that wasn't the part that disturbed Hui Nan. The disturbing part was that Zhai Jia was staring at the wall and murmuring to herself.

Hui Nan walked over. "Zhai Jia? Zhai Jia!"

Zhai Jia slowly turned her head and looked at Hui Nan. Her eyes were full of a strange light. "I saw Jia Shi last night. He opened his eyes and looked at me."

"You saw Jia Shi? Where did you see him?"

"In the coffin on White Stone Mountain."

The other teachers in the office exchanged glances.

"I followed the delivery man," Zhai Jia said. "He was Jia Shi — he led me to the graveyard. And in the coffin, he opened his eyes and looked at me." Her voice was very calm, which made it more unsettling than if she had been screaming. "I know what that means. He's telling me — it's my turn next."

Hui Nan crouched beside her. "You didn't sleep last night, did you? Listen — what you're describing sounds like a hallucination. Your mind has been under enormous pressure. You need rest."

"It wasn't a hallucination." Zhai Jia turned back to the wall. "He opened his eyes."

Hui Nan spent the rest of the morning trying to get through to her, and failing. By afternoon, Zhai Jia had grown worse. She began wandering the school corridors during class hours, speaking loudly to students who edged away from her in fear. She stood in the middle of the playing field at recess and announced to no one in particular: "We're all on the list. We're all going to die."

Students filmed her on their phones. A second-year girl burst into tears. Word spread through the campus within the hour.

After the final bell, Hui Nan found Zhai Jia sitting in an empty classroom, drawing on the blackboard. She had drawn a row of rectangles — coffins — and beneath each one had written a teacher's name. Including her own.

Hui Nan erased the blackboard and gently took Zhai Jia by the arm. "I'm taking you home."

Zhai Jia didn't resist. She let herself be led through the school gate, down the street, all the way to her apartment building. In the elevator, she was quiet. At the door, when Hui Nan pressed the buzzer, A Cheng opened it in his pajamas, still half-asleep from his day rest. He looked at Zhai Jia, then at Hui Nan.

"She needs sleep, and she needs to see a doctor," Hui Nan said.

A Cheng nodded wearily. "I've been trying to get her to see a doctor for two weeks."

"Keep her home tomorrow. Call the principal."

Hui Nan turned to go. Zhai Jia suddenly grabbed her wrist. Her grip was cold and very strong.

"Hui Nan," she said. Her eyes were clearer now, for a moment. "The delivery man was Jia Shi. I know it was. And whoever is behind all this — they know about each of us. What we did, what we're afraid of, everything." She swallowed. "Be careful."

Hui Nan gently removed her hand. "Rest."

She took the elevator down alone. In the lobby she stood still for a moment, listening to the city noise outside, and thought: Zhai Jia might be losing her mind. But she might also be right.