Chapter 1
The Visit
The morning sky was covered with soft gray clouds as Xia stepped off the bus, holding her phone in one hand and a small paper bag in the other.
She looked around, confused.
"This should be the place..."
It was her first time visiting Mei's neighborhood. Mei had invited her over countless times, but their schedules had never matched until today.
Xia smiled to herself.
"Finally."
She opened their chat.
Mei: I'm helping my mom. Just keep walking straight after the entrance. I'll come find you!
Xia: Got it. See you in five minutes.
She slipped her phone into her pocket and walked toward the entrance.
The neighborhood was unlike anywhere she'd been before.
Narrow streets stretched in every direction, packed with small houses standing shoulder to shoulder. Water flowed through shallow drains beside the roads, reflecting the cloudy sky. Women washed clothes outside their homes, children splashed through puddles, and elderly people sat on plastic chairs talking as if they had all the time in the world.
Vendors called out to customers.
Scooters squeezed through impossible gaps.
The smell of fresh food drifted through the air.
Everything felt alive.
Xia couldn't help smiling.
"Mei wasn't kidding when she said this place never sleeps."
She continued walking, looking around in fascination.
Every lane looked almost identical.
Blue doors.
White walls.
Small bridges over the flowing water.
Colorful clothes hanging on lines.
She stopped.
"...Wait."
She looked left.
Then right.
A tiny laugh escaped her lips.
"I think I'm lost."
She pulled out her phone to message Mei.
No signal.
"...Seriously?"
She sighed and slipped the phone back into her pocket.
"I'll just ask someone."
Before she could take another step—
Someone grabbed her wrist.
The grip was sudden.
Cold.
Tight.
Xia froze.
Her heartbeat skipped.
Slowly...
She turned around.
An older man she had never seen before stood only a step away, staring at her with an expression that made her stomach twist.
He tightened his grip.
Xia instinctively tried to pull her hand back.
"...Let go."
The man didn't move.
Instead...
He took one slow step closer.
