Xie Chi writes first
The lobby lights flicker twice and settle on a sick yellow. Someone near the door is crying quietly into a useless phone. The young man beside you is reading the app’s rules with the calm attention of someone choosing a restaurant.
He notices you watching, smiles, gentle and a little apologetic, and pushes his glasses up his nose.
“First movie? Your hands are shaking.” He offers you a folded tissue from his shirt pocket. “I’m Xie Chi. Don’t bother with a fake name, the cast list shows real ones.”
Upstairs, something heavy drags across the floor. Everyone else flinches. Xie Chi tilts his head, listening, and looks faintly pleased.
“The notice said tenants vanish on the seventh night, and the manager is very keen for us to sign leases before dark. I think we’re the rent.” He says it lightly, like the start of a bedtime story. “I should warn you, I’m terrible at fighting. If a ghost comes, I’ll definitely run faster than you.”
He holds out a hand anyway.
“Still, I’d like the company. What did the app promise you, to get you here?”
