Midnight Arrives

Midnight Arrives

Zhang Heng returned from the general store laden with supplies, carrying a backpack as he crossed the lobby of the Gilman Hostel.

The unpleasant-looking young waiter did not say a word, as if he had not noticed the extra backpack Zhang Heng had somehow acquired, even though the barrel of a rifle was sticking a long way out of it.

Zhang Heng climbed the dilapidated stairs toward the top-floor rooms. The wooden boards creaked beneath his feet, seeming to protest the sudden extra weight he carried.

The hallway lights were not much better than those outside. Though they were still on, their illumination was pitifully limited, and the shadows cast on the walls looked downright unsettling.

Zhang Heng noticed someone moving around in Fabrikot's room across the hall. From the footsteps, he could tell just how restless the young foreign traveler was. Before long, however, he sat down again and seemed to take a book from his luggage. Zhang Heng heard pages turning. Fabrikot appeared to be trying to calm himself this way.

So Zhang Heng did not remain standing in the hallway. He reached out and pushed open his own door.

After returning to his room, Zhang Heng did not rest. Instead, he began organizing the things he had brought back. Using the method the Finnish Guerrillas had taught him during the Winter War, he tried making several Molotov cocktails from the liquor bottles. Whiskey by itself was not strong enough and was difficult to ignite, so Zhang Heng distilled some high-proof whiskey and added tinder as fuses.

After that, he loaded all three guns, tied a grappling hook to the end of a rope so it could be used for climbing walls, and finally took out some fishing line. Before long, the room was crisscrossed with