No one was using the computers, and no one was moving. They looked like the toy people I'd seen before, or like sculptures.
I stopped and lightly knocked on the door. Only then did they stir and turn to look at me.
Their stares made me feel strange again. I cleared my throat and asked the obvious, "Are you all right?"
All four shook their heads.
"It's fine," one of them answered. As he spoke, he glanced at the window, then looked back at me expressionlessly. "It just feels a little strange... I should get used to it after a while."
It sounded normal, like something a normal person would say.
I nodded and left.
Back in my office, I heard the Thin Man and the others talking, just as I'd expected.
When they saw me come in, they greeted me. Their expressions and movements were perfectly natural.
I closed the door behind me and told them what I'd just seen.
"No way." The Thin Man was the first to react, looking at me in alarm.
"Wasn't that last counseling session pretty helpful?" Guo Yujie asked.
At the time, everyone had listened to the psychologist's soothing explanations and taken part in various little activities. They'd all seemed fine. Everyone had also had time to speak with the psychologist one-on-one, as well as share their feelings and express their grief for the deceased in a group setting.
Everything had been normal at Jiang You's funeral, too. A few of us had attended. His parents had naturally been heartbroken, but his colleagues hadn't completely fallen apart.
The incident should have been behind them. Their fear wouldn't fade overnight, but it shouldn't have gotten worse.
For a moment, I wondered if something had changed at some point in the past without my knowing.