Her Death Had Something to Do with Me

The freight elevator rose slowly, then finally stopped on the sixth floor.

The silver-gray elevator doors opened in front of Chen Ge. Cold air from the air conditioner blew into the elevator. It was much colder inside this Experimental Building than outside.

Bright lights shone on the floor tiles. The hallway was spotless, without a speck of trash in sight.

"The Experimental Building on the East Campus seems to be like this too, except the lights are off over there."

Chen Ge stared at the glass on the door, where his reflection stared back at him.

"I feel like I've been here before, but why can't I remember anything?" Zhang Ju raised his head slightly. He saw his own face in the glass too, its skin burned into a rough, uneven surface. Just looking at it made people uncomfortable.

He rubbed his head, as if trying hard to remember something.

"It's all right if you can't remember. I feel that way sometimes too. I'll arrive somewhere unfamiliar, somewhere I've never been before, and yet it feels familiar, like I've dreamed about it." Chen Ge rested a hand on Zhang Ju's shoulder. The warmth and strength of his palm drove away Zhang Ju's unease.

"Thank you, Teacher. I'm fine, but I really do think I've been here before." Zhang Ju added, "Not in a dream. In real life. I can still vaguely remember some things. They're like a huge lump of charred meat. I have to dig through the bloody, mangled surface to see them."

"That's a vivid metaphor." Chen Ge noticed that Zhang Ju was different from the other children. For some reason, he'd retained much more of his memories. "Come on. Let's go to the Dissection Room first."

Chen Ge had Zhang Ju lead the way. At the far