3:50 a.m., on the first floor of the cabin.
Lu Mi switched on his flashlight and scooped the dog food out of the large vat.
He had just put the lid back on when he heard Tang Niantao let out a loud, heartfelt "Holy shit!" by the back door.
Lu Mi hurried over. Tang Niantao stood a short distance from the wooden door, looking both startled and speechless. "Look at her!"
She was pointing at Zhao Huai, who should have finished feeding the dog at ten but was now sitting slumped beside the door.
Tang Niantao said, "No lights, no sound-she just appeared in my line of sight like a ghost. Scared the shit out of me!"
Lu Mi bent down and called Zhao Huai's name twice. "Why are you still here instead of going to bed? Did something happen? Where's Lu Dalu?"
At the mention of Lu Dalu, Zhao Huai's numb expression abruptly changed. "I-I don't know!! Don't ask me!"
"Great, another one's lost it." Tang Niantao rested a hand on Lu Mi's shoulder. "Our turn now. Let's hope we make it."
Lu Mi checked the time. It was almost time to go, so he helped Zhao Huai onto the sofa and, after a moment's thought, lit the kerosene lamp for her too.
They opened the back door. From a distance, the doghouse looked cramped and sinister.
Lu Mi narrowed his eyes as snowflakes kept blowing into his face. "Look in front of the doghouse. Is that someone lying there?"
"I see them. Huh, why's there such a big lump of bare skin?"
Only when they got closer did they see that it was Lu Dalu.
In the freezing cold, he had been stripped naked and lay in the snow, his clothes tossed carelessly beside him.
A thin layer