Blood From a Stone (183 page)

H
i
s
consc
i
ence
w
as
s
til
l
w
h
i
spe
ri
ng
i
n
h
i
s
ea
r
,
l
oud

and
c
l
ea
r
,
r
e
m
i
nd
i
ng
h
i
m
t
hat
i
f
he
j
ust
cou
l
d
b
rin
g
h
i
m
se
l
f
t
o
g
et
back
i
n
t
hat
tr
uc
k
,
d
ri
v
e
o
f
f
and
d
i
sappea
r
,
s
h
e
w
ou
l
d
m
i
ss h
i
m
…but
not
t
he
w
ay she
w
ou
l
d
i
f
he
w
a
l
k
ed
i
n
t
hat
door
and d
i
d
w
hat
he
w
as
about
t
o
do
ri
g
ht
no
w
.
B
ecause
t
he
r
e
w
as no
w
ay
i
f
he
c
r
ossed
t
hat
t
h
r
esho
l
d
t
hat
he
w
asn
’
t
g
o
i
ng
t
o
s
w
eep her
up,
ca
rr
y her
t
o
bed
and
k
eep her
t
he
r
e beau
ti
f
u
l
….s
w
ea
t
y and
na
k
ed,
l
y
i
ng next
t
o,
under
and
o
v
er
h
i
s
body
l
o
v
i
ng her un
ti
l
t
he pa
l
e
fi
n
g
e
r
s
of
da
w
n
k
i
ssed
t
he s
ky
.

H
e
hes
it
a
t
ed
a
m
o
m
ent
l
on
g
e
r
,
h
i
s
hea
r
t
and h
i
s
head
l
oc
k
ed
i
n
an
i
m
passe,
w
hen
he
r
ea
li
z
ed
w
a
l
k
i
ng a
w
ay
w
as
no
l
on
g
er an op
ti
on.
C
i
sco
w
as
a
lr
eady  ba
r
k
i
ng  and
a
f
ew s
e
conds
l
a
t
er
t
he po
r
ch
li
g
ht
fli
c
k
e
r
ed on.

S
he
y
e
ll
ed,
“Who
’
s
t
he
r
e?”
fr
om beh
i
nd
t
he
sa
f
e
t
y of
t
he
t
h
i
ck
w
ooden doo
r
.

Sh
it
,
he
t
hou
g
ht
t
o
h
i
m
se
lf
,
g
r
oan
i
ng
i
n
w
a
r
d
l
y
,
but
at
t
he
sa
m
e
ti
m
e, a
w
ash of
r
e
li
ef
s
w
ept
o
v
er
h
i
m
, because
he
k
new
j
ust
as
su
r
e
as
t
he
sun
w
ou
l
d
ri
se
t
o
m
o
rr
ow
t
hat
he cou
l
dn
‘
t
ha
v
e
w
a
l
k
ed a
w
a
y
.

“
I
t’
s
m
e.
A
r
e
y
ou s
til
l
a
w
a
k
e?”

S
he 
opened 
t
he 
door 
a 
c
r
ack   and 
pee
k
ed 
out cau
ti
ous
l
y
,
be
f
o
r
e
open
i
ng 
i
t
a
l
l
t
he
w
a
y
. 
H
er
l
ong
,
honey
tr
esses
hung
i
n
da
m
p
w
a
v
es
on
her
shou
l
de
r
s
as
she
s
t
ood b
e
f
o
r
e h
i
m
i
n no
t
h
i
ng
but
a
l
a
r
g
e
t
o
w
e
l
.

“I
w
as
i
n
t
he
sho
w
e
r
.
A
r
e
y
ou
a
lri
g
h
t
?
I
t
hou
g
ht
y
ou
w
ent
ho
m
e,”
she
sa
i
d,
r
each
i
ng
up
t
o
w
ri
ng a
f
ew
d
r
ops
of
w
a
t
er
fr
om
a
l
ock
of
ha
i
r
han
g
i
ng
do
w
n her
chee
k
.

“Me
t
oo,”
he
sa
i
d,
s
m
ili
ng
as
he
r
eac
h
ed
f
o
r
w
a
r
d
and
tr
aced
a
pa
t
h
do
w
n
her
f
ace
w
he
r
e
a
d
r
op
of
w
a
t
er
had
l
e
f
t
a da
m
p
pa
t
h.
H
e
d
r
a
gg
ed
i
n
a
deep
b
r
ea
t
h,
d
ri
n
k
i
ng
i
n
t
he
s
i
g
ht of
her
de
w
y
s
k
i
n
i
n
t
he so
f
t
li
g
h
t
.