Chapter 31 Chapter 30

At dusk, as wind-blown dust shakes the Texas scrub, the town of Arnett appears to be covered in a translucent veil, looking like a sepia ghostly portrait, Billy Harper gas station sign across the middle of the road. Someone in the Norman Bruetts left to turn off the gas when they left, and a small spark from the air conditioner knocked the whole house down. Laurel Avenue was a rattling mess of rags and boards and cheap little toys.On the main street of the town, dead dogs and soldiers' corpses lay in the gutters. In Randy's shop, there's a man in pajamas lying on the butcher's counter with his arms hanging down, and the dog lying in the gutter licks the man's face until he dies.

The cats don't have the flu, they move through the soft twilight.The noise of the TV kept coming from the buildings, and the shutters were swinging back and forth erratically. A rusty red carriage was parked on Durkin Street in front of the "India's First Inn". The word "Express" was barely recognizable on the side. There were many recycled beer bottles and soda bottles in the carriage. A harmonious wind blew on the porch of Tony's house on Logan Lane Street, the busiest street in Arnett.Tony's Seabird was parked on the street, its doors wide open, and the squirrels had nestled in the backseat.

As the sun set, the town shrouded in night became darker and darker. Except for the chirping of insects, the whispering of animals and the rustling of the breeze, the town was quiet.