Chapter 68 Chapter 67

The "Pacers" are back in Vegas. He arrived around 9:30 am.Lloyd happened to be there when he arrived.Flagg also saw Lloyd, who was leading a woman through the Grand foyer.Many turned to look at the woman: Her hair was an uncommon snow-white color, so sunburned that it reminded Lloyd of a victim of the Indian Springs natural gas fire.White hair, horribly sun-tanned skin, and empty, expressionless, eerily calm, almost idiotic eyes.Lloyd had seen that look before.It was in Los Angeles, when Flagg broke ties with Eric Stratton, and the lawyer told the man in black how to end it all. Flagg kept his eyes fixed and smiled.He led the lady into the elevator, the doors closed softly, and they were on the top floor.

For the next six hours, Lloyd tried to sort out the clues, and Flagg asked him to report so that he could be prepared.He thought things were under control.The only possible omission is that Julie actually found something, and that was to go to Paul Burleson and get information about this Tom Curran from him.Lloyd didn't think that was possible, but it was best to be safe with Flagg.This is much better. He picked up the receiver and waited patiently.After a while, a call came from the microphone, followed by Shirley Dunbar's voice with a Tennessee accent: "Operator." "Hi Shirley, I'm Lloyd."

"Lloyd Henrider! How are you?" "Not bad, Shirley, can you connect me to 6214?" "Paul? He's not there. Off to Indian Springs base. But I can find him for you from Opal base." "Okay, let's look for it." "Of course. Hey, Lloyd, come over and try my coffee cake when? I bake it every two or three days." "Soon, Shirley," Lloyd said disapprovingly. Shirley, then 40, had courted Lloyd.He had heard plenty of jokes about her, especially from Whitney and Ronnie Sykes.But she was a good operator and could do wonders on the Las Vegas phone system.Being able to make the phone system work is the most important thing besides the power system.Since most automatic switches have burned out, they have to fall back to hand wiring.Phones here are often dropped.Shirley is very good at manual wiring, and she is also very patient with the other three or four operators, who are still in the learning stage.

Plus, she can bake really good coffee cakes. "Soon," he added, thinking how nice it would be if Julie's strong, round body could be combined with Shirley Dunbar's skill, tenderness, and hard work. She looks very satisfied.The sound of a connection came from the microphone, and then another sharp sound, which made him grin.There was a muffled voice from the microphone. "I'm Bailey Orbus." A small voice came from far away. "This is Lloyd," he leaned into the microphone, "Is Paul there?" "What did you say, Lloyd?" Bailey asked.

"Paul! Paul Burleson!" "Er, he! Ah, there he is, with a Coca-Cola." There was a silence on the phone for a moment—Lloyd began to think the call had dropped again—and then Paul came. "We've got to shout, Paul. The wires are awful." Lloyd wasn't sure Paul Burleson had the lungs to shout.Paul is skinny, with deep glasses, some people call him Mr. Cold, because even in very hot weather, he is tightly dressed in three layers, but he is very competent as an intelligence officer, Flagg once used his exaggerated tone Tell Lloyd: By 1991 Burleson will be in charge of the secret police.He's very, very good at the job.Flagg added a warm smile.

Paul managed to raise his voice a little. "Did you bring the list?" Lloyd asked. "Well, Stan Bailey and I are still working on it." "Do you see if there is a case named Tom Curran?" "Wait a second." The second was extended to two or three minutes.Lloyd began to worry about the phone line being cut again.Then Paul said, "By the way, Tom Curran... are you there, Lloyd?" "I am here." "The phone line is so bad, it's not sure. The guy is between 22 and 35 years old. He can't tell. Some mild mental retardation. He has a little job skills. He used to be a cleaner."

"How long has he been in Vegas?" "Less than three weeks." "From Colorado?" "Yeah, but there were some people out there who didn't like him. They kicked the guy out. He was having sex with a normal woman, and I think they were afraid it would affect the genes." Paul laughed. "Give me his address?" Paul gave it to him.Lloyd copied it in his notebook. "That's all, Lloyd?" "If you have time, I have another name." Paul smiled--the little man's shoddy smile. "Of course, now it's just my coffee time."

"That man's name is Nick Andros." Paul immediately said, "I have that name on my red list." "Oh?" Lloyd's mind raced immediately.He couldn't figure out what Paul's red list was referring to. "Who gave you the list?" Paul got a little annoyed and said, "Who do you think? The same person who gave me all the red lists?" "Okay, okay." He said goodbye and hung up.The phone line is so poor that whispering is impossible.Lloyd has too many things to think about. red list. Apparently, Flagg gave the list to Paul alone and no one else—even though Paul thought Lloyd knew it all.Red list, what do you mean?Red means stop.

Red means danger. Lloyd picked up the phone again. "operator." "It's still me Lloyd, Shirley." "Hey, Lloyd, what..." "Shirley, I don't have time to talk. I might have a big problem." "Okay, Lloyd." The flirting in Shirley's tone disappeared, and immediately changed to a businesslike tone. "Who's on duty today?" "Barry Dorgan." "Pick him up. And don't tell anyone I called you." "Okay, Lloyd." She sounded scared.Lloyd was also a little scared, but he was also a little excited.

After a while, the call to Dogan answered.He was a very nice guy, and Lloyd felt very reassured.There are too many lazy people working in the police department these days. "I want you to catch a man for me," Lloyd said. "Live. Make sure he's alive even if you have casualties. His name is Tom Curran. You might catch him at his house." To him. Take him to Grande." He gave Barry Dorgan Tom Curran's address and asked him to repeat it. "How important is it, Lloyd?" "Very important. If you get this done, the big men at the top will be very happy with you."

"Okay." Barry hung up the phone, and Lloyd hung up the phone. He believed that Barry would understand the other meaning of his words: if it went wrong, someone would be very angry. Barry called back an hour later to say he was sure Tom Curran had escaped. "But he's weak," Barry went on, "and he can't drive, he doesn't even have a scooter. If he goes east, he can't get to Dry Lake by now. We'll catch him, Lloyd, I know We can do it. Let me do it." Barry was excited.He was one of four or five people in Vegas who knew about the spy. "Let me think about it," Lloyd said before hanging up the phone before Barry could speak.He has considered things more carefully than before, but he knows that this matter is too big.And the red list is bothering him.Why wasn't he told? For the first time since meeting Flagg in Phoenix, Lloyd had an ominous feeling that his position might not be safe.They kept him a secret, and they might still go after Coron; Carl Hough and Bill Jamieson piloted the military helicopters that were parked in Springs, and if necessary they would shut down traffic eastward from Nevada. all roads.And this guy isn't Jack or Dr. Octobus, he's a debilitating absconder. A window in his heart suddenly opened.He no longer decides on his own to hunt down another human being.Unless a judge decides.He got up and went to the telephone and met Whitney Hogan coming from there. "That man, Lloyd," he said, "he wants to see you." "Okay," he said.He was surprised at how calm his voice sounded - the fear in him was already very strong.And on top of that, if it weren't for Flagg, he would have starved to death in a single cell in Phoenix.This is no joke: he belongs to the man in black. But if you don't provide me with information, I can't do it anymore, he thought as he walked to the elevator.He pressed the button on the top floor, and the elevator rose gently.Another ominous feeling rose in his heart: Flagg didn't know.There must be a third spy here, and Flagg doesn't know it. "Come in, Lloyd." Flagg wore a blue-striped bathrobe and smiled languidly. Lloyd came into the house.The temperature in the house was adjusted quite high, as if stepping into Greenland.Moreover, when Lloyd passed the man in black, he could feel his warmth radiating from him. The lady who had come in with Flagg in the morning sat on a white sofa in the corner.Her hair was neatly pinned, and she changed her clothes.Her expression was empty, and Lloyd felt a chill as he looked at her.As children, he and a few friends stole some dynamite from a construction site, ignited it, and dropped it into Harrison Lake, where it exploded. Then the dead fish floating on the water had the same uncomfortable look in their eyes. "I want you to meet Nadina Cross," Flagg said softly, standing behind him, startling Lloyd. "my wife." Lloyd looked at Flagg in surprise, seeing only a mocking smile and a flickering look in his eyes. "Darling, Lloyd Henrider, my right-hand man. I met him in Phoenix when Lloyd was in custody looking for food. To be honest, Lloyd may have eaten. Yes huh, Lloyd?" Lloyd blushed and couldn't say anything, although the woman showed no expression. "Hold out your hand, dear," said the man in black. Nadina held out her hand like a robot.Her eyes continued to wander aimlessly over Lloyd's shoulder. God, creepy, thought Lloyd.Even though the room was air-conditioned, his body was still slightly sweating. "Nice to meet you," Lloyd said, and shook her hand.Then, resisting the urge, he rubbed his hands on his pants.Nadina's hand remained loose in the air. "You can put your hands down now, dear," said Flagg. Nadina lowered her hand and twisted it.Lloyd realized she was suffering a horrible pain. "My wife isn't feeling well," Flagg said, laughing. "She's pregnant, to put it bluntly. Congratulate me, Lloyd. I'm going to be a father." Another snicker: a squeaky Sounds like light-footed mice behind old old walls. "Congratulations," Lloyd said awkwardly, his lips feeling cold. "Let's not talk about Nadina any more, shall we, dear?" She was as silent as the grave.There is no sound at all. "How's Indian Springs?" Lloyd blinked his eyes, and his mind started to turn again, feeling that he couldn't hide any secrets, and finally said tentatively, "It's not bad." "Not bad?" The man in black leaned over, and for a moment Lloyd felt Flagg open his mouth and bite his head off.He sat back and said, "That doesn't fit my analysis, Lloyd." "There are some other things..." "When I want to ask about other things, I'll ask." Flagg's tone rose, almost to a shout.Lloyd had never seen such a rapid change in Flagg's expression, and it frightened him. "I want a status report on the Indian Springs base right now. You'd better get it right away, Lloyd, for your own sake!" "Yes," Lloyd whispered, "Okay." He took his notebook out of his trouser pocket, and for the next half hour they talked about Indian Springs, National Guard Jets and Siberian missiles.Flagg started to feel relieved - although it's hard to tell, it's not a good idea to take things for granted when you're dealing with Pacers. "Do you think they'll fly over Boulder in two weeks?" he asked, "that is... the first week of October?" "Carl will, I suppose," said Lloyd hesitantly. "I don't know about either of them." "I want them ready," Flagg whispered.He got up and started walking up and down the room. "By next spring I'm going to have them in holes. I'm going to attack them at night when they sleep. Search that town from top to bottom. I think it's like Hamburg and Dresden in WWII." He turned to Law. Ed, face as white as parchment, eyes with a crazy light.His smile is like a machete. "Teach them to send spies. They stay in the cave when spring comes. Then we can search. Tell them to send spies." Lloyd finally spoke. "The third spy..." "We'll find out, Lloyd. Don't worry about it. We'll get the bastard." The smile was back, a bit of dark glee.But before the smile reappeared, Lloyd saw a hint of irritation and fear.He had never expected to see this look. "I think we know who he is," Lloyd said quietly. Flagg was studying it just now with a jade statue in his hand.Now his hands don't move.He was very quiet, and an expression of special attention crossed his face.The woman's eyes turned to Flagg for the first time, then quickly away.The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. "What? What did you say?" "The third spy..." "No," said Flagg decisively. "No, you got it wrong, Lloyd." "He was friends with a guy named Nick Andros, if I'm not mistaken." The jade statue slipped from Flagg's fingers and shattered.After a while, Lloyd was picked up from the sofa by his collar.Flagg walked up and down the room in a way Lloyd had never seen him before.Then Flagg's face turned to him, the loathsome body heat on him, and Flagg's dark eyes were only an inch from his. Flagg yelled, "Are you talking about Indian Springs here? I should throw you out the window." Perhaps seeing the vulnerability of the man in black, or knowing that Flagg didn't know the whole situation and wouldn't kill him, Lloyd felt he could defend himself. "I'm telling you!" he yelled, "You've got me out! If I had known, I would have caught that guy last night!" Then he was thrown to the ground, dazed.He shook his head, trying to wake up.There was a buzzing in my ears. Flagg seemed to be going mad.He strode up and down the room, his face contorted in anger.Nadina retreated to her sofa.Flagg walked to the display stand full of small jade animals, was stunned for a while, and then swept them all to the ground.The bauble shattered like grenades.He kicked a large fragment away with his bare feet.Black hair fell on the forehead.He tossed his hair back with a flick of his hand, then turned to Lloyd.There was sympathy and pity on his face—Lloyd thought it was as real as a three-dollar bill.He went to help Lloyd, and Lloyd found that he stepped on a few pieces of jade without pain...and without bleeding. "I'm sorry," he said, "let's have a drink." He held out his hand to help Lloyd up.Like a child throwing a tantrum, Lloyd thought. "How about your gin?" "Hurrah." Flagg poured a lot of wine.Lloyd downed half the glass in one gulp.Putting down the glass, he felt much better. Flagg said: "The red list I don't think you'll ever use. There are eight names on it - five left now. That's their management committee and an old woman. Andros is one of them. But he's dead now. Yes, Andros is dead, I'm sure." He squinted, staring at Lloyd with pained eyes. Lloyd told what he had learned, flipping through his notebook now and then.He didn't need to look at it, but it was good to look at it now and then to avoid those smoldering eyes.He started with Julie Laurie and went on to Barry Dorgan. "You said he was late," Flagg mused. "yes." A gleam of joy flashed across Flagg's face, and he began to nod. "Yes," he said to himself, "yes, why didn't I see..." He suddenly stopped talking and went to make a phone call.After a while he was on the phone with Barry. "Helicopter. You take Carl on one, Bill Jamieson on the other, keep in radio contact, send 60, no, 100 guys. Close all Nevada intersections east and south. Give them a description of this Coron. Also report to me every hour." He hung up, happily clutching his watch. "We're going to catch him. All I want is to send his head to Andros the beggar. But Andros is dead. Are you, Nadina!" Nadina just stared dumbly. "It's not very good to send a helicopter tonight," Lloyd said. "It's going to be dark in three hours." "Aren't you in a hurry, old Lloyd," said the man in black excitedly, "tomorrow is enough for the helicopter. He hasn't run very far, he won't be far." Lloyd nervously opened and closed the notebook in his hands, thinking that staying anywhere was better than staying here.Flagg was in a good mood now, but Lloyd thought he'd be less likely to be if he'd heard about the trash bugs. "I've got another message," he stammered, "about the litter bug." He feared it would spark another urchin's frenzy. "Dear Garbage Bug. Isn't he traveling?" "I don't know where he is. He did a little trick at Indian Springs before he went out." He made the connections.When Flagg heard that Freddie Campanari was injured, his face darkened, but when Lloyd finished speaking, he calmed down again and did not fly into a rage, but waved his hands impatiently . "Well. I didn't want him to suffer when he came back, and I would have liked him to live longer. You may not quite understand. Lloyd, but I feel him—and I have—but I'm not Quite sure. Even a good sculptor will cut his hand with a knife, if there's something wrong with it. Don't you, Lloyd?" Lloyd, who knew neither a sculptor nor a chisel, (he thought they used a mallet and chisel), nodded in agreement. "Of course." "And he was a great help with the equipment. Was it him?" "Yes, it is." "He'll come back and tell Barry, if possible, don't let the litterbug suffer and let him die. Now I'm more sure the kid who got away is east of us. I could let him go, but there's principle here. Maybe we can Finish before dark. What do you think, dear?" He strolled over to Nadina's sofa and touched her cheek, but she moved away as if she had touched a hot poker.Flagg smiled and touched her again.This time she surrendered, trembling all over. "Moon," said Flagg, very pleased.He jumped up. "If the helicopter doesn't find him before dark, there will be moonlight tonight. I bet he's riding on I-15, hoping that the old lady god will bless him. But she's dead, isn't she?" , dear?" Flagg smiled happily, like a child laughing happily. "Everything is going great. And Randall Flagg is going to be a dad." He touched her cheek again.She whimpered like a wounded animal. Lloyd finally parted his parched lips. "I'm leaving now if I can." "Yes, Lloyd, yes." The man in black didn't turn his head—he was staring at Nadina's face. "Everything is working very well, very well." Lloyd left as fast as he could, almost running.In the elevator, a sudden wave of hysteria overwhelmed him, and he had to press the emergency brake button.He cried and laughed for almost 5 minutes.When the storm passed, he felt better. He didn't break down, he told himself.There are still some problems to be solved, but he can control the situation.The game should be over by the first week of October, and it will definitely be over by the 15th.As Flagg said, things started to turn around.Didn't think he nearly killed me... didn't think he looked weirder than ever. Fifteen minutes later Lloyd got a call from Stanberry from Indian Springs.Stan is on the verge of hysteria, both irritated by the trash bugs and terrified of the man in black. Carl Hough, Bill Jamison took off from Springs at 6:02 p.m. to conduct reconnaissance east of Vegas.One of the trainers, Cliff Benson, was on the same plane as Carl as an observer. At 6:12 p.m., two helicopters exploded in the air.Despite his jaw-dropping horror, Stein sent five men to Hangar 9, where five planes were parked.They found that five planes had explosives, and the fuses were controlled by a simple kitchen clock.This fuse is not the same as what the junk bugs use on gas trucks, but is very similar.There is no time for doubts. "It's the garbage bug," Stan said. "He fucks around. God knows where else he put explosives." "Check it out," Lloyd said.His heartbeat accelerated a lot, and he was already afraid.Adrenaline was surging in the body, and the eyeballs seemed to burst out of their sockets. "Inspect everything! You get everybody out and inspect the place from top to bottom. Do you hear that, Stan?" "Why bother?" "Struggling?" Lloyd shouted. "You want me to draw you a picture, idiot? Didn't that guy say all the bases..." "Our pilots are all dead," Stan said softly. "Can't you hear me, Lloyd? Cliff is dead too, and his skills aren't great. We only have six guys who haven't finished their studies, and there's no Teacher. What do we need airplanes for, Lloyd?" Then he hung up and left Lloyd sitting there dumbfounded for a moment before he understood. Just after 9:30 that night, Tom Curran woke up feeling thirsty.He took out the jug and drank some water, climbed out from under two sloping rocks, and looked at the dark sky.The moon moves overhead, mysterious and quiet.It's time to go.But he still has to be careful. Because they are hunting him. He had a dream.Nick was talking to him, which was weird because Nick couldn't talk.He is deaf.He had to put it in words, and Tom couldn't read.Dreaming is a ridiculous thing. Anything can happen in a dream. In Tom's dream, Nick spoke. Nick said, "They found you, Tom, and it wasn't your fault. You did everything right, it's just bad luck. So you must be careful. You must get off this road, Tom, and you must go east." Tom knew he was going east.But now how to avoid getting lost in the desert?He might go in circles in it. "You'll know," said Nick, "you've got to find God's finger first..." Tom put the water bottle back on his waist and adjusted the pack.He walked back to the boulevard, leaving his bike where it was.He climbed up the embankment and looked at the road on both sides.He cut through a medium-sized road, and after watching carefully, he strode up the trail west of I-15. They've spotted you now, Tom. He walks on the outer edge of the guardrail.He lay for a while, his heart beating violently.Except for the sound of the breeze blowing across the fragmented ground of the desert, the wilderness was silent. He got up and looked along the horizon.His eyes were fine, and the desert air was crystal clear.It wasn't long before he saw it, stretching like an exclamation point into the star-studded sky.God's finger.When he looked east, the pillar was 60 degrees to the left.He thinks he can get there in 1-2 hours.But the clear, magnified sky could fool a more experienced traveler than Tom Curran, so he felt that the stone finger was always so far away from him.Midnight passed, and then it was 2 o'clock.The morning star also appeared.Tom began to wonder if the finger-like rock he had seen was a phantom.He wiped his eyes, the stone finger was still there.Behind him, the avenue was lost in the distant darkness. When he turned to look at Stonefinger again, it seemed to be a little closer.By 4 a.m., an inner voice began to remind him that it was time to find a hideout for the day ahead, and there was no doubt that he was much closer to his goal.But it still didn't arrive that night. When will he arrive (assuming they haven't found him when daylight comes)?and then? It doesn't matter. Nick will tell him.Good Nick. He found a fairly comfortable place in the shade under a large rock, and fell asleep.Thirty miles northeast that night he had reached the Mormon Mountains. In the afternoon, a large rattlesnake crawled into his clothes to escape the heat.It coiled around Tom, slept for a while, then swam away. That afternoon Flagg stood on the edge of the eaves of the top floor, staring east.The sun will be setting in 4 hours and it's time for the bastard to move on again. A strong, persistent desert wind blew his black hair from his hot forehead to the back of his head. "Not this time," he whispered. "I'm going to get him. I'm going to get him." He couldn't explain why it was so important to catch that bastard: that wasn't the heart of the matter.He just felt more and more an urge to act, to do it.to destroy. Last night, when Lloyd reported to him the helicopter explosion and the deaths of the three pilots, he did his best not to fly into a rage.His first impulse was to immediately dispatch an armed column—tanks, trains, armored vehicles, heavily armed.They can reach Boulder in 5 days.Get rid of all the nasties in a week and a half. Of course. If there was early snow on the mountain crossings, it would be the end of the German army.It is now September 14th.good weather. But he's the most powerful man on Earth, isn't he?There may be another as powerful as him in Russia, China or Iran, but that is 10 years away.Now he is in control, he knows it, he feels it.If that bastard could talk...if he could tell them that he, Flagg, was mighty.But he would probably just tell them that Flagg's people lived in fear of the Walkers and bowed to them.He would just tell them things to further strengthen their faith.Hence his constant, strong feeling that Coron must be found and killed before he leaves the West. Because this is what I want and I have to get what I want, that's why. And litter bugs.He thought he'd wiped out all the garbage bugs.He thought the litter bugs could be thrown away like scrap tools.But he has succeeded in doing it in a way that the whole of the Free State has failed to do. I misjudged... It was an unbearable thought, and he could not allow his thoughts to develop in this direction.He threw the glass over the low railing under the eaves and saw it tumble outward in a circle and fall.Suddenly an evil thought, the thought of an irritable child, took possession of his mind: hope it hits someone in the head! Far down there, the glass shattered on the parking lot floor... very far down there.The man in black couldn't hear at all. They found no other bombs at the Indian Springs base, and the whole place was turned upside down.Apparently Garbage Bug had only tampered with the machines he'd been in, the helicopter in the hangar and the truck in the adjacent motor shed. Flagg reiterated his order to kill the garbage bugs as soon as they were found.It's kind of nerve-wracking to think of Trash Worm wandering around, God knows what he's put here and there. nervous. Yes, the beautiful sense of solidity at that time was gone.When did it start disappearing?He couldn't be sure.All he knew was that things were getting weirder and weirder.Lloyd knew this too, he could see it in the way Lloyd looked at him.Let Lloyd have an accident before winter is over.Not a bad idea.He's well-heeled, like guards Whitney Hogan and Ken Dermot, and even Burleson, who spills red-list secrets.He had wanted to have Burleson executed for it. However, if Lloyd had known about the red list earlier, none of this would have happened... "Shut up," he said to himself, "Shut up!" But the idea always lingered in his mind.Why didn't he tell Lloyd his name?He didn't know, couldn't remember.There seemed to be a very reasonable reason at the time, but the more he thought about it, the less he could think of it.Why didn't he put many eggs in one basket? It was a stupid decision--an idea that can't keep too many secrets out of a man, not even one as stupidly loyal as Lloyd Henrider. ? A bewildered expression floated on his face.Were his decisions always this stupid? And how loyal is Lloyd?anyway?The look in his eyes...? Suddenly, he decided to put all this aside and not think about it.This usually makes him feel better.It made him feel stronger, calmer and clearer minded.He looked out at the desert sky. I am, I am, I am, I am... He stepped off the balcony.Suddenly, he knew he had the answer, and he calmed down.Everything is clearer.First he has to... "They're coming here for you, you know." Hearing this soft and gentle voice, he actually fell down.A shudder rose between his legs and hips to his jaw, and his teeth chattered.He whirled around like a cat.But when he saw Nadina, his smile disappeared.Nadina was wearing a white evening gown wrapped in sheer material.His hair, white as an evening gown, fell loose over his face.She looked like a pale witch.Flagg was terrified.She took a few steps forward lightly.No shoes on the feet. "They're coming. Stu Redman, Glenn Bateman, Ralph Brentner and Larry Underwood. They're coming. And it's going to be like a weasel Kill you as well." "They were in Boulder," he said, "hiding under their beds grieving for their black woman." "No," she said flatly, "they're almost in Utah now. They'll be here soon. They'll smash you to pieces." "Shut up and go downstairs." "I'm going down," she said, moving closer to him again, and now she was smiling—a horrible smile.The angry color faded from his face, revealing his strange and dignified expression.After a while, he felt old and weak. "I'm going down...and you will be too." "go out." "We're going down," she sings, laughing...it's scary. "Down, down..." "They're in Boulder!" "They're almost here." "Go downstairs!" "You've screwed up everything here, why not? Evil comes fast. People are whispering about you. They say you let Tom Curran escape, the simple-minded little bastard." He's stupid enough to fool you, Randall Flagg." She spoke faster and faster, and now burst into shrill laughter. "They say your weapons expert has gone mad, and you don't know it. They're worried that what he brought out of the desert will be used against them, not the people of the East. They're leaving. Do you know that? " "You lied," he whispered.His face was as white as parchment, and his eyes bulged. "They dare not. If they escape, I will know." She looked east over his shoulder. "I see them," she whispered, "they're leaving their posts in the night, your eyes can't see them. They're leaving their posts and slipping away. A team of 20 went out and only 18 came back. Border soldiers They're deserting. They're worried that the balance of power is being disrupted. They're leaving you, leaving you, and once they're gone, they're not going to lift a finger when the men from the East try to kill you." What is he going to say.There was a word in his heart that was about to burst out. "You lie!" he snapped at her. His hands patted her shoulders, holding her collarbone like a pencil.He lifted her body over his head, into the dark blue desert sky, and threw her on tiptoe.When he saw her satisfied and relaxed smile, her eyes were unusually calm, he suddenly understood.她故意激怒他这么做，知道这是唯一摆脱他的方法。 她还怀着他的孩子。 他连忙俯下身，几乎失去重心，试图将她拉回。她的晚礼服撕裂了。他的手抓到那薄如蝉翼的衣料，听到一声撕裂声，手指动了动——什么也没有。 她摔下去了，脚朝下直挺挺向下摔去，衣服盖过脖子和脸。她没有喊叫。 她像焰火一样静静地落下了。 当他听到她落到地面的声音，弗拉格将头甩向空中，嚎叫着。 没有关系，没有关系。 所有事情尽在掌握之中。 他俯身向护栏下看，见到他们在跑，仿佛铁屑被磁铁吸引，或者像蛆爬向腐肉。 他们看起来那么微小，而他则高高在上。 他将要飘起来，他决定重新恢复平静。 但这将需要很久很久的时间。 汤姆是晚上8点钟醒来的，天还是太亮，不适宜行走。He continued to wait.尼克又进入了他的梦，他们还说话了，跟尼克聊天真不错。 他躺在岩石阴影下，看天逐渐暗下来。星星开始出现。他在打土豆饼的主意，但愿他还有一些。等到他回到那里——如果他确实回去了——他要把土豆饼全吃了。他要大嚼特嚼土豆饼，然后舒舒服服地呆在朋友的爱抚中。这里什么都有，人们也相当好，但人与人之间没有充足的爱。因为他们总是生活在恐惧之中。如同植物在黑暗的地方难以良好生长一样，爱在只有恐惧的地方也难以发展。 据他所知，只有蘑菇和菌类能在黑暗中长得又肥又大。 “我爱尼克、法兰妮、迪夫和露西。”汤姆自言自语。这是他的祈祷。“我也爱拉里·安德伍德和格兰·贝特曼，我爱斯坦和罗尼。我爱拉尔夫。我爱斯图。我爱……” 有些奇怪，这些名字轻松地从他嘴边滑过。如果回去的话，他是多么幸运。他还能记得斯图的名字。他又想到了他的玩具。他的车库、汽车，火车模型。他曾经几个小时几个小时地摆弄它们。 “老天保佑我，”他又轻轻重复，“我不是一无所求。他使我躺在绿草地。他用油涂在我的头上。他让我在故人面前拥有功夫。阿门。” 现在是够黑了，他开始上路了。到11点30分他到达上帝的手指，他在那里吃了些东西。这里地势高，回头看着走过的路，他能看见大路上移动的光。他们在找我。 汤姆又向东北方向望去。极远处，黑暗中隐约可见一个巨大的圆形花岗岩堆。（在满月过了之后两个晚上，月亮已经开始凹下去）他下一步准备到那里。 “汤姆的脚累了。”他自言自语，但也不乏庆幸。事情本来可能比脚累了更要糟糕。“月亮就是累脚。” 他继续向前走，夜里面黑暗的东西在身边摇曳。凌晨躺下休息时，他已经走了将近40英里。向东不远就是内华达州——犹他州边界线了。 他的脑袋靠在衣服上。眼珠开始在眼皮下飞快地打滚。 尼克又来了，汤姆和他聊天。 梦中的汤姆皱着眉头。他告诉尼克，他很想再见到他。 但不知什么原因，尼克转眼就走了。