Chapter 28 time round

After a few kilometers on the road, it was far enough from Camden Ranch that it should be safe.So I parked the car on the side of the road and asked Simon to get off. He said: What, here? I have to check it out for Diane first.I want you to get the flashlight out of the trunk and hold it for me to check.May I? He nodded, eyes wide. Diane has been silent since we left the ranch.She just lay there in the back seat with her head resting on Simon's lap, breathing hard.The most clearly heard sound in the whole car was her breathing. When Simon got everything ready and got the flashlight, I took off my blood-soaked garment and washed myself as clean as I could.I use a bottle of mineral water, add a little gasoline, brush off the dirt on my body, and then use another bottle of mineral water to wash it off.I put on clean jeans and a sweatshirt from the suitcase, and a pair of latex gloves from the medicine kit.Then I drank a whole bottle of mineral water.Then I asked Simon to shine a flashlight on Diane and began to examine Diane.

She was still awake, but too weak to utter a full sentence.She was much thinner than the last time I saw her, as thin as an anorexic, and her fever was already dangerous.Her blood pressure was high and her pulse was beating fast.When I examined her chest with a stethoscope, it sounded like a child drinking a milkshake through a thin straw. I managed to get her to swallow a little water, along with an aspirin.Then, I unpacked a sterile syringe. Simon asked: What is that? General antibiotics.I wiped her arm with alcohol swabs, and after a lot of effort, I managed to pinpoint a blood vessel and give her an injection.Wait a minute and you have to get an injection too.and myself.That cow's blood must have harbored cardiovascular debilitating germs.

Can this cure her? No, Simon, I'm afraid it can't be helped.It might have been okay a month ago, but now it's too late.She needs further treatment. But you are a doctor. Maybe I'm a doctor, but this isn't a hospital. Maybe we can take him to Phoenix. I thought about that too.However, considering what I saw during the Flare, I guess the hospitals in the city are already overcrowded, and this is the most ideal situation.At worst, the hospital may have burned to the ground.It's hard to say, though, maybe it wasn't that bad. I pulled out my phone and looked in the phone book for a number I had almost forgotten.

Simon asked: Who are you going to call? People I used to know. That man's name is Colin.Hines, who used to live with me when I was in medical school at Stony Brook.We occasionally connect.When I last contacted him, he was the director of St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix.You can try it.Before the sun comes out.As soon as the sun comes out, the communication during the day will be cut off again. I pressed the number on his cell phone.The phone rang for a long time, but he finally answered it.He said right away: You'd better have something urgent to find me. I told him who I was and that I was about an hour's drive from the city and that there was a patient in the car who needed emergency treatment.The patients are my relatives.

Colin sighed.Tyler, I don't know what to say.St. Joseph's is open normally. I heard that the Mayan Hospital in Skdale is also open. However, both of us are severely understaffed.Hospitals are good and bad everywhere, but no matter where you go, it's unlikely that someone will be able to treat you right away.The queue at the door of the emergency room was almost full of people, with gunshot wounds, suicide attempts, car accidents, heart attacks, everything.The police maintained order at the door to prevent mass riots at the emergency room.What is your patient's condition? I told him that Diane was suffering from terminal cardiovascular exhaustion and might need a ventilator soon.

Where did she get the bloody cardiovascular depletion?Forget it, it doesn't matter if I don't ask.To be honest, if I can help, I will.However, we had so many patients that we couldn't fit in the hospital throughout the night, and the nurses even had to help the patients in the parking lot to classify the severity of their injuries.Even if I tell them, I can't guarantee that they will put your patient as the first priority.In fact, I'm almost certain that she'll have to wait at least another twenty-four hours for her turn to be examined by a doctor.If we live up to that time.

I am also a doctor, have you forgotten?All I need are some medical supplies to keep her going.Things like Ringer's solution, airway tubes, oxygen cylinders I hope you don't think I'm insensitive, but the supply of medical supplies here is already very tight. Maybe you should ask yourself a question: Is it worth it to save a patient with terminal cardiovascular weakness under the current situation?Maybe you should find something to make her more comfortable I'm not trying to make her comfortable, I'm trying to save her life. Well, if I heard correctly, you should be talking about terminal symptoms.I heard some noise on the phone, as if someone was calling him, which was the panic cry that ordinary people would have when they encountered an emergency.

I said: I have to take her to a place, I have to get her there alive.What I need now is not a hospital bed, but some medical supplies. We don't have any more to spare here.If there's anything I can do to help, just say so, if not, I'm sorry, I'm off to work. I racked my brain for a while, then I said to him: I see, those medical supplies Colin, can you tell me where I can get Ringer's solution?Just do me this favor. this How about it? Well, I shouldn't have said this, but in the emergency response plan for major disasters, our hospital has a cooperation agreement with the city government.There is a medical supplies manufacturer in the north called Novaplod.He read me the address and gave me easy directions.The city government has the National Guard stationed there.It is our main source of medicines and medical equipment.

can i get in If I call them first and check with them, they will let you in if you have a doctor's card. Colin, please, give me a call. If the call can be made, I will call for you.The phone line is unstable. is there any way i can repay you Maybe there is.You've worked in the aerospace community, haven't you?Nearby Foundation? It used to be, but not anymore. Do you know how long this thing will last?When he asked this question, his voice suddenly lowered.I suddenly felt a tiredness in his voice, a deliberately concealed fear.I mean, how long is it going to be, regardless of whether the end result is life or death?

I told him I'm sorry, I really don't know and I don't believe anyone in the Foundation knows better than me. He sighed and said: Well, I just find it annoying.Thinking of how much we've been tortured and how we're going to be burned to death in a few days, we can't figure out what's going on.Just thinking about it annoys me. Wish I had a way to answer your question. On the phone, I heard someone calling him.I wished for more.Tyler, I have to get busy. I thanked him again and hung up the phone. It would be several hours before dawn. Simon has been standing a few meters away from the car, looking up at the stars in the sky, pretending not to eavesdrop on me.I waved him back.I said: We should hit the road.

He nodded obediently.Have you found someone who can save Diane? It can be counted. After he listened, he didn't ask any more questions.When he was about to bend down and get into the car, he suddenly tugged at my sleeve and said: Look over there, what do you think that is, Taylor? He pointed to the western horizon.There is a slightly curved silver line in the night sky above the horizon, about five degrees from the horizon. It looks as if someone has drawn a huge shallow English letter C in the darkness. I said: Probably steam from the tail of a jet, a military jet. Will the military be dispatched at night?Not too possible. I do not know then.Simon, come on, get in the car, we're running out of time. ☆ We arrived sooner than expected.We came to a warehouse for medical supplies.It was a numbered factory building in a dead industrial park.There is still a little time before Da Liang.A nervous guard soldier stood at the gate, and I showed him my ID.He called another soldier and a rank and file to take me in.There are rows and rows of shelves in the warehouse, and they took me through the aisle in the middle of the shelves.After I found what I wanted, another soldier helped me carry it to the car.When he saw Diane panting desperately in the back seat of the car, he immediately took several steps back.He said: Good luck.His voice trembled a little. I took a moment to put Diane on an IV.I hung the medicine bag on the clothes hook in the car and taught Simon how to watch his drip and watch for Diane to press on the tube while she slept.When I stuck the needle in her arm, she didn't feel anything at all, she was asleep. When we were on the road again, Simon asked me: Is she dying? I unconsciously gripped the steering wheel even tighter.Unless I can't save her. Where are we taking her? We're going to take her home. What did you say?We're driving all the way from west to east?To Carol and Edward's house? Yes. Why go there? Because it was there that I saved her. I mean, it's not going to be a good road right now with all the chaos out there. That's right, it's really not easy to go. I glanced at the backseat.He stroked her hair lightly.Her hair was fluffy and tangled with sweat.His hands looked pale after washing off the blood. He said: I don't deserve to be with her.It's all my fault.When Teddy was leaving the ranch, I was supposed to go with them.I should have taken her to the doctor then. I thought to myself, yes, you should. However, I believe in everything we do.Maybe you don't understand, but, Tyler, it's not just about the red heifer.I believe that we are immortal, and at the last moment, we must be rewarded. Why is it being compensated? For our beliefs, for our perseverance.Because, ever since I first met Diane, I had a strong feeling that we belonged to something great, even though I didn't quite understand what that was.I know that one day we will stand side by side before the throne of God.This generation will not perish until the sacred mission is completed.Even if we start off on the wrong path, our generation will not perish.I have to admit that the New Kingdom Gathering stuff looks pretty disgraceful now.Everyone wants to create a millennium blessing, although the result is not satisfactory.Drunkenness, lust, deceit.We renounce all that.While we were right, we drifted apart from our former partners.Our world has become smaller.That feeling is like losing a loved one.I thought to myself, if we want to seek the purest and simplest path, then everything we do will lead us in the right direction.Those who are patient will not lose their souls. I say: Jordan Chapel. It's not hard to find an allegory in the Bible to explain the whirlwind of time.You can see many signs from the sun, the moon, and the stars, as described in the Gospel of Luke.However, by now, the power of heaven has disappeared.But it didn't it didn't His thoughts seemed to be in turmoil. Is her breathing okay?Actually, I don't have to ask at all.I could hear her every breath, laborious but regular.I just want to draw his attention away, lest he get into a corner. Simon said: "She appears to be fine and not in much pain.Then he said: Taylor, please stop and let me out. We go all the way east.There were surprisingly few cars on the interstate.Colin.Hines had warned me that the roads around Sky Harbor might be jammed with traffic, so we took a detour.We only saw a few passenger cars along the way, but there were many abandoned vehicles parked on the shoulder of the road.I said: This does not seem appropriate. I looked at Simon in the rearview mirror.He is crying.For a split second he looked like a ten-year-old boy at a funeral, so vulnerable, so confused. He said: I only have two goals in my life: one is God and the other is Diane.And now I've turned my back on both of them.I wasted too much time.Thank you for your kindness, I know you are trying to comfort me.I know she is dying. Not necessarily. I could have saved her, but I didn't.I can't stand here and watch her die.I myself will soon die in this desert.Tyler, I mean it, I want to get off. The sky began to lighten again.It was an ugly purple halo that looked a bit like the arc at the end of an unlit fluorescent lamp, and it felt unhealthy and unnatural. I said: Actually, I don't care. Simon gave me a surprised look.What? Actually, I don't care how you feel.You should stay with Diane because the drive is going to be hard and I can't take care of her while driving.Also, sooner or later I will be tired and I will need to sleep.If the two of us take turns driving, we don't need to stop along the way except to buy something to eat or to get gas.However, I am skeptical that there will be food or a gas station along the way.If you go, it will take me twice as long to get there. Does that make a difference? She won't necessarily die, Simon, but, you're right, she is very ill.If she is not treated quickly, she will really die.As far as I know, the only place where she can be saved is thousands of kilometers away. Heaven and Earth are almost destroyed.We are all dying. I don't know if heaven and earth will be destroyed, but as long as I have a choice, I will definitely not let her die. Simon said: I really envy you.He spoke very quietly. What?How can I have anything worthy of your envy? He said: your faith. ☆ I'm still barely optimistic, but only at night.During the day, I just can't pull myself together. After Fregstaff the road turns east.The scene of the rising sun in front of me is like the scene of the Hiroshima atomic bomb explosion.I no longer worry about the sun burning people, but the sun still hurts.It's hard to fathom how humans managed to survive the first day.That, Simon might have said, was a miracle of God.Speaking of miracles, I suddenly had an idea and thought of a practical method to create miracles.I pull a pair of sunglasses from the glove box in the dashboard.On the distant horizon, the hemispherical orange flame is slowly rising.With the sun glasses, my eyes can see the road without being stabbed by the flames. The weather is getting hotter and hotter.I turned on the air conditioner very strongly to lower the temperature of Diane's body surface.Even though the air conditioner has been pushed to the limit, the temperature in the car is still getting higher and higher.We've passed Albuquerque, New Mexico, and our next stop is Ducuncali.Halfway through, I suddenly felt intense tiredness, my eyes closed unconsciously, and the car almost hit the mileage sign.At this point, I pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the engine.I told Simon to get the petrol cans and fill up the gas tank, ready to take over the driving.He nodded, but seemed a little reluctant. Our schedule was ahead of schedule, coming sooner than I expected.Maybe it's because everyone is afraid to drive on the road without people, and there are almost no cars on the road.Simon took the gasoline can and poured oil into the car's gas tank.I said: What did you bring to eat? Just a few things I picked up in the kitchen.Time is running out.Go and see for yourself. The trunk was filled with dented gasoline cans, packets of medical supplies, bottles of mineral water, and a cardboard box.In the box were boxes of Cheryl breakfast chips, two cans of corned beef, and a can of Diet Pepsi.My God, Simon, what is this. There was a twitch of embarrassment in his face.Seeing him like that, I just thought that what he just said might be regarded as blasphemy by him.He said: This is all I can find. There were no bowls or spoons.But I'm not only tired, but also hungry.I told Simon we should let the engine cool down.During this time, we hide from the sun in the car with the windows rolled down.There was a gust of sand blowing up in the desert, and the sun was high in the sky, feeling as if it were at noon on Mercury.We cut open the plastic bottle of mineral water, used the bottom of the bottle as a simple cup, soaked the breakfast slices in warm water, and ate it.That stuff looks like seaweed puree and tastes like it. The journey was like a relay race, with Simon preparing to run the second leg.I briefly explained some precautions to him and reminded him to turn on the air conditioner after going on the road.I specifically told him that if there seemed to be any trouble on the road ahead, he must wake me up. Then I went to see Diane.The drips and antibiotics seem to have restored her strength a bit, though only modestly.I gave her a little water and she opened her eyes to look at me and called out, Taylor.I fed her a few tablespoons of breakfast flakes, but she turned her head away within a few bites.Her cheeks were sunken and her eyes were tired and unfocused. I said: Hold on, Diane, we're almost there.I adjusted the drip speed a bit.I helped her sit up and let her stretch her feet out of the car.She squeezed out a few drops of tan urine.I scrubbed her body with a sponge, took off her dirty underwear, and changed her into a pair of cotton underwear from my suitcase. After helping her to lie down, I tucked a blanket into the narrow space between the front and back seats to give myself plenty of room to stretch out without crowding Diane.Simon had only slept once while I was driving, so he must have been as exhausted as I was, but he didn't get hit on the head with the butt of a gun like I did.There was a big lump on the head where Brother Allen knocked it, and as long as the finger was pressed near the lump, the whole head would buzz. Simon stood a few meters away, watching me help Diane wash her body.He had a tense face, probably in a bad mood.When I called him, he hesitated for a moment, looking at the endless desert of the Salt Lake Basin and the center of the empty world with eyes full of longing. Then he ran back to the car in three steps at a time, and got into the driver's seat dejectedly. I curled up and squeezed into the tiny space behind the front seat.Diane seemed still asleep, but before I fell asleep, I seemed to feel her hand lightly pressing on the back of mine. ☆ When I woke up, it was night again.Simon has parked the car on the side of the road and wants to change hands with me. I climbed out of the car and stretched.There is still a dull pain in the head, and the throbbing pain in the spine, as if suffering from a permanent old man's osteoarthritis.However, my spirit is still good.He fell asleep as soon as he got into the backseat. I don't know where we are now, I only know that we are heading east on Interstate 40, and the land here is not so dry. On both sides of the road are endless irrigated farmland, and the red moonlight shines from the sky sprinkled down.I looked at Diane, who seemed to be okay, not in pain when she was breathing.There was a smell of blood and gasoline in the car, so I opened the front and rear doors of the car to let the air circulate and let the strange smell dissipate.Then, I sat back in the driver's seat. The sky above the road was littered with scattered stars, so faint they could hardly be seen.I suddenly thought of Mars.Does Mars still have time to gyrate the dialysis membrane now?Or, like the earth, has disappeared?But I don't know where Mars is in the sky, and if I did see it, I'm afraid I wouldn't know it was Mars.However, I did see that enigmatic silver line, very prominent in the night sky.Simon pointed it out to me when we were in Arizona, and I thought it was steam from a jet tail.Tonight, it's even more visible.The line had moved from the horizon to near the zenith, and what had been a slightly curved arc now became an ellipse, resembling a flattened English letter O. Three billion years have passed between the sky I see now and the sky I saw on the lawn of the big house back then.I thought to myself, after such a long time, there must be countless secrets hidden in the sky. After the car started, I turned on the radio on the dash to see if I could get a signal.The previous night, the radio was inaudible.After trying for a long time, I still can't get a digital signal, but I finally got a local FM station.A small country station like this usually plays country music or preaches, but tonight it was on the news.I hear a lot.Later, the signal slowly disappeared, leaving only a noise. Listening to the news on the radio, I realized that avoiding the big cities was a wise decision.Several major cities are now disaster areas.That's not because of looting or violence, which is surprisingly rare.These cities will become disaster areas, but because public facilities are completely paralyzed.As that giant red sun slowly rises over the horizon, it looks a lot like the expected end of the world.Everyone simply hid at home, gathered with their families, and waited for death to come.As a result, the entire urban area was empty, with only a handful of police and fire brigades left.The hospital is severely understaffed.A very small number of people have committed suicide with a gun, or have drunk excessive amounts of alcohol, taken excessive amounts of cocaine, narcotics, or amphetamines.These people neglect small things, which immediately lead to serious problems.Some forgot to turn off the gas stove, some passed out halfway through the car, and some died when cigarette butts fell on the carpet.No one called the police when the carpet started to smoke and the curtains caught fire.Even if someone called, many fire brigades have no one to answer the phone.As long as one house catches fire, it quickly spreads to the entire community. Newscasters said four large plumes of smoke rose from Oklahoma City.In addition, the station received a call that the South Side of Chicago had been reduced to ashes.In every major city in the country, as long as they can be contacted, at least one or two large-scale fires have been reported, and the fire has been out of control. However, the situation has gradually improved and has not continued to deteriorate.Today, everyone begins to feel that human beings seem to have a chance to survive, at least for a few more days.As a result, more first-line ambulance personnel and staff of public facilities began to return to their jobs.But the negative effect is that people start to worry about how long the daily necessities and food at home will last.Looting at grocery stores is a growing problem.The government appeals to the general public not to drive on the roads, except for service personnel of public facilities.Before dawn, the government had released the news through various channels, such as the emergency broadcast system, all operating radio stations and television stations.It's also being republished this evening.This is probably why there are so few cars on the interstate.I saw several military vehicles and police patrol cars, but none of them came to question us.I'm guessing it's because of the emergency medical services logo on my license plate.Since the first flare, California and several other states have issued emergency medical services license plates to doctors. The police presence on duty is limited.The regular army still maintains normal strength, with only a few soldiers leaving their posts without permission.However, the militia and National Guard are fragmented and unable to support local government public services.The power supply was also intermittent, and most power plants were understaffed and barely able to supply power.District lighting blackouts began to be implemented in various places.It is said that the San Ong Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in California and the Bacqueline Nuclear Power Plant in Canada came close to catastrophic reactor core meltdowns.However, the government did not confirm the rumors. The announcer also read a series of lists, including special food stores, and hospitals that can accommodate patients.The estimated wait time for triage is appended to the hospital name.In addition, the announcer explains some tips for home emergency care.He also reported on an appeal from the Bureau of Meteorology, reminding people to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun.The Bureau of Meteorology said that while sunlight may not appear to be immediately fatal, excess UV rays can cause long-term problems.It sounds a bit ironic. ☆ Before dawn, I continued to listen to some broadcasts sporadically, but after the sun came out, the signals were jammed, and the radio was just noise. When the sun came out, it was covered by clouds.As a result, I don't get blinded by the sun while driving.However, this kind of dawn without seeing the sun is strange.It's scary.The entire eastern half of the sky was filled with a thick red light, which felt like the embers of a campfire that was about to go out, and had a hypnotic effect.Occasionally, gaps in the clouds would appear, and amber rays of sunlight would stick out like fingers from between the clouds, as if groping for the ground.By noon, the clouds were getting thicker and thicker, and within an hour, the rain came.The rain is warm and hot, and there is no refreshing feeling.The rain covered the entire road, reflecting the sickly weather. I had already poured the last can of gasoline into the tank that morning.Halfway between Kailo and Lexington, the pointer on the gas gauge was almost at the bottom.I woke up Simon and told him that the car was running out of gas, and I had to stop for gas at the next gas station. Not a single one would sell us gasoline. After a long time, we found another gas station half a kilometer off the highway.It was a small gas station, with only four gas dispensers, and a small franchised convenience store inside, selling some snacks.The store was pitch-black, and the fuel dispenser seemed to be off.Still, I pulled the car in, stepped out, and grabbed the gas gun from the hitch. A man wearing a Bangladeshi cap emerged from the side of the store, holding a shotgun to his chest.He said: The tanker is not working. I put the refueling gun back and said slowly: "Is it out of power?" That's right. Don't you have backup power? He shrugged and began to move closer and closer.Simon was about to get out of the car when I waved him back.The man in the Bangladeshi cap was about thirty years old and ten kilos heavier than me.He looked at the Lin Jiashi solution drip bag hanging on the back seat of the car, and then squinted at the license plate of the car.That California license plate probably wouldn't make him feel good, but the emergency medical services logo on the plate was clearly visible. Are you a doctor? I said: Taylor.Dupre, M.D. Sorry, I was not polite just now.Is your wife in the car? I said yes.Simply deal with it, saving half a day of explanation.Simon glared at me, but said nothing. Do you have a doctor's card?Please don't mind, there have been a lot of car thefts these days. I took out my wallet and dropped it at his feet.He bent down to pick it up and looked at the card holder inside.Then he took a pair of glasses out of his shirt pocket and took another look at the card case.Finally, he returned the wallet to me and held out his hand to shake my hand.I'm sorry, Dr. Dupre, please forgive me for being rude just now.My name is Chuck.Bellini.I'd leave the dispenser on if you just need gas.If you need to buy something else, please wait a few minutes, I will open the shop. I'm going to add some oil, if there is something better to eat.However, I don't have much cash on me. Whatever cash he has.We don't sell to criminals and drunks, the streets are full of criminals and drunks now.However, we are open 24 hours to military personnel, highway police and, of course, doctors.As long as there is still oil in the tanker, we will sell it.Hope your wife is okay. As long as you can get there, you'll be fine. Are you going to Lexington State Hospital?Or go to Samaritan Hospital? It's going to be a little further.She needs special treatment. He glanced back at the car again.Simon had rolled down the windows to let some air in the car.The dust all over the car was soaked by the rain, mixed with asphalt and stuck together in one piece.Diane was still asleep.She turned over and suddenly coughed violently.Bellini glanced at her and frowned. I'm going to drive the gas pump now, you must want to get on the road quickly. Before we headed out, he packed some food for us.A few cans of soup, a box of salt crackers, and a can opener in a box.However, he refused to approach the car. ☆ Intermittent severe coughing is a common symptom of cardiovascular weakness.Cardiovascular debilitating germs are very tricky and slowly torment the patient.When severe pneumonia occurs, the patient will not die immediately, but the patient will eventually die of pneumonia, or the heart failure caused by pneumonia.I picked up some oxygen cylinders, suction pumps, and face shields at a medical supply wholesaler in Freggstad.As Simon drove, Diane began to cough and struggle to breathe, and began to look terrified.She choked on her own saliva and started rolling her eyes.I pumped out as much mucus as possible from her trachea and covered her mouth and nose with an oxygen mask. Later, she finally calmed down, and the blood gradually returned to her face.She was finally able to sleep again.While she was resting, I sat next to her.Her burning head rested on my shoulder.The rain outside had turned into a downpour, and the car couldn't drive fast.Every time the car drove over a low-lying road, a large splash of water would be thrown from behind.As dusk approached, the light outside gradually dimmed, and the western sky seemed to be a pile of red-hot charcoal. Everything was silent, only the sound of rain hitting the roof of the car could be heard.I listened to the sound of the rain, and my heart was filled with an inexplicable satisfaction.At this time, Simon suddenly cleared his throat.He said: Taylor, do you believe in atheism? Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly. What did you say? It's a bit presumptuous to ask, please don't mind me.I was just wondering, do you consider yourself an atheist? I don't know how to answer this question.Simon helped me a lot, and thanks to him we were almost there at last.However, he was led by the nose by a group of crazy fringe elements of the timeism sect.They confronted the end of the world for a long time, but the final result was disillusionment.I didn't want to irritate him, because he was still needed and Diane needed him. So I said: Is it that important whether I believe in atheism or not? I'm just a little curious. Well I don't know.I guess, all I can say is I don't know.I dare not assert whether God exists, and I don't know why He makes the universe so tense and makes the universe spin around.Sorry, Simon, I rarely think about this kind of theology. He didn't speak, and was silent for a while.Then he said again: Maybe that's what Diane meant. What did she say? In the past, we talked about some issues.However, it seems that we have not had a good talk for a long time.The two of us had disagreed long before the church split.We don't feel the same way about Pastor Dan and Jordan Chapel.I think she's too cynical, she says I'm too easily agitated.Maybe.Pastor Dan has a gift for interpreting the "Bible" with a unique eye, able to find the subtle meaning in every page of the scriptures.The knowledge he built brick by brick was solid as a rock.He is a genius.I can't do it myself, no matter how hard I try I just can't.To this day, whenever I open the Bible, I still cannot immediately understand its meaning. Maybe you shouldn't understand at all. But I just want to understand.I want to be like Pastor Dan, smart and always determined.Diane said he was dealing with the devil, and she said Pastor Dan sold his humble soul to prove his faith.Maybe that's what I'm missing, maybe that's what Diane sees in you.Maybe that's why she's leaned on you so much for your humility over the years. Simon, I You don't have anything to be sorry for me, you don't need to say sorry to me, and you don't need to comfort me.I know she's been calling you.Whenever she thought I was sleeping, or thought I wasn't home, she would call you.I know that I am lucky enough to have her by my side for so many years.He turned to look at me.can you do me a favor?I want you to tell her for me that I am sorry for not taking good care of her when she was sick. You can tell her yourself. He nodded thoughtfully, and continued driving towards the torrential rain.It was big and dark, and I told him to turn on the radio and listen for any news.I originally wanted to cheer up and stay awake, and listen to the news, but my head began to throb again, and my vision became more and more blurred.沒多久，我不知不覺就閉上眼睛睡著了。 ☆ 我睡得很熟，而且睡了很久，不知不覺中，車子已經跑了很遠的一段路。 醒過來的時候，已經是隔天早上了。天還下著雨。我發現車子停在一個休息站。我後來才知道，那裡是馬納薩斯，已經到了維吉尼亞州了。有個女人撐著一把破破爛爛的黑雨傘，正在敲我的車窗。 我眨眨眼睛，打開車門。她往後退了一步，用狐疑的眼神打量著黛安。那個人叫我來告訴你，不用等他了。 抱歉，我不太懂。 他叫我來替他說再見，叫你不要再等他了。 車子的駕駛座沒有人，賽門不見了。車子附近只看到一些垃圾桶、濕透的野餐桌、簡陋的公共廁所，就是看不到賽門的蹤影。另外還有幾輛車停在這裡，引擎沒有熄火，開車的人大概跑去上廁所了。我放眼看著四周，附近有樹林，有停車場，遠處山巒起伏，好像是一個工業小鎮。天空是一片火紅。你說的那個人是不是瘦瘦的，金頭髮，身上穿著一件髒兮兮的Ｔ恤？ 就是他，就是那個人。他說他不想讓你睡太久，說完他就走了。 他用走的嗎？ right.他沒有走公路，而是沿著河那邊走過去。她又瞄了黛安一眼。黛安的呼吸很微弱，聲音很大。你們還好嗎？ not too good.不過我們已經快到了，謝謝妳的好意。他還說了別的嗎？ 有啊，他說願上帝保佑你。從現在開始，他會找到自己的路。 我看看黛安，幫她料理了一下。我看看停車場四周，看了最後一眼，然後就開車上路了。 ☆ 我停下來好幾次，調整黛安的點滴，再讓她吸一點氧氣。她的眼睛沒有再睜開過她並不是在睡覺，而是陷入昏迷。我根本不敢想這代表什麼。 雨勢大得驚人，車子開不快。放眼望去，公路兩旁到處滿目瘡痍，看得出這幾天來混亂到什麼程度。沿途看到十幾輛撞得稀爛的車，或是燒焦的車，被人推到路邊停著。有幾輛車還在冒煙。有幾條道路封閉了，不准平民的車輛進入，只有軍車和緊急勤務車可以進去。好幾次我被路障擋住，只好掉頭走別的路。白天的氣溫很高，空氣濕熱得令人難以忍受。雖然到了下午偶爾會颳起一陣狂風，卻還是吹不散那股熱氣。 還好賽門走的時候，我們已經快到了。我終於在天色全暗之前趕到了大房子。 風勢愈來愈強，幾乎快要變成風暴了。羅頓家長長的車道上到處都是斷落的樹枝。那是從松樹林那邊吹過來的。屋子裡黑漆漆的。或許是因為金黃色的夕陽餘暉，使得大房子看起來顯得比較昏暗。 我把車子停在階梯下面，下車去敲門。等了一會兒，沒有人來開門，於是我又敲了一次門。後來，門終於開了一條縫，卡蘿．羅頓躲在門縫裡面瞄著我。從那條縫裡，我只看到一隻蒼白的藍眼睛，看到一小片滿是皺紋的臉頰，根本認不出是她。 不過，她倒認出我了。 她說：泰勒．Dupre!只有你一個人來嗎？ 她把門整個打開了。 我說：不是，還有黛安。我需要妳幫個忙，幫我把她扶進屋子裡。 卡蘿走出來，站到門廊上，瞇著眼睛看看車子裡面。當她看到黛安的時候，忽然全身僵直。她肩膀一豎，倒抽了一口涼氣。 她說：我的天，難道我的兩個孩子都是回家來等死的嗎？她幾乎是在自言自語。