| “Still holding the radio in case Greene tried to reach him, Roche used the back of his left hand as extension of his baseball cap. He shielded his eyes from rain. Almost at once, Roche felt something strike his right side, just above the waist. It was a hard, solid blow, as though he'd been whacked with a baseball bat. The engineer lost his radio and his breath as he staggered to the left. His right arm went numb and the flashlight seemed to vanish. When he tried to breathe pain ripped through his side, as though every rib were shattered. Wincing and gasping through his teeth, he turned to the right. In the early morning darkness all Roche could see were two pale white lights, like twin moons glowing behind a thick haze. The lights were hip-high and about two feet away. He tried to reach out to them but while he could feel his right arm he couldn't move it. His first thought was that whatever hit him had broken it. Then he looked down. He saw blood pumping onto the road. He reached over with his left hand. The blood was coming from his shoulder. Roche's fingers moved up his side. "Oh, no. No!' Roche couldn't find his am. It was gone. His torso began shivering violently and his vision started to swim. Then something struck the engineer from the left. It came from above, hitting his head and snapping his neck. The back of his head hit his right shoulder blade. He died instantly. The glowing orbs hung above the body in the fine rain. They moved down and then away. A moment later there was only the rain.” |
