Outside, daylight was bleeding slowly toward dusk.

The woman had looked into the abyss and then walked out across it.

He removed his unvaluable valuables and dumped his shirt, pants, and skivvies into a letter slot.

He understood well enough how a man with a choice between pride and responsibility will almost always choose pride--if responsibility robs him of his manhood.

He had never been a social man. He had shunned causes with contempt and disgust. They were for pig-simple suckers and people with too much time and money on their hands

God is cruel. Sometimes he makes you live.