i thought they meant to take them off the end of my life . had there been any indication of that kind of life in the dull , empty lobby ? he had his gun pulled and listened for any sound he could hear . a couple of deep breaths and i was ready to move over it . this was as far as i had planned . time moves differently in the other universe , usually faster or slower than here . when the steps were washed out by spring rains it fell to him to repair them . 