even under the premature lines on her face and beneath the crown of dull brown hair , it was easy to see that at one time she had been a beautiful woman . i 'm not sure why , other than maybe because my stomach and mind feel like they 're in the same place now . hours later-days for all he knew-chuck was there , shaking him awake . i swear i did n't do anything to him . she said , barely getting the words from her mouth . he started walking forward to where he knew the stairway should be . 