.. Suddenly... Gwen, what the heck! Why are you slowing—The beat didn’t slow, though, it outright died. I saw Gwen drop her sticks. They ricochete... off of her snare and flipped to the floor even as she stood up. We each played on with decreasing intent as she rushed for the door and let herself outside. In another moment, the room was impossibly silent, save for the hum of our amps.“What the hell just happened?” Tommy asked. “Gwen?”“She left,” Muireann murmured, her voice strained.Melissa. He watched them wander off to the heavy brush and some of the women smiled behind their hands because his reputation was such that they all knew exactly where that was heading and that the captive lady would be soon resting in the arms of one of her rescuers in a matter of moments.It was not entirely proper, but Sam figured that it might be the best thing for the poor schoolteacher because it would show her that regular folks still liked and loved her as a person and not a freak that had. "You bastard, you would take away from your son, your dead son? Howdare you. She yells at me."Hey witch, he's not using it anymore!" I drank the whole bottle infront of her.She goes to hit me. I knocked her on her ass. I grabbed her hair andpulled her to the door. I drag her to the street. She's swearing andhitting me. I kick her in the ass."Get the fuck out and stay out," I tell her.My fucking wife comes out just crying away. She knows better than tohit me. Her mother tells her about the milk.. Rushing to the outside, hesaw a world he never could imagine, people running with bars of light ontheir clothes. Buildings of light contrasted with the black against astormy night, disks of light flying thru the air and turning people intocubes.Max did what any sane person would do, he ran for his life. Running thruthe Grid he saw Tanks and Bikes made of light zoom by, he saw that peoplein blue were fighting people or programs in orange. Bumping into afrightened program, he asked what was.