"I guess you're right," I said. "It's just sort of depressing. You'd think that after landing a man on the moon and a robot on Mars and inventing the G.o.dd.a.m.n internet, we'd be a bit more evolved by now."

"Nah. We're animals, Robbie. Always have been. Always will be. If dolphins had opposable thumbs, they'd replace us as the dominant species in a heartbeat."

I was getting depressed again, so I decided to change the subject. I took another swig of tea. It was already going cold, and the whiskey in it tasted stronger now.

"So even though it's dark outside, it's not technically nighttime. Shouldn't you wait to go stargazing?"

"Nope. The only reason we don't do it during the day is because of the sunlight. We don't have to worry about that now. And with the power still out, now's the perfect time. There won't be any light pollution at all. I should be able to see stars that I've never seen before from this rooftop."

I glanced up at the sky. "I don't see anything."

"Don't worry. There are about three thousand stars visible from earth's surface without a telescope or binoculars on dark, moonless nights. Tonight is the exception."

"That's an understatement."

He chuckled. "But those stars are still there, even though you can't see them. They aren't going anywhere. Now, it could be this darkness is some kind of dense, uniform cloud cover or smog. If so, this telescope is powerful enough to see through that."

"You really think it's just smog? Even after today?"

He paused before answering. "Not really, although it would explain why we can't see the stars with the naked eye. But we will with the telescope. You wouldn't believe how much this thing cost. It was the only item I kept after Olivia and I got divorced, other than my books and music collection and a few photographs. It's my pride and joy. Like I said, this baby can see right through cloud cover and stuff."

"I hope so."

"It's not like the stars move or suddenly all wink out of existence. No matter what's happened, you can count on this, Robbie-the stars are are still there." still there."

But they weren't.

At first, Russ didn't say anything. He fiddled with the telescope, staring through it, then adjusting various k.n.o.bs. I watched him and waited patiently. I didn't know anything about telescopes, so I figured I could help best by staying quiet and out of the way. His posture grew stiff, and he started muttering and cursing to himself. His breathing grew louder.

"f.u.c.k me," he gasped. "This is-"

"What's wrong?"

Russ waved his hand, growing more agitated. Grunting, he bent over and picked up the telescope, then moved it to another spot on the roof. He stared back up at the black sky and moaned.

"Russ, what the h.e.l.l is wrong?"

I turned the flashlight on and directed the beam at his face. He turned to me, his mouth hanging open, eyes wide. He'd grown pale and seemed to be in shock.

"Jesus Christ, Russ! Are you okay? You look like you're having a heart attack or something."

"There's nothing," he whispered.

My heart rate increased. I had a bad feeling in my stomach.

"Well, like you said, the darkness might be some kind of cloud cover."

"No. You don't understand. I told you, this telescope can penetrate through s.h.i.t like that. This ain't some Wal-Mart special, man. This is a top-of-the-line unit. If there was anything up there, I'd see it-and there's not. The stars are f.u.c.king gone gone, Robbie. And it's not just them. The moon. The international s.p.a.ce station. All the f.u.c.king satellites. You have any idea how many satellites there are circling the Earth? And now they're not there anymore. They're all missing. It's like the darkness swallowed them, too. Like Walden is the last thing in creation, floating all by itself in some black void..."

He trailed off, his voice choked with sobs.

"They can't be gone," I whispered. "If they were gone, then we'd be dead. We couldn't live without the sun."

"No, we couldn't. And if the moon suddenly disappeared...well, let's just say it would f.u.c.k this planet up in ways you can't even imagine. But see for yourself. They're not there."

"There has to be a logical explanation."

If Russ heard me, he gave no indication.

"What has happened?" he muttered. "Oh my G.o.d, what is going on here?"

Before I could respond, a gunshot boomed in the darkness. It sounded very close, and both of us ducked instinctively. The echoes rolled across the roof, and my ears rang.

"d.a.m.n, that was close."

Russ nodded. "Way too close. Next door or downstairs."

I ran to the edge of the roof and peered over the side. The street was mostly deserted now, but there was still a small crowd huddled around one of the burn barrels. They were all staring and pointing at our building and the one next to us-the one where Tom Salvo, the guy I'd met that morning, lived.

Russ drew alongside me. He seemed to have recovered from his shock, at least momentarily.

"See anything?" he asked.

"Those people down there are pointing at our building. I need to check on Christy. You'd better check on Cranston."

I started toward the fire escape, but Russ stopped me.

"Be careful," he whispered. "If somebody broke in, they could still be down there. And I'm betting they're armed, because I know you and Christy don't own a gun, and I doubt Cranston does either."

"s.h.i.t. You're right. Do you own a gun?"

He nodded. "Several. I'll get them. No sense going into this unprepared."

"But Christy-"

"You can help her a lot better if you're armed, Robbie."

"Come on."

Leaving our mugs behind, we went as fast as we could in the darkness and made our way back into his apartment. Russ hurried to his bedroom closet and pulled down a pistol box. He unlocked it and pulled out a .357 and a .38, both Taurus revolvers. He flipped open the cylinders. Both weapons were loaded. He handed me the .38.

"Hollow points," he said. "Extra stopping power. Aim for the biggest part of the body, like the chest or abdomen. No warning shots, and no shooting to wound. If you're gonna pull the trigger on somebody, then you should be prepared to kill them. Okay?"

Swallowing, I nodded. "Okay. Jesus Christ..."

"Just be careful. There's no safety on a gun like that. Don't put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to pull it. You know how to shoot, right?"

I nodded again. "Yeah, I've been to the range a few times."

"Then let's go."

He took the flashlight from me and turned it off. We made our way downstairs, trying to move as quietly but quickly as possible. We paused at my apartment. The door was still shut, and there were no sounds from inside. Russ put a finger to his lips, nodded at me, and stood to the side. I reached for the doork.n.o.b. It seemed to take a lifetime before my fingers closed around it. Russ raised his pistol. I opened the door and Christy slapped me hard enough to make my face sting.

"Ouch!"

"Where the h.e.l.l have you been, Robbie?"

Russ exhaled. "Jesus Christ, Christy, I almost shot you."

She glanced at the gun in my hand and then at Russ's. Her eyes widened in surprise. "A gunshot woke me up. Was that you guys?"

"No," I said. "But it was very close. We thought...well, never mind what we thought. Just stay here and lock the door."

"What? No way, Robbie. You're-"

"I don't have time to argue with you, G.o.dd.a.m.n it. Just stay here, keep your voice down, and lock the f.u.c.king door."

She reeled backward as if I'd hit her. That was fine by me. My cheek still stung from where she'd slapped me, so I figured that made us even. Deep down inside, I felt a twinge of guilt and regret, but they were swallowed seconds later in a wave of adrenaline, fear, and anger.

Or looking back, maybe it was something else that had extinguished them.

"Stay here," I told her. "We'll talk about this when I get back."

"Be careful."

There were tears in her eyes, and after she'd closed the door, I heard the deadbolt slide into place. Then came the soft sound of crying. That made me feel guilty again, but the emotion soon vanished, replaced once more with something a little more violent. The strangest part was that those darker emotions were somehow comforting. I fought the urge to embrace them.

Russ and I descended to the first floor, making no effort to conceal our footsteps any longer. If there was an intruder in the building, then they'd probably heard Christy's outburst anyway. He turned on the flashlight as we reached the bottom of the stairs. Cranston's apartment door was shut. We stood in front of it, listening. I reached out and tried the k.n.o.b. The door was locked.

Russ leaned in close and called, "Cranston?"

There was no answer.

Russ raised his voice a little louder. "Cranston? You in there?"

Still no response.

"What should we do?"

Russ shook his head, shrugged, then knocked on the door with the barrel of his handgun. It sounded very loud, and I glanced around nervously.

"Cranston? It's Russ and Robbie. You okay?"

A floorboard creaked behind the door. "Who's there?"

"I just told you. It's Russ and Robbie, from upstairs. There was a gunshot."

The door opened slightly, held in place by a chain. Cranston peered out at us with one red, bleary eye. I smelled booze on his breath. The door opened wider. Candles flickered behind him, dancing across the walls. I caught a faint hint of patchouli oil and incense.

"I heard it, too," he said. "I think it came from the building next door. What's going on out there, man?"

"We don't know," Russ admitted, "but we intend to find out."

"Be careful. Earlier, I went to the grocery store to get some things. The line was out the door and people were starting to fight over groceries. Some of them started looting. Just taking stuff without paying for it."

Russ and I glanced at each other.

"The streets aren't safe anymore," Cranston continued. "I saw a carjacking on Maple, and I heard that a girl was gang raped behind the car wash."

Russ shook his head in disgust. "You want to come with us? There's safety in numbers."

Cranston seemed surprised. "No, I don't think so, man. There's a presence hanging over this town. It came with the dark. h.e.l.l, maybe it is is the dark. I don't know. But whatever it is, I can feel it. I was meditating earlier-you guys know I'm into TM, right? Transcendental Meditation?" the dark. I don't know. But whatever it is, I can feel it. I was meditating earlier-you guys know I'm into TM, right? Transcendental Meditation?"

We nodded.

"Well, I felt something while I was meditating. Something watching me. I couldn't shake it. And even though I didn't hear anything, I started getting the urge to do things. Like somebody was in the room with me, whispering them in my ear."

"What sort of things?" I asked.

"Bad things. Stuff I'd never do in a million years. It's bad karma, man. I'm sure that you guys feel it, too. Whatever this is, it's affecting everyone. I think it's safer to be alone right now, rather than with other people. No offense."

"None taken," I said. "Just stay inside and lock your door. And do me one favor? Keep an ear out for Christy, okay?"

He smiled. "I can do that."

"Thanks."

"You guys be careful. Don't get shot."

Russ grinned. "We'll try our best."

We stepped out into the dark street. The group of people was still standing around the burn barrel, but their attention was no longer on the twisting flames. All of them were looking at Tom's building and speaking amongst themselves.

"Hey," I called. "Anybody know what happened?"

One guy with piercings in his face and a red Mohawk shrugged. He looked bored and annoyed.

"Gunshot," he grunted.

"Thanks for your help."

If he noticed the sarcasm in my voice, he didn't react. Instead, he just shoved his hands into his pockets and turned away. I stared at his hairstyle a moment longer. It had been a long time since I'd seen a haircut like that. He noticed me staring and shuffled his feet, obviously uncomfortable.

"You got a problem?"

"No problem," I said.

Russ and I started up the porch stairs to Tom's building. They creaked under our feet. The shades were drawn, and we couldn't see in any of the apartment windows. One of the group yelled after us.