We were on a street called Bannerville
I remember that. Huh
The streetlights were bare of the terrible burden of death
Yeah. Some of them work
They glowed green. At the end of Bannerville
we'd turn to the right and we'd be a
block away from the Truffidian Cathedral

A strange surge of joy or recognition overtook us
all out of proportion to our reality
We began to run, to laugh, abandoning our
shuffle through the shadows
with safety so close, it was agony to walk slowly
The worst seemed past. It really did
I was already thinking about what I'd say
to Bonmot. I was already thinking about that
Truff help me

And Sybel had been holding my hand
He was a little behind me at this point
We were almost at the end of Bannerville
not more than twenty feet from safety
Overhead, a street lamp flickered free
of the green glow that pervaded the rest of the city

And we were both about to turn the corner
I could hear Sybel's heavy breathing as he ran
Then I heard an unfamiliar sound-a sound
trapped between a gasp and a moan-and when
I turned and looked at Sybel
all I could see was a mist of blood
floating out in streamers
I stopped running and stared
I couldn't breathe for a second
Nothing of him was left-not even his shoes, man
Nothing at all. His dissolution was complete and utter
There was such a final terrible beauty to it
I thought it must be an absurd magic trick
a horrible joke. But it wasn't
and the laughter caught in my throat and became a sob
Yeah, laughter caught in my throat and became a sob
Yeah

(The closer I get to the end)
(The closer I get to the end)
(The closer I get to the end)
The closer I get to the beginning
(The closer I get to the end)
(The closer I get to the end)
The closer I get to the beginning
(The closer I get to the end)
(The closer I get to the end)
The closer I get to the beginning
(The closer I get to the end)