amnesia had not taken full hold； and I could be grateful simply to be able to pee without needing to scream。 I stood there； emptying out and looking up at the moon； I was hardly aware of Brutal standing next to me and doing the same thing until he said in a low voice； 〃Hell never sit in Old Sparky。〃
I looked around at him； surprised and a little frightened by the low certainty in his tone。 〃What do you mean？〃
〃I mean he swallered that stuff instead of spitting out like he done before for a reason。 It might take a week…he's awful big and strong … but I bet it's quicker。 One of us'll do a check…tour and there he'll be； lying dead as stone on his bunk。〃
I'd thought I was done peeing； but at that a little shiver twisted up my back and a little more squirted out。 As I rebuttoned my fly； I thought that what Brutal was saying made perfect sense。 And I hoped； all in all； that he was right。 John Coffey didn't deserve to die at all； if I was right in my reasoning about the Detterick girls； but if he did die； I didn't want it to be by my hand。 I wasn't sure I could lift my hand to do it； if it came to that。
〃e on；〃 Harry murmured out of the dark。 〃It's gettin late。 Let's get this done。〃
As we walked back to the truck； I realized we had left John entirely alone … stupidity on the Percy Wetmore level。 I thought that he would be gone； that he'd spat out the bugs as soon as he saw he was unguarded； and had then just lit out for the territories； like Huck and Jim on the Big Muddy。 All we would find was the blanket he had been wearing around his shoulders。
But he was there； still sitting with his back against the cab and his forearms propped on his knees。 He looked up at the sound of our approach and tried to give us a smile。 It hung there for