l…black hair against my skull … and I held her in my arms and no one came。 Her blank eyes looked up at me with a kind of dazed intensity； and blood poured from the back of her crushed head in a freshet。 Beside one trembling； mindlessly spasming hand was a piece of chromed steel with the letters GREY on it。 Next to that was roughly one quarter of what had once been a businessman in a brown Wool suit。
〃Help me！〃 I screamed again； and turned toward the underpass； and there I saw John Coffey standing in the shadows； only a shadow himself； a big man with long； dangling arms and a bald head。 〃John！〃 I screamed。 〃Oh John ； please help me！ Please help Janice！〃
Rain ran into my eyes。 I blinked it away； and he was gone。 I could see the shadows I had mistaken for John 。。。 but it hadn't been only shadows。 I'm sure of that。 He was there。 Maybe only as a ghost； but he was there； the rain on his face mixing with the endless flow of his tears。
She died in my arms； there in the rain beside that fertilizer truck with the smell of burning diesel fuel in my nose。 There was no moment of awareness … the eyes clearing； the lips moving in some whispered final declaration of love。 There was a kind of shivery clench in the flesh beneath my hands； and then she was gone。 I thought of Melinda Moores for the first time in years； then； Melinda sitting up in the bed where all the doctors at Indianola General Hospital had believed she would die； Melinda Moores looking fresh and rested and peering at John Coffey with bright； wondering eyes。 Melinda saying I dreamed you were wandering in the dark； and so was I。 We found each other。
I put my wife's poor； mangled head down on the wet pavement of the interstate highway； got to my feet （it was easy； I had a little cut on the side