He could not know that it had been his subconscious mind. To the
trained electronic technician the arc-discharge of a shorted circuit
has a special meaning where to the untrained it may be but an ambiguous
"Splat!" The blowing of a fuse penetrates the subconscious and brings
to that part of the brain a realization of the facts in the case just
as a trained musician will wince when the third violin strikes a sour
note in the midst of full orchestration.
Instinctively, Walt's trained brain considered the source. Ponderously
slow, he turned painful head to look on the floor at the remains of the
ruined suits. As he watched, the still writhing metal shorted again and
a loop glowed brightly, then died as the additional heat expanded it
away from its short circuit.
Walt wondered about the time.
He found his left arm trapped beneath Christine and he turned from one
side to the other and he considered her dully. She slept, and was as
still and stiff as death itself.
Walt released his arm, and the motion beneath the blankets pumped
viciously cold air under the covers and chilled his already stiff body.
He looked at his watch; it was nine hours since he'd awakened Christine
before.
Walt felt no pain, really. He wanted desperately to snuggle down under
the covers once more and return to oblivion, where it was warmer and
pleasant. But there was something--