I did know that. [ One consolation, if you could call it that. He wasn't completely out of the loop. No, he still had meetings with the devil to hope for.

An icy sadness had begun to cling at his head, so that it pounded irregularly, strangely. Everything just felt foreign, and wrong.

Very abruptly, Sam gets to his face, eyes averted, as if he's ashamed. ]

Thank you. You didn't have to tell me all this, but, if you hadn't, I probably would've found out. [ Now, he forces himself to make eye contact, if only to be polite for a minute. ] I... need some time to think about everything. I'm sorry to cut and run, but...

[ Again, there's the strained swallow, and a look of saddened desperation. ]