the prisoners in their gray uniforms reached the end of the corridor and burst through a door into sunshine.
they began shouting happily.
and laughing and pounding each other on the back.
except for he man who had reached for the credit card and awakened in the windowless room.
he was an outsider among these happy laughing comrades.
he wondered if he should ask them who they were.
they did not seem to be concerned that whoever had imprisoned them would reappear and try to capture them.
he wondered if he should try to slip away unnoticed and resume his solitary wanderings.
but as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight he saw that they were standing at the edge of a flat plain that stretched to the edge of the universe.
the other escapees began addressing each other by name,
one of them was quog.
another was yobby.
yet another was henry dogbone.
the alpha leader seemed to be a chap called iskander.
all right fellows, iskander shouted, that is enough! let’s get lined up and ready to move out. squads, form!
the escapees fell silent and began moving around.
the man who had reached for the credit card and awakened in the winndowless room did not know what to do.
suddenly he remembered his own name.
joe.
joe something.
iskander’s eye fell on joe, who was standing alone with his mouth hanging open.
who the devil are you? iskander demanded.
i don’t know, joe confessed.
a spy! somebody shouted.
a stoolie! another cried.
joe started to run.
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