Now I understood. Something had come out of the ground here—something so big and fiery, it had left a hole several miles wide and maybe a quarter-mile deep in the center, like the caldera of an enormous volcano. The earth in the pit and for a mile around it was blackened and lifeless, dotted with the skeletal frames of vehicles and houses. From here, we also had a good view of the city. I was struck by how much smaller it was than back home. Not just fewer skyscrapers—fewer everything. Fewer interstate highways, fewer sprawling suburbs, fewer shopping centers and schools. And no massive
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o0 ... ;p
