characters of interest

the boy - an orphan who lives alone in a house 20 miles east of Millinger. the circumstances of his parents death/disappearances are unknown, but his mother is somewhere beneath the floorboards of the house. he was dragged away by something in the fields.

the old man - a man who has worked for the Millinger train company for forty years. discovered the younger man mangled up beneath the train.

the writer - a young, divorced man who works for the local newspaper (The Millinger Post). looking forward to a scoop that would spice up the town and make things more interesting. drank the blood from the coffee pot.

hollis savett - an aging sci-fi writer who moved into town after his career started going downhill. gained a reputation as a drinker and is not the most popular man in town.

earl fister - truck driver who first saw the body taken out of the train station and told others about it.