CHAPTER ON~<br >EVEN CONSIDERING the sweltering heat， the town be-<br >low seemed unnaturally quiet.<br > Nestled near the base of the mountain， surrounded by<br >serublands of semidesert stretching into the distance，<br >the place was a sprawling metropolis that had to be<br >home to three or four thousand people. But he could see<br >no sign of life.<br > Wiping the sweat fron~ his forehead， then adjusting<br >the brim of his hat to pr0tect his eyes from the sun，<br >John headed forward once~nore.<br > By the time he reached the level plain， he was sure the<br >place was deserted.<br > The only living thing in sight was an enormous tur-<br >key vulture， sitting on a weathered sign that marked the<br >city limits. As he drew closer， the buzzard gave a lazy<br >flap of its wings and flew off.<br > Pausing， John gazed at the sign it had been perched<br >on. Chester City， Nevada， it read. Founded， 1888.<br > When he started off again， Chester City seemed to<br >become more dilapidated with each step he took. Many<br >of the cabins lining the side streets had collapsed over<br >the years， and the buildings on the main street were in<br >little better shape. There had once been stretches of<br >boardwalk in front of the larger structures， but they d<br >decayed long ago.<br ><br >