she did n't catch most of the low , snarling response except for the words `` moon 's blood . '' he followed me into the empty living room , and i sat on the raised hearth , trying to remember how to think . i pulled back from the still-dripping coffee machine . he helped me get up and into position , handing me up the life jacket . he could always run through it again , like a take from a film , but there was no guarantee that it would work a second time . 