oh god my god they did n't do it they did n't flip the switch they did n't they did n't he wondered for a moment about that ambrose bierce story , the one where the guy who 's about to be hanged manages to escape , races toward his sweetheart 's arms , only to find that when he reaches her warm embrace he 's actually dreamed it all and is back at the gallows , hanging dead as beef on a meat hook .