The Infra-Medians, Page 4

theirarms. They were lighter in color than the others, and much moreintelligent, to judge by their faces. Their eyes held none of thesadness which was the most marked characteristic of the others. Eachwore upon his forehead a gleaming scarlet stone, bound in place by acirclet of black metal, or what looked like metal.

  We paused, and the chanting went on and on, until I began to wonder ifanything would ever happen. And then, at last the chanting ceased, andthree of the priests moved toward us, followed by an elderly being whowore the same symbol of power or authority that I had already noted uponthe creature Vic called Ee-pay.

  One of the priests spoke sharply, commandingly, to Ee-pay, and thelatter nodded--not agreeably it seemed to me.

  "The old boy doesn't like these other chaps; priests, I take it,"whispered Vic. "I think they've been messing up his plans. See; he'smotioning us to watch."

  * * * * *

  The priests led the old man back to the idol. Eagerly, he clambered uponthe outstretched hands, and stood there facing the grinning face,stroking the polished cheeks with beseeching fingers. The priests sankto the floor, bending themselves in mockery of the image. Four timesthey touched their foreheads to the ground, and as the fourth gesturewas completed something moved swiftly behind the lips of the image, asthough a plate had lifted for a moment and dropped again.

  There was a sharp, murmuring sound, as of a harp-string softly plucked.A scarlet haze of light shot forth from the mouth of the black god, andthe old man stepped back sharply as though struck by some invisibleagent. He would have fallen, but as he crumpled, his body seemed tosoften and shatter into a scintillating cloud. An instant later therewas no trace of him anywhere.

  "Hm-m! The great reward for some notable service rendered, I imagine,"whispered Vic. "Those priests are wiser than the rest of this crew. Theydeal death sparingly, and that makes them great. They love life like aman of our earth; perhaps because they've found out how to enjoy it."

  "But what does the work; what killed him?" I asked breathlessly.

  "Can't say, Pete. You can't name things here in terms of our own world.Some natural force they've corraled, I imagine. They control it withthat shutter behind the lips of the image. Did you notice it?"

  "Yes. I suppose one of the priests operates it from some hidden room.Whatever it is, it certainly does the work. And what do you suppose theywant us to do now?"

  * * * * *

  The three priests were coming toward us, smiling. I didn't like theirsmiles; they were meant to be benign, but there was a cruel andvindictive twist to their lips which chilled me through and through.

  "Keep your hand on your gun," said Vic swiftly. "I don't like the looksof these chaps."

  The priests stopped before us and their leader began a long harangue ina screechy voice which set my nerves on edge. When he had finished heheld out his hands toward me, and motioned toward the waiting idol.

  Ee-pay spoke up in sharp protest, and thrust himself between me and thepriest. For a moment, due to this obviously unexpected interruption,everything was in confusion.

  "Pete!" Vic was whispering excitedly in my ear. "Listen, Pete, I think Isee through this. These priests have heard about us and ourdeath-dealing ability. They're jealous; they want a corner on that. OldEe-pay figures maybe we could do him a favor in that line, and that'swhy he's arguing. The priests want to honor us for the good we'vedone--by giving us the reward we've just seen. So--"

  Before he could finish, Ee-pay was thrust aside by a group of angryguards, and I was jerked away. Hope screamed, and out of the tail of myeye I saw both Vic and Hope struggling frantically to free themselvesfrom an overwhelming number of guards. Vic tried to shout something, buta claw-like brown hand was immediately thrust over his mouth.

  * * * * *

  The guards who held me, followed by the priests, made their way towardthe extended palms which formed the altar of this strange black godwhose favor was death. At a command from the priests, the guards liftedme to the altar and then stood watchfully below, gazing up at me withpuzzled, mournful, envious eyes.

  I saw the priests crouch low, and make their first beseeching bow, inimitation of the black god. Frantically, I looked about me, seeking someavenue of escape.

  Below me, hemming me in, were the guards; a triple ring of them, throughwhich I knew I could not escape. Behind me, for I was facing themultitude, was the hideous, grinning face of the idol.

  The priests bowed a second time.

  Both Hope and Vic were fighting desperately, but there were at least tenguards to each of them. I lifted my hand and waved a farewell, hopingthat one of them at least would see the gesture and know that my lastthought was of them.

  Then, as the priests completed their third bow, I turned and faced thestatue.

  As my eyes fell upon the shutter behind the thick, grinning lips, theshutter which released the lethal force, a wild and desperate idea cameto me. With a shout, I jerked the gun from my pocket and leaped aside.As I did so, I fired twice into the gaping mouth, and saw the bulletsshatter the heavy shutter. Then, with the humming sound ringing in myears like a note of death, I leaped clear, into the midst of the waitingguards.

  * * * * *

  For an instant, there was no movement, no sound, from all that vastcrowd. Even the guards seemed stunned, and I tore my way through themwith hardly a pause in my stride.

  Then a shrill cry went up; a cry that drowned utterly the humming soundthat issued from the shattered mouth of the idol. Blindly, the multitudesurged towards the scarlet ray that dealt death, fighting their waytoward the oblivion they so highly prized.

  Those who had been holding Hope and Vic were surging forward with therest, their erstwhile prisoners forgotten in their mad greed for death.The crowd jostling about me seemed blind to my presence; every eye wasfixed on the altar-like hands of the idol, and the death that blewacross them.

  "Pete!" yelled Vic. "Coming, boy?" He was waiting for me, staving off asbest he could the rush of bodies around him; shielding Hope from thesavage jostling.

  "Coming!" I leaned forward, butting with my head, both doubled fistsworking like pistons to clear a way to my companions.

  "Nice work, Pete!" shouted Vic, as I joined them, breathless buttriumphant. "Now for a break! Gun loaded?"

  I snapped open the action and dropped in six cartridges.

  "It is now. I'll go ahead; you bring up the rear with Hope in themiddle. Ready?"

  "Let's go!"

  * * * * *

  I plunged on, Hope's fingers gripping my belt. Fresh multitudes werepouring up the ramp, brushing aside the five or six priests that hadhurried there in an effort to stem the tide.

  One of the priests saw us, and cried out shrilly to his companions. Withone accord they came toward us, obviously intent upon blocking our way.I have never seen in any other eyes such anger and hatred as blazed inthe eyes of those strange beings.

  "Watch them, Pete!" roared Vic. "We can't take chances!" His gun roaredtwice from behind me, and two of the priests fell writhing, to beinstantly trampled into pulp. Another reached out long arms toward Hope,and I let him have it. There was nothing else to do. He went the way ofthe two others.

  Twice again, before we reached the ramp they guarded, the angryattendants of the idol fell before our guns. Then, hurrying down rampafter ramp, corridor after corridor, fighting the rushing mob all theway, we came at last, shaking with weariness and gasping for breath, tothe deserted streets of this black and terrible city.

  "Are we free?" whispered Hope, holding tightly to my arm. "Are we reallyfree?"

  "I hope so, dear. We seem to be. If we can only reach the spot where weentered this insane world before something happens--"

  "How much time have we?" interrupted Vic.

  I glanced down at my watch, fearful, for a moment, that it had beenbroken or lost in the melee. It was still running, apparently un
damaged.

  "Let's see; it's four minutes of one. That gives us seven minutes. Canwe make it?"

  "I think so. It's not so far, and we're nearly out of the city. We_have_ to make it!"

  * * * * *

  Vic led the way, Hope and I following. Anxiously, I watched the minutehand of the watch slide toward the "XII" of the dial ... touch it ...move on....

  It was not far, as Vic had said, but we were weary from our battle withthe crazed mob, and the best we could force from our legs was a sort ofdog-trot.

  One minute after ... two....

  "Here's the spot! I marked it with these three pieces of stone. Quick!"Vic swept both arms about Hope and me, holding us in a close embrace, sothat we all stood within the triangle formed by the three bits of blackrock.

  I glanced down at my watch. It lacked but a few seconds of the momentwhen the machine back in Vic's laboratory would function--provided mywatch was correct, and the equipment worked according to schedule.

  Suddenly, Hope screamed, and I followed her eyes. A score or more of thestrange beings had suddenly materialized but a few yards away, and theywere closing in on us swiftly.

  I tried to draw my gun. Hands reached out to grasp me; to grasp allthree of us. Then darkness closed in swiftly; I was whisked upward, onand on, breathlessly. I was suddenly very heavy; I was dropping in theblackness ... there was something solid beneath my feet ... a glare oflight in my eyes.

  "Nicely timed, I'll say that," chuckled Vic. "How does our own materiallittle old world look?"

  "Great!" I stepped quickly away from the machine, drawing Hope with me."Doesn't it, Hope?"

  She sighed, a long, shuddering sigh, and snuggled into my arms. Vicglanced towards us and grinned.

  "Come to think of it," he remarked, "I believe I'll run along and see ifI can find Mrs. Perrin. I haven't had a thing to eat since noonyesterday, and I've just realized I'm hungry. Will you join me?"

  "In a moment," I nodded, and Vic, being the good scout he was, hurriedaway.

  * * * * *

  "And the machine?" I asked a few nights later. "Still experimenting withit?" I had really come out to see Hope, of course, but she was stillupstairs, putting on the finishing touches.

  Vic shook his head quite gravely.

  "No, old son; I had enough. Off on another tangent now. Why--would youlike to go back?"

  "Not me! It doesn't seem real now; more like a nightmare, but it wasterrible enough at the time."

  "I can prove it wasn't a nightmare," chuckled Vic. "Come along, and I'llshow you something you missed." He led the way to the laboratory, andunlocked a drawer, one of several, beneath the work table.

  "I found this on the floor of the machine," he said. "Didn't notice ituntil later. The rays of the machine caught it and brought it back withus; made it solid matter, as we know it here. Do you recognize it?"

  I nodded, shuddering. There was no possibility of mistake.

  In a squat, clear bottle of alcohol that Vic had taken from the drawerwas a sinister, claw-like brown hand, severed cleanly at the wrist.