V
Gallifa kept close to the shacks in a futile effort to protect himselffrom the rain, which was really driving now. A single light burned inthe Administration Building, but the rest of the compound was dark andquiet.
He skirted the deserted equipment building and paused for an instant inthe lee of a truck to light his pipe. There was a loud tinkle of glass,and the windshield on the vehicle magically spouted a hole.
Gallifa ducked instinctively and only just in time. The windshieldspouted a second hole--and then a third. A faint, bluish flash locatedhis attacker. It was uncomfortably close.
Gallifa lashed out, and fell over a crouching figure. In a moment thetwo men were thrashing in the mud. The unseen attacker was strong and hefought like a maniac. But Gallifa was even stronger and his determinedanger quickly gave him the advantage. He wrested the pellet gun from theother's grasp, and brought the butt down hard--brought it down twice.The man slumped, and was still.
Gallifa snapped on his wrist torch and played the tiny, luminous glowover the sprawled figure. The man who had tried to kill him wasCummings. Gallifa numbly wiped the mud from his pipe and lit it with aflickering lighter. The flame made a weird, cameo-like oval of his gauntface, with the olive-toned skin of his ancestry stretched tightly acrossthe high cheekbones.
Why? Bradshaw ... Samuels ... Cummings ...
A pattern was forming. And it was forming with a viciousness and aregularity which left little doubt as to the probable outcome.
Did that pattern embrace the space ship with its ring of rain-washedskeletons? Had they disintegrated under a pressure as relentless as theswiftly-tightening jaws of a vise. _Something_ was forcing normal meninto homicidal insanity. But what?
Gallifa didn't know. But he did know that someone had better come upwith some answers--intelligent ones, and very much to the point. Or wasit already too late? Was the compound already infected--with each manonly waiting to be struck down?
Gallifa draped the limp body of Cummings over his shoulder, and sloshedhis way back to the hospital. The doctor grimly made room in the wardroom for the new patient. While he was treating the gash in Gallifa'scheek, MacFarland, Hawkins, and some of the early-rising camp cooksbrought in two more men from the weather group.
Gallifa watched in tight-lipped silence as the corpsmen administeredhypos and set the new cots end to end in the already overcrowdedsickbay.
"There were only two restraint jackets," Dr. Thorndyke said jerkily."We'll have to secure the rest of them to the bunks."
MacFarland nodded. When he spoke, his voice was low and strained. "Thisis getting out of hand. I think we'd better get everybody over to theAdministration Building as soon as possible."
"All right," Gallifa said quietly. "Only--"
"Only what?" MacFarland asked sharply.
"What if everybody in camp isn't available," Gallifa said flatly. Heopened the door and stepped into the rain.
The Administration Building was hot. The windows were steamed over, andthe men nearest to them had wiped clear spots with their hands, as ifthey could not bear the thought of not being able to peer out into thenight.
The room buzzed with a kind of orderly confusion. The men were scaredand they made no effort to conceal it. Gallifa studied a slip of papercovered with tally marks, and then quickly stuffed it into his pocket.
Ten men were now missing, not counting the ones already in the hospital.They couldn't be accounted for, so it had to be assumed they were eithersick--or dead.
It had been decided that Gallifa and Dr. Thorndyke were the bestqualified to take charge of the camp, until normality returned. Gallifastudied the men carefully.
"We haven't much to go on," he said with grim candor. "We're still inthe dark as to what is happening. We only know that when it takes place,it happens damn fast--and without discrimination. Men have been affectedboth in and out of camp.
"So far, here are the facts. To the best of our knowledge none of themen have been bitten by animals and we haven't found any poisonousplants. Dr. Thorndyke is considering the possibility that some unknownvirus which affects the brain may be responsible. He's over in thelaboratory running tests now. If it is a virus, grouping together likethis might be a mistake. We'll load everybody up with antibiotics andhope for the best. We've got to lick this!"
"Until now," Gallifa continued grimly, "no one has been hurt except thestricken men. We want to keep it that way. One fact stands out bluntly.All of the men have been damned anti-social. They want to be left alone,and will attempt to kill anyone who gets close to them. That should makethem easy to spot. If we are to have a chance to cure them, we have tocatch them first."
"We are going to have to consider the likelihood that more of us will beaffected. We must do everything within our power to isolate thosesuspiciously-acting persons. Probably the ship Mac and I discovereddidn't have the warning I am giving to you now. We can lick this thingif we're determined enough. The main thing is not to lose your head.Watch your neighbor, but don't jump to conclusions. Be sure before youact."
There was a stir and Gallifa paused. The doctor pushed his way throughthe men to the front of the room. His face was white and haggard.
"What about the tests?" Gallifa asked.
"There aren't going to be any tests," Dr. Thorndyke replied grimly. "Atleast not on the men in the hospital. They are all dead."
"What happened?" Gallifa urged, his eyes wide with shock.
Everyone was very quiet.
The doctor wiped his hand across his forehead. "Nolan was on duty in thewardroom. He went out for a smoke. I heard him go out. I didn't hear himcome back. I was setting up some new equipment. When I finally went backto the ward Nolan must have caught--whatever it is. He was gone, andhe'd slit every man's throat with a scalpel."
Gallifa faced the assemblage. "We're going to inoculate everyone here.As soon as we're through, I want each team to go to their own shacks andstay there. If you _have_ to go somewhere, go in pairs. If you seeanyone wandering around by himself, no matter _who_ he is, bang him overthe head with something and bring him over to the hospital. Otherwise,stay put."
The men received their shots in an uncomfortable silence and disappearedinto the night. Gallifa, MacFarland, and Dr. Thorndyke remained in theAdministration room.
"Any idea what it is, doc?" MacFarland asked huskily.
"I hardly had time to take care of the patients," Dr. Thorndyke repliedbitterly. "Did you honestly expect me to find out what was wrong withthem in a few short hours?"
"But--" Gallifa began.
MacFarland suddenly started, and leapt to his feet. The doctor movedaway, his face paling.
"What's the matter?" Gallifa asked, alarmed.
"Don't be so old womanish," MacFarland snapped. "I'm not catching it. Ijust thought of something. Cummings had a gun. Where did he get it?"
"The storeroom!" Gallifa exclaimed. "I'd forgotten we had weapons andammo in the storeroom! If things got bad enough, we _could_ wipeourselves out. We'd better check."
"I'm going back to the hospital," Dr. Thorndyke said bluntly. "I'm goingto lock the door. If anyone comes banging around he damn well had betterknow who he is and talk intelligently--or I'll slice him from hiswishbone to his crotch." He stalked out.
Gallifa stared blankly after Dr. Thorndyke. It was funny hearing himtalk this way. He had always thought of the doc as being rathermild-mannered. Damned flexible, humans!