Deadly City

by Paul W. Fairman

Abig, beautiful butterfly."

  "What are you going to do," Frank Brooks snapped. "Whatever it is, let'sget it over with?"

  "Can't you see what I'm doing?" Davis asked with genuine wonder. "Areyou that stupid? I'm being the boss. I'm in command and I like it. Ihold life and death over four people and I'm savoring the thrill of it.You're pretty stupid, mister, and if you use that 'can't get away withit' line, I'll put a bullet into your left ear and watch it come outyour right one."

  Jim Wilson's fists were doubled. He was again approaching the recklesspoint. And again it was dulled by the gradually increasing sound of amotor--not in the air, but from the street level to the south.

  It was a sane, cheerful sound and was resented instantly by the insanemind of Leroy Davis.

  He tightened even to the point that his face grew more pale from thetension. He backed to a window, looked out quickly, and turned back."It's a jeep," he said. "They're going by the hotel. If anybody makes amove, or yells, they'll find four bodies in here and me gone. That'swhat I'm telling you and you know I'll do it."

  They knew he _would_ do it and they stood silent, trying to dredge upthe nerve to make a move. The jeep's motor backfired a couple of timesas it approached Madison Street. Each time, Leroy Davis' nerves reactedsharply and the four people kept their eyes trained on the gun in hishand.

  The jeep came to the intersection and slowed down. There was aconference between its two occupants--helmeted soldiers in dark brownbattle dress. Then the jeep moved on up Clark Street toward Lake.

  A choked sigh escaped from Nora's throat. Frank Brooks turned towardher. "Take it easy," he said. "We're not dead yet. I don't think hewants to kill us."

  The reply came from Minna. She spoke quietly. "I don't care. I can'tstand any more of this. After all, we aren't animals. We're human beingsand we have a right to live and die as we please."

  Minna walked toward Leroy Davis. "I'm not afraid of your gun any more.All you can do with it is kill me. Go ahead and do it."

  Minna walked up to Leroy Davis. He gaped at her and said, "You're crazy!Get back there. You're a crazy dame!"

  He fired the gun twice and Minna died appreciating the incongruity ofhis words. She went out on a note of laughter and as she fell, JimWilson, with an echoing animal roar, lunged at Leroy Davis. His greathand closed completely over that of Davis, hiding the gun. There was amuffled explosion and the bullet cut unnoticed through Wilson's palm.Wilson jerked the gun from Davis' weak grasp and hurled it away. Then hekilled Davis.

  He did it slowly, a surprising thing for Wilson. He lifted Davis by hisneck and held him with his feet off the floor. He squeezed Davis' neck,seeming to do it with great leisure as Davis made horrible noises andkicked his legs.

  Nora turned her eyes away, buried them in Frank Brooks' shoulder, butshe could not keep the sounds from reaching her ears. Frank held herclose. "Take it easy," he said. "Take it easy." And he was probably notconscious of saying it.

  "Tell him to hurry," Nora whispered. "Tell him to get it over with. It'slike killing--killing an animal."

  "That's what he is--an animal."

  Frank Brooks stared in fascination at Leroy Davis' distorted, darkeningface. It was beyond semblance of anything human now. The eyes bulged andthe tongue came from his mouth as though frantically seeking relief.

  The animal sounds quieted and died away. Nora heard the sound of thebody falling to the floor--a limp, soft sound of finality. She turnedand saw Jim Wilson with his hands still extended and cupped. Theterrible hands from which the stench of a terrible life was driftingaway into empty air.

  Wilson looked down at his handiwork. "He's dead," Wilson said slowly. Heturned to face Frank and Nora. There was a great disappointment in hisface. "That's all there is to it," he said, dully. "He's just--dead."Without knowing it for what it was, Jim Wilson was full of the futileaftertaste of revenge.

  He bent down to pick up Minna's body. There was a small blue hole in theright cheek and another one over the left eye. With a glance at Frankand Nora, Jim Wilson covered the wounds with his hand as though theywere not decent. He picked her up in his arms and walked across thelobby and up the stairs with the slow, quiet tread of a weary man.

  The sound of the jeep welled up again, but it was further away now.Frank Brooks took Nora's hand and they hurried out into the street. Asthey crossed the sidewalk, the sound of the jeep was drowned by a suddenswelling of the wailings to the northward.

  On still a new note, they rose and fell on the still air. A note ofpanic, of new knowledge, it seemed, but Frank and Nora were not payingclose attention. The sounds of the jeep motor had come from the west andthey got within sight of the Madison-Well intersection in time to seethe jeep hurtle southward at its maximum speed.

  Frank yelled and waved his arms, but he knew he had been neither seennor heard. They were given little time for disappointment however,because a new center of interest appeared to the northward. From aroundthe corner of Washington Street, into Clark, moved three strangefigures.

  There was a mixture of belligerence and distress in their actions. Theycarried odd looking weapons and seemed interested in using them uponsomething or someone, but they apparently lacked the energy to raisethem although they appeared to be rather light.

  The creatures themselves were humanoid, Frank thought. He tightened hisgrip on Nora's hand. "They've seen us."

  "Let's not run," Nora said. "I'm tired of running. All it's gotten us istrouble. Let's just stand here."

  "Don't be foolish."

  "I'm not running. You can if you want to."

  Frank turned his attention back to the three strange creatures. Heallowed natural curiosity full reign. Thoughts of flight vanished fromhis mind.

  "They're so thin--so fragile," Nora said.

  "But their weapons aren't."

  "It's hard to believe, even seeing them, that they're from anotherplanet."

  "How so? They certainly don't look much like us."

  "I mean with the talk, for so long, about flying saucers and spaceflight and things like that. Here they are, but it doesn't seempossible."

  "There's something wrong with them."

  This was true. Two of the strange beings had fallen to the sidewalk. Thethird came doggedly on, dragging one foot after the other until he wentto his hands and knees. He remained motionless for a long time, his headhanging limply. Then he too, sank to the cement and lay still.

  The wailings from the north now took on a tone of intense agony--greatdesperation. After that came a yawning silence.

  * * * * *

  "They defeated themselves," the military man said. "Or rather, naturalforces defeated them. We certainly had little to do with it."

  Nora, Frank, and Jim Wilson stood at the curb beside a motorcycle. Theman on the cycle supported it with a leg propped against the curb as hetalked.

  "We saw three of them die up the street," Frank said.

  "Our scouting party saw the same thing happen. That's why we moved in.It's about over now. We'll know a lot more about them and where theycame from in twenty-four hours."

  They had nothing further to say. The military man regarded themthoughtfully. "I don't know about you three. If you ignored theevacuation through no fault of your own and can prove it--"

  "There were four of us," Jim Wilson said. "Then we met another man. He'sinside on the floor. I killed him."

  "Murder?" the military man said sharply.

  "He killed a woman who was with us," Frank said. "He was a maniac. Whenhe's identified I'm pretty sure he'll have a past record."

  "Where is the woman's body?"

  "On a bed upstairs," Wilson said.

  "I'll have to hold all of you. Martial law exists in this area. You'rein the hands of the army."

  * * * * *

  The streets were full of people now, going about their business, pushingand jostling, eating in the restaurants, making electricity for thelights, generating power for the teleph
ones.

  Nora, Frank, and Jim Wilson sat in a restaurant on Clark Street. "We'reall different people now," Nora said. "No one could go through whatwe've been through and be the same."

  Jim Wilson took her statement listlessly. "Did they find out what it wasabout our atmosphere that killed them?"

  "They're still working on that, I think." Frank Brooks stirred hiscoffee, raised a spoonful and let it drip back into the cup.

  "I'm going up to the Chicago Avenue police station," Wilson said.

  Frank and Nora looked up in surprise. Frank asked, "Why? The militarycourt missed it--the fact you escaped from jail."

  "They didn't miss it I don't think. I don't think they cared much. I'mgoing back anyway."

  "It won't be much of a rap."

  "No, a pretty small one. I want to get it over with."

  He got up from his chair. "So long. Maybe I'll see you around."

  "So long."

  "Goodbye."

  Frank said, "I think I'll beat it too. I've got a job in a factory upnorth. Maybe they're operating again." He got to his feet and stoodawkwardly by the table. "Besides--I've got some pay coming."

  Nora didn't say anything.

  Frank said, "Well--so long. Maybe I'll see you around."

  "Maybe. Goodbye."

  * * * * *

  Frank Brooks walked north on Clark Street. He was glad to get away fromthe restaurant. Nora was a good kid but hell--you didn't take up with ahooker. A guy played around, but you didn't stick with them.

  But it made a guy think. He was past the kid stage. It was time for himto find a girl and settle down. A guy didn't want to knock around allhis life.

  * * * * *

  Nora walked west on Madison Street. Then she remembered the HalsteadStreet slums were in that direction and turned south on Wells. She hadnine dollars in her bag and that worried her. You couldn't get along onnine dollars in Chicago very long.

  There was a tavern on Jackson near Wells. Nora went inside. The barkeepdidn't frown at her. That was good. She went to the bar and ordered abeer and was served.

  After a while a man came in. A middle aged man who might have just comeinto Chicago--whose bags might still be at the LaSalle Street Stationdown the block. The man looked at Nora, then away. After a while lookedat her again.

  Nora smiled.