The Infra-Medians | Page 8

stood watchfully below, gazing up at me
with puzzled, mournful, envious eyes.
I saw the priests crouch low, and make their first beseeching bow, in
imitation of the black god. Frantically, I looked about me, seeking
some avenue of escape.
Below me, hemming me in, were the guards; a triple ring of them,
through which I knew I could not escape. Behind me, for I was facing
the multitude, 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
ten guards to each of them. I lifted my hand and waved a farewell,
hoping that one of them at least would see the gesture and know that
my last thought was of them.
Then, as the priests completed their third bow, I turned and faced the
statue.
As my eyes fell upon the shutter behind the thick, grinning lips, the
shutter which released the lethal force, a wild and desperate idea came
to 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 bullets
shatter the heavy shutter. Then, with the humming sound ringing in my
ears like a note of death, I leaped clear, into the midst of the waiting
guards.
* * * * *
For an instant, there was no movement, no sound, from all that vast
crowd. Even the guards seemed stunned, and I tore my way through
them with hardly a pause in my stride.
Then a shrill cry went up; a cry that drowned utterly the humming
sound that issued from the shattered mouth of the idol. Blindly, the
multitude surged towards the scarlet ray that dealt death, fighting their
way toward the oblivion they so highly prized.
Those who had been holding Hope and Vic were surging forward with
the rest, their erstwhile prisoners forgotten in their mad greed for death.
The crowd jostling about me seemed blind to my presence; every eye
was fixed on the altar-like hands of the idol, and the death that blew
across them.
"Pete!" yelled Vic. "Coming, boy?" He was waiting for me, staving off
as best he could the rush of bodies around him; shielding Hope from
the savage jostling.
"Coming!" I leaned forward, butting with my head, both doubled fists
working like pistons to clear a way to my companions.
"Nice work, Pete!" shouted Vic, as I joined them, breathless but
triumphant. "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 the middle.
Ready?"
"Let's go!"

* * * * *
I plunged on, Hope's fingers gripping my belt. Fresh multitudes were
pouring up the ramp, brushing aside the five or six priests that had
hurried there in an effort to stem the tide.
One of the priests saw us, and cried out shrilly to his companions. With
one 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 in the eyes of those strange beings.
"Watch them, Pete!" roared Vic. "We can't take chances!" His gun
roared twice from behind me, and two of the priests fell writhing, to be
instantly 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 of the two others.
Twice again, before we reached the ramp they guarded, the angry
attendants of the idol fell before our guns. Then, hurrying down ramp
after ramp, corridor after corridor, fighting the rushing mob all the way,
we came at last, shaking with weariness and gasping for breath, to the
deserted streets of this black and terrible city.
"Are we free?" whispered Hope, holding tightly to my arm. "Are we
really free?"
"I hope so, dear. We seem to be. If we can only reach the spot where
we entered 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 been
broken or lost in the melée. It was still running, apparently undamaged.
"Let's see; it's four minutes of one. That gives us seven minutes. Can
we 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
minute hand of the watch slide toward the "XII" of the dial ... touch it ...
move on....
It was not far, as Vic had said, but