Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition, December 1955 — page 80: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

78 ~ ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION a chance I have to take,” said the mortician. The gun belched flame and Lewis was slammed back in his chair. Through a dimming haze, he saw Johnson put the gun to his own head, pull the trigger, slump across the desk. Then the haze around Lewis thickened, became the black nothing of unconsciousness. From a somewhere he could not identify Lewis became aware of himself. He was running through a black cave, chased by a monster with blazing eyes and arms like an octopus. The monster kept shouting, ““A mere human! A mere human! A mere human!’’ with a voice that echoed as though pro- jected into a rain barrel. Then, above the voice of the monster, Lewis heard water dripping in a quick even cadence. At the same time he saw the mouth of the cave, a round bright area. The bright area grew larger, larger, became the white wall of a hospital room and a window with sunshine outside. Lewis turned his head, saw a metal tank like the ones in the mortuary. A voice said, “That ‘brought him around.” Vertigo swept over Lewis and for a moment he fought it. A white clad figure swam into his field of vision, resolved itself into a county hospital intern whom Lewis recognized. The intern held a black oxygen mask. | The sound of the dripping water was louder now and then he realized that it was a wrist watch. He turned toward the sound, saw Sheriff Czernak straighten from a position close to his head. Czernak’s Slavic face broke | into a grin. “Boy, you gave us a scare,” he said. Lewis swallowed, found his voice. “‘What—’’ ““You know, you are lucky you’re a freak,’ said Czernak. “Your heart being on the right side’s the only thing saved you. That and the fact that Joe heard the shots.” The intern came around beside the sheriff. ““The bullet nicked an edge of your lung and took a little piece out of a rib at the back,” said the intern. “You must’ve been born lucky.” “Johnson?” said Lewis. ‘“Deader’n a mackerel,” said Czernak. “You feel strong enough to tell us what happened? Joe’s story don’t make sense. What’s with these tanks of embalming fluid?’’ Lewis thought about his encounter with the mortician. Nothing about it made sense. He said, ““Embalming fluid comes in sixteen-ounce bottles.” “We got those three tanks from the hallway,” said Czernak, “‘but I don’t know what we’re doing with them.” ‘From the hall?” Lewis remembered his last look at the empty hall before Johnson had ordered him to turn around. He tried to push himself up, felt pain knife through his chest. The intern pushed him gently back to ne pillow. “Here now, none of that,’ he said. ““You just stay flat on your ack.” ““What was in the tanks?” whispered Lewis. “The lab here says it’s embalming fluid,” said the sheriff. ‘““What’s so special about it?” Lewis remembered the acrid odor of the spray Johnson had released from the tank valve. “‘Does the lab still have some of that fluid?’ he asked.“‘I’d like to smell it.” to smell it. conniclooks. con