Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, Issue 45 — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION radiations sufficient to rip the life from a man, break down his cells and body structure, bringing slow but inevitable death. It would be suicide to leave the shelter yet. He worried about it, sitting on an empty box in a corner of the shelter, wondering what could have happened. The bombs obviously hadn’t been the normal type he had expected, or perhaps radioactive dusts with a long half-life had been dropped along with the ex- plosives. He didn’t know, and -even if he had there was nothing he could have done about it. And the food was being used too fast. There had been enough to last two people perhaps six months—with rationing. It couldn’t last the three of them more than four, and he might die from starvation within a couple of days of safety, the rescue parties ar- riving just too late, and all his elaborate precautions be wasted. Wasted because some unwanted fool had thrust himself upon him, claiming sanctuary because of an ac- cident of relationship. 84 It would be so much better if George were out of the way. The idea came during one trip towards the outer door. The chatter of the Geiger had risen to its soft purr, hesitated, then slowed to a rapid clicking as the counting device changed scale. Jeff stared at it and nodded in sudden decision. Back in the shelter, he made certain that the others were asleep; then, setting the Geiger down on a small bench, worked with fine screwdrivers and thin wires. Satisfied, he tested the machine and waited for George to make the initial advance. He didn’t have to wait long. Lorna was the cause as he had guessed she would be. George was worried about her and whispered to Jeff during one of her too-long sleeping periods: ‘“‘Lorna’s ill, Jeff. I think that she’s dying.” “You do?” ‘““Don’tyou ?” George stared curiously at the pudgy man. “Look at the way she drags herself around and won’t eat. I took a fling at studying medicine once and [ think that she’s got some kind of a comiclbooks.cormn