Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 65 — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

cy > a4 Oe ALS ee Ne m YO tw & ve Pile oe SRP ie Fs Se oF reed? He didn’t care for the way his thoughts were going and he made conversation to drive them away. “T’m not so tough,” he said. “It’s just—well, why worry about death when the whole world has been virtu- ally dead for days?” “Which takes me back to where I came in,”’ Lena said, resignedly. “I had hoped you weren't serious, that you didn’t really believe all you said this morning. It seems I was wrong to hope.’’ She dusted the table surface with nervous fingers and asked: “Who do you think started it? Harry’s side?’ Sam admitted: “I don’t know. I’m not even sure it is war. There’s been no sound from outside since the roof collapsed. They wouldn’t drop one and then stop. Not unless our retaliation had been severe enough to cripple them. On the other hand, they’may have dropped a lot more than one and the only reason we don’t hear any sound from outside is because there’s nobody left but ourselves.” “‘We four—the last? No, I AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION can’t believe that.’ Her voice lacked the assurance of her words. “You don’t have to believe it. There are alternatives. None of them are nice.” The Creep 7” “Could be. It’s been over the red line for days. For nearly a week now both hemi- spheres of the world have been crawling with excess gammas. According to the experts—I quoted them in my broadcast—the human race would start dying today. That would account for the silence. Only those underground or in protected places like this would still be surviving.” “And this mess?” pointed to the debris. “Maybe it was both. Maybe the war began and the first bombs added just enough extra radiation to fry every- body on the.surface of the earth. That would be justice! The Creep stopping a war! But that stiuli doesn’t give us an out. It only means the end will be a little longer in coming, a little nastier. ”’ There were two other al- ternatives which Sam thought She 144 comiclooks.conkn ed a eee RS Oe + Bd, < aad FM wi aPet Ps " ae a 5 ! ¥