Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 66 — page 128: what you’re looking at

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

THE CREEP unobscured area through which she could see _ the alien’s face. “It’s a man!” she cried. “What did you expect? A scaly, three-eyed monster?” “But you said they were scavengers. He’s human.” “Well?” “Oh, don’t be so damned cynical, Sam! You’ve spent so much of your life among the strong and the crooked you’ve forgotten about the meek and the mild. Heaven knows, I haven’t associated with them too much myself, but there are some decent people. Humans aren’t all rotten.” 7 ‘““Maybe so. But the strong rule the weak and the world’s a rotten place in consequence. Now let me get on with it. The sooner you get this suit on the better.” “T don’t want it. I mean that. I don’t want it.” ‘Afraid of the blood ?’’ Lena’s face was grim, her pale eyes staring coldly at Sam. “Leave him,”’ she said. “Leave him and listen to 127 me for a moment. You had your say yesterday morning and I’m not sure now that you had your facts right.” Amusement lifted Sam’s lip. “Carry on, I’m listening.” ‘There was a bird out there a minute ago. Whether you believe me or not, there was one.” Where a bird can go without protection I can go. I think the Creep has dis- appeared, or else it has reached its peak and started receding. How that could happen is beyond my knovw- ledge. As you say, it was coming from the atomic tests. But when it reached a lethal level, it must have done so nearer the test sites than any- where else. And when that happened, then the tests would have stopped and the radia- tion level would have started to drop.” Sam scoffed. “‘There’s an answer to that one—the fall- out from the earlier tests will go on for a long time yet.” Lena was undaunted. “‘If I knew more about it, I could probably think up a dozen comiclooks.comn