Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 66 — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

THE CREEP little sparrow hunting for his breakfast! Sam was as far along the ruined block of buildings as he could get, and still the bird was skipping further down the street. Quite sud- denly, when it wasn’t far from the hospital he had intended taking Gibb to, the sparrow stopped. It had found a morsel, Sam assumed. But when minutes passed and the sparrow remained motionless, he frowned. He waited a little longer before risking his neck on the downward climb. His frown was a deep, thoughtful scowl when Lena saw him enter the bar again. “It was empty?” she asked, and he couldn’t think what she meant. “The ship,” she said. “Is it safe to take him inside it?” “Your sparrow’s answered Sam. Lena put a hand to her throat. “Dead ? But youlooked so excited up there that I thought you had seen it— alive.” “It was. Until it wandered dead,” 133 too far from the sphere. When it got about forty yards down the street it stopped. And it hasn’t moved since. The Creep hasn’t gone, Lena. Something inside that space- ship has cleared out a zone about eighty to a hundred yards in diameter and mopped up all the gammas. Outside that zone the Creep still exists, intense enough to kill a little bird immediately it left the safety zone.” Lena asked: “‘You’re sure it’s dead?” Sam’s grim ex- pression gave her the answer, and she said: ‘“‘What do we do now?” “If you know any prayers,” replied Sam, “‘this is the time to get down on your knees. Pray that somewhere in an area of roughly eight thous- and square yards we can find a doctor, or a nurse, or any- body qualified to keep Joseph alive. He mustn’t die.” “That’s not what you said before.” “I didn’t know then that the aliens had a whatsit for neutralising gamma radiation. COMIC OoksS .COm