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Something was happening. The music was changing to a sour whine in my ears. The chatter at the tables
around me was like the petulant cries of trapped monkeys in vast, bleak cages.
Felix was still talking, jabbing with a silver spoon to emphasize his points. My eyes went to the double
doors fifty yards distant across the brittle-patterned floor. Beyond the dark glass, shapes moved
restlessly, like dim shadows of crawling men . . .
I pushed my chair back. "Felix!" I croaked.
" . . . could have established a permanent colony of perhaps five thousand. Carefully picked personnel,
of course "
"The door!" My voice was choking off in my throat. The air in the room seemed to darken; tiny points of
light danced before me.
"Something wrong, old boy?" Felix was leaning forward, a concerned expression on his face. He looked
as unreal now as a paper cutout a cardboard man in a cardboard scene.
Far across the room, the doors swung silently open. A staring corpse-pale face appeared, at the level of
a man's belt. It pushed into the room, the long, lean bristled body pacing on legs like the arms of apes,
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the fingered feet slapping the floor in a deliberate rhythm. A second beast followed, smaller, with a
blacker coat and a grayish ruff edging the long-toothed face. A third and fourth passed through the door,
both rangy, heavy, their long bodies sagging between humped shoulders and lean flanks. The leader
raised his head, seeming to sniff the air.
"Felix!" I pointed.
He turned casually, let his gaze linger a moment, then glanced at me with a slight smile.
"Very attractive," he said. "You must be recovering, John, for a pretty face to excite you "
"Good God, Felix! Can't you see them?"
He frowned. "You're shouting, John. Yes, I saw them." I was aware of faces turning toward me at the
surrounding tables, eyebrows raised, frowns settling into place. I reached out, caught Felix's arm; his face
contorted in a spasm of agony.
"Felix you've got to listen. What do you see coming through that door?"
"Four young women," he said in a choked voice, "very gay, very sweet. Would that I had time . . ." His
face was paling. "John, you're breaking my arm "
I jerked my hand back. "They're aliens, Felix! The dog things I saw in the ravine! Look again! Try to see
them!"
The leading demon had turned toward us now; the white face was fixed on me as it came on, steadily,
relentlessly, stalking unnoticed along the aisle between the tables where diners laughed and talked,
forking food into overfed mouths.
Felix turned, stared. "They're coming toward us," he said in a voice thin with strain. "The first young lady
is dressed in yellow "
"It's a thing like a tailless dog; a skull-face, stiff black hair. Remember the ear?"
Felix tensed; an uncertain expression crept over his face. He turned toward me.
"I " he started. His features went slack; his head lolled, eyes half-open. The music died with a squawk.
Conversation drained into silence.
The first of the monstrosities quickened its pace; its head came up as it headed straight for me. I leaned
toward Felix, shouted his name. He muttered something, slumped back, stared vacantly past me.
"Felix, for God's sake, use your gun!" I jumped up, and my knee caught the table; it went flying against
the next one. Felix tumbled back, slammed to the floor. I caught a momentary impression of dull-faced
patrons, sitting slackly at tables all around. There was a quickening slap of beast-hands now as the
leading thing broke into a clumsy gallop, closing now, red eyes glinting, the black tongue lolling from the
side of the wide jaws as it cleared the last few yards, sprang.
With a shout of horror, I swung my right fist in a round-house blow that caught the monster squarely in
the neck, sent it crashing across a table in an explosion of silver, glasses, and laden plates to go down
between tables in a tangle of snowy linen. Then the second demonic thing was on me. I saw dagger-teeth
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flash, ducked aside, caught a thick forearm, feeling the flesh tear under my hand as I hurled it aside. The
beast whirled, squealing thinly, reared up seven feet tall
I struck at it, saw its face collapse into pulped ruin. It fell past me, kicking frantically. The last two
attackers split, rushed me from both sides. I ran toward the one on the left, missing a swing at its head,
felt the impact of its weight like a feather mattress, the clamp of teeth on my arm. I staggered, caught
myself, slammed blows at the bristled side; it was like pounding a saddle. I struck for the head then, saw
skin and flesh shear under the impact, struck again, knocked an eye from its socket
And still the thing clung, raking at me with its pale hands like minstrel's gloves. I reached for its throat
with my free hand, whirled to interpose its body between me and the last of the four creatures as it
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