Page:Avon Fantasy Reader 11 (1949).pdf/52

 He got the gun ready and laid it on the ground next to himself.

He was very calm now, though tired. It would be over and done. He would be dead.

He watched the minute hand of his watch. One minute, five minutes, twenty-five minutes.

The flame appeared on the sky.

It was so unbelievable he started to cry. “A rocket,” he said, standing up. “A rocket!” he cried, rubbing his eyes. He ran forward.

The flame brightened, grew, came down.

He waved frantically, running forward, leaving his gun, his supplies, everything behind. “You see that, Iorr, Tylle! You savages, you monsters, I beat you! I won! They're coming to rescue me now! I've won, damn you.”

He laughed harshly at the rocks and the sky and the backs of his hands.

The rocket landed. Leonard Sale stood swaying, waiting for the door lid to open.

“Goodbye, Iorr, goodbye, Tylle!” he shouted in triumph, grinning, eyes hot.

Eeeeee, sang a diminishing roar in time.

Ahhhhhh, voices faded.

The rocket flipped wide its airlock. Two men jumped out.

“Sale?” they called. “We're Ship ACDN13. Intercepted your SOS and decided to pick you up ourselves. The Marsport ship won't get through until day after tomorrow. We want a spot or rest ourselves. Thought it'd be good to spend the night here, pick you up, and go on.”

“No,” said Sale, face melting with terror. “No spend night”

He couldn't talk. He fell to the ground.

“Quick,” said a voice, in the bleary vortex over him. “Give him a shot of food liquid, another of sedative. He needs sustenance and rest.”

“No rest!” screamed Sale.

“Delirious,” said one man softly.

“No sleep!” screamed Sale.

“There, there,” said the man gently. A needle poked into Sale's arm.

Sale thrashed. “No sleep, go!” he mouthed horribly. “Oh, go!”

“Delirious,” said one man. “Shock.”

“No sedative!” screamed Sale.

The sedative flowed into him.

Eeeeeeeeeee, sang the ancient winds.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, sang the ancient seas.

“No sedative, no sleep, please, don't, don't, don't!” screamed Sale, trying to get up. “You don'tunderstand!”

“Take it easy, old man, you're safe among us now, nothing to worry about,” said the rescuer above him.

Leonard Sale slept. The two men stood over him.

As they watched, Sale's features changed violently. He groaned and cried and snarled in his sleep. His face was riven with emotion. It was the face of a saint, a sinner, a end, a monster, a darkness, a light, one, many, an army, a vacuum, all, all! 88