The Philip K. Dick Megapack
Page 39
“Damn,” he muttered. He fixed a pot of coffee and checked his wristwatch. Then he got out of the ship and wandered around in the early-morning sunlight. The sun was beginning to come up. The air turned from dark violet to gray. It was cold as hell. He shivered and stamped his feet and watched some small bird-like things fly down to peck around the bushes.
He was just beginning to think of notifying Orion XI when he saw her.
She walked quickly toward the ship. Tall and slim in a heavy fur jacket, her arms buried in the deep pelt. Johnson stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded. He was too astonished even to touch his gun. His mouth fell open as the girl halted a little way off, tossed her dark hair back, blew a cloud of silvery breath at him and then said, “I’m sorry you had a bad night. It’s my fault. I should have sent him right back.”
Captain Johnson’s mouth opened and shut. “Who are you?” he managed finally. Fear seized him. “Where’s Brent? What happened?”
“He’ll be along.” She turned back toward the forest and made a sign. “I think you’d better leave now. He wants to stay here, and that is best—for he’s changed. He’ll be happy in my forest with the other—men. It’s strange how all you humans come out exactly alike. Your race is moving along an unusual path. It might be worth our while to study you, sometime. It must have something to do with your low esthetic plateau. You seem to have an innate vulgarity, which eventually will dominate you.”
From out of the woods came a strange shape. For a moment, Captain Johnson thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He blinked, squinted, then grunted in disbelief. Here, on this remote planet—but there was no mistake. It was definately an immense cat-like beast that came slowly and miserably out of the woods after the girl.
The girl moved away, then halted to wave to the beast, who whined wretchedly around the ship.
Johnson stared at the animal and felt a sudden fear. Instinctively he knew that Brent was not coming back to the ship. Something had happened on this strange planet—that girl…
Johnson slammed the airlock shut and hurried to the control panel. He had to get back to the nearest base and make a report. This called for an elaborate investigation.
As the rockets blasted Johnson glanced through the viewplate. He saw the animal shaking a huge paw futilely in the air after the departing ship.
Johnson shuddered. That was too much like a man’s angry gesture…