The Coming of The Strangers

by John Lymington

  “Oh, go on, let it off,” Sebastian said. “It might even help. At least when you’re bellowing about the police it isn’t Them thiat‘s doing it.”

  “You, you think I’m crackers, don’t you?” Robert said. “Soon ra going to lose my temper and crack you smart in the bloody nose. I’m having about a feast of you, cock, and I’m not joking either. The next come-on about this brain washer stuff and I’ll poke you right in the kisser. I’ve had enough, I tell you. Nobody’s working my head for me, and nobody’s going to. Now then, Who’d like to say so? Come on.”

  “There couldn’t be anybody else so simple! ” Harris shouted, rss face wet with sweat. “There couldn’t be anybody else that’s such a ruddy nuisance… ”

  Robert went for him. In a moment they were staggering to- towards the windows, hitting out savagely but mostly uselessly.

  “Stop them! ” Laura said.

  “Let ’em get on,” Sebastian said. “It’s getting rid of some heat.”

  Jill stood there, hands clasped, excited eyes watched the ragged, tumbling fight as it crashed and tripped against the walls near the door. Robert slipped on a mat, and they both went down, Harris underneath. Both stayed still a moment then Robert began to hit at the reporter’s head with both fists.

  Sebastian went forward, but Harris was wirier, more spirited than he had thought. The fight suddenly reversed, rolled over, smacking and hitting.

  “Good heavens!” Elfrida cried. “Why don’t you stop it?” She dapped her hands over her cars.

  The cat screeched suddenly and ran into the room. Seeing the fightt, it swerved, hesitated, then dived under a sofa.

  “The cat!” Laura said. “It came in. From outside!”

  She ran out into the hall, leaving the sounds of battle behind. Everything seemed to be undisturbed, but she heard a groan from the open door of the bedroom where Joe lay. She went to it and looked in.

  Behind her, Sebastian came into the hall.

  “What’s the matter?” he demanded.

  “It’s—this boy,” Laura said, and bent to go into the room as if to gather something from the floor.’ “He’s out of bed! We’ll have to.. ”

  She stopped very suddenly, frozen with horror. She straightened very slowly, staring across the room.

  Sebastian’ came up behind her and looked down at the young man sprawling unconscious on the floor, bedclothes laying a trail across the room from the bed.

  “Look!” Laura whispered. “Look! The window!”

  Sebastian looked and then it seemed his whole body froze into an inanimate mass.

  The window of the room stood wide open, looking out on to the beach towards the headland.

  2

  “It’s a possible solution,” Darrow said, his eyes widening at the calm Scot. “But we’d never get anyone to do it!”

  “I know Payne” -Maclaren said. “He’s none of your wild young pilots, but a sane man with a lot of experience.”

  ‘‘He’d need paying. What about that?”

  “I’d guarantee that as a public duty, if your mob haven’t the sense to see what’s going on, though mark you, this is only to help them see. They’ll pay afterwards. I’m running no risk, laddie.”

  “Payne,” said Darrow, pacing the room. “I think I’ve met

  him. He does a lot of work from here. Maybe he isn’t there…”

  He lifted the phone and gave his request to the switchboard.

  “Don’t tell him why—not over the phone,” Maclaren said. “The only way to persuade this type of feller is to go and talk and talk at him till it penetrates his innate scepticism. And Im telling you, laddie, it’ll take time. It’ll be no Okay-and-Off business. He’ll think we’re mad, and we’re asking him to take an expensive risk.” .

  “Yes, I know,” Darrow said. “But… ” The phone buzzed and he answered it briefly. He replaced it and looked at Maclaren. “Well, he’s there, so we’d better go.”

  3

  The Chief Constable listened to the voice of London and the Management of the Nation.

  “Utterly impossible,” it said. “We have made a check on all radar reports. There is no possibility whatever that any space ship, interplanetary missile, rocket or anything else has entered the Earth’s atmosphere other than experimental stuff tracked in and out. Even the Soviets have co-operated. The Naval asdics seem to have come down on accidental jamming.”

  “There is evidence of something out of the way, sir,” said the Chief Constable. “Though nothing very tangible.”

  “Is there anything new?”

  “Nothing, sir.”

  I cannot see that anything can be done until there is—if there is. There have been hoaxes before now, you know ? poltergeists, too. And I don’t think you can really bring in this body recovered from the sea. You know yourself what damage can be inflicted by water.”

  “What do you advise, then, sir?”

  “I advise normal procedure. Don’t be taken in.”

  “Arc the radar people still watching?”

  “They are trying to trace the source of possible jamming, because if the echoes had represented solid things, somebody have seen something. That is the service view, and I rather agree with it. Proceed as normal until you have very definite evidence that something abnormal is there.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  4

  Mrs. Curvey looked up the narrow stairs of her house and shouted.

  “Billy? Billy! Where are you?”

  She went down the hall, into the kitchen, through that, by way of the larder, out into the garden where the washing blew under a brightening sky.

  “Billy! Billy!”

  She looked everywhere and came back into the house.

  “Oh dear! ” she groaned. “He’s gorn again! ”

  5

  Judy drank her coffee impatiently, uneasily. Her big, loose sweater slumped almost off her; her hair, now dragged back in a pony tail wagged like a real one as she jerked her head so to the door. She turned her heavily black-painted eyes to it man behind the counter.

  “But he always comes now,” she said.

  The man shook his head.

  “I haven’t seen him this morning.”

  “We were going to arrange something for tonight,” she said, and swung round again to the open doorway and watched the people going by to lunch. “It’s got to be got together. Oh! ”

  “Thought of something?” the barman said.

  “He could be down there, could be,” she said.

  “Where?” said the barman.

  “Down where the ghost is walking,” Judy said.

  “You kids are just plain cuckoo,” the barman said. “He’ll be along in a minute.”

  But at twelve-thirty Joe had not come. Judy went out, got on her scooter by the kerb and buzzed away down to the promenade.

  6

  Wing Commander Payne stood, legs wide apart, back against a large scale map on the wall, dressed in an unzipped flying suit.

  “Doc Mac,” he said, “you are but magnificently crazy, old boy. If you hadn’t got the distinguished officer with you, I’d ring the looney bin. It’s a wonderful story, but wonderful, but you can’t—simply, just can’t, old boy.” He shook his head.

  “It is a fact,” said Darrow.

  “Then why aren’t your squad doing something?” Payne asked. “Why do you, senior officer plus, come solo to a poor lone sprayer and ask him to do this? Where are your boys? What is the matter with the fire brigade? No, no. If they don’t believe it, old boy, how on earth can I?”

  “I am willing to pay,” said Maclaren firmly.

  ‘‘That, coming from you, Mac, should convince anybody,” Payne said with a grin. “But obviously this is some kind of a leg extender. You can’t seriously mean me to prang a gang of non-seeable shellbacks ” He looked at Darrow and his manner

  changed. “Put it this way. Inspector. I just don’t understand, and I can’t damn well believe it. Where would I get the stuff, anyway?�
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  “I can get that in a half hour,” Maclaren said.

  “I could do it for laughs, of course,” Payne said. “But I’m more worried about the claims that are going to come in afterwards.”

  “You needn’t worry about that,” Darrow said.

  “You mean it’ll be covered?” Payne said. “But you told me this isn’t an official affair, old boy. Surely you couldn’t stand the racket if the writs did start coming in?”

  “If the job’s successful, it’ll be officially squared,” Darrow promised.

  “Then why isn’t it official now?” Payne said. “I don’t want to be unreasonable, old boy, but you must admit you’re asking me to come in on a blind approach with a Controller that everybody thinks is up the clonks.”

  “I know it seems like that,” Darrow said. “But we have told you the truth. We have told you everything wc know. We are asking you to carry out a commercial job. Put it like that.”

  “Let me put it like this,” Payne said. “I am running a little business with a little capital my wife lent me and my gratuity. All I have in the world are three Tiger Moths plus spares, a house half paid for, a vintage Bentley and two little boys at school whose fees are behind ETA. I just can’t afford to get involved in a mass of court cases for damage.”

  “You must have insurance against damage like that?” Darrow said.

  “Against accidental damage, yes,” Payne said. “But surely not for setting out with the deliberate intention of damaging property. They wouldn’t play that game, old boy.”

  “I’ll guarantee everything,” Mac said, angrily. “Inspector, please ring up for the stuff to be sent here. I’ll persuade this human shrike if it takes all day. Now, listen to me ”

  Wing Commander Payne sighed and prepared to listen like a man whose mind is already made up.

  7

  Judy slewed in the road and brought the scooter to a surprised halt by the pavement outside Laura Benson’s house. For, in the whirls and whorls of the wrought iron gate, there was mixed a human head. She kicked the scooter on to its stand and went to the surprising scene.

  “What are you doing, man?” she asked, enjoying the novelty.

  The head grew redder as it tried to turn but couldn’t.

  “I’m stuck,” it whimpered.

  Judy got hold cf the head and tried to guide it back between the ironwork while it grunted and gave startled cries.

  “Man, oh, man,” said Judy, straightening again. “You are, too!”

  “Get the fire engine!” Billy cried. “Mum always gets the fire engine.”

  “Fire engine, man?” said Judy. “You must be crazy!”

  “It hurts when I move,” Billy groaned. “I looked through to see if Mum was coming and I got stuck. Please get the fire engine! ”

  Judy looked up and down the empty promenade.

  “If you got it through, man, It ought to push out again,” she said. “Let’s try.”

  “They have to sor it! ” Billy yelled.

  At Beach End the garden gate opened and stayed open by itself. Neither Judy nor Billy noticed the action.

  Judy stood back.

  ‘‘The fire engine!” Billy yelled. “I shall die! Mum says I’ll choke to deff if you don’t get the fire engine! ”

  “Hell, don’t make that row, man!” Judy cried, putting her hands to her ears. “You’re all right! I’ll fetch it! You wait there, man! ”

  She got on her scooter, whipped round and tore off up the road towards the telephone box. Billy stayed like one in a pillory, blubbing.

  A cigarette packet lying on the pavement was suddenly shot aside as if it had been kicked. Billy kept his eyes swivelled as far as they could go to follow the girl on the scooter. He did not see the distant packet fly out over the beach and fall to the sands. He did not hear the faint, pattering sounds of something approaching from the end of the beach because he was yelling,

  “Mum, mum! Oh Mum ! ”

  8

  Sebastian bent in the doorway, grabbed one of Joe’s ankles and pulled him along the polished floor into the hall. Then he and Laura stood still, staring through the doorway.

  “Did he open it?” she whispered. “Or is there… ”

  He squeezed her arm tightly for silence. They stood listening. There were thumps and slithering sounds from the other room where the senseless fight went on.

  Laura turned and ran in there.

  “Stop it! Stop it!” She bent and grabbed Harris by the hair, pulling his head back. “They’re in! Get up! The Things are in! ”

  The fighters became petrified.

  “Inside?” Jill hissed.

  Elfrida jumped up from where she was sitting. Jill put an arm round her and and held her tightly to her side.

  “It’s all right,” Jill said idiotically.

  Harris rolled over to one side on the floor, panting, bleeding and tom about. Robert scrambled up, nearly went head-first in his effort to balance himself on the edge of the door.

  “Bastards!” he gasped, staring uncertainly. “Where? Where?”

  He bumped against Laura standing in the lounge doorway, watching. Sebastian was standing in the hall, looking into the apparently empty bedroom.

  “I don’t know,” Sebasrian said. “I can’t be sure…”

  “Let me! ” Robert cried, charging out suddenly. “I’ll find the bastards!” He stumbled aside in time to stop himself falling over Joe on the floor. “What’s he doing there?” He fell against the wall as if drunk.

  Harris appeared in the doorway, keeping back, but unable to stop the urge to see what he could. As Robert recovered, every- one stood still. The silence was like a solid thing, straining to shatter point.

  “There can’t be——” Jill whispered. “We would hear.” Bring the cat,”laura said suddenly “She’d know. Elfrida. Bring the Cat.”

  “There’s nothing here!” said Robert beligerently. “Any fool can tell there’s nothing here!”

  “Oh, I can’t Elfrida said from inside the room “ I can’t risk Kissen “You’re crazy, old woman! ” Harris shouted. “We’re all being risked! Bring the cat! ”

  Elfrida stood in front of the sofa where the cat still hid and prepared to defend it. Harris ran in and pushed her aside.

  “No, no! ” she screamed. “You can’t; It’s… ”

  He bent and tried to grab the crouching cat in the shadow. She pushed him with the flat of her foot and he went over in a clumsy sprawl on the polished floor.

  “Hell with the cat!” Robert bawled from the hall. “Kill the bastards! ”

  “Look out! “ Sebastian shouted.

  Robert rushed into the bedroom hitting out like a madman in all directions, shouting, challenging until he came up against the far wall where the window was. There he stopped, panting as if his chest would burst.

  “Nothing,” he said hoarsely. ‘‘Nothing; There’s nothing here.

  He stopped suddenly as Sebastian came to the door. Robert’s face became fixed, eyes staring at nothing, then he stood away from the space by the window, his hand outstretched to his side, touching something no one could see. His head jerked round and he looked down at his hand.

  “It’s ” He swallowed. “It’s here! I can—feel it! It’s here!” He began to scream. “Here! I can feel it!”

  Sebastian came into the room, grabbed him and spun him away towards the door. Then he stood there looking down at the spot where Richard had felt the invisible.

  There was an absolute silence, and then came a voice, far way, broken, like the mutter of a sleeping man.

  “Tried to get in. I opened the window. Stabbed it—with the scissors. It was soft. It was soft! Not like the others.”

  Sebastian looked back through the doorway. Jill was kneeling by Joe, half supporting him as he tried to sit up.

  “It was the pain!” Joe said, voice rising. “I couldn’t stand the pain. I wanted to get out! Christ…” He fell back again, eyes closing. “Cool, man.”

  Seba
stian reached out and touched something hard, then stood for a moment in the strained silence.

  “He must have killed it,” he said, staring down at some big scissors lying on the floor. “Stabbed in the eye perhaps. That would kill anything if it was just right.”

  “Killed one,” Laura said huskily. “But wouldn’t the others come?”

  “They’re animals,” Sebastian said. “I told you they don’t understand feelings like wc do. They don’t care one for another, can’t understand why we do.”

  “Dead one,” Robert muttered. “So you can kill ’em. You can kill ’em. By God, that alters it! That alters it! ”

  ‘‘Yes, but you can kill ’em, you see! ” Robert said, a queer note of triumph, in his voice. “You can kill ’em! ”

  Sebastian went from the space by the window, and shoved Robert out into the hall. Then he followed him and slammed the door, locking it.

  “I only guess it’s dead,” he said. “I don’t know.”

  “If only we could see them,” Laura said, and turned away. “How many more times am I going to say that? I ”

  “What’s that? What’s that?” Elfrida’s voice called from the lounge.

  “What’s the matter?” Laura went in to her and the others stared tensely in at the doorway.

  “That—listen !” Elfrida hugged her cat to her.

  There was a dry, soft pattering from somewhere.

  “It’s outside,” Laura said.

  Sebastian pushed past Robert and came into the room. He went to the windows and stared out.