Pulp - Wonder Stories.34.01.Moon Plague - Raymond Z. Gallun (pdf)

by Monte Herridge

  organs. One of these was clearly an eye; the

  had left had informed them caustically that he other seemed to be a light-producing organ

  hoped that they would all find their way to

  like those of fireflies, for even after the

  Hell in the near future.

  creature was dead, the globe had emitted a

  Steve and his companions had faint, greenish glow.

  searched the surrounding country for the

  The four men had discussed the

  fugitive for many hours. Once, when they had

  creature rather fully. It had seemed very

  been traversing a narrow cleft, a bullet had

  strange to them that a plant should assume so glanced off Professor Melconne’s oxygen many of the characteristics of animals: the helmet, and a mocking, maniacal laugh had

  ability to move about freely, intelligence and grated in their head-phones. But they had so forth. But they had agreed that there was failed to catch even a glimpse of Garth. Until nothing impossible about it. They had recalled long after his eight-hour supply of oxygen

  that various earthly forms of carnivorous

  should have been used up, they had continued

  flora, the Venus Flytrap for instance, are able their quest, but without results. Finally to move their parts with a rapidity comparable convinced that Garth was dead from with the movements of animals. They also suffocation, they had given up.

  remembered that these plants give evidence of And now Garth Jubiston had come possessing intelligence, or at least a back, and had done this! Black fury smoldered rudimentary nervous system, that might,

  in old Steve’s mind, but there were questions through a process of evolution, develop into a there also.

  thinking brain.

  Steve knew about the plant-men. They

  The requirement of carbon-dioxide for

  had rather carefully examined the specimen

  green plants was taken care of by the thin

  Claire had shot. The explosive bullet had torn lunar atmosphere made up chiefly of that gas.

  it badly, but the carcass had been complete

  Under the action of the strong lunar sunlight,

  Moon Plague

  7

  the chlorophyll in their tissues converted it Steve shook Claire Melconne gently to

  into free oxygen and starch, which served as

  arouse him from the semi-stupor into which he fuel for their muscles. And the carbon-dioxide had fallen. The boy mumbled incoherently at

  resulting from this oft-repeated chemical first, then, realizing their position, brought his union was again split up to supply food and

  mind back to lucidity, apparently by sheer

  air for the plant-men. All this was clear. One force of will.

  thing puzzled the Earthians, however. How

  “As far as I can see, Claire,” said

  did the plant-men obtain their necessary Steve, “there is only one way out of this mess water? The thick skin of the creatures would

  for us—to follow Garth and the plant-men.

  resist the evaporation of body fluids quite

  They evidently know where there’s a supply

  effectively, but where did they get their water of breathable air. They have both shown

  in the first place?

  themselves to be our enemies, and we’ll have

  Professor Melconne had offered a to treat them as such. Besides, your dad is theory. “There must be a place, in some deep

  probably a captive. We’ve got to attempt to

  cavern, possibly, where there is a soil rescue him. You know our chances. Think you containing moisture, where the plant-men can, are equal to the task?”

  at periodic intervals, bury their roots and

  “Sure!” replied Claire Melconne,

  absorb the necessary water, and also the attempting to make the word sound brisk. “I silicates and other minerals necessary for the feel a little groggy yet, but I’ll be all right. A building up of their tissues,” he had said.

  little exercise—” He had staggered up from

  “You’re right, Professor,” Garth the bunk, and stood drunkenly on unsteady Jubiston, still his old eager self, had legs.

  exclaimed. “See!” He was pointing to the

  Old Steve had his misgivings. The

  brown, thread-like hairs growing on the lower plant-man had certainly thrown the kid pretty limbs of the plant-man. “There are fragments

  hard. Claire ought to be in bed, under the care of dried clay clinging to those roots. There is a of a physician, but there wasn’t anything that place, and we’ll find it!” That was the story.

  Steve could do about it. He couldn’t very well leave the boy here, for if he did, it was hardly CHAPTER III The Horror of the Grey Mold

  likely that he could bring a supply of oxygen back to him in time. To stay in the laboratory with him, and wait supinely for the end, was

  And now old Steve Jubiston was thinking fast.

  utterly against Steve’s grain. The only thing to He knew that his own air supply couldn’t last do was to take Claire along.

  for more than two hours. The kid’s would

  With the boy leaning on Steve’s

  probably last longer because he had donned

  shoulder, they made their way out of the

  his space-suit an hour or so later. Since the building. Through his phones, Steve could

  air-purifying machinery of the camp had been

  hear Claire’s labored breathing. Now the

  destroyed, there was no easy means of getting youth coughed raspingly. There was little

  more. Something would have to be done strength in his battered body. Steve almost during those two hours, or death by asphyxia

  carried him up the steep slope, over the crater would come upon them, prompt and certain.

  wall, and down into the valley, which was

  The lunar night, with its dreadful cold, that now a harshly mixed medley of dense shadow

  could bite through the thick, insulating and patches of brilliant sunshine.

  material of their space armor, was not far off.

  They started to follow the tracks made

  Wonder Stories

  8

  by the plant-men.

  hard to guess what the boy meant to do. If that The youth seemed taken by a sudden

  feed pipette were broken—and a fierce jerk

  thought. He disengaged his arm from about

  would do that—Claire would suffocate in a

  the older man’s supporting shoulders, and few moments.

  staggered a few steps away from him. “Steve,”

  Old Steve did not hesitate. With an

  he said with husky earnestness. “I think I

  oath, he flung himself at his companion. “You know what changed Garth. It was that mottled

  damned fool!” he hissed. His fingers sought to fungus he found just before he left us. He

  clutch the youth’s wrists. Securing a hold, he handled it, and some of the spores settled on attempted to tear Claire’s hands away from

  his skin, and took root there, beginning to eat the pipette.

  his flesh. There isn’t anything impossible

  But for the moment, Claire seemed to

  about that, of course. Our ordinary ringworm

  possess demoniac strength, in spite of his

  of earth is caused by a microscopic fungus or weakened condition. They struggled silently.

  mold. It was this lunar fungus that poisoned

  The boy’s teeth were bared in a sort of frozen Garth’s blood, and deranged his mind.”

  snarl. The flexible pipette of segmented metal Claire paused. “And now, Steve,” he

  was giving.

  went on, “I think—well—that the same kind

  of fungus is attacking me. I found one of the A laugh coming through their
phones

  plants just shortly before the lunarians arrived.

  suddenly arrested their attention. It was a

  When I packed it away, I handled it with my

  thick, rasping sort of laugh, filled with a

  bare hands. My hands and forearms are horrible, morbid mirth. Then a voice spoke: smarting now as though I’d rubbed them with

  “Misunderstandings will occur among the best

  the juice of nettles....”

  of friends,” it chuckled maliciously. The

  Claire’s voice became even calmer and

  cracked, dry hoarseness of it made it almost

  more earnest as he continued: “Let me out of

  unrecognizable, yet they knew it to be Garth

  this, Steve. It isn’t fair. I’m just hindering you.

  Jubiston’s voice. Still clutching at each other, Without me, you’ve got a small chance, but

  the two men looked about. Gliding slowly

  this way we’re both doomed. I’ll tell you

  toward them over a nearby mountain peak,

  what, Steve—you take my oxygen supply—”

  was the small space-boat which had been

  Steve checked him, “For God’s sake,

  stolen from the hangar. Its duralumin hull

  kid! Do you think I could—”

  glistened brilliantly in the sunshine.

  “No!” Claire shot back. “Of course

  This new development seemed to have

  you couldn’t. I know you well enough to be

  steadied Claire. He tore himself free from

  sure you wouldn’t do that to your worst Steve’s grasp. Automatically, his hand leaped enemy. But still there are ways of making you, to the holster at his belt, seeking the long-Steve.” The boy’s eyes blazed defiantly in his barreled pistol which was loaded with

  white face, and his lips were set hard. “I’m

  explosive Corlissite projectiles.

  going to take my medicine now, Steve,” he

  “Don’t fire, Claire Melconne,” Garth

  continued, “and give you half a chance.” His

  Jubiston warned. “Your father is aboard this

  hand was on the feed pipette which led under

  vessel. You would not wish to kill him.”

  his arm from the oxygen tanks on his back to

  The boy’s pistol arm hesitated, then

  the forward portion of his helmet.

  dropped.

  Steve read determination in Claire’s

  “I thought that I would find you two

  features, and something else perhaps. It wasn’t around here somewhere if I returned,” Garth

  Moon Plague

  9

  continued. For the moment, his speech seemed

  Jubiston of old. It was just an enemy, a

  quite coherent. “While I guided the ships to

  maniac possessing some of Garth’s skill, and

  their new hangar, my friends, I overlooked

  doubtless still able to be diabolically, clever.

  you. But my minions are going to capture you

  Dragging Claire with him, Steve

  for me now. First, however, I’ll talk. Don’t

  darted into the questionable protection of an move. You are completely surrounded.” Garth

  area of dense shade. Would the boy crack too, had begun to laugh again. It seemed that he

  when the grey mold had eaten a little deeper

  would never stop. However, this induced a

  into his flesh, and had gotten into his blood-violent fit of coughing. When Garth was able

  stream? There were no definite signs yet, but to talk again, his voice was weaker. He gasped Steve was sure the symptoms would appear

  for air.

  within an hour or two, if they weren’t already

  “I’m going to feed you to the mold,”

  dead by then.

  he hissed through his teeth. “I’m going to

  Old Steve had no weapon. When he

  watch you suffer—both of you. And I’ve got

  had started out on his jaunt, he had not

  the professor here. He brought me to this hell-thought it necessary to arm himself. Except

  hole. It will be great fun to watch the mold

  for the plant-man of several months before, no chew away your skins!” Again Garth laughed.

  living creature that could offer a menace to the Then his jangled mind started off on a

  earthmen had been seen; therefore, a pistol

  new track. “You wonder what I’ve been doing

  had seemed superfluous. When he had

  since I left you,” he went on. “I followed a

  returned to the laboratory, the meagre arsenal plant-man to the tunnel which leads to the

  of guns and ammunition had been stripped.

  Crystal Mountain. There is their world. What

  Several flashes of light, some green,

  is the Crystal Mountain? You’ll see before

  some red, flickered from the nose of the

  you die. It is the most marvelous place on the space-boat above.

  moon! At first the plant-men wanted to kill

  Close on the heels of the signals, three

  me, but I awed them with my pistol, and I

  bizarre figures charged out of the maw of a

  became their god. Their language consists of

  nearby cleft. The giant plant-man came

  light signals. I determined to learn it. From the toward their prey in long, swinging strides.

  odds and ends I carried with me, I devised a

  Sand and rock fragments were scattered by

  simple apparatus to produce such signals. The their oval hoofs, as their great, horny bodies language itself is simple. I have practically bobbed eccentrically along. They bore no

  mastered it now, and I can give my divine

  artificial weapons, yet they were fearsome

  commands quite easily. I’m going to tell them enough with their long, green tendrils, coiling to capture you now. You may resist if you

  and uncoiling about them menacingly. The

  like. Watch!”

  two globes, which were supported above each

  “You’re acting like a damned fool, of their bodies by a forked stalk, swayed like Garth,” Steve said quietly.

  the hooded heads of cobras that are preparing Again came that dry, cackling laugh.

  to strike. From one of each of those pairs of

  “Go ahead and plead for mercy!” globes came excited pulsations of baneful Garth Jubiston fairly shrieked. “Go ahead!”

  light, some green, some red, and from the

  He moaned slightly.

  window at the nose of the space-boat there

  A look of pity softened old Steve’s

  were answering signals.

  hard features for a fleeting instant, then his face grew grim. This was not the Garth

  Wonder Stories

  10

  CHAPTER IV The Recovery of His Space-

  revenge. But be assured that he will not kill Boot

  you. Your time is not yet!”

  With pulsating surges of changing

  FLIGHT for the two men would have been

  color from the nose of the space-boat, his

  useless, since these lunar creatures could command was given. The plant-man flashed a cover the ground so much more rapidly than

  short acknowledgment.

  they. Claire and Steve stood their ground.

  His tendrils tightened slowly about his

  Leaning weakly on the shoulder of his two captives. Gradually, a crushing force was massive companion, the boy leveled his pistol.

  brought to bear. Steve fought the constricting There were three silent flashes from the coils, clawing, tearing at them. He got a hand muzzle of the small weapon, followed under one of the looping, green, v
ine-like immediately by three more among the ranks of

  members; his powerful muscles surged

  the plant-men. The great awkward forms, mightily. His battered face reddened with the ripped to fragments by the force of the effort, yet he accomplished nothing. This explosions, crumpled grotesquely among the

  eighteen-foot lunar giant was many times

  ash and rocks. Their sticky, chlorophylous

  stronger than he. His breath was nearly gone, body fluid, suddenly exposed to the almost

  and little sparks of darkness danced before his pressureless vacuum of the moon, seethed and

  vision. Above him, on the forked stalk,

  bubbled as it rapidly evaporated. “Good work, wavered the two globes, the left one, an eye, kid,” old Steve muttered. They wheeled about.

  the right one, a signaling organ. There was a Two other plant-men were rushing at them

  menacing, vengeful glint in the opalescent

  from behind. Claire fired again, but a thin veil depths of the left globe.

  seemed to be obscuring his vision, and his aim Claire was fighting too—weakly. The

  was not as good as it had been before. A

  kid was all pluck, but he’d had a bad start. Old second shot dropped one of the attackers, yet Steve heard his faint, choking cry; then the

  by this time the remaining one was so close

  boy went limp.

  upon them that to fire again would mean that

  Garth Jubiston spoke again: “Pleasant,

  they, too, would be killed by the force of the isn’t it?” he asked sarcastically. “You people explosion.

  of earth may be great upon your own world,

  Old Steve sprang boldly at their huge

  but you are nothing to us plant-men. We have

  adversary, striking out at it with his metal-

  skill; we have metals. We shall build a great gauntleted fists. But it was a futile gesture. A space-fleet, and conquer your world!” Garth’s half-dozen of the plant-man’s tentacles voice rose to a rasping scream. “No, that grasped him about the middle, and hoisted