CORPUS EARTHLING
Louis Charbonneau
A Zenith Original
Zenith Books, Inc.
Rockville Centre, New York
Copyright © 1960 by Louis Charbonneau
Zenith Books edition published in March, 1960
Manufactured in the U.S.A.
[Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not uncover any
evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
I stared appraisingly at the redhead curled up on my couch. Even she,Laurie Hendricks, might be one of them—one of the things from outerspace.
She noticed me watching her. She smiled knowingly, and stretched,catlike, her body straining against the smooth coverall.
She walked over to where I stood and pressed against me. "Let's seewhat you can teach me, professor," she said softly.
My last thought was: This girl is flesh and blood and human—she mustbe human! And then everything was blotted out in the crimson sensationof that incredible kiss....
1
It came again—the dream within a dream, the alien mind within theailing mind. Drowning in the treacherous whirlpool near the shoresof sleep, I fought to reach the firm reality of consciousness, ofawakening, but I was sucked back and slowly sank beneath the surfaceinto the horror of the dream....
I stood on a lonely stretch of beach in a blue night, the sandglistening white against the inky darkness of sky and water. Wavesrolled and tumbled toward me in noisy confusion. Beyond the apronof sand were the small, black beetle-shapes of a cluster of housetrailers. But my eyes were focused on the figure which stood far up thebeach, and an unknown terror crawled like a furry, many-legged animaldown the nape of my neck.
"No!" The wind snatched the single cry of protest from my lips and toreit into thin shreds of sound.
And the alien mind spoke in my ear, in my mind but not of it, awhispered insinuation. "Drown!" it urged. "Drown!"
I didn't move. My legs seemed to have grown into the sand like thetrunks of trees. The voice spoke again in my mind, louder, morecompelling.
"Walk! Now! Into the water!"
I stood resisting the terrifying power of the voice. The figure up thebeach seemed closer, blurred by the cold wind that brought tears to myeyes. I stood rooted and my body bent as if a gale tugged and pulledat it. My legs began to tremble uncontrollably. The command hammeredat me with a relentless pressure, filling my mind, blotting out allconsciousness save for the drumming words, overwhelming in their brutalstrength.
And one foot moved. I took a step. Awkwardly, stiffly, like a rustyrobot lifting its leg. I struggled to force my body to obey the protestof my own will. No! Stop! Don't move! But the cry of resistance wasobliterated by the command that swelled within my brain.
"Walk! Walk! Walk!"
Feet dragged resisting in the soft sand. Then there was the packed wetsurface, dark footprints, and the cold spray against my face, the waterswirling around my ankles, receding rapidly away from me down the wetbrown slope. I stumbled after it, impelled by the irresistible force,each step a painful conflict that racked my body. I flung a wild glancetoward the figure on the beach. Closer now, much closer. Moving in forthe kill. And I felt anger, raging helpless anger mixed with the terror.
A breaker cracked like a whip ahead of me. The foamin