Small World Page 3

them.

  Luck, however, had failed him completely on this night. Near theintersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland, a fresh pack of themswarmed toward him over the street.

  He dropped to one knee and fired into their ranks, the Savage jerking inhis hands. They scattered to either side.

  He began to run steadily down the middle of Hollywood Boulevard, usingthe butt of the heavy rifle like a battering ram as they came at him. Ashe neared Highland, three of them darted directly into his path.Stillman fired. One doubled over, lurching crazily into a jaggedplate-glass store front. Another clawed at him as he swept around thecorner to Highland. He managed to shake free.

  The street ahead of him was clear. Now his superior leg-power wouldcount heavily in his favor. Two miles. Could he make it back beforeothers cut him off?

  Running, re-loading, firing. Sweat soaking his shirt, rivering down hisface, stinging his eyes. A mile covered. Half way to the drains. Theyhad fallen back.

  But more of them were coming, drawn by the rifle shots, pouring in fromside streets, stores and houses.

  His heart jarred in his body, his breath was ragged. How many of themaround him? A hundred? Two hundred? More coming. God!

  He bit down on his lower lip until the salt taste of blood was on histongue. You can't make it, a voice inside him shouted, they'll have youin another block and you know it!

  He fitted the rifle to his shoulder, adjusted his aim, and fired. Thelong rolling crack of the big weapon filled the night. Again and againhe fired, the butt jerking into the flesh of his shoulder, the smell ofpowder in his nostrils.

  It was no use. Too many of them.

  Lewis Stillman knew that he was going to die.

  The rifle was empty at last, the final bullet had been fired. He had noplace to run because they were all around him, in a slowly closingcircle.

  He looked at the ring of small cruel faces and he thought: The aliensdid their job perfectly; they stopped Earth before she could reach theage of the rocket, before she could threaten planets beyond her ownmoon. What an immensely clever plan it had been! To destroy every humanbeing on Earth above the age of six--and then to leave as quickly asthey had come, allowing our civilization to continue on a primitivelevel, knowing that Earth's back had been broken, that her survivorswould revert to savagery as they grew into adulthood.

  Lewis Stillman dropped the empty rifle at his feet and threw out hishands. "Listen," he pleaded, "I'm really one of you. You'll _all_ belike me soon. Please, _listen_ to me."

  But the circle tightened relentlessly around Lewis Stillman. He wasscreaming when the children closed in.

  Transcriber's Note:

  This etext was produced from _Fantastic Universe_ August 1957. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.