Ray Rollins fought to preserve the Space
Station—and Earth—from an enemy mankind had
forgotten. An enemy in hiding, awaiting its—
Vengeance From The Past!
By Geoff St. Reynard
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
September 1954
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
It started during the program. The little noises were there but Ididn't pay any attention to them, and I don't know now whether Ithought they were the wind and the rain or maybe some realistic soundeffects on tv. Of course they were the small sounds made by the twothings that wanted to get into my house. They tried the doors, turningthe knobs and pressing their bodies against the panels, and then theyprowled around testing the windows. They were as silent as cobras butwindows pushed or doors shoved will make some noise and so the littlecreaks were there but I paid no attention to them.
Then I got the feeling that someone was looking at me.
Nuts. My background as a fiction writer was getting under my skin.Someone watching me, my God, from where? The French windows behindme? Who'd be out in this downpour? I was glad my wife Nessa was asleepupstairs. With a baby on the way she needed her rest. Just to ease myrippling spine, I'd give a quick glance over my shoulder.
I did.
I saw a face like a gigantic mask. Enormous skull, low brow, smallchin and thick-lipped mouth; wide cheeks and a mass of tumbled grayhair crowning the hatless head. Suggestion of a body like a gorilla'sclad in dark broadcloth. Hands pressed flat on the glass, short thumbsand long fingers thick as country sausages. Worst of all the ghastlything, two thinned eyes that caught the light of the tv lamp and shotit back at me as glowing crimson oblongs of animal hate. This creature,standing rock-steady beyond the full-length windows that werestreamed and blurry with the driving rain, this beast, this—
I closed my eyes tight and then opened them. It was gone into the rain,an optical illusion! It had really spooked me there for an instant, theold marrow was still cold from the first grisly shock.
I turned and started watching the set again. I started to chuckle tomyself. I heard the French windows snap and groan a little with thewind. Then I heard the fretful sound of a strained and snapping bolt.That wasn't the wind! I jumped to my feet and whirled around. I frozewhere I stood. A hulking brute with a mask for a face was coming for meand then I saw the face was a face and not a mask at all.
Another man behind the horror said sharply, "Don't touch him, Old One!"and those paws with the sausage fingers fell reluctantly. I backed uptwo steps and the tv set held me from going any further. The secondintruder passed the horror and thrust out his hand, which was about asbig as a hand can be without becoming an outsize foot; it took me amoment to realize that he meant me to shake it. When I didn't move, hegrinned and said in his deep voice, "Don't know me, Ray?" and then Idid know him. I was happier not remembering him, I wished I could stopknowing who he was, but now I did and I knew I was likely going to bedead before sunup, because he was Bill Cuff.
I did shake hands with him. I'm five-feet-ten and weigh one-sixtyand I'm about as rugged as the average guy, or more so, because Iplay handball and used to be a pro footballer before I got married;but if I'd angered Bill Cuff he might have picked me u