The Monster

eleven. Some of the enthusiasmran out of him as he thought of Joan waiting for him at Fenwick's. Hecould imagine how angry she must be by now.

  He got up quickly from his desk and reached for his hat. As he startedto walk away, the phone on his desk rang.

  He stepped back and picked up the receiver.

  "Trent speaking."

  "_Fred!_"

  Trent heard his name uttered in terror across the wire and he felt achill run through him as he recognized the voice. It was Joan Drake.

  "Joan, what's wrong?" he asked anxiously.

  "Fred! Come quickly! Bring help before it's too late--he'll kill us!"

  "Joan! For God's sake, calm down! Now what's the matter?" His voice helda tenseness in it as he spoke.

  "It's Gaddon, Fred! Only it isn't Gaddon--it's a monster! He'll killus!"

  "_Gaddon?_" Trent's voice spoke incredulously. "But that's imposs--"

  "Oh, Fred, hurry-- I--oh--no--no! Keep away--"

  He heard the girl scream over the phone then. And he heard somethingelse. A growling sound. A sound of animal noise unlike any other soundhe had ever heard. And then as he shouted into the phone: "Joan! Joan!"the line went dead.

  He stood for a moment, staring stupidly at the receiver in his hand.Then he slammed it back on its cradle and turned. He nearly knocked overthe copy boy who hollered at him.

  "Hey, Trent, the boss wants you in his office!"

  But he swept by the boy unheeding. He didn't wait for the elevator. Hetook the stairs in leaping bounds, and then he was on the main floor ofthe building and out on the street.

  He slammed the door of his car shut and started the motor. His handstrembled as he meshed the gears and shot the coupe away from the curb.Then he was moving swiftly through the traffic.

  As he turned down the street where Fenwick's office was, Fred Trent'smind was a whirl of confused thought.

  There was fear there. Fear and dread. And there was puzzlement too. Apuzzlement that made his brain spin. Joan had spoken with terror in hervoice. Terror that had said somebody was going to kill. And Joan wasnot a girl to be easily frightened. And she had mentioned Gaddon'sname. Gaddon, the man who had shot into the heavens in an experimentalrocket. Gaddon, who was supposed to be dead.

  * * * * *

  He felt now that same feeling that had crept through him after thelaunching. The feeling that had whispered in his mind that maybe Gaddonhad been right after all. That maybe he wouldn't die. That maybe ... Andnow the dread swept him. For he thought of the sound he had heard overthe phone. The last sound before the line went dead. The sound of ananimal growling in wrath. And he remembered the girl's scream about amonster.

  A cold sweat was on his forehead as he pulled the coupe into the curb infront of the Fenwick house. He switched off the motor and closed the cardoor after him.

  Then he was hurrying up the walk to the front door, his eyes taking inthe house in a swift glance, noting that the lights were lit in theconsultation room. Lights that slivered out from the closed venetianblinds.

  He stood then on the front porch, his hand closing over the knob of thedoor.

  It was locked.

  He pressed the bell then and heard its clarion sound inside the house.But other than that there was nothing to be heard. A deep, ominoussilence that somehow brought a feeling of panic to him. Was he too late?

  And then suddenly the panel in the front of the door opened and a facepeered out at him.

  Fred Trent felt the blood drain from his lips. A paralysis seemed togrip his body at what he saw framed in the opening.

  For it was not the face of a human being. And yet, it was not the faceof an animal. It was a horrible, twisted, cat-like visage that peeredout at him, furred and ugly, with bared teeth and glowing, feline eyes.

  And as he looked, a sound came from the twisted lips. It was the samesound he had heard over the telephone. The sound of a growling rage.

  And as the sound hit his ears, a terrible realization swept over him.For his eyes, riveted on that monstrous countenance, had registered animpossible fact upon his mind.

  _As twisted as it was, as horribly changed into an animal grimace, itwas the face of someone he knew--the English scientist, Blair Gaddon!_

  And then suddenly the face vanished from the opening. And Fred Trentfelt his paralysis leave him. He knew now that he should never have comealone. That he should have called the police first. That he--

  The door swung open then and Trent found himself facing the thing thathad been Gaddon.

  He took a backward step and started to turn and run for his car andhelp, but he was too slow.

  An arm shot out and a claw-like hand suddenly gripped his shoulder in aswift, steel-like movement. He felt himself being pulled forward andinto the house, as another growl snarled from the lips of the creature.

  Trent tried to break the grip of that vise-like hand. He tried to smashhis fist into the ugly visage of a face that confronted him. But he waslike a child in that grip. And like a child, he was hurled across thehall, and he heard the door slam shut behind him.

  As he got slowly to his feet and turned to face the creature, he heard asobbing sound from the open door of the consultation room. It was thevoice of Joan Drake.

  And then the monster had reached him and the clawed hand reached outand spun him through the doorway, into the consultation room. And heheard a growling voice utter harshly: "You will regret thisinterference, Trent!"

  And he knew that it was the voice of Blair Gaddon. And yet he also knewthat it was not the same voice. It was changed. It had a bestial qualityto it.

  Then Trent looked around him. He saw Joan Drake, huddled in a corner ofthe room, beside Dr. Stanley Fenwick. The specialist was sitting in achair, holding his right hand to his mouth. Fred could see blood oozingfrom a gash in the surgeon's lips.

  * * * * *

  And then he heard another sound. A sound from without the house, comingfrom the rear. It was the baying of Brutus. The big dog must have sensedthe presence of the monster. And it was protesting in its animal voice,a mournful dirge.

  Then his attention was drawn once again to the animal body of BlairGaddon. And now that the first shock had left him, Trent stared at theman. He heard the girl sob.

  "Fred! I told you to bring help--"

  "Be quiet!" the voice of Gaddon issued from the twisted lips. And thegirl's sob stifled itself in a look of dread.

  Then the face that had been Gaddon turned to Trent. There was a twistedleer to it, and Fred sensed that there was a struggle going on in thatwarped mind.

  "You are Gaddon? The Blair Gaddon who went up with the experimentalrocket?" Trent's voice came incredulously.

  The face of the creature twisted in a grimace of acknowledgment.

  "Yes, Trent. I am Blair Gaddon. I am not a pretty sight to look at, amI?" Words left the twisted lips, and there was a bestial pain in them.

  "But--you're supposed to be dead! Mathieson--"

  A strange sound of irony came from Gaddon.

  "Mathieson was right about the cosmic rays--I know that now. Look at me!You see what has happened to me? I sought immortality through the lifeenergy of space--and look at me!"

  Horror reflected in Fred's eyes in that moment. For he felt the painedterror in the voice of the animal shape before him. And he saw theclaw-like hands clench spasmodically.

  "My glands!" the voice screamed. "The cosmic rays reacted on them--fedthe essence of the cat into them--changed me into this monstrous being!"

  Trent stared at the rage-filled face. Felt the emotion that was sweepingthrough the creature. Felt a sudden compassion that was erased by thebestial look that came into the monster's eyes.

  And then it turned toward the chair where Fenwick sat. The doctor waslooking at the creature, his eyes wide and terrified.

  "But what do you expect me to do for you, Gaddon? Why do you stand herethreatening--" Fenwick's voice came hoarsely.

  "Why? You fo
ol! Because there is so little time! I am changing! Even nowmy human instincts are nearly gone!... You're a gland specialist! Thereis something you can do--stop this change--stop it!"

  Fenwick shook his head slowly. "You're raving like a madman, Gaddon. I'mnot a God--do you think I can change something that is beyond humanunderstanding? If you'll only let me call in the authorities ..."

  A growl of rage left Gaddon's animal lips. "Authorities! So you can haveme put in cage like a wild beast? So you and your medical experts canstand and watch me as you would a freak? You're a fool! You'll help menow! You'll do something--before it's too late! Do you hear me?"

  The creature advanced slowly upon the doctor, and the girl backed awayto the far wall, fear mirrored in her eyes.

  Then Fred Trent stepped forward, his voice tense.

  "Hold on, Gaddon--of course the doctor