Slimer

thing. That Soames woman didn’t, until towards the end. Hell, / might be it as well and not know it. That would be wild, wouldn’t it? Both of us no longer real but neither realising it?’ He started to laugh.

Linda unstrapped the flame-thrower from her back and put it down on the floor. Then she walked over to Paul. He continued to laugh and she knew it wasn’t far from becoming all-out hysteria. She grabbed him by the shoulders and he flinched. The laughter stopped. With dismay she saw there was fear in his eyes. Fear of her.

‘Listen to me, Paul,’ she said quietly, ‘this is me, Linda. I’m real.’ She grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands towards her. ‘Feel me.’ She put his hands on her breasts. Then she leaned up and kissed him on the mouth.

For a long moment he didn’t respond then she felt the tension begin to drain out of him. He let go of her breasts and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, ‘I suppose I’m starting to crack up.’

‘You can’t afford to crack up.’ she told him fiercely, ‘we need you, Paul. You’re the only one who’s capable of getting us out alive. Without you the others are useless…’

But even as she spoke — even as she was feeling secure and safe in his arms, she couldn’t help thinking, is it really Paul?

Rochelle’s body was changing. It was expanding. The shoulders were getting wider and the chest bigger while at the same time her breasts were shrinking — turning into hard pectorals.

Chris couldn’t move. She knew now what was happening, what had happened, but she was literally paralysed with fear. Like a rabbit caught in the headlights of some approaching juggernaut truck. She couldn’t even scream.

The face was the worst thing. The features were melting and flowing like butter in a frying pan. Rochelle’s nose grew thinner and sharper. Coarse pores formed on her cheeks and her chin became clefted and blue black. Her hair was like a million electrified snakes — wriggling, stretching, squirming as it grew longer from her scalp and changed colour, losing the dyed pink and becoming black and greasy.

The body continued to change. It was as if the thing that had been Rochelle was performing a disgusting travesty of an erotic dance before her. The skin shimmered and pulsated as if the muscles beneath were undergoing incredible contortions — but no human muscles could have made those shapes. And they were accompanied by sickening sounds. Grisly sounds. Bubbling, slurping sounds. The body was like a bag of slime searching for a new form.

Chris shut her eyes.

The sounds finally died away. A voice said, ‘Hi, Chris. Good to see you again…’

She opened her eyes. As she feared Alex was standing there in front of her. He looked bigger, more powerful than before. The muscles bulged on his gleaming, naked body. Then she gasped as she glanced down and saw the huge jutting erection. It was so absurdly massive it was like a caricature of a penis, something that a dirty-minded schoolboy might draw on a toilet wall.

Alex gave her a malevolent grin and took a step towards her. She still couldn’t move. ‘Alex, don’t hurt me… please don’t hurt me,’ she whispered.

His answer was to slap her so hard her jaw was almost broken by the impact. She fell backwards, her head spinning, but then a powerful hand had grabbed her by the shirt front and was hauling her upright again. Alex’s face was now only inches from her and she could smell the stink of his breath. A long, black tongue darted out from between his lips and began to caress her face around her mouth. She shuddered with revulsion and tried to pull free but couldn’t. She noticed then that his fingernails had been replaced with black, sharp-looking claws.

The tongue disappeared and he said, ‘Of course I’m going to hurt you, you stuck-up, stupid bitch. I’m going to split you in two with this…’ She felt him prod her in the groin with the impossibly huge member. ‘And that’s just for starters. Then, when I’m finished, I’m gonna let it have what’s left. You’re gonna end up in here with me. And I promise you babe you’re not gonna find it much fun. ’

She began to struggle, kicking out with her legs, but he simply lifted her up and flung her onto the bunk. She bounced off it and hit the wall then lay stunned.

Alex advanced on her with frightening speed. With one savage movement he ripped her clothes open from neck to crotch, his claws leaving long, thin cuts on her flesh. Then he flicked her legs apart with rough ease…

Chris shut her eyes and willed herself to die.

She got her wish. Alex’s first violent thrust ruptured something vital deep within her. She bled to death internally in a very short time. Alex didn’t even notice she was dead.

Paul was furious. ‘I can’t believe it!’ he cried. ‘Are you telling me they both just walked out of here unarmed after all I told them.?’

Rochelle, blank-faced, nodded. ‘Yea. First Mark. Then Chris followed him.’

‘But why? What was so important that Mark had to go out there alone?’

‘I think he said something about going to the bathroom,’ said Rochelle in the same unconcerned tone of voice.

‘Oh, that’s just great,' he exclaimed. ‘I might as well just talk to myself from now on. I tell you all how goddam dangerous that thing is and Mark then calmly goes off to take a leak. I give up.’ He sat down heavily on the bunk and slumped forward dejectedly.

‘Careful,’ warned Linda. She was sorting out the supplies they’d brought back and had placed the large bottle of sulphuric acid that Paul had found on the floor beside the bunk.

‘How long have they been gone?’ he asked Rochelle.

She frowned. ‘I don’t know. Not long.’ Then she lay back on her bunk and closed her eyes. Paul looked at her with exasperation. She was out of it. She had been ever since her experience with the creature. The tough, hard- bitten Rochelle of old had gone. She’d pulled up the drawbridge and retreated into some deep mental cellar. Not that he blamed her- he felt like crawling into somewhere safe and womb-like himself.

‘I don’t like it,’ said Linda. ‘First Alex goes off by himself, now Mark and Chris. And Alex still hasn’t returned.

Paul took a deep breath. ‘I think we can write Alex off. I’m pretty certain that thing must have him by now.’ Then he stiffened as he heard a noise outside. He motioned to Linda to hand him his M16…

There was a tap at the door. ‘Hey, Chris, Ro… It’s me. Open up.’

It was Mark. Paul got up, still holding the gun, and unlocked the door.

As soon as Mark came in it was obvious that something was wrong with him. He wore a dreamy, contented smile and acted as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

‘Oh, hi guys,’ he said. Then he looked around and asked, ‘Where’s Chris?’

‘She’s not with you?’ asked Paul.

‘Me? No. I haven’t seen her since I left here.’ He sat down in a chair, still wearing the dazed grin.

‘You didn’t see Alex either?’

‘Nope.’

‘Or any sign of the creature?’ persisted Paul.

‘No. No one…’

Paul raised the barrel of the M16 and pointed it at Mark’s head. ‘ Unless you can prove to me you haven’t been taken over by that thing within thirty seconds I’m going to blow your head off.’

Mark’s grin grew wider. ‘Hey, man, stop pissing around.’

Paul pulled the trigger. The gun sounded very loud in the confines of the cabin. Mark screamed as the bullet burned a furrow along the side of his head, taking off the top of his right ear as it passed.

‘The next one will be in the centre of your forehead,’ said Paul calmly.

Mark clutched at at his ruined ear. Blood trickled down the side of his face. The smile had gone now. Behind him in the wall there was a small, smoking crater. ‘Jesus, are you crazy?’