Astounding Stories of Super-Science, October, 1930Various
Science
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, October, 1930
Various
Science fiction -- Periodicals; Science fiction, American -- Periodicals
"Jetta, are you near the window?"
"No. On the bed. They have tied me."
"Look out; I'm breaking through!"
There were loose rocks, as large as my head, set to mark the garden
path. I seized one and hurled it. With a crash it went through the
window and fell to the floor of the room. A jagged hole showed.
"All right, Jetta?"
"Yes! Yes, Philip."
I squirmed through the oval and dropped to the floor. My arms were cut
from the jagged glassite, though I did not know it then. It was dim
inside the room, but I could see the outline of the bed with her lying
on it.
Her ankles and wrists were tied. I cut the cords with my knife.
She was gasping. "They're planning to capture you. Philip! You should
not be here! Get away!"
"Yes. But I'm going to take you with me. Can you stand up?"
* * * * *
I set her on her feet in the center of the room. A shaft of moonlight
was coming through the hole in the window.
"Philip! You're bleeding!"
"It is nothing. Cut myself on the glassite. Can you stand alone?"
"Yes."
But her legs, stiffened and numb from having been bound so many hours,
bent under her. I caught her as she was falling.
"I'll be--all right in a minute. But Philip, if you stay here--"
"You're going with me!"
"Oh!"
I could carry her, if she could not run. But it would be slow; and it
would be difficult to get her through the window. And on the street we
would attract too much attention.
"Jetta, try to stand. Stamp your feet. I'll hold you."
I steadied her. Then I bent down, chafing her legs with my hands. Her
arms had been limp, but the blood was in them now. She murmured with
the tingling pain, and then bent over, frantically helping me rub the
circulation back into her legs.
"Better?"
"Yes." She took a weak and trembling step.
"Wait. Let me rub them more, Jetta."
Precious minutes!
"I'll knock out the rest of the window with that rock! We'll run;
we'll be out of here in a moment."
"Run where?"
"Away. Into hiding--out of all this. The United States patrol-ship is
coming from Porto Rico. It will take us from here."
"Where?"
"Away. To Great New York, maybe. Away from all this; from that old
fossil, Perona."
I was stooping beside her.
"I'm all right now, Philip."
I rose up, and suddenly found myself clasping her in my arms; her
slight body in the boy's ragged garb pressed against me.
"Jetta, dear, do you trust me? Will you come?"
"Yes. Oh, yes--anywhere, Philip, with you."
* * * * *
For only a breathless instant I lingered, holding her. Then I cast her
off and seized the rock from the floor. The jagged glassite fell away
under my blows.
"Now, Jetta. I'll go first--"
But it was too late! I stopped, stricken by the sound of a voice
outside!
"He's there! In the girl's room! That's her window!"
Cautious voices in the garden! The thud of approaching footsteps.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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