I followed her gesture, and then I knew why this forest was shunned by
humans!
13
The forest swarmed with living things. Here in the dark they had been
crawling upon us. Every branch of this leafy tree-top angle had
something staring at us; the darkness was suddenly glowing with a
myriad little green torches which were their eyes. They all winked on
in an instant, as though at a signal, or at the sound of Snap's shout
and the hiss of his bolt.
Insects? I suppose I should call them that. With a glance I saw that
they were of many sizes and shapes; tiny little things with eyes like
lanterns; things of many legs, finger-length, hand-length, and some as
long as my forearm. Brown-shelled things, with eyes glowing on stems.
There was one quite near us, a smooth, brown-shelled body; a round
head on top, as big as my fist. And these things had heads like little
distended brains.
What horrible jest of nature this was, with miniatures of the Wandl
workers, crawling here, unable to stand erect, groping with little
pincers. And miniature brains with naked, shriveled bodies.
It seemed that the eyes of that little brain were fixed on me with a
baleful green glare in the darkness. Anita and Venza were floundering
to their feet in horror. They all but slipped from the limb. The
weapons and devices they had arranged there slid off and went down
into the darkness unheeded. From above us came Snap's horrified shouts
and the hiss of his bolts.
"Here!" I gasped. "My hand--Anita, Venza, jump!"
I shoved Anita upward. The little eyes suddenly were all in movement,
advancing upon us. Anita floundered, fluttered, got into the air and
mounted toward Snap. Again Venza slipped off the limb. I lunged and
drew her up. Green eyes nearest us came swooping. I did not dare fire
a bolt; it was too close to Venza. I flung the entire weapon at the
green eyes, but I missed.
The little thing bit Venza's arm. She screamed and her flailing hand
hit the tiny distended head. Its hideous little scream mingled with
hers. It floated downward, massed and purple-red with gushing blood.
I struggled upward with the inert form of Venza under one arm. Anita
was mounting, free. Snap came lunging down.
"Fired every bolt in the damn weapon!" He saw the unconscious Venza.
"Good God, Gregg!"