Read It's Alive! for Free Online Page A
Authors: Richard Woodley
Yet strong enough to attack grown people, to reach the skylight . . .”
“They’ve been calling our baby a monster, Frank.” Lenore’s face reflected her own terror at the words.
“Monster?” Frank looked at Lenore, then at the doctor, then at the detective. His eyes were pinched in attempts to comprehend. “I don’t see—”
“It appears that it killed five people in that room, Mr. Davis,” said Detective Perkins, “tore their throats out.”
“No, no . . .”
Lenore sobbed silently.
“And escaped through the skylight, on its own. Of course, that’s still speculation, partly. But that’s what we got so far.”
“But, but, why do you call it a monster? Did anybody see it?”
Dr. Norten cleared his throat. “ ‘Monster’ would not be my word, Mr. Davis. Some kind of mutant, perhaps. Nobody alive has seen it. So we’re guessing, to some degree. We want to find out, just as you do, what it is.”
“But, killed? It couldn’t kill. Doctor, a baby couldn’t kill!”
“We don’t know this baby’s physical and psychological makeup. We are all creatures of flesh and blood, including this offspring. That’s why I must ask you and your wife to submit to certain tests, Mr. Davis.”
“I won’t!” Frank clenched his fists as he wept. “I refuse! I won’t have anything to do with it!”
“We think,” Dr. Norten went on, “that you have an obligation to medicine, to science—to say nothing of the law—to help us determine what might have caused this, ah, mutation.”
“But this, this is insane!” Frank bit his lips, his eyes beseeching the others in the room. “This whole night is an insane dream!”
“You don’t think it was anything in us, do you, doctor?” Lenore’s eyes were suddenly clear, her voice stable. “You see, we have another child. He’s eleven years old and he’s perfectly normal. All his fingers and toes . . .”
Frank searched her eyes, and didn’t recognize them. “. . . And the two of us, you can see we’re perfectly normal too. Why, we’re the most normal people in town. Frank is in public relations, and I teach school part-time. We’re just fine.”
Dr. Norten took a step closer to her, a sheaf of papers in his hand. “You’ve never been exposed to radioactivity, that you knew of, Mrs. Davis? Or undergone particularly extensive X-ray treatments? Or perhaps suffered an accidental overdose of something?”
“No!” Frank stepped between the doctor and Lenore. “None of that. Nothing. Balderdash!”
“Possible genetic damage can’t be ruled out, Mr. Davis,” the doctor said, blinking once.
“Nothing can be ruled out at this point in time,” said Detective Perkins.
“Must I stay here, Frank?” Lenore smoothed the blanket on top of her. “I’m feeling much better now. Why can’t I just go home?”
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Norten said, “but we can’t release you just yet.”
“I’ve gotta get my wife outta this hellhole.”
Perkins expanded his chest. “I must remind you, Mr. Davis, that the hospital has the legal right to detain Mrs. Davis, under the circumstances.”
“She’s not a prisoner, dammit! I’m paying the bills here.”
“Tut-tut, Mr. Davis.” The doctor examined his papers. “We’re not worried about the bills, I’m sure. I see here you’ve got all the proper insurance. Oh no, it’s not the bills.”
“Manslaughter,” Detective Perkins said stiffly, “crime scene. This whole place is a crime scene. Roped off. Nobody enters or leaves without my say-so.”
Dr. Norten patted the detective on the shoulder. “I’m sure Lieutenant Perkins doesn’t mean to sound harsh. Nonetheless, we have a very serious and difficult problem on our hands. May I ask you, Mrs. Davis, how long had you been taking birth-control pills before this pregnancy?”
“Several years, doctor. But I stopped taking them a couple of years ago. For a while, more recently, I took fertility pills. But I’d stopped them too, before I got
“They’ve been calling our baby a monster, Frank.” Lenore’s face reflected her own terror at the words.
“Monster?” Frank looked at Lenore, then at the doctor, then at the detective. His eyes were pinched in attempts to comprehend. “I don’t see—”
“It appears that it killed five people in that room, Mr. Davis,” said Detective Perkins, “tore their throats out.”
“No, no . . .”
Lenore sobbed silently.
“And escaped through the skylight, on its own. Of course, that’s still speculation, partly. But that’s what we got so far.”
“But, but, why do you call it a monster? Did anybody see it?”
Dr. Norten cleared his throat. “ ‘Monster’ would not be my word, Mr. Davis. Some kind of mutant, perhaps. Nobody alive has seen it. So we’re guessing, to some degree. We want to find out, just as you do, what it is.”
“But, killed? It couldn’t kill. Doctor, a baby couldn’t kill!”
“We don’t know this baby’s physical and psychological makeup. We are all creatures of flesh and blood, including this offspring. That’s why I must ask you and your wife to submit to certain tests, Mr. Davis.”
“I won’t!” Frank clenched his fists as he wept. “I refuse! I won’t have anything to do with it!”
“We think,” Dr. Norten went on, “that you have an obligation to medicine, to science—to say nothing of the law—to help us determine what might have caused this, ah, mutation.”
“But this, this is insane!” Frank bit his lips, his eyes beseeching the others in the room. “This whole night is an insane dream!”
“You don’t think it was anything in us, do you, doctor?” Lenore’s eyes were suddenly clear, her voice stable. “You see, we have another child. He’s eleven years old and he’s perfectly normal. All his fingers and toes . . .”
Frank searched her eyes, and didn’t recognize them. “. . . And the two of us, you can see we’re perfectly normal too. Why, we’re the most normal people in town. Frank is in public relations, and I teach school part-time. We’re just fine.”
Dr. Norten took a step closer to her, a sheaf of papers in his hand. “You’ve never been exposed to radioactivity, that you knew of, Mrs. Davis? Or undergone particularly extensive X-ray treatments? Or perhaps suffered an accidental overdose of something?”
“No!” Frank stepped between the doctor and Lenore. “None of that. Nothing. Balderdash!”
“Possible genetic damage can’t be ruled out, Mr. Davis,” the doctor said, blinking once.
“Nothing can be ruled out at this point in time,” said Detective Perkins.
“Must I stay here, Frank?” Lenore smoothed the blanket on top of her. “I’m feeling much better now. Why can’t I just go home?”
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Norten said, “but we can’t release you just yet.”
“I’ve gotta get my wife outta this hellhole.”
Perkins expanded his chest. “I must remind you, Mr. Davis, that the hospital has the legal right to detain Mrs. Davis, under the circumstances.”
“She’s not a prisoner, dammit! I’m paying the bills here.”
“Tut-tut, Mr. Davis.” The doctor examined his papers. “We’re not worried about the bills, I’m sure. I see here you’ve got all the proper insurance. Oh no, it’s not the bills.”
“Manslaughter,” Detective Perkins said stiffly, “crime scene. This whole place is a crime scene. Roped off. Nobody enters or leaves without my say-so.”
Dr. Norten patted the detective on the shoulder. “I’m sure Lieutenant Perkins doesn’t mean to sound harsh. Nonetheless, we have a very serious and difficult problem on our hands. May I ask you, Mrs. Davis, how long had you been taking birth-control pills before this pregnancy?”
“Several years, doctor. But I stopped taking them a couple of years ago. For a while, more recently, I took fertility pills. But I’d stopped them too, before I got