Screenland (Jul-Dec 1948)

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Temple's hands clutched the arm of his chair. "I remember those words," he said. "Then there are two of us," M'Cloud said. Temple didn't notice the irony in the quiet voice. "We rid ourselves of your kind once and for all," he said and suddenly he was standing. "You're not coming back." He took a step forward but that was all his withered legs could stand. Half sobbing, he caught hold of a chair and eased himself into it. "Strike them dead, Lord!" he cried. "Let loose a bolt of lightning. It doesn't matter about us, just so's you kill them." Almost as if in answer to his words the first burst of thunder came and the house rocked in the new fury of the wind. There was a scream and the door of a room further down the corridor flew open and the girl Gaye stood there, her sodden face distorted in fear. She stood there swaying drunkenly a moment. Then she ran to Rocco. "I'm afraid," she wailed. He pushed her out of the way and faced M'Cloud. "I can see right through you," he said. "What you really think is, 'I'm better than Rocco. He's filth, like the old man says. He's got a gun,' you think, 'and I haven't.' Listen, soldier, you can make your hopes come true. But you got to die for it." He reached in his pocket for an automatic and threw it to M'Cloud, reaching for Curly 's gun at the same moment. "See where I'm aiming it? Right at your belly. Go ahead, shoot!" The gun was there solid in his hand, but he didn't use it. He saw the eyes looking at him, the cynical, mocking ones, the desperate, proud ones. And yet he didn't use it. "What's the matter, sister?" he heard Rocco laugh. "You look like somebody died was near and dear. Hey, Curly, Gaye, anybody, want a hero? Here's one for sale cheap." M'Cloud couldn't look at Nora. And as he turned he saw the deputy make that lunge towards him and felt the gun ripped out of his hand. It clicked, but it didn't go off. And before the bewildered deputy could try it again the bullet from Rocco's gun reached him and he staggered against the railing. There was that crashing sound then and he toppled out of sight to the floor below. For a moment the only sound was the wind screaming outside. Then Nora spoke. "The gun wasn't loaded! He never had a chance." "That's right, sister," Rocco laughed as he swaggered towards the stairs. "The gun wasn't loaded. But our hero didn't know it." Temple turned hopefully. "You knew that gun was empty, didn't you, son?" he asked pleadingly. "You weren't afraid." "No, sir, I didn't." M'Cloud said dully. "And I was afraid. But that's not why I didn't pull the trigger. It simply wasn'i worth dying for." "What's the difference, son," Temple said gently, "in fighting against a Hitler or a Rocco?" "Not much," M'Cloud agreed. "Only I believed when we went to war. I don't any more." Nora's eyes flashed. "If I believed your way, I'd want to be dead, too, like George," she said. She stopped as a gust of wind blew through the corridor toppling over a table. A lamp went down with a crash and overhead the electric lights began flickering. "We must close the storm shutters in the other rooms," she said quietly, "or the roof'll be blown off." "Downstairs, sister," Toots said waving them all on with his gun. He turned to the one called Angel. "Go shut them," he ordered. The deputy's body was gone when they got downstairs. The blonde girl was already in the bar and Rocco smothered an oath as he stalked over to her, taking the bottle she was about to pour away from her. "Didn't I say, no drinking?" he snarled. "You gave me my first drink, Johnny," she said. She went over to him clutching at his arm. "Don't be mean to me," she quavered. She tried to smile. "Gee, honey, that's the song I used to sing to you, remember?" "I gave her her first chance," Rocco grinned. "Took her out of the chorus. Made her a singer. Mention that while you're at it. Why ain't you a singing star instead of a lush?" "I was the rage," Gaye said wistfully. Rocco laughed. "Whyn't you sing us your old song, Gaye," he said. She shuddered. "Don't make me," she whispered. "I wouldn't make you do anything," he sneered. "Tell you what though, sing us your song and you can have a drink." "Can I have the drink first," she "No," his voice was adamant. "The song first. Then the drink." It was awful, even worse than M'Cloud had thought it would be, her cracked voice and stiff, self-conscious gestures and not a trace of the thing she must have had once. She sang to Rocco and he laughed at her as she sang. But when she finished she clung to his arm. "Give me my drink, Johnny," she begged. "No," he brushed her hand away as he laughed. "You were rotten." "But you promised," she begged and it was even more awful than her singing had been, seeing her go to pieces like that. And Rocco looking at her with no pity at all in his eyes. "Here," M'Cloud said suddenly and he felt as if he were straightening himself from his stomach up as he walked over to the bar and poured her a drink. Then as she gulped it down he stood there waiting for whatever would come. And what came was worse in a way than a bullet would have been. But he stood there taking it as Rocco slapped him 62 SCREENLAND