The Flying Eyes Read Online Free PDF Page B

“I’ve just had a call from the mayor,” he said. “Martial law has been declared. The governor’s here and the National Guard is coming.”
    â€œWe can use the soldiers, but why the martial law? People need protection from the Eyes, not from each other,” Wes said.
    â€œThings have changed since you left downtown. The people have run amuck. They’re breaking into stores. Can you imagine it? With those Eyes hanging over them, they’re looting. There isn’t a store left intact on Grand Street. I’ll never understand human beings, if I live to be six hundred.”
    â€œIt’s all born of the same thing,” Wes said. “Sanity is gone, so they follow any impulse. There will be mobs, too. Any leader in a storm.”
    Iverson said, “You called me down here, Linc. What do you have in mind?”
    â€œThe obvious, Doc. We must attack. Fight. Destroy the Eyes before they take more people out to that place in the woods.”
    â€œBut how? If it could be done, someone would have started it by now.”
    â€œYou haven’t seen those Eyes up close. You don’t understand what they do to a man. You don’t have any inclination to fight—you either want to vomit or run. I’ll bet no one has attempted to fight them except one little man with an umbrella. We were close to them—and I found out one thing for sure. They are not machines. I don’t know what they are, but they’re not machinery. They are eyes. And they’re like human eyes. Therefore, they should be as vulnerable as human eyes.”
    â€œRight,” Wes said. “Nothing’s more vulnerable than an eye. It has no armor—nothing but a blink to protect it.” He was suddenly out of the lethargy and eager over Linc’s idea.
    Linc hurried on to convince Iverson. ‘“They’re big—anyone could hit them, with a bullet, a shotgun, an arrow, anything. I don’t know how they live so I can’t say such a wound would kill them, but blinded, they’d be harmless and we could dispose of them.”
    Iverson’s head jerked up, his weariness gone. “Yes. Yes.” He smiled slightly as he visualized the battle in his mind.
    â€œThe only problem is,” Linc said, “we have to find people who are willing to go up against them. It will take courage—more than most men have except when it’s forced on them. Then who?”
    Iverson was quick with the answer. “We’ll wait for the National Guard. They’ll act under orders.”
    â€œI don’t think we can wait. When will they get here?”
    â€œTomorrow or the next day. The roads into town have to be cleared. If they can’t clear them, they’ll have to come through the fields. The highways are just masses of wrecked cars.”
    â€œThen we can’t wait. Every hour that we delay means more people given up to that black thing in the woods. I couldn’t sit here with a workable plan knowing they were being led away.”
    Iverson bobbed his head. “You’re right—as usual.”
    â€œThen where do we get the men?” Wes asked. “Police?”
    â€œThat’s a good possibility. Police,” Linc answered, “and maybe some of the R.O.T.C. students from the campus. They know how to handle weapons. Then, of course, there are us.”
    â€œI think we can probably pick our own ground,” Wes said. “The Eyes will undoubtedly come anyplace they see a crowd.”
    Iverson stood up. “You two go ahead and plan a strategy. I’ll make the calls to the police and students. I think I carry enough weight around here to get them. In fact, I know I do—I’ve got the whole reactor behind me for blackmail.”
    He left, and Linc pulled out a piece of paper and bent with Wes over the desk, setting up a plan of action. Tomorrow morning, with the first light, he would win back his beautiful time of