Richard Matheson - Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

With a strangled cry, he reached up and tore away the furry throbbing bat. He flung it away from him. It came back, fanning his face with its vibrating wings.

Jules staggered to his feet.

He felt for the door. He could hardly see. He tried to stop his throat from bleeding so.

He managed to get the door open.

Then, lurching into the dark yard, he fell on his face in the long grass blades.

He tried to call out for help.

But no sounds save a bubbling mockery of words came from his lips.

He heard the fluttering wings.

Then, suddenly they were gone.

Strong fingers lifted him gently. Through dying eyes Jules saw the tall dark man whose eyes shone like rubies.

“My son,” the man said.

Click

Swish swish swish

All set, Sergeant?

Set.

Okay. This recording made on January fifteenth, nineteen fifty-four, twenty-third precinct police… ’

Swish

…in the presence of Detective James Taylor and, uh, Sergeant Louis Ferazzio.

Swish swish

Name, please.

Huh?

What’s your name, son?

My name?

Come on, son, we’re trying to help you.

Swish

L-Leo.

Last name.

I d-don’t… Leo.

What’s your last name, son?

Vo… Vo…

All right, son. Take it easy.

V-Vogel.

Leo Vogel. That it?

Yeah.

Address?

T-twenny two thirty, avena J.

Age?

I’m… almost… Where’s… my ma?

Swish swish

Turn it off a minute, Sergeant.

Right.

Click

Click

Swish

All right, son. Okay now?

Y-yeah. But where…?

You’re how old?

Fi-fifteen.

Now, uh, where were you last night from six o’clock till you went home?

I was… at… at the show. Ma give… give me the dough.

How come you didn’t stay home to watch television with your parents?

‘Cause. Because…

Yes?

The Le-Lenottis was comin’ over to watch it with them.

They came often?

N-no. It was the first time they’d… ever come.

Uh-huh. So your mother sent you to the movies.

Y-yeah.

Sergeant, give the kid some of that coffee. And see if you can him find a blanket.

Right away, chief

Now, uh, son. What time did you get out of the movies?

Time? I… don’t know what time.

About nine-thirty, would you say?

I guess. I don’t know… w-what time. All I…

Yes?

Nothin’.

Well, you saw the show only once, didn’t you?

Swish

Huh?

You saw it only once. You didn’t see any picture twice, did you?

No. No, I only seen it once.

Okay. That would make it, uh…

Swish

… roughly about nine-thirty, then, that you got out of the movies. You went home right away?

Yeah… I mean no.

Where did you stop?

I had a Coke at the… at the drugstore.

I see. Then you went home.

Ye—

Swish

… yeah, then I went home.

The house was dark?

Yeah. But… they never used no lights when they watched TV.

Uh-huh. You went in?

Y-yeah.

Take a sip of that coffee, son, before it gets cold. Take it easy, take it easy. Don’t choke on it. There. Okay?

Yeah.

All right then. Now… oh, good. Put it over his shoulders, Sergeant. There we go. Better?

Mmmm

Okay. Let’s get on with it. And believe me, son, this is no more fun for us than it is for you. We saw it too.

I want mama. I want her. Please, can I…

Oh. What did I… well, shut it off, Sergeant. Here kid. You don’t have a handkerchief, do you? Here. Did you shut it off, Sergeant?

Oh. Right away.

Swish click

Click

When you went in, was there anything… peculiar?

What?

You told us last night you smelled something.

Yeah. It… it… There was a funny smell.

Anything you know?

Huh?

Did it smell like anything you ever smelled before?

No. It wasn’t much. Not in the… hall.

All right. So you went into the living room.

No. No. I went… Ma. Can I…

Swish swish

Come on, son, snap out of it. We know you’ve had a bad time. But we’re trying to help.

Swish swish swish

You, uh, didn’t go in the living room. Didn’t you think you should mention that smell?

I… h-heard the set on and…

Set?

The TV set. I thought—I figured they were still watchin’.

And?

And ma didn’t like me to… b-bust in on them. So I went up to my room so’s I wouldn’t… you know.

Bother them.

Y-yeah.

Okay. How long were you up there?

I was… I don’t know how long. Maybe an hour.

And?

There… wasn’t no sound downstairs.

Nothing at all?

No. There wasn’t nothing at all.

Didn’t that make you suspicious?

Yeah. Well, I figured… they’d… laugh at somethin’ or talk loud or…

Dead quiet.

Yeah. Dead quiet.

Did you go down then?

L-later I went. I was goin’ to bed. I figured I…

You wanted to say goodnight.

Yeah. I…

Swish

You went down and opened the living room door?

Yeah, I… yeah.

What did you see?

I… I… Oh, can’t ya… I want my ma. Lemme alone. I want her!

Kid! Hold him, Sergeant. Take it easy!

Swish swish

I’m sorry, kid. Did it hurt? I had to calm you. I know…how you feel, Leo. We saw it too. We feel sick and… awful too.

Swish

Just a few more questions and we’ll take you to your aunt’s. Now first. The television set. Was it on?

Yeah. It was on.

And you… smelled something?

Yeah. Like in the hall. Only worse. Only lots worse.

That smell.

That smell. Dead. A dead stink. Like a pile o’ dead… dead… I don’t know. Garbage. Piles of it.

No one was talking?

No, there was no thin’. ’Cept the TV.

What was on it?

I already told ya.

I know, I know. Tell us again. For the record.

It was… like I said…just them letters. Great big letters.

What were they?

F… uh… F-E-E-D.

F-E-E-D?

Y-yeah. Big crooked—like letters.

You’d seen them before?

Yeah. I told ya. They was on our set all the time… Not all the time. Plenty though.

Your parents never wondered about it?

No. They said… they figured it was a sort of commercial. You know.

But the things you saw.

I don’t know. Ma said… it was for kids. Some, I mean.

What—did you see?

Swish swish swish

Sort of… mouths. Big ones. Wide. Open, all open. They wasn’t p-people.

Swish

What did it look like? I mean, couldn’t you tell what it was?

No. I mean… they was like… bugs, maybe, or maybe… w-worms. Big ones. All mouths. Wide open.

All right.

Swish

You, uh, said the letters flashed on, then off and you saw the… mouths, and then the letters again?

Yeah. Like that.

This happen every night?

Yeah.

Same time?

No. Different times.

Between programs?

No. Anytime.

Was it always on the same channel?

No. All different ones. No matter which one we had… we seen them.

And…

I wanna go. Can’t I… Ma! Where is she? I want her. I want her.

Swish click

Click

A few more questions, Leo, and that’s it. Now, you said your parents never had the set checked.

No, I told you. They thought it was—

All right.

Swish

You went in the living room. You said something about slipping, didn’t you?

Yeah. On that stuff.