The smell of seaweed was strong in the air today, and Gavin breathed deeply until a sudden thought struck him. They shouldn't have been able to smell it. Instead this pleasant tangy aroma should have been nullified by the putrifying stench which would cause them to retch and vomit.
The air was fresh and sweet.
Gavin joined the Professor on the brink of the pit Liz hesitated and stood back a yard or so. They looked down.
Thick black oozing mud. A couple of inches of water which had failed to seep away. Apart from that... nothing!
'My God!' Lowson sank to his hands and knees and continued to peer into the empty hole. Here and there were faint traces of the greyish-green slime, disappearing fast. Nothing else.
'It's gone.' Gavin's expression was tense and strained. The Slime Beast has gone! '
'Well,' Gavin turned to Lowson, an expression of triumph on his face, Tm calling the tune now. Prof. I've given you your chance. Now there's only one course left open to us. There's a dangerous beast on the rampage. It's already killed once. The chances are it'll kill again unless something is done. I'm going right back to Sutton to inform Chief Inspector Harborne and then to telephone my colleagues at the British Museum.'
Professor Lowson looked at him for some seconds and then burst into peals of laughter. His mirth was uncontrollable, insane almost Bent double he cackled until a coughing fit finally turned his complexion a deep scarlet, then finally he spoke.
'You poor, poor fool!' His words lashed at Gavin with a venom which hitherto the young man had not suspected from this eccentric old man. 'Are you out of your mind? Even the police, who half suggested some horrific creature, will not believe you. They are seeking a homicidal maniac. Where is your proof? This slime melts into nothingness after a time. See, only traces remain hi this pit. In an hour they will be gone. Just because you claim to have seen this ... this Slime Beast as you call it You and Liz.. .'
'And you I' snapped Gavin angrily.
'Me?' The other was indignant. 'Me! I shall deny all knowledge of it Pure fantasy on the part of two very highly-strung imaginative people. You fool. Do you think I'm going to let a chance like this slip through my fingers?
The greatest scientific discovery of all time. Almost within my grasp! Do you think I'm going to step down so that others can take the credit?'
It was Gavin Royle's turn to laugh.
'You're the fool.' he retorted. 'You're the one who's living on fantasies. The Slime Beast has gone, man. It's on the rampage. You'll never get a chance to study it.'
'Oh no?' Lowson was more rational, scheming. 'I intend to find it, my friend. If I have to search the whole of this earth. I'll find it, somewhere. Furthermore, you two are going to help me. Go to the police and I'll have you put hi an asylum! You forget one thing. I am Professor John Lowson the greatest archaeologist in Britain, maybe the world. You two are nothing. A couple of kids helping me. Do you think your story would be believed against mine?'
'You might be one of the greatest archaeologists alive today,' Gavin snarled, 'but you're also a selfish scheming bastard! OK, so you hold the trumps. It can't do much without proof, I'll admit. Furthermore I'll help you locate the Slime Beast. But ... when, and if, we find it, don't rely upon either of us to go along with your schemes. I want to find it to safeguard mankind. For no other reason. If I can find a way to destroy it I will.'
They looked at each other in silence for some moments. Then Lowson nodded.
'On those terms then,' he leered, 'we are united. We are doing no good here obviously so the sooner we start back the better.'
CHAPTER FIVE
GAVIN and Liz ate their supper in silence. Professor Low-son had shut himself away, once they arrived back at the blockhouse. He had not emerged since.
'Do you really think we shall see the Slime Beast again?' Liz asked as she began clearing the table.
Gavin shook his head.
'I wouldn't like to say,' he murmured. 'I wonder just where it's hiding out. After all there isn't a lot of cover on these salt marshes and mud-flats. It's either got to submerge itself hi the mud or be seen. Tomorrow we shall spend the day tramping up and down hoping to spot where it might have buried itself, but it's going to be hard work. Perhaps you'd better take the Land Rover into Spalding and spend the day there.'
'Not a chance.' Her mind was made up. 'Where you go, I go. No arguments.'
Gavin did his best to improve the security of the door before they retired for the night. Not that it would keep the Slime Beast outjust hinder it. Make a noise. He also saw that he had an ample supply of newspapers and a box of matches at hand.
'Anyway,' a sudden thought struck Liz as she pulled off her blouse and began unfastening her bra. 'Just supposing we do find the Slime Beast. What do we do? I mean we haven't got any weapons of any sort have we?'
'No.' Gavin smiled. "But if our theory is correct it sleeps by day. If we can locate its hiding place I'm going to telephone the police straight away, no matter what your uncle says. We'll get the army in to deal with it then. Of course that'll be the end of my association with the Professor but I can't help that'
Liz shook her head.
'Once he gets an idea in his head there's no shifting it. He never forgives and he never forgets.' She stood there, naked to the waist, blushing with pleasure as his admiring gaze centred on her breasts and remained there. He stepped close, kissed her and fondled her. His fingers began searching for the fastenings on her faded jeans. Slowly he began to slide them down.
Crash! They both recoiled in alarm as something heavy struck the outside of the boards which covered the narrow slitted window.
'What the hell!' Gavin pushed Liz to one side. With trembling fingers she pulled her trousers up again.
'Is it... is it the Slime Beast?' her voice shook.
'If it is,' he replied, 'he's changed his tactics. That was a stone thrown by somebody with a very good aim. I'll just move the boardings a little and take a look. Keep those matches and newspapers handy. Just in case!'
Gavin pulled one of the narrow slats of wood to one side thus giving him a much restricted view of (he moonlit saltings outside. Even the Slime Beast would be unable to get more than a scaly webbed claw inside.
At first all he could make out was an area of spartina grass shimmering in the silvery moonlight. All was still save for the lonely warbling of a curlew. Then several beams of light stabbed viciously out of the semi-darkness. Searing at his eyeballs. Blinding. Something struck the concrete only niches away from his head and rebounded.
Voicesclamouring, angry, vicious.
'Come on out you bastards!'
'You've caused one death here. The next will be yours.'
'Grab 'em. Throw 'em in the quicksands!'
Gavin could make out moving forms. He counted three, but there were probably a dozen, all surrounding the blockhouse, bathing it in the beams from their torches.
'What is it?' Liz was at his side. He pushed her away from the window.
'Get down,' he hissed. 'It would appear the locals are resorting to mob-law!'
They heard a splintering sound. Someone was using an axe on the door.
Suddenly Professor Lowson appeared in the doorway, and from his appearance it was obvious that the noise had just awakened him.
'There's a crowd of people outside,' he snarled, 'shouting and throwing stones.'
Gavin turned on him. 'They're going to throw us in the quicksands Prof. You'd better do some fast thinking because right now I've run out of ideas.'
'I'll talk to them. Explain, reason with them.'
'You're crazy!' Gavin's only thought was for Liz's safety. 'They're not going to reason with anybody. They're scared to hell. Superstition is ruling their actions and they think our deaths will ensure that nobody else gets killed. It's like being back in the Middle Ages!'