The alien officer skirted the corpse gingerly. Raf though that he
would like to investigate the body closely but could not force himself
to that highly disagreeable task. There was a chorus of excited
exclamation from the doorway as others crowded there.
But the officer, having circled the carcass, turned his attention to
the dusty floor again. If there had been any trail there, it was now
muddled past their reading, for remnants of the grisly meal had been
dragged back and forth. The alien picked his way fastidiously through
the noxious debris to the end of the long room. Raf, with the same
care, toured the edge of the chamber in his wake.
They were out in a smaller passageway, which was taking them
underground, the Terran estimated. Then there was a large space with
barred cells about it and a second corridor. The stench of the death
chamber either clung to them, or was wafted from another point, and
Raf gagged as an especially foul blast caught him full in the face. He
kept a sharp look about him for signs of those feasters. The feast had
not been finished--it might have been that their entrance into the
storeroom had disturbed the scavengers.
Pages:
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169