Astounding Stories of Super-Science, March 1930

eath that became known as the Gray Plague, the first of the strange meteors fell to

interplanetary meteor-craft, lay the onl

half of which protruded from the Earth where it had buried itself, like a huge, roughly outlined hemisphere. And

ne moment, a throng of curious people, a number of scientists, newspaper men-a crashing explosion-and

pit for about ten minutes; then like a

ns. The Chinese, unaware of the tragedy at El Paso, gathered in the vicinity, and when the meteor exploded at about ten o'clock that night, were instantly destroyed. A

press of every nation begin giving the strange meteors more and more publicity. Statements of different pseudo-

d, Spain. The Spaniards, having received news of the El Paso and Peking tragedies, avoided the ugly mass of ro

the meteors, and the regularity of their landings, seemed indicative of a definit

around in the pits, wearing airs of puzzlement. But their investigations were of

had observed a bright flare of light leaping up from the darkened portion of the planet Venus. The astronomers had no definite idea of any

sal discussion; innumerable fantastic articles about it appeared in magazine sections of Sunday newspapers. A

n North America and one in England, recorded the falling of an extraordinarily large and unusually brilliant meteor that glowed with an intense, bluish-white light as it entered the Earth's atmosphere. And, unlike most meteor

ath the Atlantic ocean. Evidently the fourth meteor had fallen into the ocean, for the shaking of the Earth was obviously the result of th

ain high, piled themselves upon each other in a wild frenzy; a shrieking wind lashed the waters into a liquid chaos. Gr

the Atlantic coast of North America and Europe, mighty wa

short duration; a few hours

le interest of the masses began to wane. A month after the storm, the strange meteors were no longer mentioned by the press, and conse

d of that time, it suddenly dawned upon those nations whose shores touched the Atlantic ocean, that something ext

d, leaving no trace. Mysteriously, without warning, they had vanished; without a single S O S being sent, seven freighters had been lo

antic were being lost. When this fact became known, trans-Atlantic commerce ceased almost over nig

ay Plague introduced itself to humanity. Attempts were made to repress the facts: but the tragedy of the f

he sand of a beach on the coast of Florida, cast there, evidently, by a

ith a numbing horror. Indeed, so terrifying was the spectacle on the Charleston, that the discoverers, four

report. In the group was a newspaper reporter who chanced to be in the vicinity on a minor st

re been seen on Earth. Although they had been prepared for the horror to some extent by the story of the boys, the sigh

feless bodies. Death had overtaken the crew in the midst of their duties, suddenly, without warning, it see

, as though they had been soft, jellylike, and had flowed, had settled, flat against the deck. Some were no more than three inches thick, and had spread out to such an extent that they looked like fantastic cari

ithdrew his hand in revulsion and surprise. For the ugly mass was cold, and as hard as bone: the tissues of the flesh seemingly replace

heir faces were blanched, and their nerves badly shaken. Yet their horror was noth

reighter was given publicity. All over the United States and Canada it spread, and from thence to the rest of the world. Eagerly was the

research. It was thought that they might be able to discover the cause of the Gray Death, and w

according to appearances, while the bodies were plastic, had flattened out. And then, strange and unnatural though it seemed, the calcium from the dissolved bones had gathered at the surface of each body, and combining with the flesh a

me of the landing of the first strange meteor, up to the discovery of the Charlest

preceded it faded into significance before the horror of the dr

ssly, inexorably, it began, taking its toll all along the Atlantic coast. From Newfoundland to Brazil; from th

g along a large thoroughfare in Savannah, Georgia, suddenly uttered a fearful shriek and sank to the pavement. While the pedestrians watched with bulging eyes, he seemed

ication was choked with news of a constantly increasing number of casualties. A Boston minister, preaching a funeral sermon, collapsing

the sea-coast, destroying thousands; ignorant fishermen, men of learning, women an

e Atlantic. New York, London, all the large coast cities were deserted by the living, left to t

t spread, no longer confining its effect to the sea-coast, but moving farther and farther inland toward the heart of the two continents, driving mankind before

read, destroying as it went. Unless there were some mir

up their hands in despair. The Plague was an insoluble puzzle-

ip of the Plague. Thousands of people died while striving to escape from the Gray Death, crushed by passing motor vehicles, or starving in th

s officials who had gathered in San Francisco, a twisted monstrosity of a man, fearfully scarred and deformed. He was closete

discovered!" he cried in joyful

of salvation restored some semblance of order; and in a very short time the development of the germs was going forward as rapidly as skilled

ocity. It flashed over the United States, over the Atlantic ocean, and over western Europe, finally landing in the midst of t

usily engaged in developing the ba

ered immune, but at last mankind let its l

isposing of the countless, rigid dead. And finally, a great steamer left New York harbor, and started

story of Phillip Parkinson, the man who saved the worl

n's stor