The Vampire hissed his amusement. ' They can't do much, Seward.'
'What are you - some sort of android made to frighten people?'
'No.' The Vampire took a pace forward.
Suddenly he stopped as a voice came faintly from somewhere in the maze.
'Lee! Lee! Where are you?'
It was Sally's voice.
'Stay away, Sally!' Lee called.
'But I was going to warn you. I saw the Vampire from the window. He's somewhere in the park.'
'I know. Go home!'
'I'm sorry about the scene. Lee. I wanted to apologize. It was childish.'
'It doesn't matter.' He looked at the Vampire. He was standing in a relaxed position, hands in pockets, smiling. ' Go home, Sally!'
'She won't, you know,' whispered the Vampire.
Her voice was closer.' Lee, I must talk to you.'
He screamed: ' Sally-the Vampire's here. Go home. Warn your mother, not me. Get some help if you can - but go home!'
Now he saw her enter the part of the maze he was in. She gasped as she saw them. He was between her and the Vampire.
'Sally - do what I told you.'
But the Vampire's cold eyes widened and he took one hand out of his pocket and crooked a finger. ' Come here, Sally.'
She began to walk forward.
He turned to the Vampire.' What do you want?'
'Only a little blood - yours, perhaps - or the young lady's.'
'Damn you. Get away. Go back, Sally.' She didn't seem to hear him.
He daren't touch the cold body, the earth-damp clothes. He stepped directly between the girl and the Vampire.
He felt sick, but he reached out his hands and shoved at the creature's body. Flesh yielded, but bone did not. The Vampire held his ground, smiling, staring beyond Seward at the girl.
Seward shoved again and suddenly the creature's arms clamped around him and the grinning, fanged face darted towards his. The thing's breath disgusted him. He struggled, but could not break the Vampire's grasp.
A cold mouth touched his neck. He yelled and kicked. He felt a tiny pricking against his throat. Sally screamed. He heard her turn and run and felt a fraction of relief.
He punched with both fists as hard as he could into the creature's solar plexus. It worked. The Vampire groaned and let go. Seward was disgusted to see that its fangs dripped with blood.
His blood.
Now rage helped him. He chopped at the Vampire's throat.
It gasped, tottered, and fell in a sprawl of loose limbs to the ground.
Panting, Seward kicked it in the head. It didn't move.
He bent down and rolled the Vampire over. As far as he could tell it was dead. He tried to remember what he'd read ' about legendary vampires. Not much. Something about a stake through its heart. Well, that was out.
But the thought that struck him most was that he had fought one of the fortress people - and had won. It was possible to beat them!
He walked purposefully through the maze. It wasn't as tortuous as he'd supposed. Soon he emerged at the arbour entrance near the house. He saw Sally and Martha running towards him.
Behind them, another figure lumbered. Farlowe. He had got here fast.
'Seward,' he shouted.' They said the Vampire had got you!'
'I got him,' said Seward as they came up and stopped.
'What?'
'I beat him.'
'But - that's impossible.'
Seward shrugged. He felt elated. 'Evidently, it's possible,' he said. ' I knocked him out; He seems to be dead-but I suppose you never know with vampires.'
Farlowe was astonished. ' I believe you,' he said, ' but it's fantastic. How did you do it?'
'I got frightened and then angry,' said Seward simply.
'Maybe you've been over-awed by these people too long.'
'It seems like it,' Farlowe admitted. ' Let's go and have a look at him. Sally and Martha had better, stay behind.'
Seward led him back through the maze. The Vampire was still where he'd fallen. Farlowe touched the corpse with his foot.
'That's the Vampire all right.' He grinned. ' I knew we had a winner in you, son. What are you going to do now?'
'I'm going straight back to the fortress and get this worked out once and for all. Martha gave me an idea yesterday evening and she may well be right. I'm going to try and find out anyway.'
'Better not be over-confident, son.' '
Better than being over-cautious.'
'Maybe,' Farlowe agreed doubtfully. 'What's this idea Martha gave you?'
'It's really her idea, complete. Let her explain. She's an intelligent woman - and she's bothered to think about this problem from scratch. I'd advise you to do the same.'
'I'll hear what it is, first. Let's deal.with the Vampire and then get back to the house.'
'I'll leave the Vampire to you. I want to use your car.'
'Why?'
'To go back to the fortress.'
'Don't be a fool. Wait until we've got some help.'
'I can't wait that long, Farlowe. I've got other work to do back on my own world.'
'Okay,' Farlowe shrugged.
Farlowe faded.
The maze began to fade.
Explosions in the brain.
Vertigo.
Sickness.
His head ached and he could riot breathe. He yelled, but he had no voice. Multicoloured explosions in front of his eyes. He was whirling round and round, spinning rapidly. Then he felt a new surface dragging at his feet. He closed his eyes and stumbled against something. He fell on to something soft.
It was his camp bed. He was back in his laboratory.
Seward wasted no time wondering what had happened. He knew more or less. Possibly his encounter with the Vampire had sent him back-the exertion or-of course-the creature had drawn some of his blood. Maybe that was it. He felt the pricking sensation, still. He went to the mirror near the wash-stand. He could just see the little marks in his neck. Further proof that wherever that world was it was as real as the one he was in now.
He went to the table and picked up his notes, then walked into the other room: In one section was a long bench. On it, in various stages of dismantling, were the machines that he had been working on, the tranquilomats that somehow just didn't work. He picked up one of the smallest and checked its batteries, its lenses and its sonic agitator. The idea with this one was to use a combination of light and sound to agitate certain dormant cells in the brain. Long since, psychophysicists had realized that mental abnormality had a chemical as well as a mental cause. Just as a patient with a psychosomatic illness produced all the biological symptoms of whatever disease he thought he had, so did chemistry play a part in brain disorders. Whether the change in the brain cells came first or afterwards they weren't sure. But the fact was that the cells could be agitated and the mind, by a mixture of hypnosis and conditioning, could be made to work normally. But it was a long step from knowing this and being able to use the information in the construction of tranquilomats.
Seward began to work on the machine. He felt he was on the right track, at least.
But how long could he keep going before his need for the drug destroyed his will? He kept going some five hours before his withdrawal symptoms got the better of him.
He staggered towards one of the drug-drawers and fumbled out an ampoule of M-A 19. He staggered into his bedroom and reached for the needle on the table.
He filled the syringe. He filled his veins. He filled his brain with a series of explosions which blew him clean out of his own world into the other.
Fire flew up his spine. Ignited back-brain, ignited mid-brain, ignited fore-brain. Ignited all centres.
EXPLOSION ALL CENTRES.
This time the transition was brief. He was standing in the part of the maze where he'd been when he'd left. The Vampire's corpse was gone. Farlowe had gone, also. He experienced a feeling of acute frustration that he couldn't continue with his work on KLTM-8 - the tranquilomat he'd been modifying when his craving for the M-A 19 took over.