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Back The Nest Save as PDF
Chapters (82)
  1. Cover
  2. Copyright page
  3. Introduction by Will Errickson
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. TREMORS
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. SUSPICIONS
  13. 1
  14. 2
  15. 3
  16. 4
  17. 5
  18. DREAD
  19. 1
  20. 2
  21. 3
  22. 4
  23. 5
  24. 6
  25. WITNESS
  26. 1
  27. 2
  28. 3
  29. ALERT
  30. 1
  31. 2
  32. 3
  33. 4
  34. 5
  35. ENCOUNTER
  36. 1
  37. 2
  38. 3
  39. 4
  40. 5
  41. 6
  42. HAVOC
  43. 1
  44. 2
  45. 3
  46. 4
  47. 5
  48. 6
  49. SEARCH
  50. 1
  51. 2
  52. 3
  53. 4
  54. 5
  55. CLASH
  56. 1
  57. 2
  58. 3
  59. 4
  60. 5
  61. 6
  62. 7
  63. COUNTERATTACK
  64. 1
  65. 2
  66. 3
  67. 4
  68. 5
  69. 6
  70. 7
  71. VICTORY
  72. 1
  73. 2
  74. 3
  75. 4
  76. 5
  77. 6
  78. 7
  79. 8
  80. 9
  81. EPILOGUE
  82. About the Author

Peter Hubbard said, “I am afraid so, Elias.” The change from his previous formal address seemed indicated. The group was going to war together, and war made quick companions and intimates.

Amos Tarbell voiced his new concern. “Maybe I ought to send some men out to look for Hildie and the others.”

Johnson challenged, “And get the men chomped up, too? Sit down and let’s hear what we’re really up against!”

Peter Hubbard said, “Well, right now, all this is mostly conjecture on our part . . .”

Johnson clipped, “Conjecture away, damn it! If these consarned bugs are into a colony, we need to know it! We may have to get everybody off the island!”

Stephen Scott pounded a hammy fist into his palm. “Now wait just a goshdarn minute here! There’s no need to panic the whole town!” His vehemence was inflamed by his personal uncertainty and secret alarm. “Dr­. Hubbard says conjecture! We aren’t going stampede everybody off Yarkie for a confounded possibility!” He turned on the biologists, seeking assurance. “That’s all it is, isn’t it, possibilities?”

Both scientists nodded. Peter Hubbard felt it was up to him to maintain perspective for the understandably nervous group. He said, “You are right, Mr. Scott.”

Scott persisted at Elias Johnson. “For all we know, this’ll be cleared up in no time when the lab really gets going here. Whole thing’ll blow over! Why rouse up the town needlessly!”

Johnson answered back. “I wouldn’t say needlessly from what we’ve been hearing!”

The fat man rejoined, “You want reporters all over the place? Don’t you realize the bad name you’d give Yarkie! Who’d ever come back here if they heard we have—” he spit out the incredible words—“killer cockroaches!”

Elias Johnson asked the biologists, “How much time have we got?”

Peter Hubbard gauged the situation: “Evacuation is a big responsibility.” His eyes sought Wanda Lindstrom. “I think it would be premature at this point.”

His colleague’s appraisal was the same. “The kind of mutation we’re guessing about would be very rare and unusual.”

Scott loudly repeated “very rare and unusual” in Elias Johnson’s ear. The old man growled, “I heard her! I ain’t deaf, you know!”

Feeling more secure, Scott thrust another demand at the scientists in a militant manner. “What’s this ‘mutation’ thing you keep talking about? Seems to me all we have here are some cockroaches and rats going nuts from new chemicals in the dump.” He finished with satisfaction. “You just double check it, and we’ll have this settled in no time!”