NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment.
This book is for Barbara, Cathey and David.
On the literary side, of course, it’s for
8:16 a.m., August 6th, 1945
Final message from the U.S.S. Matheson, received 1630 hours May 24, 1964:
“Mayday, repeat, Mayday. Situation is getting worse. They are all over the decks now.
Blue fire crawling over my radio and the ports. Jesus, Mary Mother of God, I can hear the captain and the mate. They are killing each other. The sickness is in me but I’m alone. All I see are the faces. Our position is West 183 degrees 14 minutes 23 seconds, North 35
degrees 14 minutes 20 seconds. The faces aren’t all there. Not all there. The ones who tried to warn us—” (Interruption due to static.)
“The wind must be heeling the ship over. Mayday, Mayday. [Position repeated.]
Everyone has gone mad. I can’t stay at the key. God, God, God…”
