And then suddenly the face vanished from the opening. And Fred Trent
felt his paralysis leave him. He knew now that he should never have come
alone. That he should have called the police first. That he--

The door swung open then and Trent found himself facing the thing that
had been Gaddon.

He took a backward step and started to turn and run for his car and
help, but he was too slow.

An arm shot out and a claw-like hand suddenly gripped his shoulder in a
swift, steel-like movement. He felt himself being pulled forward and
into the house, as another growl snarled from the lips of the creature.

Trent tried to break the grip of that vise-like hand. He tried to smash
his fist into the ugly visage of a face that confronted him. But he was
like a child in that grip. And like a child, he was hurled across the
hall, and he heard the door slam shut behind him.

As he got slowly to his feet and turned to face the creature, he heard a
sobbing sound from the open door of the consultation room. It was the
voice of Joan Drake.

And then the monster had reached him and the clawed hand reached out
and spun him through the doorway, into the consultation room. And he
heard a growling voice utter harshly: "You will regret this
interference, Trent!"

And he knew that it was the voice of Blair Gaddon. And yet he also knew
that it was not the same voice. It was changed. It had a bestial quality
to it.

Then Trent looked around him. He saw Joan Drake, huddled in a corner of
the room, beside Dr. Stanley Fenwick. The specialist was sitting in a
chair, holding his right hand to his mouth. Fred could see blood oozing
from a gash in the surgeon's lips.

* * * * *

And then he heard another sound. A sound from without the house, coming
from the rear. It was the baying of Brutus. The big dog must have sensed
the presence of the monster. And it was protesting in its animal voice,
a mournful dirge.

Then his attention was drawn once again to the animal body of Blair
Gaddon. And now that the first shock had left him, Trent stared at the
man. He heard the girl sob.

"Fred! I told you to bring help--"

"Be quiet!" the voice of Gaddon issued from the twisted lips. And the
girl's sob stifled itself in a look of dread.

Then the face that had been Gaddon turned to Trent. There was a twisted
leer to it, and Fred sensed that there was a struggle going on in that
warped mind.

"You are Gaddon? The Blai