her, make it
fast and be plenty careful. Keep to the camp and stay away from the
lake. There was a hell of an explosion over there this morning. Three
men went to see what'd happened. They didn't come back. Two more went
after 'em, and something hit them on the way. They smelled something
worse than skunk. Then they were paralyzed, like they had hold of a
high-tension line. They saw crazy colors and heard crazy sounds and
they couldn't move a finger. Their car ditched. In a while they came
out of it and they came back--fast! They'd just got back when we got
short wave orders for everybody to get out. If you look for that girl,
be careful. If she's still there, you get her out quick!" Then he said
sharply, "Here's a chance for us to get going. Move out of the way!"

There was a gap in the now diminishing spate of cars. The driver of
the stopped car drove furiously onto the highway. He shifted gears and
accelerated at the top of his car's power. Another car behind him
braked and barely avoided a crash while blowing its horn furiously.
Then the traffic went on. But it was lessening now. It was mostly
private cars, owned by the workmen.

Suddenly there were no cars coming down the long straight stretch of
road. Lockley got back on the highway and resumed his rush toward the
spot the others fled from. He heard behind him the diminishing rumble
and roar of the fugitive motors. He jammed his own accelerator down to
the floor and plunged on.

There'd been an explosion by the lake, the man who'd warned him said.
That checked. Three men went to see what had happened. That was
reasonable. They didn't come back. Considering what Vale had reported,
it was almost inevitable. Then two other men went to find out what
happened to the first three and--that was news! A smell that was worse
than skunk. Paralysis in a moving car, which ditched. Remaining
paralyzed while seeing crazy colors and hearing crazy sounds....
Lockley could not even guess at an explanation. But the men had
remained paralyzed for some time, and then the sensations lifted. They
had fled back to the construction camp, evidently fearing that the
paralysis might return. Their narrative must have been hair-raising,
because when orders had come for the evacuation of the camp, they had
been obeyed with a promptitude suggesting panic. But apparently
nothing else had happened.

The first three men were still missing--or at least there'd been no
mention of their return.