Nightmare At 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson Read Free Book Online

easy. Don't choke on it. There. Okay?
    Yeah.
    All right then. Now… oh, good. Put it over his shoulders, Sergeant. There we go. Better?
    Mmmm
    Okay. Let's get on with it. And believe me, son, this is no more fun for us than it is for you. We saw it too.
    I want mama. I want her. Please, can I…
    Oh. What did I… well, shut it off, Sergeant. Here kid. You don't have a handkerchief, do you? Here. Did you shut it off, Sergeant?
    Oh. Right away.

    Swish click

    Click
    When you went in, was there anything… peculiar?
    What?
    You told us last night you smelled something.
    Yeah. It… it… There was a funny smell.
    Anything you know?
    Huh?
    Did it smell like anything you ever smelled before?
    No. It wasn't much. Not in the… hall.
    All right. So you went into the living room.
    No. No. I went… Ma. Can I…

    Swish swish

    Come on, son, snap out of it. We know you've had a bad time. But we're trying to help.

    Swish swish swish

    You, uh, didn't go in the living room. Didn't you think you should mention that smell?

    I… h-heard the set on and…
    Set?
    The TV set. I thought-I figured they were still watchin'.
    And?
    And ma didn't like me to… b-bust in on them. So I went up to my room so's I wouldn't… you know.
    Bother them.
    Y-yeah.
    Okay. How long were you up there?
    I was… I don't know how long. Maybe an hour.
    And?
    There… wasn't no sound downstairs.
    Nothing at all?
    No. There wasn't nothing at all.
    Didn't that make you suspicious?
    Yeah. Well, I figured… they'd… laugh at somethin' or talk loud or…
    Dead quiet.
    Yeah. Dead quiet.
    Did you go down then?
    L-later I went. I was goin' to bed. I figured I…
    You wanted to say goodnight.
    Yeah. I…

    Swish

    You went down and opened the living room door?
    Yeah, I… yeah.
    What did you see?
    I… I… Oh, can't ya… I want my ma. Lemme alone. I want her!
    Kid! Hold him, Sergeant. Take it easy!

    Swish swish

    I'm sorry, kid. Did it hurt? I had to calm you. I know…how you feel, Leo. We saw it too. We feel sick and… awful too.

    Swish

    Just a few more questions and we'll take you to your aunt's. Now first. The television set. Was it on?
    Yeah. It was on.
    And you… smelled something?
    Yeah. Like in the hall. Only worse. Only lots worse.
    That smell.
    That smell. Dead. A dead stink. Like a pile o' dead… dead… I don't know. Garbage. Piles of it.
    No one was talking?
    No, there was no thin'. 'Cept the TV.
    What was on it?
    I already told ya.
    I know, I know. Tell us again. For the record.
    It was… like I said…just them letters. Great big letters.
    What were they?
    F… uh… F-E-E-D.
    F-E-E-D?

    Y-yeah. Big crooked-like letters.
    You'd seen them before?
    Yeah. I told ya. They was on our set all the time… Not all the time. Plenty though.
    Your parents never wondered about it?
    No. They said… they figured it was a sort of commercial. You know.
    But the things you saw.
    I don't know. Ma said… it was for kids. Some, I mean.
    What-did you see?

    Swish swish swish

    Sort of… mouths. Big ones. Wide. Open, all open. They wasn't p-people.

    Swish

    What did it look like? I mean, couldn't you tell what it was?
    No. I mean… they was like… bugs, maybe, or maybe… w-worms. Big ones. All mouths. Wide open.
    All right.

    Swish

    You, uh, said the letters flashed on, then off and you saw the… mouths, and then the letters again?
    Yeah. Like that.
    This happen every night?
    Yeah.
    Same time?
    No. Different times.
    Between programs?
    No. Anytime.
    Was it always on the same channel?
    No. All different ones. No matter which one we had… we seen them.
    And…
    I wanna go. Can't I… Ma! Where is she? I want her. I want her.

    Swish click

    Click
    A few more questions, Leo, and that's it. Now, you said your parents never had the set checked.
    No, I told you. They thought it was-
    All right.

    Swish

    You went in the living room. You said something about slipping, didn't you?
    Yeah. On that stuff.
    What stuff?
    I don't know. Greasy stuff. Like hot grease. It