Mattup had killed a man, so it was logicalhe should be punished. It was Danny who came upwith the idea of leaving him with the prophecy—
Goodbye, Dead Man!
by
Tom W. Harris
It was Orley Mattup's killingof the old lab technicianthat really made us hate him.
Mattup was a guard at the reactorinstallation at Bayless, Kentucky,where my friend DannyHern and I were part of the staffwhen the Outsiders took everythingover. In what god-forsaken mountainhole they had found Mattup,and how they got him to sell outto them, I don't know. He was anauthentic human, though. You cantell an Outsider.
Mattup and Danny and I wereplaying high-low-jack the nightUncle Pete was killed, sitting onthe widewalk where Mattup had aview of the part of the station hewas responsible for. High-low-jackis a back-country card game;Danny had learned it in northernPennsylvania, where he came from,and Mattup loved the game, andthey had taught it to me becausethe game is better three-handed.The evening sessions had beenDanny's idea—I think he figuredit might give him a line on Mattup.
On the night in question, Mattupwas on a week's losing streakand was in a foul humor. He wassuperstitious, and he had called fora new deck twice that evening andwalked around his seat four differenttimes. His bidding was gettingwilder.
"You'd better cool down," Dannytold him. "Thing to do is rideout the bad luck, not fight it."
Orley picked his nose and lookedat his cards, "Bid four," hegrowled.
Four is the highest possible bid.Tim played his cards well and hehad good ones. He had sewed upthree of his points when we heardsomebody moving around down onthe reactor floor. It was old UnclePete Barker, one of the technicians.
"What you want down there?"bawled Mattup.
"Just left my cap by the controlroom," said Uncle Pete, "andthought I'd go get it."
"You keep the hell away fromthere," grunted Mattup.
Uncle Pete stopped and stoodgazing up at us. We went on playing.It was the last card of thehand, and would either win thegame for Mattup or lose it for him.Orley slapped his card down; itwas a crucial card, the jack. Dannytook it with a queen and Mattuphad lost the game.
I felt like clearing out. Mattup'sface was purple and his eyes lookedlike wolves' eyes. He glared atDanny, making a noise in histhroat, and then I saw his gazeleave Danny and go to somethingdown by the reactor.
It was Uncle Pete, shufflingalong toward the control room.
Mattup didn't say a word. Hestood up and unholstered the thingthe Outsiders had given him andpointed it at Uncle Pete. Therewas a ringing in our ears and UnclePete began to twist. Something insidehim twisted him, twisting insidehis arms, his legs, head, trunk,even his fingers. It was only fora few seconds. Then the ringingstopped, and Uncle Pete sunk tothe ground, and there was thesilence and the smell.
Mattup made us leave the bodythere until we had played two morehands. Danny won one; he was aman with good nerves. When wewere back in our room he said,"That did it—I'm going to getthat guy."
"I hate his big thick guts," Isaid, buttoning my pajama shirt,"but how are you going to gethim?"
"I'll get him," said Danny."Meanwhile, we'll keep playingcards."
Things went on almost normallyat the Bayless reactor. It was aprivately-owned pool-type reactor,and we were sent samples of allsorts of material for irradiation