
In a bleak, overfilled hospital ward, a man named Buckmaster confronts a mysterious plague that strips away the five senses one by one. As taste turns to bland gruel and touch fades into darkness, he is left clutching at the only thing that remains—thought. The narrative immerses the listener in his mounting terror, the sterile corridors, and the desperate isolation that defines the early days of the outbreak.
Just when the silence seems absolute, a sudden surge of inner will awakens, and he declares he will not die. Sensations flicker back, his voice returns, and two strangers appear at his bedside, hinting at a deeper mystery about the nature of his existence. The story balances visceral dread with a haunting question: what does it mean to be alive when the body betrays you?
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (59K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2019-01-13
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1911–1997
A mid-20th-century American writer of science fiction, he was known especially for short stories that appeared in genre magazines. His work mixed playful ideas with classic pulp-era energy.
View all books