Explore "Planet of Dread" by Murray Leinster on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Moran responded instantly. His hands flew to Hallet's throat, blind fury / making him unaware of any thought but a frantic lust to kill. It was / very strange that Moran somehow noticed Hallet's hand insanely pulling / the trigger of the blast-pistol over and over and over without result. / He remembered it later. Perhaps he shared Hallet's blank disbelief that / one could pull the trigger of a blaster and have nothing at all happen / in consequence. But nothing did happen, and suddenly he dropped the / weapon and clawed desperately at Moran's fingers about his throat. But / that was too late.
There was singularly little disturbance at the luncheon-table. The whole / event was climax and anticlimax together. Hallet's intention was so / appallingly murderous and his action so shockingly futile that the four / who were to have been his victims tended to stare blankly while Moran / throttled him.