THE CENTURY'S BEST HORROR FICTION #70: A review of "The Lurkers in the Abyss" by David A. Riley

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Here we have something a bit more reminiscent of works that would later come from Ramsey Campbell and Thomas Ligotti, to the point where maybe this story influenced them down the line.



Ian Redfern is a bookish young man, living from paycheck to paycheck, trying to save up enough money for a car. One rainy night, on his way home from the library, he runs into a group of suspicious-looking young thugs. His immediate instinct is to cross the street and get away from them before they notice him. But the more “sensible” part of his brain ignores this, mostly because he can’t think of a reason why they would bother him.


Perhaps this is the scariest part of the story. Who hasn’t walked down a strange city street to see a group of people that just don’t seem right? Who hasn’t felt that urge to just get away from any possible situation, even though the chances are good that nothing is going to happen? Nine times out of ten, nothing does. No conflict arises.


Unfortunately for Ian, this is that tenth time. As soon as they spot him, they surround him and start roughing him up. Through sheer luck, Ian manages to clip one of them a good one, and he escapes. However, that’s not good enough, as they are giving hot pursuit. He even hears them shouting about how they’re going to split up and outflank him so he can’t get away.


He tries to give them the slip in a graveyard, and once on the other side, he tries to sneak into a building to hide. However, when he stumbles into a room and discovers there is no floor, he plummets into a pit, where he finds himself surrounded by creatures. Unspeakable creatures.


This is where the story falters a bit. Everything up to that point is terrifying, mostly because it can actually happen and has, many times, to the point where it could be identified as common. Once the monsters show up, the tale becomes cheesy.


SPOILER ALERT: Ian manages to climb out of the pit before he can be killed, and this is when he runs smack-dab into the thugs who have been chasing him. He tries to explain the situation to them, trying to say that they need to kill the monsters because they’re evil. The leader responds by asking why he should, as they haven’t done him and his crew any harm. After a struggle, the thugs push Ian back into the pit, as it seems that they have kind of a relationship with the beasts, and Ian is torn to pieces. END OF SPOILERS.


This is another one of those you-should-stop-reading-at-this-point stories. After the graveyard, don’t bother. You’ll only be disappointed.


[This story first appeared in THE ELEVENTH PAN BOOK OF HORROR STORIES, and it cannot be read online at this time.]