‘There’s only one way to find out.’ He nodded at the car. ‘I think it’s time we took a little drive. But first I could do with a drink.’
He crossed the car park in the direction of the vending machine that stood by the visitors’ centre, its contents miraculously replenished once more.
Only when that devil of a thirst was well and truly quenched would he go out and find what this new destination had to offer.
Besides, there’s no rush, he told himself with a wry smile. After all, don’t we have all the time in the world?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Simon Clark is the author of such highly-regarded novels as Nailed by the Heart, Darker, Blood Crazy, Vampyrrhic, Lucifer’s Ark and The Night of the Triffids (winner of a British Fantasy Society award). His short stories have appeared in an abundance of magazines and anthologies worldwide. SFX, Europe’s best-selling SF / Fantasy / Horror newsstand magazine, polled its readers on their favourite genre writers of all time. Simon comfortably hit the top 100.
Raised in a family of storytellers – family legend spoke of a stolen human skull buried beneath the Clark garage – Simon sold his first ghost story to a radio station in his teens for the princely sum of £15 then promptly spent many times that in heady celebration. Before becoming a full-time writer he held a variety of day jobs that have involved strawberry-picking, legal work, scripting video promos and generating multi-million pound projects.
Simon lives with his wife in territory steeped in myth, legend and epic battles that lies in the county of Yorkshire, England.
FROM THE REVIEWS
‘Britain’s greatest living horror writer.’
On London Under Midnight: ‘Here’s a treat for horror fans. Thrilling, terrifying and deeply affecting…’
‘Clark has the ability to keep the reader looking over his shoulder to make sure that sudden noise you hear is just the summer breeze rattling the window… this should keep you shaking.’
Washington Post on The Night of the Triffids: ‘Inventive and fast moving – good old fashioned fun.’
On Vampyrrhic Rites: ‘A blockbuster of a horror novel from the 2002 winner of the British Fantasy Society award for The Night of the Triffids. This is a huge tale incorporating a variety of scare tactics. Perfect for Stephen King fans.’
‘A master of eerie thrills.’
‘Horror fiction as it should be written – shocking but fascinating.’
‘His is surely the most outrageous imagination to grace horror since the discovery of Clive Barker.’
‘Not since I discovered Clive Barker have I enjoyed horror so much.’
‘To say that Simon Clark is the best novelist to emerge this decade is self-evident. Simon has simply outgrown genre restrictions.’
‘The hottest new purveyor of horrific thrills currently working on these shores.’
‘I actually loved Blood Crazy. Not just liked it but loved it.’
‘The pleasure of reading Blood Crazy is immense. I loved it both as a novel and an experience.’
‘Brutal. Barbaric. Brilliant. Blood Crazy is a ferocious read. And one I still look up to.’
‘Nailed By The Heart is one of the year’s most gripping horror novels… truly terrifying.’
‘Edgar Allan Poe for the 21st Century.’
‘Simon Clark is a wonderful writer. He has what it takes to be another Stephen King.’
OTHER HORROR TITLES BY TELOS PUBLISHING
Many of our titles are now also available as digital editions – please search for them at your favourite digital supplier.
URBAN GOTHIC: LACUNA AND OTHER TRIPS edited by DAVID J HOWE
KING OF ALL THE DEAD by STEVE LOCKLEY & PAUL LEWIS
THE HUMAN ABSTRACT by GEORGE MANN
HOUDINI’S LAST ILLUSION by STEVE SAVILE
ALICE’S JOURNEY BEYOND THE MOON by R J CARTER
APPROACHING OMEGA by ERIC BROWN
VALLEY OF LIGHTS by STEPHEN GALLAGHER
PRETTY YOUNG THINGS by DOMINIC MCDONAGH
A MANHATTAN GHOST STORY by T M WRIGHT
SHROUDED BY DARKNESS: TALES OF TERROR edited by ALISON L R DAVIES
BLACK TIDE by DEL STONE JR
FORCE MAJEURE by DANIEL O’MAHONY
HUMPTY’S BONES by SIMON CLARK
THE DJINN by GRAHAM MASTERTON
RULES OF DUEL by GRAHAM MASTERTON and WILLIAM S BURROUGHS
BREATHE by CHRISTOPHER FOWLER
TALESPINNING by DAVID J HOWE
TALESPINNING by DAVID J HOWE
SPECTRE by STEPHEN LAWS
ABSINTHE & ARSENIC by RAVEN DANE
THE DARKNESS WITHIN by SAM STONE
ZOMBIES IN NEW YORK & OTHER BLOODY JOTTINGS by SAM STONE
ZOMBIES AT TIFFANY’S by SAM STONE
KAT ON A HOT TIN AIRSHIP by SAM STONE
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Copyright
This edition first published in the UK in 2014 by
Telos Publishing Ltd,
17 Pendre Avenue, Prestatyn, LL19 9SH
Telos Publishing Ltd values feedback. Please e-mail us with any comments you may have about this book to: feedback@telos.co.uk
The Fall © 1998, 2014 Simon Clark
Cover Art: Martin Baines
Cover Design: David J Howe
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.