Horror News: The Power Of Nothing by Richard Farren Barber

OUT NOW FROM DAMNATION BOOKS and RICHARD FARREN BARBER

He is watching you.

Steve Granger immediately realizes there is something wrong about the grey man. When he starts to follow him, Steve knows he is right. 

When Steve cannot get rid of the grey man, he erupts. Walking across the park one night he turns on the grey man and kills him. The next morning, as Steve leaves his flat to get rid of his blood-splattered clothes, he walks out to discover the grey man standing on his doorstep. Steve learns that killing the man a second time is easier.

Still the man comes back.

---

EXCERPT

“Who the fuck are you?” he shouted into the man’s face. Flecks of Steve’s spittle landed on the Grey Man’s cheeks, but he did not flinch.

Steve turned and ran again, down the far side of the heath. He felt the incline take hold of his balance and for a moment he thought he was lost, that he would trip and tumble and crash to the bottom of the hill and come to rest against the iron gates in a crumpled heap.

He stopped, his shoes kicking up gravel as they dug into the ground.

The man remained behind him. Two paces.

Steve turned and rushed at him, his hands outstretched across the man’s chest, and pushed him. The Grey Man staggered backward.

“Leave me alone.”

He felt the rage. Tasted it. It sang in his head. It pulled taut the muscles in his arms. His body ached with anger and fear.

Steve stepped forward again. 

“Fuck off and leave me alone.”

He pushed again, his hands splayed across the man’s chest. Not just pushing him now but hitting him.

“Why don’t you say anything?” Steve demanded.

He punched.

There was no noise from the man as he staggered onto the grass. His face was completely lost to the darkness now. He was just a shadow.

Last Respects
"A sobering journey through the reality of war, the attention to detail is immaculate, and the story swings from melancholy to brutal and then back again to a haunting finale that inspires grave reflection. Brilliant." The Hellforge [Read the full review]

"It does its job very effectively, recreating the horrors of trench warfare brilliantly and leading to a poignant conclusion." Dark Musings [Read the full review]

Legacy
"Richard Farren Barber... gets better with every story" [Read the full review here]

Where the stones lie
"...One of the highlights , with an atmosphere of menace undercutting a gripping story of young children threatened by an ancient evil. The characters are beautifully drawn and the pull of the sinister is powerfully portrayed.
Peter Tennant, Black Static