A Day in the Country

by Anthony Watson

It was only when the chanting began, audible through the mock Tudor ceiling, that they began to have misgivings. They’d chuckled at the sign above the pub, couldn’t resist the temptation to go into The Sacrificial Lamb. The clientele already inside, locals presumably, had stopped to stare as they’d entered but the barman had seemed friendly enough when he’d served them, had even given them a friendly wink as he pulled their pints. They’d settled themselves behind a table in the snug, glad of a chance to rest their weary legs, and sipped gratefully of the dark beer. The sounds from above were a little disconcerting though but no one else in the pub seemed bothered by them; what seemed ominous, if not a little creepy to them was obviously nothing out of the ordinary to the drinkers of Hobbs End. Until the chanting stopped that was, and everyone turned to look at them.

6S

Anthony Watson has placed short stories, novellas and novels with a number of small presses. He was co-founder of Dark Minds Press and worked as editor there for ten years before leaving to concentrate on writing. He writes supernatural horror with most of his stories set in historical timeframes. Following the publication of Witnesses in 2017, his second novel The Fallen was published in October 2020 by Demain Publishing. As well as writing, he posts occasional book reviews at his Dark Musings blog which can be found here.