"Blacked Out" is a Cthulhu Mythos short story by British horror writer Ramsey Campbell.
Synopsis[]
A man named Lamb travelling across the German countryside takes a room in a picture-perfect village with one small quirk: all of the lights are on, even though it’s daytime. As night begins to descend, the villagers stage a honey trap to lure Lamb out into the street before locking all of their doors to prevent him from going inside. Soon Lamb sees a blanket of darkness extinguishing the lights, and travelling in his direction. He has no choice but to risk a long dash through the pitch-black fields in the hope that the light of the moon, shining on a nearby ridge, will be his salvation.
Characters[]
- Lamb, an English-speaking tourist on a road trip through Germany.
- The girl, a pretty young villager who uses her charms to lure Lamb outside.
Publication History[]
"Blacked Out" was first published in Ramsey Campbell's Mythos collection Cold Print in 1985.