Eyes in the Dust

by David Peak

The world has moved on and left Cortland behind. His career as an academic has fizzled out, his fiancé is dead, and he remains haunted by the notion that it’s his fault. When a consulting firm contacts him with the opportunity of a lifetime—two months off the grid studying slime molds at the bottom of an ancient impact crater—he has no choice but to accept. He soon learns, however, that the crater holds dark secrets, that death itself is not an exit, but rather a welcoming to the black folds of the vacuous realm. Here, perhaps, it’s possible to find all of the answers Cortland has been searching for—so long as he can remember what it means to be human.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Lovecraftian

49 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2016

About the author

David Peak is the author of The World Below (Apocalypse Party), Eyes in the Dust and Other Stories (Trepidatio Publishing), Corpsepaint (Word Horde), and The Spectacle of the Void (Schism). He lives in Chicago, where he is working on his next novel.

Reviews

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella begins with a personal ordeal. Taken to a grander scale, the nightmare continues as part of an immense combustion of eternity and sentience. Highly recommended.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Peak is able to create a magnificent sense of DOOM, paranoia and isolation as one progresses through his new work "Eyes In The Dust" published by Dunhams Manor Press.

The story begins on a mountain top where Cortland's fiance Clair tragically dies. However, Cortland only blames himself. The scene then shifts to somewhere in the middle of nowhere (destination unknown) as Cortland's new job delivers him near an excavation site. His fellow workers are highly uncommunicative withdrawn and fearful. The site is infested by abnormally large insects.

We learn that the site was perhaps an ancient site of a meteor crash, which now contain miles of underground tunnels.

The fear and abomination builds and Cortland must try and survive the events at the excavation site and relive the horror of his recent past.

This is a well written story of doom and dread and is worth seeking out. And Mr. Peak is an author I will be reading again.

[T.E. Grau · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man must deal with the death of his wife, and is hired to justify a massive, perfectly round hole in the wilds of Siberia, ostensibly dug by a rare earth mineral mining operation. After a slow build, the story really starts to cook at the halfway point. Cosmicism, panspermia/panpsychism, secretive front corporations, Conrad imperialism, a menacing wilderness, a relentless pursuit of arcane technology, redacted geological studies, a collapsed cave system, and unnamed entities dwelling under the ground. This is prime cosmic horror real estate set in an enviable zip code, with a touch of the contemporary Weird adventure tale executed so well by Laird Barron, brought to life in outstanding fashion throughout Eyes in the Dust by Peak's patient hand. "The outside has become the inside," he writes. "The great wheel will return man to the slime from which he emerged." Indeed, but not yet. Humans are still writing stories like this, prolonging the true end just a tad. "You're covered in dirt, you know," he said. "Like a worm."

A highly recommended novelette from a very intriguing and talented voice in dark fiction.

[W.T.H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The depth of fear, self-loathing
paranoia and visceral cosmic futility on display in David Peak's work are among the absolute best characteristics of works being published in modern weird horror. Another terrifyingly self aware protagonist sets off on a morbid, doomed quest to meet himself in the depths of the blackest void imaginable. A stunning, awe-inspiring piece of writing.

[S̶e̶a̶n̶ · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5) A solid slab of contemporary cosmic horror. Peak's prose here is polished and the narrative is well-paced. For those interested in a unique new take on cosmic horror threaded with philosophical theory, this should fit the bill nicely.

[Richard Gerlach · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Peak is one of the modern masters of weird/dark fiction. This novelette is like looking into the blackest depths and being okay with the futileness of life.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty much a perfect modern cosmic horror story that delves into themes of personal loss, speculative realist philosophy, and a kind of black pansychism.

[Aksel Dadswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was already familiar with David Peak from his excellent work of nonfiction, The Spectacle of the Void. This short story, published as a lovely hardcover chapbook by the always excellent Dunhams Manor Press, has everything you could want in a piece of cosmic horror. It's bleak and dark and portentous, and has some moments of really excellent horror that alternates between visceral and transcendent.

Peak's author bio says he's working on a novel, and on the strength of everything I've read so far, I'll be first in line to get a copy.

[Gustav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and beautifully dark in an goosebump-inducing way. A bit too short though.

[Michael Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story about a man haunted by a mistake from his past and drawn to the very edge of an unknowable and limitless abyss. The emotions of fear and wonder commingle beautifully through to the rapturous climax. A standout Dunham's Manor Release.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the juicy bits of cutting-edge philosophy spicing up this chilling foray into cosmic horror. Four stars because I am greedy. It is a shortish novella that can be read in a few hours even though it's likely to haunt you a good bit more. I picked this one up after reading Peak's Spectacle of the Void. I was not disappointed.

[Kev Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this on recommendation from writer Michael Patrick Hicks, but was keen to get to it anywhere after absolutely loving Peak's cosmic horror/black metal themed novel from a couple years back: Corpsepaint.
The subject matter here is, on the surface, radically different. But, scratching the surface, that same bleakness and the idea of struggle against it as something utterly futile pervades the narrative.
Deeply unsettling, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys their cosmic horror in the darkest possible shades of hopelessness.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well written piece of literature is a different darkness. Where a glimmer shines or calls its victim before pulling apart its mortal body, into a void of blackness. Highly recommended!

[Geoff Hyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal horrors and cosmic nihilism collide in this philosophically engaging, scientifically astute, and vividly affecting story. When a grieving scientist is hired as a consultant for an isolated mining operation, the strange pull of emptiness from the seemingly bottomless pit at its center begins to influence the camp. An eerie and well-paced story with a escalating sense of dread and a big payoff at the end.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect setup and just the right amount of language to describe this descent into the inhuman unknown I love, cherish and dread. I only wish it was longer. I'm waiting for the day David Peak extracts that growing obscure dark patch in his mind and writes an equally dark and obscure epic.