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The Refuge
A refuge which soon becomes a maze of trouble. When a traveller stumbles across an isolated house, he thinks he has found the ideal refuge, offering sanctuary from a strange wilderness. This thought quickly vanishes when he enters the house which has many signs of life but seems to be unoccupied. A radio hums within a locked room and a meal has been prepared on the dining table: a meal for two. The traveller's confusion turns to fear when a face appears in the window: a beautiful-but-distant woman dressed in red, holding a bottle of wine. A few moments later, the woman appears in the door, silent and enigmatic, gesturing for the traveller to sit at the dining table ... and the isolated house he initially considered a sanctuary quickly becomes a psychological prison where reality begins to blur and reason can no longer be trusted.
- GenresHorror
42 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 14, 2019
9 people want to read
About the author
E.G. Ellory
13 books22 followersE.G. Ellory is the author of the Short Thrills series and the Solomon Stone series.
E.G. Ellory is the pseudonym of R.A. Lindo, creator of the Kaira Renn fantasy series.
You can get in touch at egellory@gmail.com / ralindoauthor@gmail.com
Grab your FREE STARTER library at https://ralindoauthor.com
E.G. Ellory is the pseudonym of R.A. Lindo, creator of the Kaira Renn fantasy series.
You can get in touch at egellory@gmail.com / ralindoauthor@gmail.com
Grab your FREE STARTER library at https://ralindoauthor.com
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 12, 2024
A short horror novel about a man who gets lost and seeks refuge in a town that he can never leave.
December 3, 2025
A short story full of mystery and menace.
No shame getting lost on a long walk across a strange piece of countryside. The map was initially helpful but you know you are lost when the map no longer reflects anything you can see. Without any clear reference points and the weather closing in it would be prudent to find shelter for the night.
Unfortunately nothing is as it seems. The traveller becomes disoriented and confused as the refuge he finds holds more uncertainty. The home of a strange woman he seems unable to help.
True horror as the story involves an empathetic individual who seeks to repay the kindness shown to him. Resisting the urge to run away; seeking to help and gain some understanding of the terror his host endures.
What is real or imagined?
How can the land have a malevolence towards strangers no-one can fully explain?
Where is the danger?
What reality can he trust. Is what he has been told correct? What he knew in “his own mind” seems to have vanished and discounted when he crossed the threshold.
Pure horror in that the story is a familiar one.
A lone rambler out for a walk.
I loved the ideas shared by the author to make a simple pastime into a sinister and threatening one.
Where the land itself becomes unreliable and your senses play tricks on you.
True fear develops at a rapid pace when our humanity holds no solutions. When kindness isn’t repaid and the things we rely on, that govern our decisions are lost in circumstances we cannot comprehend.
I especially liked the introduction of characters who were not trustworthy.
Told in the first person - you expect to learn how the mystery unfolds but in the end you are confronted by uncertainty and a sense of inevitability.
Enthralling and spine-tinglingly scary.
No shame getting lost on a long walk across a strange piece of countryside. The map was initially helpful but you know you are lost when the map no longer reflects anything you can see. Without any clear reference points and the weather closing in it would be prudent to find shelter for the night.
Unfortunately nothing is as it seems. The traveller becomes disoriented and confused as the refuge he finds holds more uncertainty. The home of a strange woman he seems unable to help.
True horror as the story involves an empathetic individual who seeks to repay the kindness shown to him. Resisting the urge to run away; seeking to help and gain some understanding of the terror his host endures.
What is real or imagined?
How can the land have a malevolence towards strangers no-one can fully explain?
Where is the danger?
What reality can he trust. Is what he has been told correct? What he knew in “his own mind” seems to have vanished and discounted when he crossed the threshold.
Pure horror in that the story is a familiar one.
A lone rambler out for a walk.
I loved the ideas shared by the author to make a simple pastime into a sinister and threatening one.
Where the land itself becomes unreliable and your senses play tricks on you.
True fear develops at a rapid pace when our humanity holds no solutions. When kindness isn’t repaid and the things we rely on, that govern our decisions are lost in circumstances we cannot comprehend.
I especially liked the introduction of characters who were not trustworthy.
Told in the first person - you expect to learn how the mystery unfolds but in the end you are confronted by uncertainty and a sense of inevitability.
Enthralling and spine-tinglingly scary.
July 9, 2024
A wary traveller looking for refuge ends up getting more than he bargains for when the road disappears (literally) and the land he steps on has sinister plans. I loved it, looking forward to more books from this author. 👍🏽👍🏽
June 2, 2024
Mysterious short story that begs for more detail… even though the conclusion is final!
June 20, 2024
This is a 3.5 🌟 read rounded ⬆️ to 4 🌟.
An eerie and unsettling tale that leaves more questions unanswered than answered.
An eerie and unsettling tale that leaves more questions unanswered than answered.
January 3, 2025
This was different but good 👍
November 19, 2025
Somethings are harder to escape than others. This horror short enhances that.
August 15, 2019
I am instantly pulled in by this psychological Thriller. What appears to be a somewhat benign setting for a traveler turns into a confusing predicament of what is real and not real. This quick read would make a great Twilight Zone episode. I definitely recommend this book to readers who are intrigued by the unexplainable and scary.
October 9, 2019
Eerie and Unexplainable
Reading ‘The Refuge’ is an excellent way to escape reality. Consider Ghostwalking, First Storm and this book, all are proof that E. G. Ellory is a master of enigmatic stories. His expressive writing has an eerie quality that drew me in from the first page to the last with its shocker of a twist end.
Excellent unexplainable goodread.
Reading ‘The Refuge’ is an excellent way to escape reality. Consider Ghostwalking, First Storm and this book, all are proof that E. G. Ellory is a master of enigmatic stories. His expressive writing has an eerie quality that drew me in from the first page to the last with its shocker of a twist end.
Excellent unexplainable goodread.
August 25, 2019
Very dark and kind of scary book. I loved the book all the way through. I didn’t see the ending coming though which was good. Definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes the unexplained.
September 6, 2019
Dark book, real or not you don’t want to know. Surprise ending, reminds me of unexplained things.
September 8, 2019
This intense story might be short, but has enough suspense for a longer one. Absolutely fantastic.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews