The Hunt

"The Hunt" is a Cthulhu Mythos short story by Henry Kuttner, originally published in the June 1939 issue of Strange Stories.
It is set in the fictional town of Monk's Hollow from Kuttner's earlier tale, "The Frog".
==Synopsis==
A man named Alvin Doyle goes to the small town of Monk's Hollow to kill his cousin, Will Benson, as Doyle is next in line for Benson's grandfather's inheritance. Benson's reputation as a wizard doesn't discourage Doyle, who finds the fact that his intended victim is a recluse highly convenient to his plans.
Benson reluctantly allows Doyle to stay after the latter pretends that his car has broken down, but explains that he's in the middle of a dangerous experiment. There's a large pentagram traced on the floor and a censer in which Benson is mixing up ingredients. He believes that what the villagers refer to as sorcery is actually a kind of science that allows one to peek at hidden worlds beyond the familiar three dimensions, and make contact with "the old gods". While acknowledging the venture as a dangerous one, he tells Doyle that they should be safe as long as the lamps are burning and they remain inside the pentagram.
Benson utters the incantation to summon one of the ancient deities, the extradimensional being known as Iod, the Hunter of Souls, who came to Earth from the stars to be worshiped by many civilizations, and who, according to De Vermis Mysteriis, delights in hunting the souls of men through hidden dimensions of space, killing only their bodies while keeping their consciousnesses alive.
While Benson is uttering the incantation, Doyle shoots him from behind and steps back. Benson's body collapses and knocks down one of the lamps. Satisfied, Doyle exits the pentagram, steals several things and breaks the window so that the police will think the murder was committed by a burglar. He disposes of the loot in a lake several miles away.
While driving back home, Doyle feels inexplicably drowsy and is forced to stop the car before he falls asleep. He dreams of being back in Benson's cabin, which is now roofless, and witnessing a mysterious shadow descending from the stars upon him. When he tries to escape, he finds himself standing on an alien world. The dream repeats itself, with the creature chasing Doyle through various dimensions of eerie and exotic scenery, until Doyle seemingly wakes up, back in his car, confronted by the actual image of a luminous alien being: none other than Iod itself.
The monster extends a tentacle and touches Doyle's head, killing him instantly. Doyle remains conscious but paralysed as people start to gather around him. A doctor examines his pupillary reflexes and declares him dead. The story ends as Doyle realizes that he's in a coffin, being buried.
Category:Lovecraft Circle Works
Category:Henry Kuttner works