Slaves for the Slaughter Sect

"Slaves for the Slaughter Sect" is a short story by prolific Mythos contributor Robert M. Price. It centres on the character of Frank Nardi, created by C. J. Henderson for his Arkham Detective Agency series.
==Synopsis==
A man named Arlan Hellison, claiming to be researching a book on satanic cults, approaches Frank Nardi for help in investigating a series of disappearances in Arkham. Despite finding his way to the truth of the matter, that a cult of deranged inbreeds has been abducting, killing and mutilating the missing people, Nardi is double-crossed by Hellison, who is secretly a cultist. Luckily for Nardi, the Arkham Police Department is able to locate him in time, and the ritual being practiced by Hellison backfires, killing him instead.
==Characters==
*Frank Nardi, a former New York police detective turned private detective.
*Annabelle Sawyer, a librarian at Miskatonic University and victim of the cult.
*Arlan Hellison, a newcomer to Arkham who is investigating a supposed occult slave ring with a view to writing a novel. Is actually a cult initiate with a view to sacrificing Nardi and Sawyer.
*Sergeant Cerasini, an officer with the Arkham Police Department.
*Langer, another Arkham police officer.
*Hoffman, a student at Miskatonic University.
==Behind the Mythos==
"Slaves for the Slaughter Sect" was written by Robert M. Price in response to a request from Brian M. Sammons for stories involving C. J. Henderson's hard-boiled detective Frank Nardi. It was published in the collection Arkham Detective Agency by Dark Regions Press in 2017.
==Mythos Connections==
*The story is set in the fictional town of Arkham created by H. P. Lovecraft himself.
*An article in The Arkham Advertiser makes reference to a citizen who believes that the Windwalker is responsible for the recent disappearances. The Wind-Walker is an epithet of the Great Old One Ithaqua, who is known to abduct humans for his own purposes.
*A drug taken by Hoffman as part of a fraternity prank, the Black Lotus, was created by Robert E. Howard for his Mythos story "The Slithering Shadow."
*The cult is attempting to summon the Great Old One Rhan-Tegoth.
==Trivia ==
*The name of the character Arlan Hellison is a clear nod to noted science fiction author Harlan Ellison.
Category:Robert M. Price works
Category:Expanded Mythos Works