The Shadow by the Altar

"The Shadow by the Altar" is a Lovecraftian short story by British author David A. Riley, first published in the Spring 1983 edition of Dark Horizons.
==Synopsis==
Small-time criminal Stephen Tibbets is hired by a pair of mysterious thugs to break in to the house of wealthy Barlow and pour a vial of liquid over a specific symbol chalked on the basement floor. When he arrives to complete his task, he realises that confined within the sigil is a terrifying entity made from living shadow. While he debates what to do, the house's owner returns home; fearful that the intruder may release the being, Barlow offers to pay him to leave the act uncompleted. Unfortunately, in his greed Tibbets accidentally releases the creature, which tears both men to shreds.
==Publication History==
*Dark Horizons (1983)
*Peeping Tom (1992)
*The Lurkers in the Abyss and Other Tales of Terror (2013)
*Lovecraftiana (2020)
Category:Mythos-Inspired Works
Category:David A. Riley works