The Sentinels

"The Sentinels" is a short story by prolific British author Ramsey Campbell which is set in the greater Cthulhu Mythos. It was first published in the 1973 Arkham House collection Demons by Daylight, and has been translated into both French and German.
== Synopsis ==
One evening, a group of young adults on a trip to the nearby countryside decide to explore the site of local landmark Sentinel Hill, a place whose circle of stone statues is said to provide protection against evil. As the night progresses, the group slowly realises that something malevolent is watching them from outside the circle and begins to panic. When the tension becomes too much, one of them breaks from the protective ramparts and makes a run for her car: the others have no choice but to watch as the creature pursues her and chases her down.
== Mythos Connections ==
The story is set in the fictional Severn Valley, as evidenced by a characters' reference to a Brichester-based fan group which some of them are members of, and a mention of the Herald, presumably that town's local rag, The Brichester Herald. The Severn Valley is a locale created by Campbell, and used as the backdrop to many of his Cthulhu Mythos stories.
== Trivia ==
* The name of the story's setting, Sentinel Hill, would appear to be a reference to the sacrificial site located outside of Dunwich, Massachusetts, mentioned in H. P. Lovecraft’s 1929 short story "The Dunwich Horror".
== Publication History ==
* Demons by Daylight (1973, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1990)
* L'homme du souterrain (1979)
* Dämonen bei Tag (1998)
* Fungi #20 (2011)
Category:Ramsey Campbell works
Category:Expanded Mythos Works