Short Fiction · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Short Fiction by Frank Belknap Long.

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Chapter 1
The Hounds of Tindalos
A man experiences a terrifying encounter with otherworldly entities known as the Hounds of Tindalos, which pursue him through angles and dimensions, leading to a descent into madness and a desperate struggle for survival.
Chapter 2
I
Tom awakens in a Mars construction camp with a sense of death nearby. He recounts the harsh realities of life on Mars—privation, dust, and theft—and introduces the legendary figure Larsen, a scapegoat for the camp's misdeeds. Tom wakes Harry and reveals he heard a terrifying scream from the well, and they go to investigate together.
Chapter 3
II
The narrator and Harry discover the body of Ned, a beloved camp member, with his skull crushed. They find large footprints nearby and suspect murder, possibly motivated by jealousy over Molly Egan. They decide to consult Bill Seaton, a respected leader, to handle the situation discreetly and investigate the killer among them.
Chapter 4
III
Bill and Tom interrogate the camp after Ned's murder, focusing on Jim Kenny as a suspect due to his interest in Molly. However, Kenny's shoes don't match the footprints, shifting suspicion to Tom himself when his shoes appear to fit the prints. Tensions rise as the camp whispers and Molly's affections complicate the investigation.
Chapter 5
IV
The narrator is pursued by a lynch mob on Mars, but the attack is interrupted by the appearance of a brutal, monstrous figure who kills several men. The mob turns on the creature, which is shot and falls into a canal. The narrator reconciles with Molly, and they discuss the possibility that the Martians used telepathic powers to create a monster from human memories, specifically the murderer Larsen.

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The Hounds of Tindalos

I

II

III

IV