title: The Dark at the End of the Tunnel
author:  Taylor Grant 
description: "Once in a while new work gets through that is so full of talent andcommitment, the two qualities I admire most, that it is an inspiration.And it's good to be inspired. The author of this book isn't kiddingaround. The stories are smart, filled with talent, and deserve to beread. So turn off the TV and start reading them. Now. Taylor Grant iskeeping the faith." - <strong>Dennis Etchison</strong>,Two-time World Fantasy Award Winner, The Dark Country<br /> <br /> "Taylor Grant is a bold, unsettling new voice in suspense and horror." - <strong> Scott Nicholson</strong>,Bestselling Thriller Author, The Red Church<br /> <br /> "The finest single author collection I've read this year. And one of the best to come out in the last ten years. In fact, I consider The Dark at the End of the Tunnel to be a masterclass in storytelling. Taylor Grant is a rare talent, and this collection is a great demonstration of the voices he has at his command. Highly recommended!" - <strong>Joe McKinney</strong>,Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Dead City and The Dead Won't Die <br /> <br /> "These stories strike hard as steel and silent as a shadow's whisper-a cornucopia of horror from a master of the genre!" - <strong>Tim Waggoner</strong>,author of Eat the Night and The Way of All Flesh <br /> <br /> "Asclassic, elegant and as deadly effective and efficient as aswitchblade, the stories here echo the timeless storytelling of TheTwilight Zone, E.C. Horror comics, and 1980s paperback kings, whilecarving up their own new brand. Grant's collection will leave you withplenty of scars to show off around the next late night campfire." - <strong> John Palisano</strong>,Bram Stoker Award Finalist, Dust of the Dead, Nerves
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  # At the Earth's Core
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
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  ### VII
  
  
  
  
  
  ### FREEDOM
  
  
  
  
  
  ONCE OUT OF THE DIRECT PATH OF THE ANIMAL, fear of it left me, but another
  emotion as quickly gripped me—hope of escape that the demoralized condition of
  the guards made possible for the instant.
  
  
  
  
  
  I thought of Perry, but for the hope that I might better encompass his release
  if myself free I should have put the thought of freedom from me at once. As it
  was I hastened on toward the right searching for an exit toward which no
  Sagoths were fleeing, and at last I found it—a low, narrow aperture leading
  into a dark corridor.
  
  
  
  
  
  Without thought of the possible consequence, I darted into the shadows of the
  tunnel, feeling my way along through the gloom for some distance. The noises
  of the amphitheater had grown fainter and fainter until now all was as silent
  as the tomb about me. Faint light filtered from above through occasional
  