"The Tomb of Priscus"

by Brian Mooney
originally published Shadows Over Innsmouth, 1994

Father Roderick Shea is an Irish priest, with an obnoxious friend, Prof. Reuben Calloway.  Calloway is apparently in the habit of calling Shea up and saying "get your ass down here," and Shea is apparently in the habit of doing so.  Which is how our story starts.  Calloway calls Shea to come over to his place and look at a photo of a crucified Deep One hybrid.

He also shows him a letter from a colleague, an archaelogist named Alaric Wayt who has found a Roman-era tomb in Lower Bedhoe in Sussex.  Calloway wants Shea to drive out with him.  They check out the tomb, which is very ancient and a bit weird.  It appears to be the tomb of someone named "Priscus".  No one on the dig knows of him, and Calloway denies all knowledge.

But he's lying.  On the way back, Calloway explains to Shea that Vitellus Priscus was an infamous Roman soldier, known in occult circles for a book called The Twenty-One Essays, in which he "claimed to have lived and experienced abominations repellent even to the most jaded of Roman voluptuaries."  The book got VP exiled to the British Isles, whence he disappeared.  Rumor was he was becoming a demon.  Calloway tells Shea to keep an eye on things.

Two months later, Calloways back, as rude as ever.  It seems Wayt went a little nuts after opening the tomb and having "a black, drifting, shadowy mass, like a cloud of dust or cobwebs" land on his face, went a little nuts and drove all his workers off, now living at the dig in a tent all by his lonesome.  Calloway and Shea drive out there, observe him, and then Calloway tells Shea to keep watch on him until he returns - several days later!  Shea acquiesces.

During the night, Wayt, who's now turning Deep One-ish, attacks Shea, intending to sacrifice him in order to complete his transition.  He's rescued at the last minute by Calloway and a bunch of townsfolk, armed with star-stones borrowed from "Titus", who not only rescue Shea, but crucify Wayt, bash his skull in, and incinerate him for good measure.

Despite being ultra-pulpy and somewhat comical (Father Shea, despite some initial misgivings, is pretty blase about the brutal, cold-blooded torture and murder of Wayt, even if he is no longer fully human), this is a fun read.  Calloway and Shea are obviously based on Lumley's Crow/DeMarigny, but at least Shea expresses displeasure over Calloway's boorish behavior - even if he is ultimately just as much a doormat as LDM.  It should be noted, too, that Calloway is ill-mannered but at least not an insufferable, condescending fuckface like Crow.

Like I said, a fun, pulpy read.  I wouldn't mind taking in some more Shea/Calloway stories (apparently there are many).