Eve of the Fomorians (short story)

Eve of the Fomorians was a short story in the Lethbridge-Stewart series released by Candy Jar Books in 2016.

Summary
On Halloween, strange pale-painted figures under the command of a large, spindly being raid a village. Only a boy named Danny escapes by being hidden in a closet.

Shortly after, on a day trip to celebrate her birthday the day before, Anne Travers, William Bishop and Samson Ware receive an odd signal on the car radio before they come across the village. They find an abandoned car at the outskirts - a car whose driver is dead, the corpse unusually dessicated for a recent death. Anne surmises its atomic structure has been stripped away, and Bill decides they need to investigate the village for anything paranormal. They find it abandoned and food cooling in a bar. A newspaper says "Barrow Prof Missing".

Anne goes looking for a phone and is confronted by two of the white-daubed figures with the strange being. The sound of static fills her head in its presence. The creature starts to phase out of existence and Anne flees. Across town, Samson and Bill find Danny but also see a glowing, screaming man fro a few seconds. When Anne arrives in terror with the "stilt man" manifesting, the group run for the car. Anne theorises all of the strange events are due to a signal trying to break through into the area, caused by opening up the local barrow.

White-marked people and the "stilt man" are in pursuit when a man comes stumbling out of the woods. Bill makes the decision to not save him so they can get away.

The HAVOC group reach the barrow, and find every mirror in the village in a chamber and the villagers all in a trance. The missing professor, Arneson, is wearing an old helmet, deranged, and calls the creatures Fomorians. Nearby is the ancient corpse of a monster wearing a similar helmet, with old carvings depicting its defeat, but the clothes it wears are plastic. Arneson says he has become the conduit for the Fomorians; the "stilt man" is one that partially appeared and was stranded when the signal faded, but it grows stronger and the bulk of them will soon come through.

Anne theorises that on Halloween, space is somehow folded and allows the signal from the helmet to move faster than light and give the Fomorians something to lock onto. Samson works out that the sequel could be blocked by frequency oscillation, and Anne proposes using the dig site's Range Rovers with their military-grade shortwave radios. The men are able to do this but it only delays the Fomorians for a few minutes; Anne, realising the connection Arneson has to the helmet may be biologically, orders Bill to shoot him. Under mental attack by the Fomorian presence, he has to focus on Anne's voice to take the shot.

Days later, when Bill gives his report to Colonel Douglas, he says Anne believes there may be other Fomorians sites across the country - they only found this one in time by accident. Douglas puts the report in a file bulging with similar reports about ancient British legends.

Characters

 * Anne Travers
 * Samson Ware
 * William Bishop
 * Walter Douglas

Worldbuilding

 * While not said here, are monsters from Irish mythology that dwell under the Earth. Anne Travers believes this is just a name Arneson has given them rather than their true title.
 * Anne and Bill listen to Sympathy for the Devil.
 * Samson and Bill drive Range Rovers.
 * Bill considers Halloween "that American thing" and mocks trick-or-treating, and Samson also thinks kids are sparked by "all that American telly"; Anne reminds Bill the holiday has roots in Scotland.
 * Anne says "don't tell the locals" about being in Britain, a sardonic reference to Scottish nationalism.
 * Arneson says " was right" and all mankind's gods are aliens, a reference to the book  from the year before. (The basic idea would go on to appear in many Doctor Who stories)
 * The helmet glows "pumpkin orange" when in use, implying this is a basis for jack o'lanterns.

Continuity

 * Anne's birthday is near Halloween. (PROSE: The Lost Skin)
 * When describing the glowing figure, Bill says it might be an echo like the events at PROSE: Beast of Fang Rock.
 * Other beings calling themselves Fomorians would be seen in AUDIO: The Horror of Hy-Brasil.