Cabal (novella)

Cabal is a 1988 horror novella by British author Clive Barker. It was originally published in the United States as part of a collection comprising the novella and several short stories from Barker's sixth and final volume of the Books of Blood.

Plot

The story concerns a young man named Boone, who is suffering from an unspecified mental illness. Although it is not serious enough to institutionalize him, he is nonetheless seeing a psychiatrist named Decker. To his horror, during a session he is informed by Decker that he is responsible for the brutal mutilation murders of eleven people, murders that have been committed by a serial killer and have terrorized the city (Calgary, Alberta, in Canada) recently. Boone does not recall these actions, apparently because his mind has blanked them from his consciousness. He initially tries to kill himself, but when he fails he begins to believe he can save himself in a place known as Midian, a semi-mythical city, which has appeared in his dreams as a place that offers sanctuary to monsters – both the human kind and otherwise -, known as the Nightbreed. He hurriedly begins to seek Midian, unaware of the truth behind the insidious events that set him on this course.

Boone eventually finds Midian, but discovers that the town is deserted. Travelling to the cemetery nearby he discovers that Midian in fact lies beneath the cemetery. Two of the Nightbreed appear and attack him. One of them bites him, but he is able to escape. Boone returns to the abandoned town where he is confronted by Decker. Decker reveals that Boone is innocent of the killings, and that Decker is the one who actually committed the murders, intending to use Boone as a scapegoat. Soon after Boone is shot to death by Decker and the police, who was following his trail. However, soon after this his body vanishes from the morgue.

After Boone's apparent death, his lover, Lori, travels to Midian after hearing of his corpse's disappearance. Along the way she makes friends with Sheryl, another woman who decides to accompany Lori. When they arrive at Midian Lori encounters two of the Nightbreed, Babette, a small child, and Rachel, her mother. Lori is refused entrance to the underground by Lylesburg, another member of the Nightbreed.

Lori and Sheryl depart Midian and return to a nearby inn. Sheryl brings Lori out to a restaurant with her to meet her new boyfriend, who ends up being Decker. Decker, who possesses a button faced mask that houses his murderous personality, kills Sheryl, and Lori narrowly escapes. She returns to Midian, where Decker pursues her. She is saved by Boone, who goes above ground and reveals himself, being banished for doing so. Before he leaves, Boone sees Midian's creator, Baphomet, who appears as a dismembered body in a large fire.

Boone and Lori depart Midian as demanded and return to the hotel where Lori had stayed with Sheryl. They soon discover that Decker was at the hotel, and has killed many inside. The police arrive and Lori is able to flee, while Boone degenerated to an animalistic state and is quickly arrested. Decker goes to the police himself, and is able to convince them to go to Midian and capture or kill everyone living there.

Lori meets up with Narcisse, a former human who like Boone traveled to Midian and became part of the Nightbreed. They enter the jail where Boone is being held and break him out. They return to Midian, which is overrun by the police, who have killed or captured many of the Nightbreed, forcing them out from the underground by setting it aflame. Boone and the others engage in the fight and he has his final confrontation with Decker, killing him. The remaining policemen are all either killed or chased off, but Midian is completely destroyed. Those who remain of the Nightbreed bind up the parts of Baphomet and leave, in search of a new home.

In popular culture

• The book was adapted into the 1990 film Nightbreed, written and directed by Barker himself, starring Craig Sheffer as Boone and David Cronenberg as Decker, with a soundtrack by Danny Elfman.

• British extreme metal band Cradle of Filth's fourth studio album, Midian, is loosely based on the book.