Cabal (novella)

Cabal

First edition (US)
Author	Clive Barker
Cover artist	Clive Barker
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Horror
Publisher	Poseidon Press (US) Collins (UK)
Publication date	1988
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	368

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

The book was adapted into the film Nightbreed in 1990, written and directed by Barker himself, starring Craig Sheffer and David Cronenberg.

The story is focused on a young man named Boone, who is suffering from an unspecified mental disorder. He is consulting a psychiatrist named Decker. To Boone's horror, he is informed by Decker that he is responsible for the brutal murder of eleven people, the most recent of which was in the City of Calgary. Boone, however, has no recollection of the murders he has committed.

Boone initially tries to kill himself, but when this fails, he begins to believe he can save himself from prosecution. Midian, a semi-mythical city, appears in his dreams as a place that offers sanctuary to monsters, who are collectively known as the Night Breed. He starts trying to reach Midian, unaware of the truth behind the insidious events that set him on this course.

Boone eventually finds Midian, but he discovers that the town is deserted and that it in fact lies beneath a cemetery. Two of the Night Breed appear and attack him. One of them bites Boone, 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 dead by Decker and the policemen, who were on his trail. Boone's body is then placed in a morgue, but mysteriously disappears.

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, who decides to accompany her. When they arrive at the cemetery, Lori encounters two of the Night Breed: a small child named Babette and her mother Rachel. Lori is refused entrance to Midian, and she and Sheryl return to a nearby inn. Sheryl takes Lori to a restaurant to meet her new boyfriend, who turns out to be Decker. Decker, who possesses a button-faced mask that houses his murderous personality, kills Sheryl, but Lori narrowly escapes. She returns to Midian with Decker in pursuit. She is saved by Boone, who appears above ground and reveals himself. Before he leaves, Boone sees Midian’s creator, Baphomet, who appears as a dismembered body within a large fire.