Excerpts Horror Read an Excerpt From Abyss by Nicholas Binge Severance meets Lovecraft in this surreal tale of corporate horror and existential dread. By Nicholas Binge | Published on May 7, 2026 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from Abyss by Nicholas Binge, a new horror novella publishing with Nightfire on May 12th. Joe always had potential, but he doesn’t expect much, and he hopes that his new job as an admin assistant won’t expect much of him. But when he enters the offices of Ponos—a company he’s never heard of and knows nothing about—he discovers that potential is exactly what they want from him. Joe pulls his phone out of his pocket, and opens WhatsApp, reading the message that’s been waiting for him. Good luck today! He takes a deep breath, and types out a reply. Thanks, Mum. I miss you. It would be nice if I could come round on the weekend and tell you about it? Maybe we could make— His fingers pause. Pressing the Back key, he deletes the message and writes it again. Thanks, Mum It’s 8:58. Straightening up, he takes out his earphones and puts his phone in his pocket, then he walks up to the front doors. They don’t open. He pushes, and then pulls a little, glancing around to make sure no one thinks he’s an idiot. To his left, he sees the bulbous glass dome of a security camera pointing down at him. To his right, there’s a pad for a keycard. Idiot. Pulling the keycard from his pocket, he swipes it against the pad, which makes a positive beeping sound. The door clicks and Joe pushes it open. Inside, a corporate lobby stretches from one end of the building to another. There are minimalist tables and chairs dotted around, presumably for impromptu meetings and discussions. In between, potted ferns and palm-tree-like plants fill the space, the bright green a welcome contrast to the overwhelmingly pastel colour scheme. There’s a couple of offices labelled things like it support and operational management and, in front, a long welcome desk with several computers. The whole space is completely empty. The lights are on. The general hum of the building suggests that most of the electronics and technology are running away in the background. But there isn’t a person in sight anywhere. Joe takes two steps forward and stands in the centre of the lobby, baffled. “H-Hello?” he tries. Nothing. Approaching the desk, he glances over to see the computers—on, but not logged in—and half hopes he might find another human being crouching down picking up some papers or something, but no. Outside of the hum, the completeness of the silence is only punctuated by the rustle of Joe’s bag and clothes as he moves around the room. Buy the Book Abyss Nicholas Binge Buy Book Abyss Nicholas Binge Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget He wants to tiptoe, feeling like each time his foot touches the floor or clothes rustle against his bag he’s defiling some kind of perfect sanctuary of quiet. He wants someone to show up. Getting out his phone, he scrolls back through his induction emails. At the bottom, there is a name and a phone number. Virgil Stanforth. 020 3853 8523 He calls it, and it rings three times before someone picks up. “Yes?” “Hello, Mr. Stanforth?” A pause. “Yes?” “My— My name is Joseph Rice. I was hired at Ponos as an administrative support worker and this is my first day.” Another pause, this one longer. “Yes?” “Well, I . . . I’m in the lobby, and there’s no one here.” “What?” “Yes. I was told to come in at nine a.m. on my first day.” “You’re in the lobby?” Joe looks around him again, trying to work out if he’s somehow got it wrong, but he can’t understand how. “Yes.” “Jesus Christ.” A beep indicates the call’s been terminated, and Joe just stares at his phone for a minute, blinking at the screen. For a second, he considers leaving. If he goes home, he can order some food from that Mexican place and maybe put on a film. He’s not watched a film in months—every time he starts he keeps getting sucked into YouTube shorts and ends up turning it off. Maybe he could watch something new? Like a— His phone buzzes in his hand so loudly he almost drops it. The sound echoes round the painfully empty space, invading and infecting it so utterly that Joe scrambles to accept the call as fast as he can, his panicked fingers fumbling. “Hello?” “Welcome to Ponos, Mr. Rice.” It’s not Virgil Stanforth, but a woman’s voice—soft and comforting. “Our deepest apologies but everyone is extremely busy this morning. If you could please head to your right and take the lift up to the fourth floor, you’ll find your office space in Room 412. Your keycard should give you access and your login was provided with your induction packet.” “Oh,” he says. “Thank you. I appreciate that, I just wonder if—” “We value all our staff,” the woman cuts through, as if Joe hadn’t spoken. “At Ponos, we are family.” Once again, the call ends as suddenly as it began. Excerpted from Abyss, copyright © 2026 by Nicholas Binge. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>Abyss</i> by Nicholas Binge appeared first on Reactor.