The Hyborian Age; The Thing in the Crypt

Young Conan escapes slavery. For two days he ran south, exhausted by hunger, cold, and fatigue, while wolves chased him at his heels, not giving him a chance to stop. Conan reaches a rock, climbs into a crevice between rocks—and there, in a dark cave.

Groping in the dark for leaves and rotten boards, Conan builds a fire, and in the flame’s light he sees a corpse sitting enthroned. Across its bony knees lay a sword. Conan takes the sword, cleans it, tests it in his hand—then, turning toward the rustling sound from the throne, Conan sees what, above all else, stirred his fear and superstitious dread: the dead man has come to life…