The Guardian of the Dead

Ambrose Bierce is a master of short prose, having written over a hundred novellas during his lifetime, most of which belong to the so-called 'horror tales' due to their oppressive and mysterious atmosphere. He was always interested in the psychology of horror and metaphysical puzzles, which is why the author's work is filled with mysterious situations with unpredictably overwhelming outcomes, where the characters perish not from a gunshot, knife, or claws of a beast, but from fear itself.