I really loved this one. It's one of the best horror stories I've heard in a while.
I didn't have problems with the logic of it. I was just thrilled at what an original and frightening idea it conveyed. There have been many stories with similar concepts, but none I can remember that put them together in this particular way. The idea of having to walk through the dark with sanity-destroying monsters all around you was genuinely scary. Plus, the choice of death vs. insanity was interesting to think about.
The best part was that there was no explanation given for where the creatures came from or what they were. I liked how the narrator speculated that they might be some kind of tree but then dismissed it as ridiculous. Maybe a subtle dig at The Happening?
The other best part: THIS WASN'T YET ANOTHER ZOMBIE STORY. When the story began, it seemed to be heading in that direction, and my heart sank. Then it veered off into something far more creative and memorable.
In my opinion, zombies have become the anti-horror conceit. Each new story about zombies makes them less scary, and they were never that scary to begin with. The horror landscape has become crowded with zombies, over saturated with zombies. Zombies are knocking on your front door to hand you your mail. They aren't zombie postmen, they've just brought the mail from your mailbox to your door because they have nothing better to do and they want to feel useful. At this point, zombies are like a peanut butter sandwich on Wonder bread -- neither appetizing nor satisfying. For a while, they held some comedy value, but now even that's getting old. In my opinion, the best way to make your horror story immediately forgettable is to put zombies in it.
I don't like zombies, is my point.
We need more stories like this that illustrate a truly creepy idea we haven't heard a thousand times -- that create new mythologies to stimulate our desensitized imaginations. This is why I listen to Pseudopod. Nice job.