(Excerpt from Chapter 5: Talia)
“Talia we are with the Church, we’re here to bring you home,” said
MK. They could hear the girl breathing heavily, she was scared and hungry.
Talia feels defeated and afraid. MK extended her hand into the darkness of the
small space; Talia slowly reached out her hand to meet MK’s. MK brought her
out. The girl’s dark brown hair is disheveled, her slender frame was crouched
tightly within the space. Her clothes are dirty and torn, and her face shows
some light bruising; her big brown eyes show fear and distrust.
When she stepped out, in her hand was almond water. “Where did you get that?” asked MK.
“I found it,” she whispered. MK looked at Jane, perplexed. “Come,
let’s go, we can’t remain in one place for too long. When we find a good place
to rest, you’re going to tell me how you survived and how you accidentally slipped
into this place,” said Jane. Talia nodded. They continued onward until they
came across what looked like a library, an empty library. “Look at this place
Jane,” MK said. Jane looked around, the shelves were empty, no books, only a computer
table and some chairs situated at the center. Jane, MK, and Talia quickly
walked in and found a secluded corner and sat down. Jane took off her backpack and MK
did the same. “I have an uneasy feeling about this place, even though it’s just
a library, there’s something about it that gives off a hollowness of darkness
and despair,” said Jane, looking around nervously. “Here,” Jane handed Talia an
energy bar. “This should help with your hunger.”
“Talia, how did you get that almond water?” Jane asked. Talia
gulped, “I found it in a crate. The wooden crate was open, and one bottle was
in there.” “You must’ve come across the wooden crate we opened earlier but how?
You could’ve been behind us somehow, but we did not see you,” Jane said and
pondered. The structure of the Backrooms changes once every hour, so Talia was
randomly thrown into different areas of the Backrooms.
“Did you come across
anything unusual while you journeyed through the Backrooms?” asked MK, she
could sense Talia’s angst and the trauma she has experienced. MK looked into
her brown eyes. She can see Talia’s memories and her experiences in the
Backrooms. “Don’t worry we really are from the other side. We were sent here to
bring you back. Father Patrick sent us,” MK reassured her. Talia gulped then
spoke, “A werewolf or something like it, tried to grab me, but I ran away, and
a Hunter shot at it with a gun. I should have stopped but I just kept running.
He called out to me; I hesitated but I didn’t trust anything or anyone in here, so
I kept on running,” she paused, “Some of these creatures can mimic your voice
or someone else’s voice to lure you toward them. I found a crate with one
almond water; I drank the water and suddenly I got a boost of energy, and I ran
and kept on running.”
“That other Hunter, did he say his name?” Jane asked.
“No, I wasn’t sure if I should trust him. When I ran, he came
after me but the walls in here sometimes shift, I think we were cut off from
each other. I found the crawl space and hid in it, I don’t know how long I’ve
been in there, I don’t know how long I’ve been in this place either.” A tear
ran down her cheek, she wiped it off. MK hugged her, “It’s okay, we’re here and
we will help you get out.” Jane sighed and gave her a nod. “Don’t worry little
one, we’ll get you out,” she said. “So, it’s true, the almond water in here has
healing properties," said MK. Jane nodded, “It’s best to keep some around then.”
“Do you remember how you came into the Backrooms?” Jane asked.
“I was angry with my mother for grounding me, so I decided to slip
out at night to go with my friends to a party. I climbed down the sturdy vine trellis on the side of the
house where my window is, then I jumped down, it was then that I ended up here.
It’s as though I fell through the ground. Am I in hell?” she asked. “No dear,
but it does come close,” Jane responded, grimly. They remained quiet for a
brief moment, before MK's expression shifted dramatically. "I feel
something approaching," she exclaimed, her voice tinged with urgency as
she rose to her feet. "What do you mean?" Jane also stood, clutching
her crossbow tightly.
"It feels like a creature is near," MK replied, taking a
moment to focus. She attempted to delve into its thoughts to pinpoint its
hiding place, then MK’s eyes looked up.
“It’s in the ceiling,” she whispered. “Talia, go hide under that
table and don’t come out until it’s clear,” said Jane. Talia nodded and
scurried under the librarian’s desk. Jane looked at the ceiling and noticed
that some of the panels were punched out. “The ceiling has some missing
panels,” she pointed up. “I can feel it coming closer it will be appearing soon,”
MK warned. A strange long dark insect leg stretched downward from one of the
missing panels, it looked like spider legs. “There’s nowhere to hide for us,
we’re just going to have to face it. Be prepared,” said Jane. MK took out the
taser that was in her backpack, the new weapon that the scientist created. The
creature managed to squeeze down from the hole, emerging in full view. Talia
screamed. “Jane it’s a very large spider or,” she paused, “Well, something like
it I guess,” she said, with a shaky voice. Jane gulped. She can see that the
creature looks like a spider by all respects, but there are indiscernible
features she can’t make out. When they kill it, she will examine it. It lifted
itself using its back legs, exposing what looks like a vertical maw, wide open
revealing jagged teeth.
Website
Amazon
Google Books
Audiobook
.jpg)
