Lost in the Backrooms: Author's Notes

 

(At the end of the book, you will find a section titled Author's Notes, which delves into the story, the characters, and the inspiration behind this story. Below are the Author's Notes for Lost in the Backrooms.)

This book is part of an anthology/book series related to supernatural/ paranormal stories, the first book in this series is, Lost in the Backrooms Vol. 1. This is the main character’s first encounter with the non-Euclidean dimensional realm. When I began working on this book, I checked out videos and read various writings to gather more insights on the subject. Most of my research happened online, and since the Backrooms concept isn’t copyrighted and is open to interpretation, anyone can use it for videos, books, art, and other creative projects. Not all the books on the Phoenix Files will be related to the Backrooms, in fact the next time the Backrooms are mentioned it will be in Volume 3. The main characters in this book only skimmed the surface of the Backrooms. They did not go through all the levels. I place them mostly in level 0. According to the lore of the Backrooms, it starts like this: If you’re not careful and no-clip out of reality in the wrong areas, you’ll end up in the Backrooms, where it’s nothing but the stink of old moist carpet, the madness of mono yellow, the endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in. God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby because it sure as hell heard you. I found this very intriguing and somewhat scary, but it gave me inspiration for this book. According to some people, most wanderers don’t meet each other in the Backrooms, it’s rare but in my story, I chose to have the characters meet each other so they can fight together and find a way out.

About the main characters: Jane is 28 years old; Father Patrick is in his early 50’s and John, her mentor, is five years older than her. Jane’s sexual preference is loosely mentioned in this book. The relationship between Mary Kate and Jane will grow throughout the book series. I feel that being diverse in character is important to go with the flow of today’s society, despite what certain groups think. As a writer, I feel that it’s important to represent certain groups in society in my writing. Jane is also half Scottish/Irish and native American. Her parents were Hunters but died during one of their assignments. Jane was raised at one of the orphanages that the Church owns and trained to be a hunter.

 What about the subtle connotation of religion in the story? I grew up Catholic, so I included some religious themes in the story. Jane and MK's faith, bravery, and trust in God really helped them as they looked for a way out. In the narrative, they belong to a church-related group that tackles paranormal and supernatural cases that the authorities shy away from because they can't solve them. Jane and MK were changed by their experiences in the Backrooms. It left a scar and for months they’ve experienced restless nights as any person would if the Backrooms were real and he or she ended up there and came back. They would have PTSD and would suffer some inner turmoil. Unlike Jane’s nightmares, MK’s dreams take her into the BACKROOMS. She is in astral form when she enters, and she can go further into the Backrooms, visiting other levels. There she finds people who have set up small colonies and are living a life there unbeknownst to the outside world.

On occasion, Reyna experiences similar dreams but cannot astral project. Reyna and others who have been thrown into the Backrooms by accident, they were unprepared unlike Jane and MK. Jane and MK are Hunters and have dealt with entities and cryptids in the past, so they were prepared but the Backrooms was something else entirely different. MK found new powers hidden within herself but once they crossed over, she was back to normal, or she thought. Jane and MK ventured through three or four levels before ending up back at level 0. They may have been prepared with weapons and other necessities, but they had no knowledge of what they would find and what to expect while looking for Talia. John arrives at the Backrooms searching for all three of them. I felt that the characters stood a better chance of escaping the Backrooms together. Together they fought monsters and together they found a way out. John and Talia were the first to exit the Backrooms and after some tribulation, Jane and MK found their way out too. The exit may appear anywhere. Portals can appear anywhere at any time. However, in the Backrooms lore, it’s probably not that way. Mary Kate’s connection to the Backrooms will not be addressed until volume 3, when she ends up entering the Backrooms once again. The gentle voice she hears in her dreams is an unknown person who lives in one of the Human based communities in one of the levels of the Backrooms. The next book in the series is called, The Path Less Taken vol. 2.

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Excerpt from: Lost in the Backrooms Chapter 5

 

(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.

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