Lost in the Backrooms: Chapter 3 The Site (excerpt)

 

Chapter 3: The Site (an excerpt)

When they walked in, Jane looked around. The house has an open floor plan so the kitchen can be seen from the Livingroom. The house is quite spacey and luxurious. There is no furniture in the Livingroom, except two chairs and a corner table set neatly at one corner of the room. A security guard was posted outside to keep curious people away and a cop car parked by the driveway as well. Two of the men in the suits looked at Jane and MK.

 “Hunters, we will give you necessary weapons that you’ll need for your mission,” the taller man said.

 “Okay,” Jane nodded. “While in the Backrooms, you will randomly find wooden box crates that might be filled with almond water and energy bars, you should

pack those in your backpacks when you can. It’s important,” the other man chimed in.

“Why?” asked MK.

 “It is believed that the almond water has healing properties,” said Father Patrick.

“How do you know this?” Jane asked.

“One of the Hunters that was sent into the Backrooms; hurt his hand pretty bad and when he drank the almond water, his wound seemed to have healed quickly.”

“What happened to the Hunter?” MK asked.

The priest hesitated, “He did not make it out but through the bodycam he wore, we got the information we needed.”

 “By the way, the bodycams might glitch and we honestly don’t know how long they will continue sending information back to the base so good luck,” one of the men in the hazmat suits chimed in.

Jane nodded, “Okay, understood.” Another man walked toward them and gave the priest a metal box, containing new weapons. He gave the Father a nod and walked away. Father Patrick set it down on the kitchen counter and keyed a combination number to open the box.

  “Here are weapons that you must carry. Our scientists created these weapons for special assignments like yours. You’ll be the first to handle them.” He handed MK and Jane a retractable silver sword, with a holster and sheath for it. He handed Jane a self-cocking tactical crossbow, and a handgun with pure silver bullets.

 “All items are Blessed. It is unknown if any of these items will be useful against the entities that reside within the Backrooms but through the experiences that other Hunters have had, some of these items do help to deter the creatures in that place.”

“So, the other hunters that went in, never returned?” asked MK. 

The priest closed the box. “We’ve sent other Hunters in the past and only one came back. He is the one who took the infamous picture and posted it anonymously online, against our wishes,” he sighed.

  “Is he still with us?” Jane asked.

  “No, he was let go, sent away for betraying confidentiality.”

Jane gave MK a look, “Well, that’s something we won’t do, we’ll keep everything confidential,” she said.

 “The Hunter’s bodycam went out after two weeks, so it did not send us video footage of the rest of his trip, only when he entered and up to the point when he went into the library.”

  “Library?” asked Jane.

  “Yes, you’ll see it if you come across it. I pray that both of you make it out,” he said with a worried tone, he gulped. MK smiled at him and gave him a hug. 

“We will, I have Jane, and I have Faith,” she said. MK watched the men in the hazmat suits going in and out of the house, then the last one brought in another box, and they begin to set up the equipment, a few feet away from the door to the storage room.

 “So, the hunters that went in had bodycams?” Jane asked.

  “All of them were equipped with bodycams, and yes, they had tracking chips too. The footage that the bodycams showed while in the Backrooms is intriguing and frightening. A Hunter engaged with an entity, used iron which fatally wounded the creature so, I imagine that some of the items you have in your backpacks will help, but it won’t work on the Hounds,” he said.

“The Hounds?” Jane asked.

 “According to the footage that one of our Hunters took, these creatures can be found in all levels of the Backrooms, they have filthy matted hair that obscures a twisted semi canine deformed face, it has human skin, but their bodies look like a jigsaw puzzle made up of human parts, formed and twisted into a monstrosity,” Father Patrick elaborated.

“When you see one, run or fight, either way those creatures will kill you. They have an insatiable hunger for human flesh. It is rumored that if they attack and bite you, you will slowly become one. Your body will reconstruct itself to adapt to the environment of the Backrooms,” one of the men in the hazmat suits informed her.

Jane sighed and looked at MK who was standing a few feet away from them watching as the men started to set up the equipment around the door. 

“So, I guess something like werewolves then.” Father Patrick nodded.

“What else should I look out for?” asked Jane. Father 

Patrick let out a sigh, “I’m not sure but you must use your instincts, and MK can guide you since she has psychic abilities. Use everything to your advantage. God did not create the Backrooms, but we can try to find the people that are lost and bring them back,” he said.

(Images are for the reader's entertainment)

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Social Media Indie Author Groups

 

I recently decided to leave a few self-promotion groups for indie authors on Facebook due to the lack of approval for my recent posts. While I noticed other authors successfully promoting their work, my submissions remained unapproved for several weeks, prompting my departure from those groups. I chose to stay with the groups that did approve my posts, but I find it perplexing why my contributions were overlooked. As an indie author, self-promotion is crucial, and social media offers valuable opportunities. However, it feels misleading when groups claim to support self-promotion for indie authors yet exclude certain posts. I wanted to share my experience to inform fellow authors about this issue. If you've had similar problems, please comment in the comment box below. thank you.

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My Goodreads Page & Changes I Made

 

I have updated my Goodreads account, changing my name to CG Heandez, which is a pseudonym for Cecile Garcia. Additionally, I revised the listings for books that are no longer available on Amazon as paperbacks by posting in the review box that they are no longer available. 

While "Chandra’s Quest" is accessible as an eBook, paperback, and audiobook formats, Goodreads still have books 2, 3, and 4 of the trilogy listed. I have noted in the review section for those books that those titles are no longer available on Amazon and have been incorporated into the complete novel, "Chandra’s Quest." Furthermore, some of my books on Goodreads feature outdated cover images. I wanted to inform my readers about these changes so if they visit my Goodreads page you'll see the changes.

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A Children's Book or Not

In the Company of Elves, a children’s book I wrote in the 2000s and published in 2009, was revised in 2018 and is now available on Amazon. I see it as suitable for readers aged ten and up, although it wasn’t quite what a family member had in mind when she suggested I write for kids. Her recommendation seemed to stem from her belief that my first book, Chandra’s Quest, lacked engagement, despite it being targeted at young adults. Ironically, after I published In the Company of Elves, I received no feedback from her—just silence. I know she must have seen it online since I’ve shared the link multiple times, which led me to think her idea of a children’s book leaned more towards younger audiences, perhaps with fewer words and more illustrations. While her suggestion might have been a bit sarcastic, it ultimately pushed me to improve my writing. In those early days, I often felt overlooked as a "real" writer or author.

Family can often be our toughest critics, but I believe I've made significant progress since my early writing days. I've released several books, including low-content ones, and my advice to fellow writers is simple: create what you love. Don’t let others' opinions dictate your writing path or deter you from crafting your next great story. Remember, not everyone will resonate with your work, and that's perfectly okay. If someone doesn’t appreciate it, that’s their loss.

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Path Less Taken: Excerpt from Chapter 6

 

(An excerpt from  A Path Less Taken Chapter 6 : The Overlords)

As Katy assisted the other women in carrying a basket of fresh berries to the adobe cliff dwellings, fatigue set in, prompting her to pause for a moment. She found herself reflecting on the ingenuity of the native people who constructed these homes on the mountainside, nestled within a large cave. Memories of her history class surfaced, where she learned about the Anasazi cave dwellings carved into the sandstone cliffs of Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. Yet, she noted that the village she is staying at has its own unique characteristics. She inhaled deeply and gazed up at the afternoon sky, where lavender clouds blended with shades of crimson above her. “Maybe rain,” she thought.

“You should not stop,” Luana warned. “The overlords will notice.” Katy glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of one of the enormous insects fixated on them, its multifaceted eyes glinting in the sunlight. A nervous gulp escaped her throat as she exchanged a quick nod with her companion. The group of women pressed on, their footsteps crunching against the rocky terrain as they made their way toward the canyon. The adobe village, nestled into the vibrant red cliffs of the mountain, appeared to be much farther away than Katy had initially anticipated, its unique architecture blending seamlessly with the surrounding landscape, almost as if it were a part of the mountain itself. The afternoon sun beat down relentlessly on the group as they hoisted their

baskets of berries above their heads, the heat radiating off the ground. Katy is wearing a brown weathered suede crop top, which is tied at the front and features a striking black fur trim that added a touch of flair to her look.

 Below, she has a torn, weathered brown suede miniskirt that she wouldn’t have chosen for herself, but it was the only option available when she arrived so she could blend in. In fact, it is mandatory to wear what the natives of that world wear. To complete her outfit, Luana had gifted her some black fur wristbands, which Katy wore proudly, feeling a mix of gratitude and a sense of belonging as they all worked together under the sweltering sun.

Katy was feeling utterly exhausted after a long day of picking and hauling a heavy basket filled with fruits. She finally found a moment to rest, plopping down on a large boulder and letting the basket settle at her feet. Just then, Luana appeared, her striking lavender violet eyes wide with concern.

 She approached Katy with urgency, warning her, “Please, it will see you, and you’ll end up in the oubliette again.” Her eyes hinted at the overlord. But at that moment, Katy was too drained to care about the threat of being thrown into the dark, dreaded oubliette. Her disdain for the overlords overshadowed her fear, and she simply replied, “I don’t care.” 

As Luana’s gaze shifted to an approaching insect, she quickly turned and walked away, leaving Katy to her thoughts and the weight of her fatigue. “Rise to your feet,” it ordered. Katy glared at the insect. She let out a heavy sigh and stood up. She can hear it speaking to her in her head. The overlords are telepathic, among other things.

“Who came up with the term overlords?” she silently mused, a scoff escaping her lips as she crossed her arms and fixed her gaze on the creature before her. Her eyes drifted to one of its missing legs, a remnant of an ill-fated escape attempt by a villager named Gregor. He had crafted a makeshift bat from a sturdy tree branch, concealing it cleverly until the moment he decided to flee. Unfortunately, his plan was thwarted; he was outnumbered by the insect guards, and now, he was no longer part of the tribe, the Queen took his head off and ate it. The memory of his courage hung in the air, intertwining with the palpable tension of the moment as she pondered the intricate power dynamics surrounding her.

 She envisioned a future where she would orchestrate her escape with far more cunning than he did. The uncertainty of how far she might venture before being apprehended loomed over her thoughts, a tantalizing question that remained unanswered. Suddenly, a voice broke through her reverie, sharp and commanding. “Get back in line and rejoin the others, or I will inform the Queen. You’ll find yourself in the oubliette once more, enveloped in darkness, deprived of food and water.” The voice paused, dripping with sarcasm as it added, “Surely, you remember your first experience there.” Katy gulped and gave a nod, picked up the basket and joined the other women. They made their way to the village within the canyon. 

(This is what I got so far of Chapter 6. I will complete the book sometime in 2026 and publish it.) 

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