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.

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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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Lost in the Backrooms: Chapter 9 Through the Fields and Home

 

(An excerpt from Chapter 9, Lost in the Backrooms: The Phoenix Files vol. 1)

“There’s nothing out of the ordinary here, just an old, abandoned house,” Jane said. They went downstairs and saw a door in the kitchen that they hadn’t seen before. Jane opened it.

  “It looks like a basement,” MK noted. They hesitated and she took out a flashlight before they descended. The basement is filled with cobwebs and dust everywhere; the walls are made of old bricks which are decaying and breaking apart, the room smells like death. “Ugh, this place smells so bad,” said MK, covering her nose with her hand. Jane did the same.

“No telling if there’s black mold here or anything thing else that can kill us by inhaling the air,” said Jane. The basement had one small window, covered with soot and cobwebs. MK noticed a white door on the other side of the room.

“Well, what do you think?”

“I guess we should go in,” Jane carefully opened the door and walked through. They were back in the yellow maze of the Backrooms once again.

“Oh no,” MK said, feeling disheartened but there is a hint of hope in her, “Jane, I believe that we will find our way out this time, I’m certain,” she said, optimistically but Jane is losing hope. MK’s abilities have increased, and now she will be able to guide them through. They continued their journey, their hair disheveled, cascading loosely down their shoulders, no longer in a ponytail; rips on their clothes with blood stains from the creatures they had slain, and a strange cough suddenly started to plague them. They both drank some almond water, and it temporarily tamed their cough. 

“Why are we coughing?” MK wondered aloud. “We didn’t have this issue when we first entered the Backrooms. It feels like it kicked in after we left that last area we were in,” MK continued, trying to piece together what might have triggered it.

“I think it’s the exposure to this other dimension, or maybe the basement of that house.” MK took a deep breath and coughed.

“Maybe we should’ve been wearing masks all the time,” Jane remarked.

 MK stopped, “I sense something coming.” They brandished their weapons, Jane aimed her pistol, ready for anything that might attack them, while MK raised her sword. 

Around the corner emerged a creature with insect-like limbs, its torso had four arms with two fingered claws. “What the Hell is that?” Jane exclaimed. The head of the creature has two almond shaped eyes on each side, white in color with a red rim around the iris, its mouth has sharp jagged teeth, but as it screeched, strange foot long tentacles emerged from the mouth. “It started out human,” said MK, staring at the eldritch abomination.

“Can you communicate with it?” MK tried but the creature was unreachable. She can see darkness and pain. It desires flesh, human flesh. MK gulped, “We are food,” she said. As it approached, it lunged at them. Jane shot several rounds into its head, bringing it down. MK took her sword and sliced the legs off.  

“Give it mercy, may it rest in peace,” said Jane, delivering the final blow, blood gushed around the body. As it died, MK saw flashes of who he once was. She gasped, “He was a Hunter, one of us.”

“Oh no,” said Jane, a dismal look shadowed her face as she stared at the creature.

She sighed, “I wonder who he was?”

“I think his name was Micah?”

“I’ll inform Father Patrick when we get back, if we get back.” Her faith is faltering; her patience is wearing thin. The maddening buzz of the fluorescent lights lingers above them. They no longer have their earplugs, because they lost them. They both said a silent prayer for their fallen comrade.

 “Let’s keep moving,” said Jane, with a sigh. They came across a hallway, with many doors on each side. They tried to open several doors but to no avail. The last door at the end is white with gold hinges and a doorknob. They looked at each other, MK gave Jane a nod. Jane cautiously opened the door. They found themselves in an abandoned house with graffiti all around the walls, the sound of birds chirping signaled that their ordeal was over. They smiled and hugged each other, overwhelmed by the feeling of triumph and elation. Tears of joy ran down their cheeks. Jane kissed MK on her lips, she blushed.

 “Oh my God, we’re home,” Jane said, overjoyed. As they emerged out of the front door of the abandoned house, they stood looking down at the neighborhood street and noticed overgrown weeds and cracked asphalt. Several homes were incomplete; the others are in disarray and decaying from abandonment and neglect. “I wonder if this was one of those communities that were abandoned and never completed because of the housing crisis,” said MK. Jane nodded and looked around, “I think it’s noon. I don’t know where we are.” 

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Chapter 3 Excerpt

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