Desolace

By Lucian Barnes

Newly revised in April of 2013.

A serial killer is loose in Misty Hollows, Ohio and Katie Johnson is sure that her friend Julie has been abducted by this madman. As she searches for her friend, Katie finds an unexpected ally in the ghost of one of the killers victims and soon finds herself transported to a completely foreign time and place. She only hopes that she can find Julie before it's too late.

Please note that this book contains adult material that may not be suitable for younger readers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lucian Barnes
• Release date: May 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301629602

Lucian Barnes

I spent most of my youth in rural Ohio and began writing stories at an early age. Many of these early attempts at story-telling were inspired by mysteries, such as those found in the old Hardy Boys books and the cartoon antics of Scooby Doo. As I entered my teenage years I began to drift away from writing stories, instead picking up my pencil to compose lyrics for heavy metal songs because my new dream was to become a musician. That vision remained hopeful for many years after my high school graduation, but like most dreams of this nature it died out as I became older.After working several menial jobs through the years that followed, my thoughts again began to turn toward writing books. Inspired by my favorite author, Stephen King, I took an online creative writing course and slowly began to develop my skills. In late 2010 I was given a violent shove, both by the job market (which was horrible to say the least, and still is) and by the persistent encouragement of close friends, to pick up my pen and begin writing again.In early 2012, I gave birth (that's almost what it felt like) to my very first published book, Desolace. Finally having a completed novel in my hand was the best feeling in the world for me, giving me a sense of accomplishment I had waited a lifetime for. Since then it has gotten easier for me with each book I have published. Since the initial release of Desolace, I have published four more novels in the series. My latest work is the fifth installment of the Desolace Series, Cemetery Hill.For more about Lucian Barnes and the Desolace series:Official website - http://lucianbarnes.wix.com/authorhttps://www.facebook.com/lucianbarnesauthorhttp://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Desolace/292242934166864https://www.facebook.com/groups/224805344323163/also on Twitter @LucianBarnes

Book preview

Chapter 1

George Mancini sat down in his recliner with the morning newspaper. The headline seemed to jump off the front page at him. Toledo Woman Abducted From Park. A smile crept onto his face as he read. When he was finished, he re-folded the paper and set it aside. From the curled paper, the face of a beautiful red-haired, green-eyed, woman in her mid-twenties named Amber Richards gazed vacantly at the ceiling. George rose and went over to the bookshelf across the room.

Reaching up, he tilted back a book on the shelf titled 'It'. The bookshelf immediately slid to the right. Stepping through the opening, he flipped a switch on the inside of the wall, sending the panel back to its original position.

George stood still for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the dim lighting inside. He descended down a set of stairs, which curved at the bottom and terminated at a steel door. Pulling a key out of his pants pocket, he unlocked the dead bolt and once inside, he paused to latch it again. Crossing the room, he approached another heavy steel panel installed to act as a sound buffer and unlocked that as well. Stepping inside, he pulled the door closed.

He gazed across the chamber at the slumped figure of a girl, nude and chained, held in place like a marionette. Her flaming red hair, knotted and tangled, hid her face.

He walked across the room and reached out to gently stroke her hair. She recoiled at his touch, trying to withdraw, but was held fast by the chains. She attempted to scream for help, but the gag in her mouth prevented her from doing so.

Grasping her hair, he viciously yanked her head back. What do you think you’re doing? Do you think you can get away from me? Or maybe you think someone will hear you and come to your rescue?

Looking into his eyes, hysterical fear making hers seem larger, the woman shook her head, indicating that she had no such delusions.

You will do whatever I want you to ... when I want you to do it!

She nodded her head in understanding.

Playtime is about to begin, he sneered.

She winced slightly at the malicious intent in his voice, afraid he was about to strike her. Instead, he stepped behind her. A scraping sound, like something being dragged across the concrete floor, echoed throughout the room. A few seconds passed before the noise stopped and he entered her line of sight again, striding toward the door on the other side of the room. After pausing to unlock it, he went through. The distinct sound of the bolt sliding back into place bounced off the cinder block walls.

Once she was reasonably sure he wasn’t coming back right away, she looked around the room, hoping to find a way of freeing herself. Her wrists and ankles were held firmly with leather bands, secured in place with tiny padlocks. There were metal rings on each of these, through which a sturdy looking chain passed, leading to somewhere behind her. By the feel of it, she assumed there was something similar around her throat. The steel links originating from her neck, she saw, led to a large metal ring set in the concrete floor. The chain going through this ring looped back toward itself and had a padlock on it to prevent it from slipping out of place. As she continued to take in the horror of her surroundings, she saw a drainage grate embedded in the stained cement almost directly beneath her.

Suddenly, she heard the dead bolt retracting. The man entered the room again, locking the door behind him. An enormous Rottweiler, with a head the size of a basketball, stood beside him. A leather collar adorned with giant metal spikes circled its neck. Amber was terrified of large dogs, but thankfully this one was on a sturdy looking leash. The man held the strap taut with one hand. In the other he gripped a brown paper sack. The expression on his face sent a shiver down her spine.

Placing the tote on the floor near his feet, he secured the dog to a ring that was attached to the wall. He returned to the grocery bag and rummaged through its contents. Pulling a package of raw hamburger and a Budweiser from it, he sat down on the floor near the bound woman. Ripping open the package, he grabbed a sizable clump of meat and stuffed it into his mouth. As the Rottweiler began to whimper, he dipped his hand back into the container and tossed a large wad of beef in the animal's direction.

The girl felt saliva building up in her mouth. Her stomach rumbled, drawing his attention to her.

You getting hungry, Amber?

Her head snapped up. How does he know my name? As her panic began to build, she reached the conclusion that he likely had her driver’s license in his possession. Realizing that she had not answered his question yet, Amber quickly nodded her head.

If I take the gag out of your mouth, will you scream?

She shook her head emphatically.

Are you telling me the truth?

Fearing what he would do if she didn't comply, she nodded in agreement.

I suppose it won’t hurt. Even if you were to scream, no one would hear you anyway.

Relief showed in her eyes as he stood up. She felt his hands working on the back of her neck. Within moments, she began to feel the gag loosening ... and as quickly as it had begun to release its grip on her mouth, it fell with a wet slap to the floor. A feeling of gratitude swept over her.

Thank y— she began to say, only to be silenced by a large clump of meat he had roughly crammed into her mouth, thus silencing her once again. Amber winced and gagged, finding the texture of the raw hamburger repulsive. As she tried to work some of the meat into her throat using her tongue, she caused herself to wretch a little. Even though it made her gag, Amber managed to get enough of it down that she could move her jaws a tiny bit.

Sitting down in front of her, George narrowed his eyes and scrutinized her features as she struggled to swallow the meat he had given her. Opening his beer, he took a long drink from the bottle before setting it back down on the floor. Rising to his feet, he fished his fingers into his pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. Thumbing through them until he found the one he was looking for, George reached over and unlocked the padlock that held her neck chain to the ring in the floor. As she watched him do this, the meat that was still in her mouth fell to the floor, her jaw dropping open in disbelief. With the downward pressure on her neck gone, she began to entertain thoughts of possible release. He picked up the bottle of beer again, tipped it back, and drained the remaining liquid down his throat. Replacing the empty container on the concrete, he moved behind her. She heard the jangle of keys, followed by the sound of a padlock popping open. Chains began to clink and rattle, and in seconds the pressure had quickly built up on her arms and wrists. When the pain started to subside, Amber realized that she was actually standing upright. Then she heard the click of the lock snapping shut again.

Thank you, she murmured gratefully, shocked by his sudden burst of kindness.

I figured you might be thirsty and you couldn’t have gotten much down your throat from the position you were in. Though his tone was kind, not even a trace of emotion showed on his face.

Amber watched as he sauntered casually toward the wall on her right. For the first time, she noticed a reel of garden hose mounted on the wall with a spigot protruding from the cinder blocks beside it. Turning the water on, he grabbed the sprayer attached to the end of the hose, unwinding it as he walked toward her. Placing the nozzle to her mouth, he squeezed the trigger gently. A trickle of water moistened her lips and slid down her throat. After allowing her to drink in this manner for a couple of minutes, George released his grip on the handle and backed away from her. Without warning he suddenly raised the nozzle again and depressed the trigger fully. A cold, hard, stream of water pounded into her face, painfully stinging her eyes and temporarily blinding her. Instinctively, Amber tried to back away and was stopped in her tracks by an excruciating pain in her back. It felt as if a thousand needles had just pierced her flesh. She moved forward again, trying to distance herself from the pain, fighting against the constant stream of liquid pelting her in the face—only to be reined in by the chains. The Rottweiler began to bark excitedly, pulling against its own restraint.

Why is he doing this to me? What does he want? Delirious with terror, Amber couldn't imagine things getting any worse. As if her thoughts had been an unwritten invitation, something cold brushed against her inner thigh and rudely penetrated her. Twisting her body, she tried to forcibly expel the icicle-like object from her vagina, temporarily forgetting about the pain in her back ... only to be reminded once again.

Suddenly the water stopped beating against her face. She shook her head in an attempt to clear the droplets of liquid from her eyes, and tried to move forward to ease the pain in her back. As she did, Amber felt one of his hands grab her right breast. She recoiled from his touch ... only to feel the needle-like pain jabbing at the tender flesh of her posterior once more. Screaming in terror, Amber lunged forward against her bindings. His grip on her tightened, and she felt the object between her legs begin to savagely slide in and out of her. She was overwhelmed with horror and shame, feeling degraded by the violation of her womanhood.

George watched her body language as he continued his assault. Is it my imagination? Is she getting aroused? Was that a moan of pleasure? A vein started to pop out on his forehead. Eyebrows furrowed, his face grew red. Hatred gleamed in his eyes.

The assault of her body suddenly stopped. Anger was etched across his face as he removed the object from her aching and sore vagina. Her stomach lurched when she got a brief glimpse of the beer bottle he held beneath his nose, inhaling deeply through his nostrils.

Whore! he screamed. Bringing the bottle up, he viciously smashed it on the side of her head. As his swing followed through, the jagged edges of the broken glass raked across her face. I’ve wasted enough time with you, he growled, dropping the remaining shard from his hand. Slowly, he approached the frenzied dog. Patting him on the head affectionately, George released the animal from his leash, but kept a firm hold on the Rottweiler's collar while forcing the giant dog to look at the girl. Before releasing his grip, George pointed and whispered into the animal’s ear, King—food. King lunged toward the girl with open jaws, clamping down on a section of her right calf and whipping his head violently from side to side as if she were a chew toy. George turned and left the room as Amber screamed for mercy.

Chapter 2

The bell rang, signifying the end of the school day. The students began to exit Misty Hollows High School, heading toward their busses. Katie Johnson, a tall, well-proportioned, farm girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes, was talking with one of her friends, Julie Evans, as they walked.

Do you think your parents would mind if I came over today and spent the night? Julie asked.

As long as I get my chores done and my homework finished, I don’t think they’ll care.

I could always help with your homework, ya know.

True. I’ll ask ‘em when I get home and call you.

Okay. Talk to ya later then.

Bye.

Turning in opposite directions, they separated and went to their busses. Finding a seat to herself, Katie passed the time with her history book open on her lap. Before she knew it, she was home.

Strolling into the house, she was immediately hit with the smell of pot roast. Hi, Mom. I’m home, she yelled toward the kitchen.

Hi, sweetie. Did you have a good day at school?

Yeah. Pretty good, she replied, setting her books down on the desk in her bedroom. Leaving her room, she stepped into the kitchen, throwing an arm around her mom in a brief hug. I’m gonna go start my chores, Mom. If you need me for anything, just holler.

She smiled. Okay.

Close to an hour had gone by when Katie returned to the kitchen. I’m done with my chores now, Mom. Can Julie come over and spend the night?

What about your homework?

Julie was gonna help me with it, Katie answered.

I suppose so, her mom remarked after considering the idea for a minute. Just try not to stay up all night. I know how you girls get when you’re together.

Okay. Thanks!

Unable to restrain her grin, remembering how things were when she was that age, Mrs. Johnson watched her daughter practically run from the room to call her friend.

Katie snatched up the phone from the end table next to the couch. In her elation, she managed to misdial Julie’s phone number a few times before actually getting it right. She couldn't help being excited. Until now, her mom had only allowed Katie's friends over during the day. This was the first time she had permitted a friend to spend the night.

Julie answered on the first ring, almost as if she had been lurking by the phone. Hello?

Hardly able to contain her emotion, Katie responded excitedly, Hey. My mom said it was okay for you to come over and spend the night, she blurted.

Cool! I have a surprise I was gonna bring with me.

What kind of surprise? Katie wheedled.

You’ll just have to wait ‘til I get there to find out, won’t ya? Julie teased.

Oh, come on! Give me a hint. Pleeease?

All right, all right, Julie conceded. It’s something I found in an abandoned house near here when I went into it on a dare.

Katie considered the possibilities for a few moments.

The silence of the phone line was maddening. Are you still there? Julie inquired, wondering if the connection had been lost. Phone service wasn't exactly the best out in the country.

Yeah, Katie replied absently. I was trying to figure out what it could be, but I'm drawing a blank.

Guess yer just gonna have to wait and see then.

I guess so, Katie sighed. How long before you can come over?

I can head over now, if that’s okay.

It should be all right.

See ya in a bit then, Julie stated cheerfully.

Okay. Bye.

Katie hung up the phone and went back to the kitchen to see if her mom needed any help with dinner. When she entered the room, Katie saw her sitting at the table, looking at the newspaper. Mrs. Johnson glanced up as her daughter approached.

Need any help, Mom?

No, but I want to talk to you about something, she replied, patting the chair beside her.

Sitting down, Katie looked tentatively at her with a raised eyebrow, waiting to hear some sort of speech about rules regarding Julie’s stay. Instead, she watched the expression on her mom’s face change from light-hearted to concerned.

Do you girls go to the parks at all? she asked.

Occasionally, Katie answered, caught off guard by the question. Why? What’s up, Mom?

Do you remember me telling you about a girl that disappeared from one of the parks in Toledo a couple of weeks ago?

Kind of, Katie replied, suddenly growing nervous.

Well, it happened again.

Reviews for Desolace

[merisha_abbott · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book in exchange for a honest review.
Desolace by Lucian Barnes

This book was out of my element. I had a hard time getting into the book, but toward the end it got better. I'm intrigued of the concept and the idea of the serial killer jumping worlds and getting slaves for this dark voice and mechanical minions. The beginning to middle was drawn out and a little slow. Felt more Young adult with a serial killer who does nasty things to his victims. The middle to the end had me captivated and wanted to know more of the quest and new world they were plunged. I honestly feel this is one of the hardest reviews I have ever written. It may have been the pacing of the beginning, I honestly can't pin point it. I almost felt like I was reading two different stories with the same characters. I loved the middle to the end!! I can't stress that enough. I almost fell like the first part is a murder mystery and the last is sci-fi.

This story is about Katie and Julie who are best friends. They stumble on paranormal activities through a Ouija board. The ghost leads them to a serial killers house. Katie is pretty sure that Julia was abducted by this madman. With the help of the ghost and Edward from a different world they set upon a quest to rescue her friend, stop the darkness that encroaches upon the worlds,and to destroy the evil man killing women.

[ladynocturnus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This series Must be read in order! This is the first book and it is not for the faint of heart or the squeamish.You really have to pay attention with this book as there is a lot going on. I would suggest reading it in complete quiet :) It starts out in our world but quickly another intrudes. There are so many different genres involved it would be impossible to pick one. Horror and suspense... mystery and fantasy... action, adventure, and thrills that are more and more chilling.. all in all it is a masterful blend of all of these and probably more :DThis story is told from many points of view and that's what makes the story flow so well :D I did not know what to expect when I started reading it but I was quickly hooked. The protagonists are two teen girls who find themselves drawn into a quickly escalating situation when a local man becomes a serial killer. They are led by a ghost into a sticky situation that ends with unimaginable consequences. The complexity of the storyline made this a very compelling read. I am afraid to say more because I do not want to ruin the story :D I can't wait to read the next book in this series!** this book is for adults only due to graphic violence leading to graphic murders