The Time Warriors: The Limbo People book excerpt

All rights copyright Owen Quinn

The following excerpt is from the Time Warriors story The Limbo People, part of the new book The Time Warriors: Only The Dead Get Off At Kymlinge & Other Stories. Available on Amazon now with 3 variant covers to choose from.

Her camel coloured coat fluttered gently in the chilling breeze. Protected from the cold in a red high neck jumper and coal black trousers and black polished boots she was silhouetted against the black and orange coal sky. The slew of rocks rearing up around her were like silent sentinels from an age long forgotten, warriors from the volcano birthed to defend this place. Looking out at the churning waves in a silver sea laced with white froth beneath an iron grey sky it looked as alien as any planet they had visited. Earth’s myriad variety of landscapes left all those who saw them in awe each with their own cruel beauty.

 Moving carefully down the slope of shale and sand she approached her friend. The soft crunch of the black sand beneath her boots seemed different somehow to sand on beaches back in Ireland like Helen’s Bay or Terrella Beach. The smell of the sea air was more than welcome to her senses. She loved the smell of the brine especially on early morning walks. Jacke fully intended to live by the sea some day.

“You do know they say never to turn your back on the sea or the waves here.  I think they say that to add to the mystery and menace of the place; maybe to inspire a writer or poet that comes along.”

With a slight bow of his head Varran glanced at her sideways.

“You’re going to slap me for not answering you aren’t you?” he asked timidly.

 With a taut look Jacke replied, “You know full well it’s my pet hate. Manners cost nothing.”

Her tone didn’t cover her obvious irritation at Varran’s unusual behaviour and when the usually calm Jacke raised her voice her distinct Belfast accent was so much more frightening than any monster’s roar.

“This is beautiful,” she remarked taking her phone out and snapping some photos. Varran failed to notice her take one of him. She looked at it on her screen and it just showed him in deepening murky shadow looking out across the sea. It was as if the tendril shadows were insidiously manifesting to reality reflecting whatever was going on inside his head.

 “Before you ask how I found you or even knew that something was wrong, I’ll give you a quick recap.” The Irish girl glanced at the fading orange sky and breathed. “You haven’t been the same since we got back from Gaston. It’s the memory thing the Greys told you; I get it. You’ve been irritated and masking it really badly as it gnaws at you. That mood was amplified by the sudden appearance of the Yetana. Missing someone you love I completely understand but I sense something else is going on with you. Question is when the volcano erupts what colour will the sand be; black or gold? Also, body language expert. Before you ask, Tyran rigged me up an algorithm to alert us to any teleport activity that may be unusual. You have a weird habit of going to out of the way places when something is bothering you.”

 Allowing himself a small smirk Varran commented that the girls really had thought of everything and just how well Queen’s university had trained her to which Jacke smugly replied, “You better believe it mucker.”

 Noticing the crestfallen Xereban shake his bowed head as if answering some unheard question, Jacke sniffed lightly as the chill was making her nose run. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe it. Her fingers brushed against her phone which reminded her she had forgotten to let Stephen know what was happening. I’ll see him later, she thought and make it up to him.

“I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong. I can guess but need you to tell me. Just so you know, I really had to convince both an overeager Tyran and Michael to stay where they were otherwise I’ll have to signal them to come here and well, you know how persistent they can be.”

Varran threw her an almost nervous look.

“Like bloody terriers nipping at my heels,” he breathed the image in his head not giving him good thoughts.

“Let’s go for a walk along the beach.”

 Her tone was polite but firm. With a reluctant grunt as if he couldn’t be bothered making the effort, Varran jumped off the rock. He buttoned up his long black coat to the neck as the cold chilled his spine.

The Time Warriors: The Voalox Horror Story List

                   By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

All copyright Owen Quinn

Here’s a breakdown of the stories in The Time Warriors Book 2 The Voalox Horror.

THE SURVIVOR:

Deeply affected by the events of the Infinity Web, Michael reaks Varran’s rules and takes himself off to the 24th century where he goes on a space cruise. He wakes up alone and discovers everyone has disappeared except for one terrified girl. As they try to find a way off the ship, they grow closer but something has other plans for them as the cruiser is locked on a course for unexplored space.

When I wrote this book it was intended to give the Warriors a hard time, and make them more fully rounded characters. Each should have a quality that would connect with readers and hopefully make them people you want to spend time with even in print.

The Survivor is a double edged title as it means both Michael and the girl he meets Rachel. This is a story of not feeling you fit anywhere but no matter where you go you can’t leave it behind. Your issues are within you so unless you resolve or face them, it will never end your discomfort. This is Michael’s story in every way as we learn so much about how bullying has affected him and the scars it leaves even as an adult.

Thi story is pivotal as it introduces Rachel, Michael’s love interest. Her role will have consequences down the line. All I will say is bring your tissues, you’re going to need them.

SOUL SCREAM:

While helping an alien race set up a new colony, Jacke is driven to the edge of insanity by nightmares. But something isn’t right and Michael and Varran grow even more suspicious. Who are the angels the children are seeing? What are the aliens covering up? How is Jacke connected to it all? When the truth is revealed, the Time Warriors find themselves sentenced to death with no way out.

It’s jacke’s turn in the spotlight. She was always the first character in my head when putting it all together. I wanted her to be a role model for people in the same vein as Nichele Nichols. She is black, Belfast born and bred and the survivor of a trauma which is instrumental to this story. Jacke is a reflection of the modern day with so many races coming together and the changing face of Northern Ireland. When I was at school, it was mostly white but now my son has met so many other kids from other countries now living here and learned about their cultures which is wonderful. Anyone can be a Time Warrior.

It’s also early stages for Jacke and the others so they dont really know each other but as a reader you get to peel away layers and see how they interact with each other.

THE VOALOX HORROR:

Victorian London is gripped by terror as Jack the Ripper has returned and is killing again . The Warriors team up with a fellow Xereban who is now part of Scotland Yard to solve the mystery.

What is Mr Wainwright hiding in the asylum? Why is their alien cells in the bodies of the dead? Worse still, how does Wainwright, a man from Victorian London know and hate Varran so much?

OK, have to say, absolute favourite and the first story I wrote for the series. I have always been a sucker for Victorian London with its fog and killers in the shadows so it was the obvious setting for the Time Warriors. It’s fun to see the Warriors first reactions to something they have only seen on movies and television and what surprises them about it witnessing it first hand.

To be honest I had no idea how to end this in regard to asylum owner Mr Wainwright but it was only when I got to the end it struck me how to explain how he knew Varran. It was a kind of eureka moment lol

I love everything about this story from discovering how the survivors blended into human society which nicely highlights Varran’s solitary existence, Tyran and Michael’s exploration of the asylm to Varran and Jacke forced down into the sewers to hunt for the killer.

Hopefully you guys will to.

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT:

Tyran crashes on an apparently dead world but she is resued from death by a group pf diverse robots. As she learns of their past, she relaises she can never leave this place and must become theit protector. However a threat formed from her own blood has emerged intent on destroying everything.

A planet of robots is a sci fi staple but the trick is to find an angle different and entertaining enough to make it feel fresh. Trying to think of new robots without seeming to copy what has gone before is hard but I enjoyed the challenge.  My favourite is when Peggy Mitchell and Elvis….spilers. I was also able to tie it into the Time Warriors universe adding a new facet to it. But essentially it is a story about facing death and coping in life when those we love pass away. But it is also a story of finding hope even in the direst of places.

SECOND BEST:

When an old friend of Varran’s calls the team to a castle in Europe to investigate a ghost hunt gone wrong, They find themselves caught in a trap. Something has lured them here for a very specific reason and it seems intent on dragging them all to Hell.

I love a ghost hunt and there’s nowhere that invokes a spooky atmosphere more than an old European castle with a bloody history. Think castle, think Draculq, secret passages and exploring the dark with only a lantern. Something ancient stalks the corridors and it seems it has the Time Warriors in its sights. But why?

Second Best is a story about feeling left out and not good enough. It hurts when you are left out of something either by design or accident but it hurts none the less. You can’t help the anger that boils up inside you and festers. Some people get over it but it consumes others to the point they become solely focused on those that have hurt them. Beside that, it is about how much do we pay attention to each other and be aware of the feelings of others around us. It is about keeping in touch with those we know even if it is a five minute chat and being open about how you really feel.

You can get your copy of the book on Amazon now in paperback and Kindle.

How Cabin in the Woods Never Changed the Horror Genre

                         By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

When Cabin in the Woods first came out, it was hailed as the movie whose ending would change the horror genre forever. As a huge fan of horror, I was intrigued and had to go see what this big revelation was all about. The trailer looked impressive especially the motorbike scene. This was going to be awesome.

Sadly the most awesome thing about this revelation was the hot nuts I munched on all the through the movie. Trust me, there is nothing like hot nuts to get you through the night. As the movie ending played out, I sat there and let a cry that involuntarily left my nut dusted lips.

“That’s fucking Buffy season 4!”

So let me explain that statement.

Cabin in the Woods was delayed for ages and almost never got shown but a deal brought it to the big screen It was written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, produced by Wheddon and directed by Goddard. Now, let me just point out who wrote and created Buffy the Vampire Slayer….Joss Wheddon. I also point out that Wheddon was involved in the first two Avengers movies so Marvel fans were reeled. Let me also remind you that it had been long announced and filming images leaked on line of a pumped up Chris Hemsworth as Thor. The Marvel movies were gaining momentum like nobody’s business. Personally I think it was on the back of this that Cabin was released because a lot of people were swooning over a beefed up Chris. In Cabin, he is far from the muscle God I keep getting mistaken for. So these movies were released roughly a year apart. Coincidence? I think not.

Anyway, the movie was meant to turn horror on its head and be a comedic parody of the genre. It was going to finally reveal why every horror film had to have five certain types of people who are attacked and killed by the dark forces that hide in the dark.

You have the jock, the slut, the virgin, the scholar and the fool. Each was specifically chosen to go on a trip to the woods where they would always end up in a cabin, release some evil and die one by one. They think their trip was their idea but in fact is manipulated by forces unknown. This is not a formula for horror but a ritual that has happened for centuries. The gods are appeased and the world is safe until the next sacrifice is due.

All the while in a bunker a secret society is controlling the game to ensure the world doesn’t end. They are a cocky bunch with some familair faces among the cast from both Buffy, Angel and the West Wing. They take bets and party as they watch similar sacrifices all over the planet. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few it seems.

At the movie’s climax. two of the teeagers survive against the odds and infiltrate the inderground bunker. They discover an entire menagerie of supernatural creatures in cages like a zoo. To avenge their friends they release the monsters which tear apart the bunker personnel while a giant hand punches through the ground heralding the end of the world.

This is where “That’s fucking Buffy season 4!” cry comes in.

Everyone else was enraptured and looking round all I could think was, have none of these people actually seen Buffy season 4?!!? What a fake out. Change horror as we know it. All Wheddon did was rip off his own show and stick it on to a movie that seemingly was never going to see the light of day.

So let me set the scene for you. In Buffy season 4, Angel had gone to his own spin off series along with Cordelia and Buffy was now in college continuing the good fight. She gets a new boyfriend in the shape of Riley. He turns out to part of a secret military base under the campus called the Initiative. Thet They are capturing stupernatural creatures and keeping them captive in the base. Spike is captured s implanted with a chip that prevents him from harming Sanyone. Professor Maggie Walsh, leader of the Initiative has created a Frankenstein like being called Adam who intends to take over the planet. Adam is too powerful for Buffy and she has to tap into magic to stop him. In a James Bond epic climax, all the supernatural monsters are released killing the soldiers while Buffy and Adam battle it out. This is what happens in Cabin in the Woods but let’s face it Buffy did it much better.

While I understand how hard it can be to come up with good solid endings for stories, it also struck me that no one made the same connection as me. I even mentioned it on a  radio show I did and again the similarity seemed lost on the host who was a Buffy fan. But it’s clear that Cabin in the Woods, while entertaining, suffered from false advertising.

Cabin in the Woods didn’t redefine horror at all; that honour belongs solely to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Writing Tip: Talk to People

                     By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Before there were computers, typewriters and paper the only way to tell stories was by speaking. Many cultures including the Native Americans handed their stories down generation after generation teaching proteges how to carry on the tradition in the event of death. We had hieroglyphics and cave paintings but speech through the generations kept stories alive that would otherwise be lost to time.

We can talk and now people who cannot, communicate through devices that let them express themselves. Technology allows them to tell their stories instead of writing it down. Isnt that amazing that we have all this stuff to help document and record what is the human race?

The first time I visited London what struck me ws how no one spoke to each other. Here in Ireland you nod or acknowledge complete strangers in the streets but not so there. Think of all the wasted opportunites of gettig to know someone or simply chatting to them on a train journey where they tell you about their day or indeed you spark up  conversation on a mutual interest. The older generation still do it; talk to people even when they don’t get a response. You can see the disappointment in their faces when the conversation falls flat.

We are now a generation of faces in phones, where a simple act of kindness is twisted into something creepy and sinister. The concept of simple manners seems to be fading fast as more seem to think the virtual world is a real world with life long friends.

Tragedy and hitting rock bottom bring out your true friends and as painful as it is to suffer, it shapes you for the better making you see the souls you should surround yourself with. It’s almost as if people are afraid to talk to each other these days especially with WOKE aand fear of offending some snowflake. Fuck them. How dare they repress the simple joys of talking to a stranger and learning something new.

You never know who you are going to meet whether it be on a train, boat, in a pub or restaurant so engaging them in conversation may open you up to somehting or their mannerisms may stick in your head to one day find its way into a character.

I remember talking to someone and discovering they grew up in the same place as me at the same time but I was slightly older and moved on. How random is that I would meet someone in another city from my home. I also remember the time I was talking to someone who turned out to be the greatgrandson of actor Basil Rathbone of Sherlock Holmes fame. There is also the flipside which reminds us of what people deal with in their lives every day. You can moan about hings but when you meet a man that buys a sim to keep a phone alive that has his late wife’s voice on it is heartbreaking or the man that could not commit to a contract because he was dying of cancer. There are hopeful stories too like the man given months to live but was still going strong over two years later. That sort of thing keeps you grounded, humble and thankful but it sticks with you. Now you may not be a writer but when pain comes to your door, you remember these people and realise you can get through it and to enjoy it while it lasts.

Equally you could have a relative that tells you stories about the family history and some of the characters you may never have gotten to meet. You could be in a hospital ward with people that are former addicts who have lost limbs which they say have saved their lives to someone who emigrated decades ago to fish off the coast of Australia only to come back to Ireland where he lost some toes changing his life forever. You can only imagine what happened to them as you never get to see them again. Was that the end of their career on the waves? Did they get their new legs or are they still in a wheelchair?

My aunt used to tell us ghost stories that terrified us as children but instilled a lifelong fascination with the paranormal. It had the best effect on our imaginations when there was a power cut and you had to sit by candle light. until it was restored.

Everywhere you go you can come back with a story which you pass on to your family, your wife, your kids as these are all building blocks of our lives together forming its own story to tell after you are gone. It could be the time you opened a shower door in the gym only to find someone already in it. It could be the bald guy that uses a hairdryer to dry his pubes and inbetween his toes. Or the day you went for a drive and saw an elephant and travelled on a ferry for the first time. Not forgetting the flesh eating donkey that got pissed at you for running out of feed or being scared by a satanic goat.

In fact just by talking to your child about their day even when you don’t understand a word is precious and needs to be done rather than a social media post.

We as a species are walking history books and wells of anecdotes and tales to keep others entertained. Talking to others can keep friends and family alive in your heart as you share stories about those you have lost. But if you stick your head in a phone or computer you are losing out.

Talking to people is vital to your mental health because you get to see that you are not alone in whatever you are facing. There are others that have gone through the same pain you have and come through. A simple verbal reassurance and offer to listen can make a huge difference. We as a race share laughter and tears but life can make you feel it’s the first time it has ever hapened to someone.

When someone calls you or your child tugs at you for attention, shut that computer down and give them your full attention. It could be the most important story in your life.

Help Ghostbusters raise cash for Heart Children Ireland.

PLEASE DON’T IGNORE THIS. IT COULD BE YOUR CHILD OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW. The amazing folks at Ghostbusters Ireland need your help to raise over £1000 for Heart Children Ireland. It’s Easter Mmonday so any change you have please buy a ticket for the raffle to win the goodies below.

None of these guys earn a penny from this and if you were at Dublin Comic Con in March you would have seen their amazing display. They appear both North and South raising money for all sorts of charities so help them out please. Please click on this link to help kids in Ireland. Https;//www.idonate.ie/raffle/GhostbustersirelandMHR

Thank you in advance folks and hope you win a prize.