An Odder Quintet

By Michael Brookes

An Odder Quintet explores a world of dark and strange happenings. From new technology to ancient legends, nothing is quite what it seems.

Prisons without Walls
A prisoner serving a life sentence takes part in an experimental programme that manipulates the perception of time to rehabilitate prisoners and ensure they never reoffend.

The Tapestry
Legend speaks of a Great Loom, operated by three women who guide the fate of every living person. The secret kept for thousands of years has now been found by someone with his own designs for it.

Ghost in the Cloud
Everyone knows not to click on links in strange emails, but what do you do when the link comes from your dead husband?

In the Depths
This story continues from ‘Forced Entry’ in ‘An Odd Quartet’.
Bravo Team took part in a hostage rescue mission in what they thought was a normal suburban house, now trapped in the basement they try to find a way out and only discover only more insanity.

Not Welcome at the Gate
This story continues from ‘The Reluctant Demon’ in ‘An Odd Quartet’.
Morlock failed his possession exam in the most spectacular way possible, now ninety years later he faces returning to Hell.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Brookes
• Release date: Aug 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781497797949

Book preview

DEDICATION

For my good friends David Spaul and Umit Ozturk – thanks for the help guys! Also a shout out for the Eurogamer, Kindle Users Forum and Goodreads members for helping me spread the word and keeping me in touch with other authors and readers.

And a special thanks to Kath Middleton.

Keep up with the latest news and my musings on my blog:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/

Comments and feedback always welcome!

Follow me on Twitter: @TheCultofMe

Cover design by Anita Kotlarska:

http://anitakotlarska.wix.com/anitak

Editing by Kristen Stone:

http://www.kristen-stone-the-writer.com/editing-service.html

COPYRIGHT

This is a work of fiction, all resemblances to any persons living or dead is totally a coincidence.

© 2013 Michael Brookes – All rights reserved. Yes all of them.

Prisons without Walls

I’d have never have seen the outside world again if I hadn’t agreed to take part in the experimental procedure. At that point, about a year ago now I guess, I’d completed ten years of a life sentence. Well, two life sentences, the first for murder, the other for intent to murder because they didn’t know what else to call it.

I wasn’t anything special. Many like me enter the system every year; it’s a mundane story, barely worth telling so I’ll just give the high points. My wife cheated on me, no big deal now, but then I was royally pissed off. My lawyer tried claiming ‘temporary insanity’. I didn’t mind; I didn’t think it would work, but he had no other strategy available.

The boyfriend I killed, nothing fancy, I simply slit his throat. She made more noise watching than he did dying.  I had to kill him, her on the other hand. Well, she was the one who cheated, I couldn’t really blame him. She used to be a looker my wife; not any more though. I didn’t kill her, make the punishment fit the crime I say. She won’t be having sex again, not even a little hand fiddle as she lies alone, unwanted by anyone at night.

That thought pleased me.

The police caught me literally red handed. I’d finished down below and had started on the face job I’d promised her while slitting lover boy’s throat. I guess the surgeons may have been able to clean that up. I don’t know for sure though, no-one would tell me.

Despite my lawyer’s best efforts I was tried, convicted and sentenced within three months.  The courts can work quickly when they want to and I had been big ticket news. The Judge sentenced me to a life sentence with no parole for at least fifteen years. Then another for attempted murder, with another tariff of fifteen years added for the mutilation.

I’d been in prison awaiting trial for all of those three months so I’d learned the ropes pretty quickly. The first thing I learnt was the hierarchy. It seemed simple at first, the violent at the top, molesters and rapists at the bottom.

My place in the hierarchy appeared a little ambiguous. At first  they considered me another domestic murderer, a crime of passion. I had no real criminal standing, but anyone who has killed someone is treated with a little caution.

At first at any rate.

Then came the trial and all the sensational news about my dear wife’s injuries. That confused things. Most didn’t care; if anything it set me apart. Others weren’t so enlightened and marked me as someone that preyed on women. Not a good tag to have in prison.

One such group caught me two days after sentencing in the showers after the evening meal. Three of them, not exactly huge, but not small fellas either. All sported the same shorn convict look. I’ll admit they intimidated me a little.

All right, truth be told, I almost shit myself.

Sure I had killed a guy and mutilated my wife, but I’ve never been a fighter. The last time I had been in a fight was in school and that wasn’t much of a fight. Unless rolling around in the dirt pulling each other’s jumpers counts as a fight.

I noticed that they all held toothbrushes in their hands. That struck me as an odd choice of weapon. As they moved closer I noticed the razor blades sticking out the end. In that moment I didn’t know what to do. There’s the standard fight or flight response. I couldn’t decide, not that I had anywhere to run.

In effect I froze for a crucial instant.

If they’d attacked me straight away I would have been done for. They probably wouldn’t have killed me, just sliced me up a bit. Maybe give me some of the same treatment I had given to my sweet wife. Instead they elected to tease me first, inform me of what they had planned.

There’s a motivational technique I learned on a management training course. It’s called visualisation. When you want to achieve a specific goal you first play it through in your head. Keep doing that until you get it perfect and then when you do it for real you simply follow the plan you created.

For me it happened in reverse. I saw what would happen to my