Tats
James S. Hoch
Author Bio
Brought up on Thriller, Twilight Zone and Outer Limits, James Hoch has kept all his dark friends chained up inside his imagination only to let them out little by little in his novels and short stories. SynegEbooks is the publisher of his Crimson Pursuit vampire series and his supernatural post-apocalyptic thriller, HECKEL CASEY, is published by Imajin Books. Hoch’s short stories have appeared in Horror Zine, SNM Horror magazine, Flash Fiction Anthology 2012 (Pill Hill Press), 69 Flavors of Paranoia, Sanitarium, and SNM Books of Blood V. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and his web site: www.jameshoch.com
Description
SYNOPSIS of TATS
Dr. Burk Franks, a young dermatologist with a successful practice in Iowa, discovers that a distressed teenager has broken into his office and is trying to remove a tattoo from her arm with a scalpel. He discovers the ink in the tattoo has properties to increase a person’s strength as well as possess telepathic ability. A group of teens from the local high school abduct the doctor to help them put the special ink on a gang in Des Moines whose leader named, Switch, subsequently decides that a road trip is in order to bring the new tat ink to a notorious gang in LA, the LA Locos. Franks discovers that the ink effects the teens in a psychotic manner unleashing a string of violent killings on the route to Los Angeles and causing clashes with the military and police.
The chemist/geneticist, Dr. Chaz Yelko who is responsible for the ink, discovers that his partner along with the head of the lab orchestrated the ink getting out to “test” on the group of Iowa teens. Yelko learns that a tattoo artist in Albuquerque, Mercy Hawkins, is also “given” the ink. She places it on a certifiable psycho named, Razor. Mercy is taken unwillingly by Razor to have her place the special tat on his fellow LA gang members in the Dukes of Death.
A special black ops agent from the Iranian National Guard, Heydar Omidi, follows the group from Albuquerque and observes the effects and the abilities of one possessing the tattoo. He manages to kidnap Mercy and the special ink.
The two gangs receive the enhanced tattoos and an epic gang war between the two rivals ensues.
General Hank Jameson from the start has been trying to bring an end to the violence and capture the people with the “special tats.” He enlists a close friend, Casey Martin, a former Navy seal and special ops agent to track down the Iowa teens, but later is switched to apprehending the Iranian agent, Heydar.
Amanda Jenson, a board member from the Headway labs where the ink was developed, discovers there’s more to project TATS than what the CEO is reporting. She meets with Chaz Yelko and the two of them go to LA and witness first hand the horrific power that the ink exhibits. Chaz and Amanda return to Albuquerque for him to create a counter-agent. Henry Vance, head of Headway Labs, is determined to have control of the ink and all of Yelko’s research. He doesn’t want Amanda to interfere so he sets up a contract with a hired assassin, Zoe Stevens. Her first attempt at killing Amanda and Chaz is thwarted.
Casey Martin follows Heydar to the Mexican border. He is shot several times. Heydar, Mercy, and the ink escape into Mexico. Their trail goes cold.
As the war between the two gangs lingers on with neither side gaining an advantage, Switch from the Dukes of Death, decides that Burk should have the tat to help them fight. One of the Iowa teens, Riley, befriends Burk and convinces him to take the special tatt. The two of them escape. They meet up with Chaz, Amanda, and the general who convince them that they need to go back to the gangs and administer the counter-agent.
After the successful encounter and administering of the counter-agent to both gangs, Burk while talking to Amanda discovers that she and Chaz are being kidnapped by the assassin, Zoe. Amanda leaves her cell on for Burk to track. While on a dark, dirt road north of LA, Amanda flips the car off to the side and is knocked unconscious. Chaz, having placed a special tat on himself the previous day, discovers the telepathic capabilities of his drug. He subdues Zoe in time for Burk, Riley and General Jameson to find them.
EPILOGUE:
Casey is released from the hospital in time for a meeting with General Jameson, Chaz, Burk, and Riley. The general explains the global ramifications of the ink getting into the wrong hands and proposes a “team” to recover Mercy and the ink that includes Casey, Burk, Riley, and Chaz. They agree. (which brings us to the sequel.)
Book excerpt
“I’ll be right out,” he shouted down the hallway. Quickly, he made his way to the front door. Just as he opened the door, he noticed the squad car pull up to the front curb. Guess the call went through, he thought as he walked towards the police cruiser. “Good timing. Glad to see you made it,” he muttered. One of the police officers bolted out of the car with his weapon drawn pointing it at Burk.
“Put your hands up,” the officer shouted.
“It’s okay, officer. It’s my¬—” Before Burk could respond, one of the teenagers came from a bush along side the office and with blinding speed, tackled the officer. The huge teen stood up and with one jerking motion, broke the policeman’s neck. The other officer came out of the car with his service revolver pointed at the teen. Shouting, he yelled for the kid to drop to the ground.
Burk turned around to see two other teens walking towards him from the rear of his office. “Oh, shit. This is going downhill fast,” he mumbled, running towards the police car.
“Don’t move or I’ll shoot,” the officer yelled at the teen near his fallen partner. The teen continued to advance.
Burk ran forward, and slammed two of the syringes into the neck of the teen. “Hmm, felt like a mosquito,” the teen said sarcastically. Burk noticed the teen rubbing his tattoo.
“Hello, doc. I understand that you were trying to take off Riley’s tattoo. That wasn’t very nice,” the hulking teen said.
Burk didn’t waste anytime in discussing the matter, and quickly ran towards the squad car. Still rubbing his tat, the teen walked briskly towards the car. The police officer fired a shot into the leg of the attacker. Nothing. The teen kept walking towards the car.
“Get in!” the officer shouted to Burk.
“Stop, or I’ll shoot,” the officer said to the teen. With a menacing snarl, the teen kept advancing, taking two shots in the chest. “What the hell?” the officer yelled.
Before the officer could finish his cursing, the former linebacker for the Clarkston High School football team picked up the police officer and slammed him into the squad car. The sound of the officer’s backbone breaking caused Burk to quickly scramble from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat, climbing over a computer and shotgun. Just as the passenger side door opened and the attacker looked in, Burk slammed the gearshift into drive and sped off down the street with the door open. Looking in the rearview mirror, he stopped briefly when he saw his office suddenly engulfed in flames. Standing out in front were the half dozen or so teens watching the burning building. Several of them were picking up the bodies of the two police officers. Burk cringed when he saw them pitch the bodies into the front door of the inferno that was once his practice.
As he drove off, he was so shaken by what had just taken place that he barely noticed the large, black SUV parked at the end of the block. It was the blackout-tinted windows that made him do a double take.
Book Cover
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Author Website
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