Forager - PROMO Blitz
By Peter R. Stone
Dystopian
Date Published:
November 2013
Eighteen-year-old
Ethan Jones lives in Newhome, a town built upon the decaying ruins of
post-apocalyptic Melbourne, ruins haunted by the ferocious Skel, a nomadic
tribe of degenerate savages.
The
Skel are ramping up their attacks on Newhome's foraging teams and infesting
Melbourne's ruins in ever greater numbers. Is this part of a larger plan that
could spell the town's doom?
Meanwhile,
the last thing Ethan expects when he and his companions rescue a two-car convoy
from the Skel is a Japanese teenage girl with an outlandish dress-sense, who
after they take her back to Newhome, goes to great lengths to ingratiate
herself into his life. But is it in gratitude for saving her life or is she
seeking something more?
And
what a quandry she places him in, for he knows the rules, that no man is
permitted to be alone with an unmarried woman. But how can he drive such a
gentle soul away when she touchs his heart so deeply, even though she clearly
carries the pain of a broken heart.
At
the same time, Newhome's police force, the Custodians, are suspicious of
Ethan's foraging team's successes and are pulling out the stops to find out
which member of his team has the illegal mutant ability that gives them an edge
over the other teams. Should these peacekeepers discover Ethan is the mutant
they seek, they will haul him away and dissect him like a frog.
EXCERPT
Michal,
our driver and my best friend, clambered into the truck first, having to duck
his head down just to get through the door since he easily topped
six-foot-four; and at seventeen I suspected he hadn't even finished growing. I
clambered in beside him while Leigh, David and Shorty climbed into the back seat.
Michal
looked down at me, clearly displeased about something. "You gotta be more
careful, Ethan."
"Me?"
I asked, not having the slightest inkling of what he was referring to.
"Yes,
Ethan, you," he confirmed as he turned the key in the ignition and pumped
the accelerator gently to get the engine started. The truck was pretty old and
I doubted it had a single part that hadn't been replaced or refurbished at some
stage.
"I'd wager my bottom dollar they're here 'cause they want to find out why our team brings in more metals than the others."
Our
team was one of many that foraged in the ruins outside for non-corrosive
metals, such as gold, platinum, copper, bronze and lead, that had survived the
decades since the Apocalypse. We would take them back to the Recycling-Works
where they would be sorted, melted down, and handed over to the factories.
"What
do you mean?" I replied, feigning ignorance.
"Them
other three goons," he whispered as he jerked his head back to indicate our
workmates in the back seat, "they ain't too bright. They think you just
know the best spots to look, but not me. I've seen you."
That
sent icy tendrils of dread creeping back into my gut. "Seen me what?"
"You
can drop your act with me, okay?" he said softly as he shifted the truck
into gear and drove it out of the Recycling-Works yard and towards the town
gates.
"I've heard about people like you, and you're secret's safe with me. Just don't keep hitting pay dirt every day from now on, 'cause those Custodians, they're not here to protect us from the Skel like they claim, otherwise they'd have brought a Bushmaster instead of that G-Wagon."
Peter
R. Stone
Peter
Stone, an avid student of history, was reading books on Ancient Greece from the
age of four. Periods of interest include the ancient world, medieval era,
Napoleonic times, and the Second World War. He still mourns the untimely
passing of King Leonidas of Sparta and Field Marshal Michel Ney of France.
A
product of the Cold War Generation, Peter Stone studied the ramifications of a
nuclear missile strike when he was in his senior year of high school, learning
the effects of nuclear fallout and how to (hopefully) survive it. He has ever
been drawn to post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels and films, and eagerly
devoured The Day of the Triffids and John Christopher's Tripod Trilogy when he
was a child. He is also an avid fan of science fiction, and his favorite books
include the Lensmen Series by E.E.Doc.Smith, anything by Alastair Reynolds, and
the Evergence trilogy by Sean Williams.
Peter
Stone graduated from Melbourne School of Ministries Bible College in 1988. He
has been teaching Sunday School and playing the keyboard in church for over
twenty-five years. His wife is from Japan and they have two wonderful children.
He has worked in the same games company for over twenty years, but still does
not comprehend why they expect him to work all day instead of playing games.
Authors Website
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