The Post-Apocalyptic Tourist's Guide to the Mojave Desert: A Novella
Page 7
“Well, I guess I better get going. I’m gonna miss you, Tony.”
Tony smirked. “Don’t get too fucking familiar, Milk...I mean, Thursday. But I wish you the best of luck. You ever come back to Vegas, you look me up. If I’m still croaking, I’ll make sure you get laid.”
The two men hugged, and then Thursday went off with Eddie to find a motel room.
~~~
After an intense, daylong hike along the Devil’s Backbone, a narrow ridge that twisted its way up to Mount Baldy’s ten-thousand-foot summit, Thursday surveyed a ruin of abandoned homes in the verdant valley below. Tentatively, he stuck one leg over the edge of the mountain as the chill air swirled around him.
He glanced behind him at his guide, Charlie, who nodded encouragingly. Thursday took a deep breath and then launched himself off the mountaintop. He splayed his arms and legs like a star to maximize the wingsuit’s surface area. The fierce Santa Ana winds hurled him southwest, destination unknown.
For a fleeting moment, Thursday knew peace. Here high above the earth, no one could reach him. He felt like a hawk, beholden to none but the whims of the wind. In the remote distance, he spied the azure vastness of the Pacific Ocean. And it gave him hope.
A sudden gust of wind buffeted Thursday off-balance. For a terrifying instant, he didn’t know which way was up or down. He careened through the devil’s wind, spinning topsy-turvy. Then, just as he stabilized himself, the ground rushed toward him. His heart threatened to burst. And in one desperate moment, he pulled his parachute’s ripcord and braced for impact.
END
To find out what happens next, check out Episode 5:
The Post-Apocalyptic Tourist’s Guide to Los Angeles by Jake Marley.
About the Author
Sean is a technology and finance professional, and nationally bestselling award-winning author who writes science fiction and horror as well as nonfiction. He’s published nearly thirty short stories in publications like Galaxy’s Edge, Writers of the Future, Grimdark Magazine, and Abyss & Apex. He has also published over a hundred research reports on clean energy, semiconductors, and enterprise software including Wall Street’s first detailed smart grid market analysis, which was cited twice in The Economist.
Sean was a research associate at the Harvard-Stanford Preventive Defense Project where he worked on energy security issues that included the United States-India Strategic Partnership and policy options for confronting Iran’s nuclear program. He won the 2006 Policy Analysis Exercise Award at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government for his work on policy solutions to Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Sean also spent time at Booz Allen Hamilton as an intelligence analyst focusing on strategic war games and simulations for the Pentagon. Before graduate school, Sean was a cavalry officer in the United States Army where he trained American forces for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan at the National Training Center.
Sean holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and bachelor’s degrees in History and Electrical Engineering from Stanford.
Connect with Me
Follow me on Twitter: @seanphazlett
Subscribe to my blog: reflectionsofarationalrepublican.com
Also by Sean Patrick Hazlett
Alien Abattoir: And Other Stories
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