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The Kill was entered into the 23rd Annual SLO Nightwriters short story contest and on June 12, 2012 received 2nd Place in the Short Story division!

The Kill was chosen to be published in the premier issue of if&when, Volume 1, March 2013!

Originally written as a prologue to Scorched Earth , The Kill follows the thoughts of a person who has made a difficult choice in a dangerous world. Do you lose a piece of yourself when you don’t forgive those who have wronged you?

Sample text follows, click the link at top of page for the full story.

It was a cold night. The wind blew hard. Bits of scrap and dirt flew around me. I was sitting in a dead bush, its branches sticking me everywhere I wasn’t padded. This was a simple job, a job I volunteered for. A quick shot to the head using the rifle that had been passed on to me from my father. He had told me it would be the tool that kept me alive. He never knew how right he was.

I kept the rifle as clean as I could but my oil had run dry three days ago. This kill would pay for what I needed. Water. Food. Most important, the bullets I would need for the next job. I pulled back the bolt as quiet as I could and loaded one of the three bullets I had left.