A story in the The Human Nexus Universe
One night between midnight and six AM Eastern, most of the people of the world died. No one knew why; there was no warning; they simply stopped. Some survived to live a few extra hours or days. In the USA, this meant that most folks died in their beds. Streets, roads, and bridges remained mostly open. In other parts of the world, the timing was such that the visible carnage was horrendous. For the dead, neither situation mattered a whit. After a week, humanity was dead - all but a very few.
Two truck drivers team up to deliver across country a load of airplane parts to San Diego. Both have baggage. This turns out to be the last long haul trip for both. With little adjustment, both find happiness.
Collecting some of my shorter stories into anthologies. In "Trade In" he's just filed for divorce, and he's surprised by his ex's estranged daughter showing up at the dealership around closing time. In "Yule Snow" a divorced father is about to learn that his daughter's girlfriend isn't quite as lesbian as he thought she was. (Incest codes included for the squeamish on Trade In, even though it's step )
Benjamin E. Crumbly returns home, bent on retaliating against his domineering older brother and former girl friend. Will he be successful and if he is, will revenge taste as sweet as he hopes it will?
A shy young woman and an old flame meet again after a 7 year absence. A fun-filled camping trip with friends results in rekindled sparks flying.
I would like to thank author Occasional Writer for his expert advice and helpful editing with this story. It is my first story and his assistance was invaluable.
A Story in the Steampunk Fantasy Universe
If Gottfried Leibniz had published his work on binary numbers and if Charles Babbage had read it, if Prince Albert had lived to a ripe old age and Victoria not become a bitter widow, the late XIX Century might have turned out like this!