Sneak peek of Duke City (Patreon)

Here's an excerpt of Duke City, a short story available as a reward for backing the Validation Final Push Kickstarter It will be the first of many such tales told with characters from the Validation universe. $5+ Patreon patrons will be able to read them here before anyone else! They will be made available to all patrons via PDF collections down the road. I want everyone to feel included, but I also have to consider the time it takes to write them. Thank you in advance for understanding and your support!

And without further ado...

Duke City

7am and the sun had already broke over the Sandias, washing the valley with 100% light. It was another cloudless morning. It hadn’t rained in 54 days. This was the kind of spring that tested many with bad allergies -- the dry air often greeted you with a bloody nose. It was wise to sleep with a glass of water next to your bed. It was a time of caution, precaution, and for Kyle, potential change…

****

Kyle woke up, fumbled for his glasses on the end table, and slowly adjusted to the sunlight beaming through a break in the blast shield of curtains covering the window. He wanted to sleep in a bit longer, but his sense of duty always won out. And once his mind was fired up and going, forget it: He was awake.

After he slowly got up out of bed he started his routine. Washed his face, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and tied his growing ponytail back. He wasn’t really sure what he was doing with it, he just knew that he liked how it looked. It felt comfortable. Reassuring... it helped keep him even.

He brewed up a half-pot of coffee and heated up the kettle of water. Made a bowl of maple and brown sugar oatmeal. Blueberries and raspberries were on sale at Sprouts this week. He couldn’t always justify buying them, but this time he was able to splurge. He washed a handful of each and plopped them in. A dash of cinnamon on top and he was good-to-go.

Kyle lived in a studio apartment off Columbia Drive in the Nob Hill area of Albuquerque. But his lease was up soon and he had a decision to make: Was he going to move to Denver or stay in Duke City? This matter was a constant concern. He wished it didn’t weigh on him so. It was something he was working on: Remaining calm throughout the daily challenges of living a life. Should be easy enough, right? Right.

To read the entire story please consider backing our Kickstarter!