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2024Lile : This and the author’s note was originally written years ago. This was supposed to be the teaser for Severance. My plan was to make you all think Paris died. But in the first chapter of Severance I wanted you to think Sera died.
Then I realized that was silly so I just posted the first two chapters of Severance because I wouldn’t kill off any of my MCs
This takes place 10 months before Paris shows up in Severance. Sera is coming back from a power lifting competition.
January 1st 2027
It’s still there.
In “the cloud” I guess.
I turn my phone to side and our faces fill the screen. We were so fucking young in this picture. I don’t remember the altar being that pink or velvet. I zoom in and the photo gets blurry.
We look happy though.
He’s a little unkempt in a shirt several sizes too big and my white t-shirt dress is a little see through which is kind of hot and the reason no one really sees this picture.
I convince myself I’m blinking the sleep
out of my eyes.
“Ta-da."
I look up from the wedding picture and the waitress sets down a slice of iced lemon cake with a single pink candle in it. I hadn’t told her it was my birthday. I’d just asked for a beer and I’m pretty sure she only carded me to see if I was too old to flirt with.
“Happy…40th Birthday?” she says a little unsure of her math.
She was right.
It was my…our birthday.
“Fuck”, I say biting back tears and pulling cash out of my wallet, “Sorry.”
“Oh, it’s okay.”
“No…I…”, I flip my phone over, but I know she’s already seen the wedding picture because she looks a little crestfallen, “
“How long has it been?”, she asks and I can’t tell if she really cares or think she still has a chance with me. I guess I don’t care.
“I…It’s been five….six years …I have to go.”
I think I leave fifty-eight dollars for a crappy salad, milkshake and slice of cake I didn’t even eat. I try to make a quick getaway but the door on the RV is stuck again. When I finally get it open the engine huffs…its going need another big repair. I pull onto the highway and leave my breakdown far behind me. I switch out my audiobook and find something palatable on the satellite.
I settle in
I had such a long fucking road ahead of me.
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Author's Note
You : What was that ?
Okay so I’ve been keeping a secret.
I sort of wrote a sequel to cold that takes place in 2027. I just had this image in my head and I worked on this for Nano 2020.
It’s a quiet atmospheric sinister tale and that’s all I can say about it.
Coming Soon