Wastelands- Stories of the Apocalypse.rtf

JOHN JOSEPH ADAMS

WASTELANDS

STORIES OF THE APOCALYPSE

Table of Contents

I - STEP­HEN KING - THE END OF THE WHO­LE MESS

II - OR­SON SCOTT CARD - SAL­VA­GE

III - PA­OLO BA­CI­GA­LU­PI - THE PE­OP­LE OF SAND AND SLAG

IV - M. RIC­KERT - BRE­AD AND BOMBS

V - JONAT­HAN LET­HEM - HOW WE GOT IN TOWN AND OUT AGA­IN

VI - GE­OR­GE R. R MAR­TIN - DARK, DARK WE­RE THE TUN­NELS

VII - TO­BI­AS S. BUC­KELL - WA­ITING FOR THE ZEPHYR

VI­II - JACK MCDE­VITT - NE­VER DES­PA­IR

IX - CORY DOC­TO­ROW - WHEN SYSAD­MINS RU­LED THE EARTH

X - JAMES VAN PELT - THE LAST OF THE O-FORMS

XI - RIC­HARD KAD­REY - STILL LI­FE WITH APO­CAL­Y­P­SE

XII - CAT­HE­RI­NE WELLS - AR­TIE'S AN­GELS

XI­II - JER­RY OL­TI­ON - JUDG­MENT PAS­SED

XIV - GE­NE WOL­FE - MU­TE

XV - NANCY KRESS - INER­TIA

XVI - ELI­ZA­BETH BE­AR - AND THE DE­AP BLUE SEA

XVII - OC­TA­VIA E. BUT­LER - SPE­ECH SO­UNDS

XVI­II - CA­ROL EMSH­WIL­LER - KIL­LERS

XIX - NE­AL BAR­RETT, JR. - GINNY SWE­ET­HIPS' FLYING CIR­CUS

XX - DA­LE BA­ILEY - THE END OF THE WORLD AS

XXI - DA­VID GRIG­GA - SONG BE­FO­RE SUN­SET

XXII - JOHN LAN­GAN - EPI­SO­DE SE­VEN: LAST STAND AGA­INST THE PACK IN THE KING­DOM OF THE PURP­LE FLO­WERS

I - STEPHEN KING - THE END OF THE WHOLE MESS

    I want to tell you abo­ut the end of war, the de­ge­ne­ra­ti­on of man­kind, and the de­ath of the Mes­si­ah-an epic story, de­ser­ving tho­usands of pa­ges and a who­le shelf of vo­lu­mes, but you (if the­re are any "you" la­ter on to re­ad this) will ha­ve to set­tle for the fre­eze-dri­ed ver­si­on. The di­rect inj­ec­ti­on works very fast. I fi­gu­re I’ve got so­mew­he­re bet­we­en forty-fi­ve mi­nu­tes and two ho­urs, de­pen­ding on my blo­od-type. I think it's A, which sho­uld gi­ve me a lit­tle mo­re ti­me, but I'll be god­dam­ned if I can re­mem­ber for su­re. If it turns out to be O, you co­uld be in for a lot of blank pa­ges, my hypot­he­ti­cal fri­end.

    In any event, I think may­be I'd bet­ter as­su­me the worst and go as fast as I can.

    I'm using the elect­ric typew­ri­ter-Bob­by's word-pro­ces­sor is fas­ter, but the genny's cycle is too ir­re­gu­lar to be trus­ted, even with the li­ne sup­pres­sor. I've only got one shot at this; I can't risk get­ting most of the way ho­me and then se­e­ing the who­le thing go to da­ta he­aven be­ca­use of an ohm drop, or a sur­ge too gre­at for the sup­pres­sor to co­pe with. My na­me is Ho­ward For­noy. I was a fre­elan­ce wri­ter. My brot­her, Ro­bert For­noy, was the Mes­si­ah. I kil­led him by sho­oting him up with his own dis­co­very fo­ur ho­urs ago. He cal­led it The Cal­ma­ti­ve. A Very Se­ri­o­us Mis­ta­ke might ha­ve be­en a bet­ter na­me, but what's do...