She sighs, then says, “I used to love a good hamburger. Still miss it from time to time.”

Then she picks a piece of prosciutto and pops it in her mouth.

He grins. “That’s the sexist thing I’ve ever seen.”

“What now?” she asks.

“For the first time in a long time, I dunno. I always came back here, but then the call would come. I’d be on the job.” He stares at the racks of liquor he’ll never drink. “Always on the job. But now there’s no job.”

“Maybe that means it’s time to move forward.”

“I wish I knew what that even meant.”

“It means you pick a path and walk down it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Where do I start?”

She holds out her hand and starts to lead him away from the bar toward the steps and up them. “It starts here. It starts tonight.”

Acknowledgments

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Every book is the product of more than just one person, even though the author is the one who wears the laurels on his crown.

Thanks to my wife and child for putting up with the weird bearded hobo who lives with them and writes these fanciful stories.

Thanks to dangerous deviant Dave Turner who, despite his city-dwelling pretensions, is a most excellent reader and editor of books.

Thanks to Robin Laws, who gave me reason to conjure the character of Mookie Pearl for the anthology, The New Hero.

Thanks to Lee Harris and all the Grumpy Cyborgs who helped make this book into what it is.

Thanks to Stacia Decker, agent extraordinaire, who knows her way around a hard-ass novel edit and who kicks ten kinds of ass. No, eleven. Twelve.

Thanks to author friends like Stephen Blackmoore, Adam Christopher, Gwenda Bond, Kim Curran, Mur Lafferty, Lauren Beukes, Myke Cole, Saladin Ahmed, Delilah Dawson, Karina Cooper, Matt Forbeck, Matt Funk, Jimmy Callaway, Dave White, Joelle Charbonneau, and Dangerous Dan O’Shea who repeatedly inspire me (and frequently conspire with me).

And thanks to all you people for picking up and reading his book. You are why I’m here after all, allowed to do this crazy author voodoo.

About the Author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chuck Wendig is a novelist, screenwriter, and game designer.

He is a fellow of the Sundance Screenwriting Lab. His short film (written with co-author and director Lance Weiler) Pandemic showed at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011. That same year, Collapsus – a digital transmedia drama, also co-authored with Weiler – was nominated for an International Digital Emmy and a Games 4 Change award. He has contributed over two million words to the game industry, and was developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line.

He currently lives in Pennsyltucky with his beautiful wife Michelle, their taco terrier Tai-Shen, their red dog Loa, and their son (known as “B-Dub”).