The Lost Letters
Riverside Cottage is the first in ‘The Lost Letters’ post-apocalyptic short story collection. It’s set in the world of Weep and introduces characters and concepts that come into play in later, mainline books. It differs to ‘A Ring of Oak and Apple’ in that there is no central story. The characters aren’t sitting around a campfire, sharing tales of where they were when the world ended. In this collection, we have brief interactions with lonely people before they write about their last moments—which are rarely peaceful.
Riverside Cottage, The First Lost Letter
A caveat: I will send these stories out to readers on my newsletter. They won’t have the editorial polish of the mainline books because my editor is working on Slack Jaw and I would like to put out more content between releases. If you’d rather wait to read them after they’ve gone through a thorough editorial process, they will be available on Amazon in December. Your main take away from reading this now will be that I do not know what the Oxford comma is and I’ve been doing this too long to ask. (Don’t tell me either, it’ll ruin the suspense when I press the (,) button).
In this short, you’ll embark on a journey alongside Ryan, a solitary survivor, as he navigates the treacherous remnants of a decimated Ireland.
On the coldest night of the year, as Ryan huddles in his fortified riverside cottage, a desperate plea for help pierces the eerie silence. The voice lingers in his thoughts, haunting his dormant conscience and awakens curiosity—a survivors downfall. Against his better judgement, Ryan sets out into the unforgiving night, driven not only by a desire to aid a fellow survivor, but also by his own insatiable craving for a cigarette.
With each step into the unforgiving darkness, Ryan becomes entangled in a relentless pursuit—a deadly game of cat and mouse with the infected. Through moonlit woods and decaying ruins, he must rely on his wits and resilience to elude the clutches of those who seek to devour him.
Brave the darkness and a cold so severe that it will be the end for many. Join Ryan on a race against time in a post-apocalyptic landscape gripped by fear, desperation, and the echoes of a lost soul calling for help.
In this world, compassion has consequences. Rise against the tide of despair, or be smothered by it. "Lost Letters: Riverside Cottage" will challenge everything you thought you knew about the Weeping Plague.
Will Ryan's selfless act of compassion be his salvation or his undoing? Will he get his smoke in the end? Discover a new side to the weepers as you immerse yourself in this relentless short story. You can choose between survival, or humanity, rarely both.