Blue Screens of Death

A System Apocalypse Short Story (The System Apocalypse Short Stories)

By: Tao Wong

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Morning in Whitehorse, and everything is normal. All too normal.

A girlfriend who loves him; an evening at the farmer’s market in Shipyard’s Park. Idyllic, relaxing, peaceful. What more could a man want?

John Lee isn’t sure, but stray thoughts intrude, and memories of a different time, a different place, a different world keep intruding. Angst-ridden, exhausting memories of a world of pain and struggle. Nothing like the paradise he lives in.

Now, if only John wasn’t so attracted to them.

This short story is set between Books nine and 10. Minor spoilers included within.

©2021 Tao Wong (P)2021 Starlit Publishing

Simple

I just finished Blue Screens of Death, another System Apocalypse short story.

This one is short and sweet. It’s kind of depressing, ur a part of that is just my own personal problems.

This kind of thing, the “it was all a dream” thing is a little close to the one trope that triggers panic attacks for me. The “you were in a mental hospital” version is what does it.

The use of Lanna and the others makes it cute but sad. The glitches suck but he gets to see what a world could have been, a normal world.

The one way I would have changed it is by giving them a triad relationship and see what happens, lol.

In any case, I think this takes place in between the second and third trilogies so it’s pretty simple.