A brilliant inventor finds himself imprisoned in his own video game simulation. Only a successful jailbreak will allow entry back to reality. (132 pages)
Decoherence
The metaverse is coming. Soon. Ultra-immersive, virtual interaction has already begun to transform our daily lives. The final hurdle? Method of consumption. The next iteration of the internet, capable of full, widespread appeal, will operate from a chip in the human brain. Users will live their lives engaging with what they see, but what isn’t actually there. Enter Steven Slagle, an ambitious young engineer who leads the charge. Intercut with his journey into adulthood is a test Steven later performs in a simulated prison. But when the program malfunctions and the stakes are raised, Steven must escape the facility in order to escape this flawed digital reality.
(email andrewcarlstewart@gmail.com for access)
In a small, northern town, one high school senior grapples with wasted adolescence as he conforms to modern social life. (115 pages)
Together Alone
Senior year has arrived in the vibrant, fictional town of Mead, Wisconsin. Together Alone follows Glenn Moss, a sharp young man who struggles to navigate contemporary high school life. Personal tragedy shapes his reluctant party habits and a thoroughly introspective mind curtains his social expectations. Glenn is the listening ear, the shoulder to cry on, the de facto designated driver, and the glue that holds his friend group together. Glenn is there for everyone else, yet fails to find someone who does the same for him.
(email andrewcarlstewart@gmail.com for access)
Left for dead after an air disaster, a loving father battles the side of himself he hopes his children never see. (105 pages)
Stetson
A commercial aircraft nosedives into the Canadian wilderness and the few survivors must cling to life in the bitter cold. Among them is Ted Fleming, a blithe father who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. The extreme abuse of his childhood led to an adult life riddled with rules, anxiety medication, and psychotherapy – all aiming to keep his demons at bay. After the traumatic crash, this work is undone. Ted’s violent, emotionally erratic alter seizes control and fights for his existence by any means necessary. He will not return to his former life as a powerless observer. Stetson simply wants to live…
(email andrewcarlstewart@gmail.com for access)
Be Your Best
In the distant future, a lonely young man browses a "Be Your Best" kiosk for the first time after turning 18. In this world (where life expectancy is 200+ years), citizens are allotted 100 years to roam the earth. As a further mechanism to manage overpopulation, these kiosks offer character traits and skills that can be automatically implanted into clients' brain implants. The only cost... is time.
In the far-reaching future, a kiosk tempts everyday people to shorten, but improve, their lives. (16 pages)