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KCW Foster

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2024

Stories (38)
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128 Followers
161 Following

38 Stories

735 karma pts

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Technomancer 14: Intrigue

The drone sat on the table before Leron, lifeless and unmoving despite the repairs he had made. He picked it up, running his hands over the cold metal, and noticed a broken wire.“That’s why it won’t work,” he muttered, leaving the drone on the table and wandering along the aisle between the never-ending rows of light tables. Smoke from melted solder permeated the air, the white wisps hanging above the other tables and the people hunched over them. A few of his coworkers glanced in his direction, giving him a nod of approval. He was the one w...

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Technomancer 13: The Price of a Man

***Mentions of nonconsensual relations, mentions of war***The price of a man was defined by what he wanted most, thought Leron, staring grimly at the antibiotics in Ms. Brent’s hand. They were the only thing that helped; that held back the infection still festering in his arm even after a month. The doctor had said it was almost gone which brought him hope. It wouldn’t be much longer and he could begin to search for Masa. He snatched the pills up and downed them.“Now that’s a good boy,” Ms. Brents said, brushing her hands across his shoulder...

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Technomancer 12: To be Alone

What do we do now? Arion’s words echoed in Masa’s mind, repeating themselves. They invaded her thoughts while she escaped from Arion at the table, seeking out the backseat of one of the many cars in her mother’s mechanic’s shop. His looks of longing spoke of what he wanted. Go to sleep, she had told him flatly, before escaping and staggering towards one of the nearby vehicles and collapsing in the back seat. She lay on the leather, the smell of grease permeating her nose, and worrying about whether he would still come after her. Her heart be...

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Technomancer 11: Broken Love and Half-truths

Masa stared at the old HEB sign, towering into the dusty orange sky. It was getting late and a long time ago, it would have been lit this time of evening. Beside it, a sign for a MacDonald's, a mechanics shop, and a Dunkin Donuts. "Do you think some of them still do business?" she asked Arion, over the drone of the crowd."I doubt it," Arion replied, pulling along their handcart. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, threatening to fall. A sheen of it covered his bare arms beneath the tank he wore. He swallowed, panting and wiping his brow, ...

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Technomancer 10: The Womens' Battle

***mentions of abuse, violence*** The raindrops poured down Masa’s dark hair and onto her face. Her soaked hair clung to her skin. The dress she wore to blend in with the other women was soaked. Crouching, she gripped the knife’s leather hilt, the leather band slippery from the rain and mud. She longed for the familiar feel of her handgun, but that was against the rules of engagement the women had agreed upon. There were to be no guns tonight, only daggers and poison. Lightning lit the sky, highlighting the faces of the women beside her. All...

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Technomancer 9: The Bridge Cartel

*** Trigger: Contains mention of death and violence.***The familiar rumble of thunder echoed through the hall outside the cell, a welcome break from the groans and weeping of the men in the cells. Beads of sweat formed on Leron’s forehead, drifting down into his brow. He wiped them away with his good arm and used the opportunity to brush the matted dreads from his face. He shifted against the wall, trying to reposition his injured arm so it didn’t hurt so much. The pain reminded him that he was alive, and of his mortality.The grate at the en...

7 likes 2 comments 2
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Technomancer 8: The Cell

Everything was hot, so hot. Leron tried to move his arm, but it wouldn’t move. Instead, pain exploded from its location and he screamed. He opened his eyes, struggling to focus. It was so hot. Hazy images passed by him, concealed in the poorly lit room filled with the smell of piss and body odor. So thirsty…..He began to feel dizzy and everything went black. It all played through in Leron’s mind. The Walmart parking lot. The discussions, and then gunfire from all directions. He recalled the bullet hitting his arm, and Arion diving over him ...

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The True Freemen of America

Submitted to Contest #286

The concrete bridge of the six-lane highway towered over Peter, casting deep, dark shadows. Its enormous pillars passed him by as he ambled toward his new life, grinning from ear to ear. Walking beneath the bridge was like crossing into another world—a world of darkness and freedom.A man sat hunched over upon the angled rise at the edge of the bridge, concealed in the shadows, his green hoodie pulled up from beneath a rough-hewn denim jacket. Peter climbed the rise, dragging his suitcase with him, and sat beside him, relaxing against the wal...

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Technomancer 7: The Battle of Walmart

Through the sight of the sniper rifle, the parking lot of the old Walmart appeared normal to Masa. A crowd had gathered between the abandoned cars. They chatted like friends, discussing their day and she enjoyed the illusion of a return to a time before the bombs dropped. At that time, she would be with them, headed into the store to browse the aisles. It was so familiar but different. The overturned shopping carts dispelled the fantasy, smashed and broken into pieces; their wires sticking out at odd angles. The aisles in the store were long...

6 likes 11 comments 11
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Fireworks come to Tonga

Submitted to Contest #285

It was December 31st, 1999, the night of the New Millennium. I was thirteen and living in Tonga with my parents, Kiwi expats brought from New Zealand to run Taulua Press. The press was a joint venture between the Wesleyan and Catholic churches. To ensure fairness, they set out to hire an impartial third party. The first manager was an atheist and my father, the second, was a Baptist.When we first arrived in Tonga, it was like stepping through a portal into an alien world. The air was so hot that it was hard to breathe and the mosquitos were ...

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Technomancer 6: A Change of Expectations

Submitted to Contest #284

**Mature content, mentions of violence***The clouds drifted above Masa, their puffy white edges haloed by the orange light edging over the wall of the canteena. She squinted, wiping the sleep from her eyes, and stretched. Behind her, Leron grunted, pulling her back towards him. “Stay,” he whispered, kissing her cheek and resting his head beside hers. It had all happened so fast. One kiss had led to more and before she knew it they were lying together beneath the blanket she kept in her pack on the roof. She felt a twinge of guilt. Her father...

12 likes 5 comments 5
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Technomancer 5: Love in Nuevo Laredo

Submitted to Contest #283

From one of the nearby shelves, a can dropped, hitting the floor sending a clanking sound resounding through the empty grocery store. Masa cringed and held her breathe, trying to calm her racing heart. Not now, not now. Fearing an attack, she clenched her jaw and looked over the edge of the shelves. She locked eyes with Arion and relaxed. He stood strong, watching over them all and completely unphased by the sound. Masa was glad he had joined their group here. Arion had fought for her right to fight, unlike Leron, who had argued for her not ...

9 likes 8 comments 8
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Technomancer 4: Taking a stand

Submitted to Contest #282

***Warning: Violence and Abuse***“We found these two sneaking into the camp,” growled one of the camp watchers, thrusting Leron onto the ground. He cried out as the gravel bit into his knees and forearms, and the pain ran along them in a series of throbbing pinpricks. He struggled onto his knees and fought against the zip-tie restraints binding his hands in front of him. What was he thinking? He was only eighteen. Why did he think he could sneak into camp and save the people?His eyes fell on Masa and his heart ached at the glare she shot him...

11 likes 15 comments 15
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Technomancer 3: The Gift of a Life

Submitted to Contest #281

Will we make it? Was this really the best idea? Leron wondered, wiping thick beads of sweat from his brow. The sandy, grass-covered mountains towered above him on either side and the sun beat down from the sky, causing the people around him to stumble on the asphalt while they worked their way through the pass towards Texas. Far behind him, the squeak of roughly constructed carts and the occasional cry from someone who had decided to give up, before someone else encouraged them onwards.The gift of life his parents had given many of these peo...

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Technomancer 2: Monterrey Monster

Submitted to Contest #280

Masa flattened herself against the ruined wall and listened to the people surrounding the fire barrel, crouched and at the ready. She peered around the edge, hand resting on the handgun at her waist feeling the cold metal in her hands. It was an unfamiliar presence that weighed heavily at her side, along with the knowledge of what that presence meant. Tonight, she might have to kill someone.When she was younger, her father taught her how to shoot and while she wasn’t bad at aiming, it was not nearly the level she would need to defend herself...

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