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    Soot
    Soot
    Soot
    Ebook37 pages26 minutes

    Soot

    By Christian Guthrie

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Soot follows Connor Tracy, a young man caught in a rough patch in his life, crippled with mental sickness and emotional turmoil, he begins to plunge into darkness. Weighed down by loneliness and poor living conditions, can Connor make it through this uncertain time in his life? Or will he succumb to a life of debauchery? 

    Connor isn't the only character in this twisted experience. Follow Harley and Jamie, detectives that are investigating a strange murder case, and Connor's neighbor: Abby. What I wanted to accomplish with Soot was something that I had never experienced in literature before. That is a shift in perspective.

    Stories are usually presented either within a first person or third person format, keeping it in one type of narrative style builds a trust between the reader and the content. It is because of this that I found some books that I've read in my life boring. Why do we have to see a story told through one individual? Why not expand upon that and build tension with the reader? Who can they trust? 

    Connor's segments of this short story are told within first person, we are able to see the world through his eyes. On the other hand, Jamie and Harley's sections are written in traditional third person. Along with shifts in how the content is told, I've also added another element to Soot that I haven't seen in books either: Leaving personal notes from the characters.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChristian Guthrie
    Release dateAug 30, 2016
    ISBN9781536596229
    Soot
    Author

    Christian Guthrie

    Born in Gorham, I have always had a passion for writing, especially when combined with video games.  Game Writing is a passion that I am chasing everyday. I am always interested in any form of storytelling.

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      Book preview

      Soot - Christian Guthrie

      Prologue

      Six rounds left...the sound of gunshots echo and muzzle flashes illuminate with the sirens of of the buildings and the pavement. They are closing in, surrounding me...

      Five... my shirt is sticking to me, stained in red. A metallic taste in my mouth overwhelms my entire mouth, dripping bright red vomit.

      Four rounds left... I can’t see through this storm, only a haze of rain with the flash of gunfire keeping my adrenaline pumping. Fluids dripping from my stomach. I have to keep moving...

      Three... my mask... gone... identity exposed...

      Two... keep going... church...

      One... fuck...

      Dr. Cote's Office - March 20th, 1:00pm

      Every two months I drag myself out of my grimy bedroom and prepare to put on my best face for my good friend Tim Cote, my faithful therapist. He's been helping dissect my brain since I was nine years old. While he does keep the voices at bay, I really haven't been on my best behavior this past year.

      I haven't been taking my meds, I was let go recently from my previous employer so I've been selling them. Xanax sells for a shit load of money. I can't blame them for wanting it, everything moves so quickly these days that nobody takes a fucking break from the world.

      My favorite part of Tim's office is the waiting room. Tables with a mahogany finish lavishly decorate the area. Pristine chalk white sofas make waiting seem like a privilege. Coupled with a sound machine, an amalgam of anxiety magazines, and a background orchestral track of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 all bring the room together. I feel at peace here. Tim always creeks his office door open. Even though he’s old, he still manages to stay in shape, a foot taller than me and bolstering a rugged gray beard that could cut through glass. He’s always wearing a pale blue dress shirt and tan slacks. He must make a fortune off of me. As per usual, Tim inhales deeply and lets out a  soft whisper:

      Good to see you Connor. Please, have a seat.

      After a brief affirming handshake I always head right to the red couch,

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