Pseudopod 285: Kill Screen
Kill Screen
by Chris Lewis Carter
I finish cataloging his junk. It’s nothing but shareware for ancient computers, old printer drivers, and a dozen of those America Online discs. I should charge him for making me dig through this mess. ‘Sorry, kid. Even if this stuff didn’t reek, you don’t have anything worth… Hmm?’
At the bottom of the box is a jewel case with no insert. The CD inside has the words Mr. Plott’s Bad Game written in black marker.
‘All right, let’s make a deal.’ I pop open the register, and the sound finally catches his attention. ‘Five bucks for the entire thing.’
About the Author
Chris Lewis Carter
Chris Lewis Carter is an award-winning author who has been featured in dozens of publications, ranging from magazines and podcasts to high school textbooks and Stoker-nominated anthologies. Since first being featured on PseudoPod, Chris has focused on screenwriting, where he’s written three short films and a feature that was purchased in 2019 by a division of Warner Brothers (which was, unfortunately, shelved due to the pandemic). His latest horror feature is in development, with the producing team currently assembling its financing package – though he still dreams of one day bringing Mr. Plott to the big screen. His short fiction collection, Always Sometimes Monsters, is available on Amazon if you insert four quarters. He believes the only thing scarier than a haunted video game is social media, but you can still contact him by email.
About the Narrators
Jesse Livingston
Jesse’s work has been featured on Pseudopod and The Drabblecast. All of his music, as well as his first novel A THOUSAND LIFETIMES IN AN HOUR, can be found at Reconstructionrecords.com.
Mark E. Phair
Your reader this week, Mark E. Phair, is an engineer and a storyteller. Find him online at MarkEPhair.com, Logibate.com, and @MarkEPhair on Twitter.
Josh Roseman
Josh Roseman (not the trombonist; the other one) lives in Georgia and writes science fiction, fantasy, horror, and romance. When not writing, he mostly complains about not writing. Follow him on Twitter, Threads, Instagram, or Bluesky @Listener42, where he often posts pictures of his dog.
Jacquie Duckworth
Jacquie Duckworth grew up sneaking out of her room in the wee hours of the night to watch Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. She is an actress in the San Francisco Bay Area performing everything from Shakespeare to sketch comedy and is proud to have been featured as the “Bondi Neighbor Woman” in a television episode of Discovery ID Channel’s I ALMOST GOT AWAY WITH IT!
