"THE PRAIRIE MARTIAN" by Jonathan Eaton |
THE PRAIRIE MARTIAN
New Halchita is surrounded by enemies. The Scavenger Hordes claim the land the town sits on as their own. Giant, mutated ticks await the unwary—one careless step could mean a slow, delightful death wrapped in their sticky palps. And in the skies above, artificially intelligent killing machines look down upon the survivors of the Great Inadvertent War, ready to obliterate any settlement they judge guilty of inappropriate technological advancement.
But Sheriff Frank Westfall’s biggest concern is the beautiful and mysterious stranger in the lockup. “Nancy” claims to be a visitor from Mars, a descendant of an experimental colony abandoned by Earth when the war broke out. When Frank discovers that Nancy is not what she appears to be, his duty is clear—the problem is, he’s never had to kill anything with such a pretty face before. |
