The Devil's Run

They call it the Devil's Run, the Valley of Sorrows. Couriers fear to travel through it, but as the only way to deliver classified information safely, Cora is sent to deliver a message that could change the tide of the war. When a native assassin starts hunting her team, she realizes that there are more than just killers to fear in the desert. There are also monsters. Brett Seegmiller ⋮ Short story ⋮ Science Fiction ⋮ Fiction

The story's story

It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve not only found a home for my blog through Ghost.io, but it’s also given me a place to house my upcoming novels and short stories in my online “store.”

One of those stories is The Devil’s Run, a short story about a team of couriers delivering an important military message through a hostile desert. During their critical run, they’re being tracked by a native assassin, which may not be the most terrifying thing they’ll have to face as darkness approaches.

The story was partially inspired by a video game called Mirror’s Edge. While The Devil’s Run bears practically no resemblance to Mirror’s Edge, the idea of a female runner traversing obstacles always stuck in my mind. The idea was then fleshed out when I pondered what would happen if a society became so advanced technologically that any electronic signal or message could be intercepted and what that would mean to a military during wartime. I thought the idea of technology advancing so far that society would have to rediscover ancient survival methods was fascinating to me, and merging that idea with Cora, the main character, and The Devil’s Run was born.

Even though it’s a short story and the ending is a bit too abrupt for my tastes, The Devil’s Run has some of my favorite characters and creatures that I’ve ever created. The Ghostov assassin and the pitter monsters found in radioactive pits are ideas I would love to explore further.

Stay tuned for more stories to pop up on my store, but for now, give The Devil’s Run a read and follow me for more content in the future.