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    Cargo: The Sellouts, #1
    Cargo: The Sellouts, #1
    Cargo: The Sellouts, #1
    Ebook94 pages1 hour

    Cargo: The Sellouts, #1

    By Bill Kandiliotis

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    About this ebook

    In the scorching desert heat, a spirited delivery man ventures into the vast emptiness, unaware of the horrifying fate that awaits him. With his present cargo tightly secured, he has no inkling that within its confines lay a mystery too gruesome to comprehend. And then, as the cargo is unveiled, a ghastly truth is revealed – a man-eating beast, more sinister than any nightmare, lurks behind those timber slates. The desert becomes an arena of terror, where life and death hang in the balance.

    Left trapped in a bone-chilling dilemma, his every move determines his own survival. The stakes had never been higher, and the desert bears witness to a harrowing battle for survival, as the hunter becomes the hunted, and fear carves its path amidst the arid wasteland.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNitronaut Books
    Release dateApr 12, 2024
    ISBN9798227091390
    Cargo: The Sellouts, #1
    Author

    Bill Kandiliotis

    Wrote his first 'hardcore' science fiction book in second grade during book week. It was a five-page interplanetary epic, with a montage front cover and full page drawings. He came second in the competition which annoyed the hell out of him. Since then, has read and watched everything and anything that can be even remotely classified as science fiction. He has produced a few guerrilla films back when that was a thing and has recently been credited with the discovery of two exoplanets. These days his reading time is sacrificed in the pursuit of writing down his own stories from ideas he has accumulated over the years. Author of A Hostile Takeover & The Blood Ring Discoverer of Exoplanets KIC 10905746 b & KIC 6185331 b Producer of The Bad Samaritan (2001)

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      Book preview

      Cargo - Bill Kandiliotis

      Bill Kandiliotis

      Cargo

      The Sellouts [Book 1]

      First published by Nitronaut Books 2024

      Copyright © 2024 by Bill Kandiliotis

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

      This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

      Bill Kandiliotis asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

      First edition

      This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

      Find out more at reedsy.com

      Contents

      I. CARGO

      1. Delivery Man

      2. Road Pirates

      3. Depot 13

      4. The Enigmatic Traveller

      5. Motel Esperada

      6. Ambushed by Vipers

      7. Naked Girl

      8. Blood Video

      9. Puckers

      10. A Villa Beyond The Cacti

      11. Eclipse of the Serpent

      12. Slaughter in the Night

      13. Avocado

      I

      CARGO

      The Sellouts [Book One]

      1

      Delivery Man

      As the sun climbs higher in the sky, casting its mellow rays upon the earth, the slumbering world around me stirs from its tranquil repose. Mere moments ago, it appeared as if time had frozen in the frigid darkness, holding its breath in suspended animation. But now, with the rich hues of sunlight, life reawakens, unfolding in a symphony of movement and vibrant energy.

      The world seems at peace.

      I start the day at the recharge station, its artificial cold lights a stark contrast to what the life-friendly sky outside offers. The sole customer, the only living thing, I order a medium vanilla cappuccino and cronut and wait for the tellerless POS to process my transaction. The dispenser opens and produces my cronut wrapped in alufoil. Another opening drops a can of coffee into the slot. I take both and walk to the exit.

      As I approach my Quasar Cyberstar, I spot my first humans, two cajeros loading up the station’s dispenser delivery system. Like myself, they perform a type of labour that automation engineers haven’t yet figured out how to synthesise and carry out cheaply. Wages have stagnated for a decade, so people like me still had jobs, for now.

      The Cyberstar’s door opens, having detected me, and I climb into the driver’s seat, a privilege that costs me just over ten thousand dollars a month. A twin battery pack powers this class eight semi-truck, pumping power to four electric motors and gearboxes. It gives me a range of just under a kilometre, and if I stick to my streamlined schedule, I can keep my costs down enough to show a profit at the end of each month.

      I sink back in the comforts of my Cyberstar, and open the can of hot coffee, expecting the familiar taste of black coffee, but am met with a strange, sickly-sweet taste. I take a sip again, hoping I was mistaken, but the taste was unmistakable; choc-orange flavoured coffee. Those cajeros stuffed up, adding to my melancholy about my income. The long day ahead of me, with multiple stops to make across the city, also compounds my depression.

      Since I haven’t cybernetically augmented my vision, I must be extra cautious on the road and always stay alert. I enter my schedule into the truck’s computer and embark on my journey.

      Stories about people who haven’t had their vision enhanced with cybernetic implants are abundant. Unable to see things that exist in the metascape, no-chromers like me still rely on third-party technology to navigate the modern world. A handicap I’m willing to endure. Even the insults, the cyber-shaming, the blatant bullying and disrespect, I happily ignore. Society is still accessible for most naturalists, for now.

      Just because they can see in the dark, can see through fog and rain, or even see around corners, doesn’t give these sellouts an edge. It makes their brains lazier than they were before the implants. I may not have these abilities, but my brain is far better trained to deal with reality. I have to rely on my own eyes and ears, not the manipulative and suggestive reality the metascape offers.

      So, even though I don’t have cybernetically enhanced implants, I’m confident that I can make my journey safely and efficiently. I just have to be proficient and stay alert. Plus, I have my artificial sentient companion.

      Do you want me to avoid tollways? asks AVOCADO, the truck’s autoMIND.

      Yes, please, I command, hoping to save money.

      As soon as we pass the tollway entrance ramp, we hit heavy traffic, a gridlock as far as the eye can see. Why didn’t you warn me, Avocado?

      Avocado replies promptly, You always want me to avoid tolls. You have one hundred percent consistency in this.

      The delay threatens to last hours. I pledge to never again skimp on tolls.

      Is there any way out of this?

      It takes a few seconds for the autoMIND to respond. "I understand that you’re expressing deep concerns about our current stagnation. The collision between the FC334 MetroBus and a Phoenix prevents us from enacting such countermeasures until we reach the Rosefield Interchange.

      ETA?

      Twenty-three minutes.

      Despite the setback, I remain focused and determined to complete my deliveries on time, to earn my bonuses, which would compensate for my other losses.

      Would you be interested in the latest Waycaster updates?

      Not at this time, Avo, I say, deciding to spend the day with a clear head and avoid the typhoon in a teacup that is world current affairs.

      After a long day wrangling with traffic and my depression, my greed takes control, fuelled by unshakeable despair at the cost of living. I open the scheduler and scan for new jobs popping in. There is a long-range delivery, and it’s not the most effort-free job, but it’s premium. I resolve to take it on, even though I know it will make me even more tired than I already am.

      I’m not sure if this extra job will change my life, but it’s either that or wallow in poor-man’s misery.

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