Free Fiction Monday: Substitutions

Silas has worked for Death in Nevada for 150 years. He gets Christmas and Christmas Eve off. Only this year, his substitute finds him in a Las Vegas casino. His substitute, who is little more than a boy, a boy whose task terrifies him. If the boy finishes the task, he’ll have a permanent job. If he doesn’t, a dozen kids will live in agony. Silas hates the choice. He wants to tell the boy, That’s the job. Get used to it. But he can’t. Because it’s Christmas, and the boy is all alone…

“Substitutions” by USA Today bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch is available for 99 cents on Kindle, Nook, Smashwords and in other e-bookstores, or in these collections: Santa and Other Christmas Criminals, available for $2.99 on Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, and in other ebookstores; Silent Night: A Christmas Collection, available for $4.99 on Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, and in other e-bookstores; and Recovering Apollo 8 And Other Stories, available for $24 from Amazon.com or at your favorite bookstore.

The free story will only be available for one week.  If you missed this one, click on the links above.  There’s another free story lurking somewhere around this site. Track it down, read, and enjoy.