Proceed to Section Z

By Marcos Donnelly

By Ted Wenskus and Marcos Donnelly.

“Proceed to Section Z” is a parody of the old choose-your-own-adventure format popular in paper books of decades past. This short story, the post-apocalyptic adventures of reluctant hero Steffan McFessel, started as a fun thought experiment and wound up inspiring the novel THE MOSTLY WEIRD CHRONICLES OF STEFFAN McFESSEL, also by Ted Wenskus and Marcos Donnelly.

Both literary and slapstick, the work offers two ways to enjoy the plot: (1) by selecting what characters do next at the end of each mini-section and making a one-click jump to the next scene; or (2) by reading straight through all optional scenes to see how the authors mix up the fun and put their characters through their paces.

If you enjoy this work, be sure to get your own copy of the full novel (with similar characters but a completely different madcap plot) at Smashwords!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marcos Donnelly
• Release date: Nov 27, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465917553

Marcos Donnelly

Marcos Donnelly has been publishing science fiction and fantasy fiction since the early 1990s. His work to date has been praised by the New York Review of Science Fiction as "utterly gripping, very funny, and very clever"; noted by Isaac Asimov Science Fiction for its "wry wisdom, comic zip and brio"; and lauded by Booklist as "brilliant and controversial." His first two novels, Prophets for the End of Time and Letters from the Flesh, are available in print from numerous online retailers, and will soon be available as eBooks at Smashwords. He is a an educator and freelance writer in Upstate New York. Ted Wenskus is a freelance writer and lives in Greece, NY. He has published several works, including recent short stories in the the horror/comedy collection Strangely Funny, the alternate history anthology Rochester Rewritten, and the forthcoming UK anthology Rom Zom Com. Ted also written numerous short plays which have been produced in England as well as throughout New York State. He is currently working on numerous fiction and theater projects, including his first full-length play. On his rare days off, he enjoys long walks, which to date have included climbing Kilimanjaro and backpacking across Iceland from coast to coast.

Book preview

PROCEED TO SECTION Z

A CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE ADVENTURE

By Marcos Donnelly and Ted Wenskus

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

Copyright 2011 by Marcos Donnelly and Ted Wenskus

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment, and is provided free of charge. You may distribute this ebook freely, provided this license information is not omitted. You may not charge for this work. If you would like to share this book with another person, please direct them to download a version from Smashwords.com. Thank you for respecting the authors’ work.

About This Work

Proceed to Section Z is a short story that started as a fun thought experiment and wound up inspiring the novel The Mostly Weird Chronicles of Steffan McFessel, also by Ted Wenskus and Marcos Donnelly. If you enjoy this work, be sure to get your own copy of the full novel (with similar characters but a completely different madcap plot) at:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/41714

You can also view our teaser/trailer for the McFessel works at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6Uuae_69AA

INTRODUCTION

Now that the radiation has pretty much died out, and people have started building new villages far away from any of the old cities, and the east and west coasts have stopped burning, mostly, your father turns from where he’s sitting by the campfire burning some Steinbeck for warmth and says, Son, civilization will be starting up again soon.

Your name is Steffan McFessel. You live in a small, dingy, post-catastrophic village just outside Capitol, center of the fledgling Mid-Nebraskan Conglomerate (Regent Nicholas III presiding). Your father’s tone makes you realize, with no little discomfort, that you, as a sixteen-year-old white mid-American male, are exactly the right demographic for being pushed from the nest and forced to make haphazard choices about your post-apocalyptic future.

So, what do you want to do with your life, boy? You grimace when he tosses a Hawthorne into the waning flames. About the only thing you enjoy in life is reading the pre-Last War books you’ve scrounged from the ruins of North Platte. Dad likes them, too. They’re great kindling.

Dunno, you say, hoping nonchalance will thwart him. It doesn’t work. Once chalant, your Father can never be nonned out of it.

There’s a few apprenticeships opening up in Capitol, you know, Dad says, feigning offhandedness. In fact, I’ve set you up some interviews with the Regent’s Mentors for Philosophical Counsel, Military Heroism, and Court Jesterdom at three, four, and five o’clock today.

Court Jesterdom? you ask, blinking.

Let’s not kid ourselves, son. Not everybody’s a hero or a genius.

And so your forced adventure begins.

INTRUSIVE AUTHORIAL NOTE! Each choice below is hyperlinked for eReaders that enable in-text linking. If your eReader doesn’t permit that function, simply scroll down to the section you desire in a quaintly nostalgic 20th century fashion. Or, what the heck—read straight through don’t miss any of the quips.

What path do you pursue?

a) A hero’s adventure, since you fit the demographic. Proceed to Section A.

b) Philosophical pursuits. Those books made quite an impact on you. Proceed to Section B.

c) Comedy—people are probably going to laugh at you anyway. Proceed to Section C.

SECTION A

You choose to follow the path of Military Heroism. Three long years of apprenticeship pass.

Your Mentor, Commander Senecalius of the Conglomerate Militia, is a harsh but fair taskmaster. You learned that your very first day when he gently asked you, Tell me, young McFessel: Do you believe essence precedes existence?