A deadly pandemic kills 100% of those affected, and a desperate father makes the most of his daughter’s final Christmas in a post-apocalyptic world. ————— On November 7th, 2023, the author posted a call for random prompts on social media. She asked for a character, a location, a murder weapon, and a sub-genre of horror. The response was overwhelming. Randomly selected, the winner was able to name the characters in the story. The random selection: Main Character: Mechanic Location: Little Girl's Bedroom Murder Weapon: Grungy Old Doll Sub-genre: Post-Apocalyptic Sounds fun, right? Until the author realized the murder weapon was a doll. Seventeen days later, "AL-13N FLU" became a Christmas-themed horror short story set in a post-apocalyptic world. You'll have to read it to find out how she incorporated that damn doll.
Author
Holly Rae Garcia works full-time as the Gulf Coast Regional Photographer for a global chemical company. Growing up, she read her mother’s extensive Stephen King and True Crime collection, and a love for dark fiction with sad endings has stayed with her ever since. Holly especially loves the works of Edgar Allen Poe, Daniel Keyes, Richard Matheson, Stephen King, and Alfred Hitchcock. Her own books include Parachute, Come Join the Murder and The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge (co-written with her husband and fellow author, Ryan Prentice Garcia). Her shorter fiction has been published online and in print for various magazines and anthologies. She also edited Table for 3, a charity anthology featuring novellas from Douglas Ford, Rebecca Rowland, and herself. Holly is an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association. She lives on the Texas Coast with her family and five large dogs. You can often find her reading, watching horror movies, or playing poker. More information can be found at www.HollyRaeGarcia.com
