PLEd: Beginnings is a set of stories introducing a few of the main characters of Jim Z. Roil's PLEd series.
In "Ghoulish Hospitality", Field Researcher Kael Gene takes on an average assignment for the Speculative Research Institute. Several people have turned up, partially missing, and it is Kael's job to research the locals and find the creature responsible without causing an outcry among the laymans.
"We're Not in Kansas Anymore" is the origin story of Sergeant Jim Sheridan. In the Middle East, his convoy is attacked and he is mortally wounded, along with several of his squadmates. His sudden brush with death awakens his true potential, and he sees things he's not sure are just tricks in his mind.
Mortemer is the main character in "A Hot August Night". He drives his classic Galaxie down the main strip in Reno, Nevada, and picks up a girl. However, neither Mortemer or the girl are what they seem, danger seeks them out, and Death cannot be stopped.