The Forever Man - Book 1: Pulse

  Chapter 1 Book 2

  Toilet paper. Twin ply. Super soft.

  Nathaniel grinned to himself.

  And coffee. Made with a machine. By a barista. Strong, bitter, honest to God coffee.

  Thousands of years of human endeavor. Countless millions of man-hours of invention had been wiped out by the pulse. Computers. Space travel. Brian surgery. And what did the forever man miss the most? Something soft to wipe his ass with and a mildly addictive hot beverage made from the roasted seeds of the Rubiaceae bush.

  Nathaniel’s horse stumbled slightly. Weary from the days riding. Snow crunched like broken glass beneath its hooves. The air resonant with the fragrance of pine resin and ozone overlaid by the subtle steel smell of newly minted snow. Gusts of wind shivered the trees, shaking clumps of white from their laden boughs. A giant baker dusting the land with icing sugar. Breath steamed from Nate’s open mouth in clouds of condensate, leeching the warmth from his core. Puff the magic dragon.

  Winter had come across the land with a speed that baffled all. And it was the harshest winter in living memory. Nathaniel had heard theories that the unprecedented level of cold was brought about by the fact that there were no longer any factories left in the world. Nor heating of any sort. The cattle population had been decimated and there were no cars to fill the atmosphere with carbon monoxide. Global cooling had become a reality.

  It had been about three months now since the first electromagnetic pulse had struck the earth. Destroying all electronic and electrical equipment in an orgy of solar destruction. And the pulses had continued on a daily basis, apparent by the almost constant glow of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern lights, in the sky that was caused by the massive amounts of gamma radiation in the atmosphere.

  But, apart from smashing mankind back into the dark ages, the gamma rays had also had another effect. Somehow they had changed marine master sergeant Nathaniel Hogan’s DNA structure. They had enhanced his speed, strength and, most of all, his ability to heal. He was now capable of sustaining fatal wounds and recovering. Although, he was still able to succumb to normal disease and starvation. He wasn’t sure about drowning. Unfortunately he still felt pain. And normal common garden fatigue. But then one doesn’t look an immortal horse in the mouth.

  Nathaniel glanced down at the back of his left hand. The pink scar stood out like a brand.

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  He had dreamed of Stonehenge and druids one night and one of the druids had cut the symbol into his hand with a sickle. When he had awoken it was there. An ancient Traveling women had told him that it was the sign for Infinity and he had been marked as The Forever Man. And then she had shown him some a small magik trick. Conjuring up fire with though alone. She had told him to practice this every day as he had the gift. He had been doing so for almost two months now but to no avail. If the entire world hadn’t become so topsy-turvy he would have dismissed her as a weirdo but given the current circumstances he was loath to do so. She had also instructed him to go north to seek his destiny. This he was doing. And, in lieu of any other plan, he was happy to do.