CATACLYSMOS Book 1 Part 4: Perish Twice: A Post-Apocolyptic Serial Thriller Read online

  praise for michael lister

  The Florida Book Review says that "Vintage Michael Lister is poetic prose, exquisitely set scenes, characters who are damaged and faulty" and Michael Koryta says, “If you like crime writing with depth, suspense, and sterling prose, you should be reading Michael Lister," while Publisher's Weekly adds, “Lister’s hard-edged prose ranks with the best of contemporary noir fiction.”

  “Like a two-hundred page poem, with words that skip on the waters of the imagination like well-polished stones, DOUBLE EXPOSURE is absolutely riveting! Elegiac prose, insightful characterization and a wonderfully ingenious plot.” Michael Connelly

  "Eerie and cinematic, classic whodunits with thoroughly modern sensibilities. John Jordan manages to be deeply flawed yet utterly appealing. Lister, with his gift for exploring the nuances of human relationships, creates a vivid and multi-faceted supporting cast, each character finely-wrought, each portrayal unflinching. Suspenseful, complex and original, page-turners with a soul." Lisa Unger

  “Michael Lister has the world of Florida Panhandle noir all to himself. Tough, violent, and hard-boiled, This novel of obsession and suspense will remind you of Raymond Chandler, Graham Greene, and why you started reading crime novels in the first place.” John Dufresne

  “Tight, taut, terrific PI noir with a classic and fully-realized 1940s setting. Michael Lister is one of those rare, gifted writers who can immerse you with his first sentence. The “Soldier” series is a treasure—don’t miss it!” Kelli Stanley

  “Lister’s hard-edged prose ranks with the best of contemporary noir fiction.” Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review of The Big Goodbye.

  “Michael Lister successfully brings back the hard-boiled 1940′s P.I. with his Jimmy ‘Soldier’ Riley series. Soldier has heart, the dialogue is relentlessly hard-boiled, and the local is steamy and original. Lister knows how to mix it all together with the steady hand of a solid pro.” Robert Randisi

  “Michael Lister delivers the goods like Tyson in his prime, hard, fast and beautiful kind of brutal.” Gary Phillips

  praise for michael lister

  The Florida Book Review says that "Vintage Michael Lister is poetic prose, exquisitely set scenes, characters who are damaged and faulty" and Michael Koryta says, “If you like crime writing with depth, suspense, and sterling prose, you should be reading Michael Lister," while Publisher's Weekly adds, “Lister’s hard-edged prose ranks with the best of contemporary noir fiction.”

  “Like a two-hundred page poem, with words that skip on the waters of the imagination like well-polished stones, DOUBLE EXPOSURE is absolutely riveting! Elegiac prose, insightful characterization and a wonderfully ingenious plot.” Michael Connelly

  "Eerie and cinematic, classic whodunits with thoroughly modern sensibilities. John Jordan manages to be deeply flawed yet utterly appealing. Lister, with his gift for exploring the nuances of human relationships, creates a vivid and multi-faceted supporting cast, each character finely-wrought, each portrayal unflinching. Suspenseful, complex and original, page-turners with a soul." Lisa Unger

  “Michael Lister has the world of Florida Panhandle noir all to himself. Tough, violent, and hard-boiled, This novel of obsession and suspense will remind you of Raymond Chandler, Graham Greene, and why you started reading crime novels in the first place.” John Dufresne

  “Tight, taut, terrific PI noir with a classic and fully-realized 1940s setting. Michael Lister is one of those rare, gifted writers who can immerse you with his first sentence. The “Soldier” series is a treasure—don’t miss it!” Kelli Stanley

  “Lister’s hard-edged prose ranks with the best of contemporary noir fiction.” Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review of The Big Goodbye.

  “Michael Lister successfully brings back the hard-boiled 1940′s P.I. with his Jimmy ‘Soldier’ Riley series. Soldier has heart, the dialogue is relentlessly hard-boiled, and the local is steamy and original. Lister knows how to mix it all together with the steady hand of a solid pro.” Robert Randisi

  “Michael Lister delivers the goods like Tyson in his prime, hard, fast and beautiful kind of brutal.” Gary Phillips

  about cataclysmos

  Thank you for giving the post-apocalyptic world that is Cataclysmos a try. I really appreciate you taking this journey with me. Cataclysmos is a serial thriller with new parts being published on a regular basis.

  For more information about Cataclysmos and for notifications of new installment releases, sign up for the Cataclysmos Communiqué by clicking here.

  Don’t miss a single thrilling episode of Cataclysmos!

  Click here to sign up today!

  Post a review and join the Cataclysmos Communiqué and I'll send you the next installment of CATACLYSMOS FOR FREE! Click here.

  The end.

  This is the way the world ends!

  When the end comes it comes with astonishing speed.

  It has been a slow build to the brink, but once the point of no return has been breached, night falls fast.

  Disasters, avoidable and not, and the inhuman responses to humanity’s existential crises, every tipping point tipping us over the ragged rim, into a black abyss from which there is no return.

  One man walks alone on a lonely road in search of his loved ones in a wasteland that used to be the world.

  Though danger lurks around every bend of the desolate landscape he is undaunted and will be undeterred. His mission is simple if nearly impossible – find his family and friends who are still alive.

  Encountering survivors who range from colorful characters to deadly adversaries, his journey is as much inward as it is outward, revealing as much about himself and the other survivors as the bleak new world they now inhabit.

  Warned to stay away from the coast, he heads directly into danger, choosing death over a world without his remaining loved ones in it.

  But is he too late? And if he’s not, is he up to the task of saving them?

  books by michael lister

  (Cataclysmos)

  Cataclysmos Book 1 Part 1: This is the Way the World Ends

  Cataclysmos Book 1 Part 2: Night Fires of the New World

  Cataclysmos Book 1 Part 3: The Deacon

  Cataclysmos Book 1 Part 4: Perish Twice

  Cataclysmos Book 1 Part 5: The Long Dark Night

  Cataclysmos Collection Book 1 Parts 1-3

  Cataclysmos Book 1 Complete in 5 Parts

  (John Jordan Novels)

  Power in the Blood

  Blood of the Lamb

  Flesh and Blood

  (Special Introduction by Margaret Coel)

  The Body and the Blood

  Blood Sacrifice

  Rivers to Blood

  Innocent Blood

  (Special Introduction by Michael Connelly)

  Blood Money

  Blood Moon

  Blood Cries

  Blood Oath

  (Jimmy “Soldier” Riley Novels)

  The Big Goodbye

  The Big Beyond

  The Big Hello

  The Big Bout

  In a Spider’s Web (short story)

  The Big Book of Noir

  (Merrick McKnight / Reggie Summers Novels)

  Thunder Beach

  A Certain Retribution

  (Remington James Novels)

  Double Exposure

  (includes intro by Michael Connelly)

  Separation Anxiety

  (Sam Michaels / Daniel Davis Novels)

  Burnt Offerings

  Separation Anxiety

 
(Love Stories)

  Carrie’s Gift

  (Short Story Collections)

  North Florida Noir

  Florida Heat Wave

  Delta Blues

  Another Quiet Night in Desparation

  (The Meaning Series)

  The Meaning of Jesus

  Meaning Every Moment

  The Meaning of Life in Movies

  Sign up for Michael’s newsletter by clicking here or go to www.MichaelLister.com and receive a free book.

  about cataclysmos

  Thank you for giving the post-apocalyptic world that is Cataclysmos a try. I really appreciate you taking this journey with me. Cataclysmos is a serial thriller with new parts being published on a regular basis.

  For more information about Cataclysmos and for notifications of new installment releases, sign up for the Cataclysmos Communiqué by clicking here.

  Don’t miss a single thrilling episode of Cataclysmos!

  Click here to sign up today!

  Post a review and join the Cataclysmos Communiqué and I'll send you the next installment of CATACLYSMOS FOR FREE! Click here.

  The end.

  This is the way the world ends!

  When the end comes it comes with astonishing speed.

  It has been a slow build to the brink, but once the point of no return has been breached, night falls fast.

  Disasters, avoidable and not, and the inhuman responses to humanity’s existential crises, every tipping point tipping us over the ragged rim, into a black abyss from which there is no return.

  One man walks alone on a lonely road in search of his loved ones in a wasteland that used to be the world.

  Though danger lurks around every bend of the desolate landscape he is undaunted and will be undeterred. His mission is simple if nearly impossible – find his family and friends who are still alive.

  Encountering survivors who range from colorful characters to deadly adversaries, his journey is as much inward as it is outward, revealing as much about himself and the other survivors as the bleak new world they now inhabit.

  Warned to stay away from the coast, he heads directly into danger, choosing death over a world without his remaining loved ones in it.

  But is he too late? And if he’s not, is he up to the task of saving them?

  books by michael lister

  (Cataclysmos)

  Cataclysmos Book 1 Part 1: This is the Way the World Ends

  Cataclysmos Book 1 Part 2: Night Fires of the New World

  Cataclysmos Book 1 Part 3: The Deacon

  Cataclysmos Book 1 Part 4: Perish Twice

  Cataclysmos Book 1 Part 5: The Long Dark Night

  Cataclysmos Collection Book 1 Parts 1-3

  Cataclysmos Book 1 Complete in 5 Parts

  (John Jordan Novels)

  Power in the Blood

  Blood of the Lamb

  Flesh and Blood

  (Special Introduction by Margaret Coel)

  The Body and the Blood

  Blood Sacrifice

  Rivers to Blood

  Innocent Blood

  (Special Introduction by Michael Connelly)

  Blood Money

  Blood Moon

  Blood Cries

  Blood Oath

  (Jimmy “Soldier” Riley Novels)

  The Big Goodbye

  The Big Beyond

  The Big Hello

  The Big Bout

  In a Spider’s Web (short story)

  The Big Book of Noir

  (Merrick McKnight / Reggie Summers Novels)

  Thunder Beach

  A Certain Retribution

  (Remington James Novels)

  Double Exposure

  (includes intro by Michael Connelly)

  Separation Anxiety

  (Sam Michaels / Daniel Davis Novels)

  Burnt Offerings

  Separation Anxiety

  (Love Stories)

  Carrie’s Gift

  (Short Story Collections)

  North Florida Noir

  Florida Heat Wave

  Delta Blues

  Another Quiet Night in Desparation

  (The Meaning Series)

  The Meaning of Jesus

  Meaning Every Moment

  The Meaning of Life in Movies

  Sign up for Michael’s newsletter by clicking here or go to www.MichaelLister.com and receive a free book.

  a post-apocalyptic serial thriller

  cataclysmos

  perish twice

  book 1 / part 5

  by

  michael lister

  table of contents

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  1

  Racing down Highway 73.

  Old Ford truck.

  Motorcycles in pursuit.

  Shots fired. Then others.

  —Get down, Michael yells, reaching over and pushing the two girls’ heads down as he ducks down himself.

  This leaves the hand holding the grenade on the wheel—something he realizes only after he’s done it.

  Bullets begin ricocheting around them, pinging off the tailgate and bumper, shattering the rear glass and side mirrors.

  Bringing his right hand back up to grab the wheel, Michael carefully removes his left, gripping the grenade with increasingly moist fingers.

  —I’m such a fuckup, Nobody says. We’re gonna die and it’s my fault.

  —Are you kidding? Meleah says. You’re the reason we’re out.

  —We’re not gonna die, Michael says. Meleah’s right. This is not your fault. Just stay down.

  Bullets continue to buzz around them.

  The four Brothers are in all black, including black helmets with black mirrored face shields that hide their identities.

  Coming up fast. Two on each side of the truck.

  After taken the grenade from the Deacon, he hadn’t wanted to draw attention to their whereabouts by tossing it into the woods and letting it detonate, so he had brought it with them, planning to dispose of it once they were several miles away. But now it just might be the thing that saves their lives.

  —Buckle up, he says.

  Meleah begins to. Nobody doesn’t respond, just sits there trembling.

  —Nobody, Michael says, his voice loud and stern. I need you to buckle up right now.

  She makes a small move in that direction and Meleah reaches over and helps her.

  —Stay down, Michael says.

  The Brothers are very close now, just a few feet from the tailgate.

  —Hold on, Michael says.

  He then stomps on the brake pedal and cuts the wheel to the left.

  The old Ford screeches to a full stop, laying down a long track of smoke and rubber on the road as it does.

  The Brothers come flying past the truck.

  As they do, he manages to clip the second bike on the left with the front driver’s side quarter panel and edge of the bumper.

  The front tire of the motorcycle hits the truck and gets jammed under the bumper, its back end spinning up and slinging the rider off, rider and bike flipping end over end several times.

  He’s not sure if the crash kills the biker, but he’s reasonably sure neither he nor his bike will be able to continue their pursuit.

  As the others slow down and start to turn around, he begins moving forward again, rolling down the window and readying the grenade as he does.

  The three remaining Brothers and their bikes are now in the center of the highway.

  Kicking the stands down and leaning their bikes on them, they climb off and raise their rifles. Assuming a shooter’s stance and taking aim, they begin to fire.

  Gaining speed.

  Heading directly toward them.

  Rounds piercing glass and plastic and rusted metal, o
thers ricocheting off the rough surfaces of the old truck.

  He has no idea what he’s doing.

  —Nobody, he says.

  She doesn’t respond.

  —How long after you let go of the lever do these things explode?

  —Between two and six Mississippi.

  —Err on the short side, Meleah says. What’re you gonna do?

  —Give it back to the Brothers. Stay down. Hold on. Say a prayer.

  —Please be careful.

  Keeping his head down as much as possible, Michael risks a glance at the Brothers as rounds fly at him.

  Judging they are about fifteen feet away, he lets go of the lever, pauses less than a second, then tosses it out of the window toward the three men.

  The shots stop.

  He looks up again to see the Brothers scrambling.

  But they needn’t have bothered.

  Not calculating the movement of the truck correctly, Michael has overthrown his target, his heart sinking as he watches the grenade roll right past the Brothers.

  —Fuck!

  —What is it? Meleah asks.

  —I threw it too far.

  —Fuck, she says.

  Figuring it’s the only play he has left, Michael floors the gas pedal.

  In another couple of seconds, the grenade goes off. It is well beyond the Brothers and has no impact on them or their bikes at all.

  They climb to their feet laughing.

  Gaining as much speed as possible, Michael drives directly toward the Brothers and their bikes.

  The sound of the grenade and the Brothers’ preoccupation with it lays cover for the accelerating truck, and so when they are back on their feet again and turning from the grenade back to the truck, he is there.

  Still accelerating when he hits them, he manages to reach almost fifty miles per hour.

  The front grill and bumper of the truck hits two of the three men directly and clips the other.