The Catalyst Series eBook Collection
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Chapter 2
As the miles quickly passed by, Scott found his rhythm again. He felt a car coming up behind him, close. It was another one of those senses that seem to sharpen for cyclists: the feel of danger before you hear or see it. Although no one else was even on the road, the large cream colored luxury SUV passed within inches of Scott. The asshole blew his horn just as he got beside him. So much for the three feet of clearance required by law, thought Scott. He could also see the top of the guy’s outstretched hand flipping him the bird as he passed. Some drivers did not like sharing the road, especially with bikes. Scott could never understand why. Just another asshole rushing to be somewhere. That was one more reason he loved it down here at the beach; life was slower, less rushed than the city-life he had escaped. He pumped his legs furiously to get exactly nowhere just as fast as he could. Scott always felt invincible out on the bike, much less so when he was off.
Getting close to the beach but still about ten miles from home, he noticed the bike’s GPS was giving an odd reading. He honestly wasn’t sure he’d even restarted it after changing the tire, though he felt pretty confident he had. For whatever reason, though, it was now giving the wrong information. Instead of the total miles, which should have been about fifty by this point, it was reading a hundred-and-twenty-six, then five, then it switched to kilometers. Then the numbers went away and the screen remained blank for a few seconds, the ‘Acquiring Signal’ error flashing. Probably just a dead battery. What had begun as a great ride on a beautiful day was starting to get rather tedious.
He topped a small hill revealing a great view of the wetlands that stretched several miles over to the Gulf of Mexico. This was one of his favorite sections of the ride. Coming down the other side of the hill was another speed stretch where he would be in a full tuck position to minimize wind resistance. Some moments on the ride seemed more like flying than riding.
As he moved to readjust his hand positions on the bars, he caught sight of a jet’s telltale contrail in the distance and could just make out the passenger jet, probably heading to South Florida or maybe even somewhere tropical with its load of late summer vacationers. The normally arrow straight vapor trail emitted by the engines seemed unusually erratic. The closer he looked the more it seemed like the profile of the jet was…well, wrong. Although far away it seemed like he could see more of the jet than was normal… maybe it was just a different angle. As he slowed to watch it also seemed to be descending too quickly toward the horizon. For a second Scott would have sworn it was dropping toward the sea as the contrail suddenly ceased, but the jet appeared to continue on. He assumed it was normal, probably altitude change or something similar. Still he watched with an uneasy feeling as it faded from sight over the sliver of ocean that was visible from here. Immediately dismissing the scene, he dropped back down into the tuck position and began the exhilarating descent.
The last half hour of his ride was uneventful and thankfully involved virtually no traffic. Correction: there was actually no traffic. This was odd; his cottage was not on any of the main roads and this area consisted mainly of weekend cottages and vacation homes, but even now during the late beach season, rentals were high and there should be at least some cars on the road. The few he did see were all parked in the bike lane.
“More fucking rude-ass idiots,” he mumbled. In his opinion, a lot of car drivers, like the guy a few miles back, felt they owned the road and had zero consideration for cyclists.
Getting closer to his home, he heard an unusual siren coming from the direction of town, which then abruptly stopped. Closer to his cottage, Scott's face broke into a grin as he saw the same cream colored SUV on the side of the road with the hood up. A red-faced man in a suit was yelling and gesturing into a cell phone as if to somehow get a signal from an only slightly higher position. Scott now recognized the guy as one of the locals, a developer or maybe a politician. He was not sure he had ever actually known his name. As Scott got close, the guy noticed him and stepped out directly in the path of the bike. “Hey! You got a phone?” the guy yelled angrily.
Scott answered, “Yep…asshole.” With a smile he returned the bird salute to the shocked looking guy and rode past without slowing down.
Getting home, he slipped in the side door to his garage, took a minute to wipe the grime from his beloved bike, and applied a quick mist of oil to the mechanical parts. The salt air in this area could wreak havoc on anything metal, and Scott was a bit obsessive with his bikes. He lifted the Trek onto its stand above his older and noticeably more weathered training bike. He was tired but buoyant from the endorphins the vigorous workout had pumped into his body.
Putting his cycling shoes on the shelf, he climbed the few steps and entered the cottage. Odd, he noticed, there were no sounds—no stereo playing or AC running. Well shit …the power is out. This day is just getting better and better, he thought.
It didn’t make any sense to him… there were no storms such as the area frequently had and that knocked the power off particularly during the hurricane season. Probably some drunken tourist hit a power pole over near town. Although he had no idea how long it had been off, it was already beginning to warm up inside. He stripped off the sweaty Cinelli padded riding shorts and jersey and slipped into some shorts and flip-flops. Scott headed back to the garage, grabbed an icy cold Red Stripe out of the old refrigerator, and went to relax on the back deck. Opening the beer and taking a long and wonderfully satisfying pull, he enjoyed the cooler air in the shade of the oaks as he looked out over the black water canal meandering behind the house. Cypress trees also lined much of the view, each draped with a cloak of Spanish moss. He sat back on the deep padded chaise, which felt good on his tired, over-worked muscles. Scott finished off the beer and closed his eyes.
A devastating solar storm unleashes humanity's worst nightmare. In an instant, the modern world flatlines—planes dropping from powerless skies, cities plunging into darkness, and millions of lives hanging by a thread. But this is only the beginning.
On Mississippi's Gulf Coast, former Special Forces operator Scott Montgomery sought solitude in his coastal cabin, running from a past he'd rather forget. Now, as desperate survivors cling to the fatal belief that help is coming, Scott alone sees the horrifying truth: our technological world isn't just wounded—it's dead. And something darker lurks behind the catastrophe.
When word reaches him that his young niece is trapped in a city spiraling into chaos, Scott must leave his sanctuary and step into a collapsing world. With a fierce canine companion named Solo and a handful of unlikely allies, he'll navigate a landscape where every shadow could hide either desperate survivors or agents of a shadow organization that's been preparing for this moment for over a century.
From the sweltering Mississippi coast to the desperate streets of America's fallen cities, the Catalyst Series charts a journey through a new dark age where the greatest threat isn't the loss of power—it's the power of secrets kept in the darkness.
Perfect for fans of William Forstchen's One Second After and A.G. Riddle's Pandemic. A pulse-pounding post-apocalyptic saga that explores how quickly civilization crumbles when the lights go out, and how far some will go to keep them from ever coming back on.
This product is an eBOOK compatible with most devices.
If you love addicting and pulse-pounding apocalyptic thrillers with unrivaled attention to detail, then you won’t want to miss this no-holds-barred thriller experience.
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Customer Reviews
Overall rating: 4.8 / 5 from 527 reviews.
I've read lots of fiction apocalyptic stories, but this one has some moving moments, and unlike some, the main charector wasn't superman, who could take on the world... and THE ENDING! It's the first book series I've read that put a tear in my eye at some points, and a smile on my face at the end.... can't tell you why, you'll know when you get there.
The Catalyst series was exceptional; realistic, suspenseful, kept you on the edge of your chair waiting to see what was next. One comes to love the characters, feel what they are going through and share in their experiences. Would make an exceptional movie or mini-series too. Recommending to all my friends and you too, enjoy. John
I absolutely love this series, I was so delighted when book 5 came out as I have expected it to end at book 4 and now I'm absolutely holding my breathe for book 6! For anyone who just loves a relentlessly brilliant story, the catalyst series is for you! x
I've just started the first book, and it seems eerily similar to a couple other EMP-Apocalyse plots in book series I've read. The characters are well drawn, and the story moves along well enough. Things would be "slow" at the beginning anyway. I did buy the series of 4 books, so I hope to update this soon.
I’m only in the first book of the 4 I downloaded. So far, as I expected, the story is engaging and hard to put down…….but I do have other things I need to attend to 😂. Keep up the good work !
Bought the series 2 weeks ago, Catalyst is one hell of a piece of work, 3/4 through first book, excellent!!!, I am hooked ! I see a lot of short sleep in my future, can't put it down
Listened to the whole series on Audiobook from Amazon as a recommendation online. Have not regretted the purchase, but would have preferred to buy direct on the website to support the author if i had know in advance. The audio recordings is well presented and paced. The story draws you and and makes you think how you would react in this situation. Loved the whole Catalyst series. I want more stories. I liked book three the most but I had read the 1,2,4 in advance so this was just more personal view of the story in book 3. I want the last chapter from book 4 please :)
Excellent storytelling! I could not put these books down. I read all 4 of them in 2 weeks time. As I started into the first one I went ahead and ordered the other 3. I just finished the last one and want to know what happens next????
I am not technically savvy and thought this was going to present a real problem, but it turned out to be user friendly. The admonition to give it a try, and if you had difficulty there was help to be had, was encouraging. I gave it a try and it worked. Thank you.
I ordered and received this series. It was a really easy process and the books are great! Fiction but with enough truth and facts to make it very real. Good enjoyable reads! Thank you!
Sometimes books are written with the male audience in mind. While I believe these books will appeal to men, I as a woman, found them to be riveting. I enjoy dystopian books and these were gut wrenching and informative. They gave me new ideas on the end of the worlds possibilities and potential dark realities. If you like dystopian novels then this one is definitely for you.
I have finished the first book and have started the second. The first book captivated me from the start and I finished it in a matter of days. The story provides a realistic perspective on how the world may respond the first few days/weeks after a grid-down event. There was a good balance between personal introspection, self-doubt, cautious action and preparing for worst-case scenario.
I have started the second book but haven’t been as enthralled with it yet. Part of that is due to my personal busy schedule and not making time to read, but mainly because it introduces additional story lines and backgrounds that are taking a bit to set the stage. I’m sure once the story gets going I’ll find it just as interesting and entertaining.
I loved this series. It has everything you want out of an end of this systems book. Smart, surprising and interesting all the way through that gave me the information I needed and not useless over the top or extra details.
"Great Book Series. I couldn't put it down. I've read everything inthis genre and this is hands-down, the Best Series Ever!"
Meet the Author
Hi, I'm JK Franks
Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the literary world!
From a young age, I immersed myself in the wonders of technology and the endless possibilities of speculative fiction. My books are often a blend of apocalyptic suspense and technology-based thrillers. Despite the countless hours of meticulous research, what I am most remembered for is the deeply real characters I write. People you feel like you know...or wish you did. People who are smart, funny, flawed and filled with hope. They live in the gray area somewhere between good and bad...just like many of us. Take a few days with any of my books and see if you agree.
A devastating solar storm unleashes humanity's worst nightmare. In an instant, the modern world flatlines—planes dropping from powerless skies, cities plunging into darkness, and millions of lives hanging by a thread. But this is only the beginning.
On Mississippi's Gulf Coast, former Special Forces operator Scott Montgomery sought solitude in his coastal cabin, running from a past he'd rather forget. Now, as desperate survivors cling to the fatal belief that help is coming, Scott alone sees the horrifying truth: our technological world isn't just wounded—it's dead. And something darker lurks behind the catastrophe.
When word reaches him that his young niece is trapped in a city spiraling into chaos, Scott must leave his sanctuary and step into a collapsing world. With a fierce canine companion named Solo and a handful of unlikely allies, he'll navigate a landscape where every shadow could hide either desperate survivors or agents of a shadow organization that's been preparing for this moment for over a century.
From the sweltering Mississippi coast to the desperate streets of America's fallen cities, the Catalyst Series charts a journey through a new dark age where the greatest threat isn't the loss of power—it's the power of secrets kept in the darkness.
Perfect for fans of William Forstchen's One Second After and A.G. Riddle's Pandemic. A pulse-pounding post-apocalyptic saga that explores how quickly civilization crumbles when the lights go out, and how far some will go to keep them from ever coming back on.
This product is an eBOOK compatible with most devices.
If you love addicting and pulse-pounding apocalyptic thrillers with unrivaled attention to detail, then you won’t want to miss this no-holds-barred thriller experience.