Superhuman Nature #SciFi #Excerpt by Brandon Overall (#MustRead)
Posted on Friday, March 7, 2014
Neil opened the doors to the library and stepped inside. He scanned the room, unsure of what exactly he was looking for.
“Can I help you, Sir?”
The librarian behind the desk stood up and spoke to Neil. He obviously looked lost. She wore a bright red dress and had her hair back in a bun. She was curiously pretty and young for a librarian.
“Oh, no thanks ma’am. I’m just looking for someone I was supposed to meet here.”
“Are you looking for Mr. Delmont? He’s the gentleman sitting over there in the black hat.”
Neil looked where she was pointing, and saw an older looking man sitting down. He stared directly at Neil with his hands folded on top of the table. When Neil made eye contact with him, the man bowed his head as a greeting to beckon Neil over.
Neil walked cautiously over to Delmont, scanning the man’s appearance as he inched closer. His eyes were fixated on the hat. It was a black wide-brimmed fedora. It definitely looked unique, but also familiar. Neil could have sworn he had seen it somewhere before.
“Richard, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Carl Delmont. I’m honored that you flew all the way here to speak with me. That must have been quite the trip.”
The man stood up and held out his hand as Neil got close. It took Neil a second to remember the alias he had used in the email. As soon as he heard the man’s old, raspy voice, Neil recognized who it was. It was the man from his dream - the man who had given him the warning.
Neil tried to hide his surprise from the man as he shook his hand.
“Mr. Delmont, it’s a pleasure. I was lucky to catch a flight out on short notice. Thank you for meeting me here like this. I hope I didn’t ruin any weekend plans of yours.”
Delmont removed his hat and smiled. His face was wrinkled, despite only being in his mid 50s. His hair was grey and parted down the middle. It was relatively long, and extended outwards from his ears. He had the appearance of a tired man who had lived a full life in half the time. His bright blue eyes were calm. Neil didn’t get the impression that he was speaking with a crazy man or a scam artist, but he reserved judgment for a little while at least.
“Please, Carl is fine. If you don’t mind, I have reserved a study room that we can use to have a more…private conversation.”
Delmont beckoned towards a private study room a little ways away. Neil felt a bit uncomfortable about going into a soundproof room with a potentially shady guy like Delmont, but his curiosity got the better of him. He proceeded towards the room, with Delmont trailing silently behind him.
Superhuman Nature is Brandon Overall's first novel. It was written and published during his first deployment to Afghanistan as a 2nd Lieutenant in late 2013.
Neil Hitchens was a senior ROTC Cadet in college. He was just weeks away from graduating and becoming an Officer in the United States Army, until a strange dream set off a chain of events that would twist his life into something he could have never prepared for.
In the days following his dream, several strange happenings occurred that he began to suspect were the result of his own actions. Before long, he discovered that he had the ability to control the world around him with his mind.
What started out as an unpredictable ability quickly evolved into an extraordinary power that had the capacity to change the world. It didn't take long for the government to find out what Neil could do.
They knew having such limitless potential on the side of the US Military could give them limitless political influence, and they would stop at nothing to get Neil to do their bidding. They would find out what happens when you back a dangerous animal into a corner.
Neil spent his whole life believing he would amount to greatness, but he never expected how greatness could corrupt even the most innocent of minds.
Genre – Science Fiction
Rating – PG-13
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