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Q:
So we are all going to die?

A:
Yep. The average life expectancy of a human in a first world country is 80 years.

Q:
What I meant was — is the science in your SciFi sound?

A:
A simple “yes” doesn’t nail it, so let me put it like this: It is abundantly clear that our planet is warming. But not only the warming itself will change our world as we know it. We are already seeing changing weather patterns with extreme weather and droughts. We are already in the middle of three pandemics: The HIV/Aids pandemic is slowly retreating, the seventh cholera pandemic that started in the 1960s is still not under control, and the tuberculosis pandemic infects roughly one third of the human population. The World Health Organization warns about the spreading of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis bacteria with 900,000 cases each year. Microbiologists warn about the spreading of antibiotics-resistance genes in a great number of pathogenic bacteria, and they expect us to reach a point when antibiotics are no longer effective. Think of Victorian London with diseases like syphilis, cholera, typhus — there were no antibiotics available back then and a lot of people died a gruesome death.
 

What has disease to do with climate change you might ask — a lot! The warming of the oceans will not only cause sea levels to rise, but will also raise groundwater tables. Imagine the dramatic input of faeces from flooded sewer systems into groundwater — our most important drinking water resource. In combination with elevated atmospheric and sea surface water temperatures, the spreading of disease will speed up. Add this to the warning of hydrologists: clean drinking water will soon be a very limited commodity.
 

Q:
So you do believe in climate change and global change and other weird stuff?

A:
Duh?
 

Q:
Anyway. Where is the proof?

A:
Umm. You could, for example, check the “extras” in the next section that gives you a few examples of the things that are already happening and a few data from predictive models. Or you can ask a scientist. They have blogs and stuff.

Q:
Ooookay. Back to the interesting things. Will we hear more about Micka and Runner?

A:
Yep.

Q:
Cool! When?

A:
Should I ask my predictive models? Just kidding. There’s the sequel “fog” and I’m writing on the third book now.
 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Magnus, my husband, because you are the most loving and patient person I know. You are the father to our children I wished I’d had, the love I wished would have been my first, and the best friend I missed for thirty-five years. Thank you, my love.

My beta readers, who had to endure the crappy first version of this story: Peter Cavanagh, Bryan Kroeger, Jennifer Nissley, and Rita Singer (who even dared to test-read twice).

My editors Sabrina Flynn, Nancy DeMarco, and Susan Uttendorfsky for their praise and their honest critique. Without your help, this thing would be a crappy draft.

My friends on
Facebook
,
Twitter
, and
Pinterest
, for helping me improve the book’s cover and synopsis. Oh! And for reading my stories and encouraging me to write even more :)

The people at
Sniper Central
for feedback on Runner’s rifle. Be warned! I’m coming back and bugging you guys some more.

2
^nd
edition: Many thanks to Janis MacDermott and Tom Welch for proof reading this edition. If there are any mistakes - it’s all my fault because I was either to hasty or I thought I knew better.