Eternal Horizon: The Chronicle of Vincent Saturn (Eternal Horizon: A Star Saga Book 1) Read Free

which—as Alex knew—was a rhetorical question.
    Alex’s lips formed a thin line; his nostrils flared. “Damn it, Vincent! You’re such a knucklehead! What if it’s a trap? You watch movies, right? Guys go up into the alien ship, and then something eats them!”
    “Oh, so now it’s an alien ship?” Vincent sneered as he turned on the flashlight.
    “I’m serious, Vincent! You take one more step, and I’ll—”
    Vincent turned briskly. “You’ll what? You’re going to shoot me? Just cover my back, Alex. I’m going in.”
    “Vince, I’ve a bad feeling about this…”
    “Relax. Whatever’s inside is definitely hurt and in need of help. We need to blow this thing in the open. You do know that if—and when— they get here no one will ever hear about this?”
    “For the better! This isn’t an adventure, Vincent! You’ve dedicated your life to serve your country, and as such you must abide by the rules of your superiors!”
    “But we’ll be famous!”
    “ And dead! ” Alex screamed out. “Have you gone crazy? What are you talking about?”
    “Look, I’m not asking you to go. Wait here if you want.”
    Before Alex could respond, Vincent leapt into the opening.
    “ Vince! ” Alex lunged after him, but it was too late. He cursed, cocked his pistol, and neared the entrance.
    It was extremely cold inside the ship. As Vincent set his foot on the slanted floor, a waft of frozen air encircled his entire body, forcing him to shudder. Entering this ship after the hours in the desert was similar to stepping into a deep freezer after a sauna. Holding one hand on the door frame, he began to move the flashlight around the interior. There were countless panels with faint blinking lights and buttons, some covered in the strange alien characters; numerous monitors were attached to the ceiling, one of them displaying white noise; cabinets attached to the walls; and further down in the shadows was a bolted table and swiveling chairs.
    “That’s so creepy,” Alex whispered, peeking from the outside.
    Vincent began lowering.
    “Don’t,” Alex cautioned. “I can barely see you now, so don’t go any deeper.”
    “Shut up,” Vincent fussed.
    “Vincent, don’t—”
    “Look!” Vincent flashed down into the cockpit beyond the table and the beam illuminated a body on the floor before the ships’ control panel.
    “No!” Alex said nervously, taking a step back. “Don’t go near it! That’s a direct order! ”
    But Vincent disregarded him. This was something that he had always been searching for—his prize .
    In spite of Alex’s warnings, he descended further.
    The ship’s pilot had his back turned to Vincent. From what he could see, it was not an extraterrestrial, but instead a man dressed in a black outfit with strange metal boots and a thick vest. As he crouched down by the body, he saw something liquid on the floor—the man was lying in a pool of blood! Vincent gasped. “Get a medic here!” he shouted up. “We need to get this guy out!”
    “ Get out of there, you fool! ” Alex shrieked in horror, looking past Vincent at the body.
    “He’s wounded!” Vincent added before he turned back and froze. The man was staring right back at him! But there was something strange about this man: slightly pointy ears and eyes with shimmering crystals in the middle of his pupils. His rugged face was full of remorseful pain that he held within, seemingly fighting until the last minute to stay alive. Grizzled long hair extended down to his shoulders, forming a large widow’s peak on his high forehead, revealing that this alien man was in his elder years.
    Before Vincent could open his mouth, he felt a grip on his wrist.
    “Texanorra…” the creature garbled.
    Vincent heard Alex shouting his name, ringing hollow… somewhere far… eons away… and then he saw a flash of lights—thousands upon thousands of little bright lights that bathed him, engulfed him, blinded him…
    Then he saw visions—multiple