WriterJohnB
Member
This is the prologue of my recently-released novel. I don't mind criticism or suggestions in the least, so have at it.
JohnB
Friends in Dark Places by John Bushore
Prologue
Tonight would perfect for UFO watching, Jimmy Paxton thought as he relaxed in his tent, fully dressed, listening to the weather report. Cool and clear, just what he’d hoped for. He’d wait another hour, for full dark.
A tall, lanky young man with long, brown hair, he had set up his tent in a jumble of massive boulders beneath a canyon wall, where three huge stone formations sat high atop the cliff. From his vantage point, he could look down on the distant hangars of the military base, but be hidden by the boulders.
Jimmy knew deep down in his heart that the government was involved in a cover-up. He had talked to people who said they had actually been present in Roswell in 1947 and witnessed the crash of an alien spacecraft. The government, however, stonewalled the press almost immediately, and ever since, stuck to the story of a downed weather balloon. Since that time, strange flying craft were often reported around the Roswell base.
Sightings had diminished in recent years, though. Jimmy theorized that the government had moved their alien study project to another secret installation. He had checked out two other bases, so far, without results.
This remote base, Patterson, might prove to be what he sought. The navy called it a “Research Facility”, a catchall phrase that could mean anything. And, most importantly, the base had been established just a year after the Roswell incident.
He climbed out of the tent, put on his shoes and warmed a can of beans on his camp stove. He ate the beans directly from the can, while he speared hot dogs on a stick and cooked them in the flame. Finishing the meal, he turned off the stove, tossed the empty can aside and walked away to take a leak against a boulder.
Satisfied the darkness was deep enough, he turned off the radio and stashed it between two rocks. Slinging his binoculars and camera around his neck, he grabbed the telescope and tripod, then climbed up the slope without using his flashlight. He propped his back against a boulder and set his equipment around him. He set up the telescope, but left the cover on the lens.
The clear desert air showed a panorama of the universe. Jimmy looked up at the magnificence of the desert sky and wondered if he might be gazing on the home star of some wondrous civilization.
Looking down, he saw lights a couple of miles away on the valley floor, at the base headquarters. He had seen several large hangars during daylight, another hopeful sign the alien ship might have been moved here. No mysterious lights wandered the sky, though, only the occasional jetliner.
The desert night was quiet, save for the occasional call of an owl, and the sounds of small animals or insects skittering nearby. He worried about scorpions, but not enough to turn on his flashlight. Then he heard a louder sound.
“K’kit.”
That didn’t sound like a bug.
“K’kit.”
There it was again. Jimmy had spent a lot of time in the desert in the last couple of years, but he had grown up in the city. He wasn’t sure what might be out there in the dark. He picked up the flashlight and held it ready.
“K’kit. . . K’kit. . . K’kit.”
It seemed to be coming closer. From the corner of his eye, he saw movement in front of a nearby boulder. Pointing the flashlight, he thumbed the switch.
Holy shit! He caught just a glimpse of a naked, red-eyed creature as it jumped behind a near-by boulder. It appeared to be humanoid, but not a man. An alien! What else? There sure weren’t any white apes out here in the desert. Maybe an escaped E.T. from the base? He cursed himself for not bringing a flash for the camera. He had expected to take photos of UFO’s, nothing close up. Well, maybe he could get a picture with just the light of a flashlight, if he could get near.
Jimmy used the flashlight to switch the lens and set his camera for the lowest light setting. Then he turned the flashlight off again. He’d have no chance of sneaking up on whatever-it-was with a bright light. He closed his eyes for a few seconds to restore his night vision. Now that he was still, he noticed a sulfur odor. From the creature? From its ship?
He tiptoed forward, his shoes making slight scuffing noises, feeling like a kid playing hide-and-seek. The noise of his breathing seemed louder than hell.
Suddenly a shadow blocked out the starlight above. He staggered and fell as a heavy weight crashed onto his shoulders. It had jumped him from atop a boulder, whatever it was. Jimmy hit the ground hard. He screamed out when the angular camera gouged into his chest and pain ripped into him.
He tried to pull his hunting knife from its sheath, but it was too late. A hand grabbed his forehead and, with tremendous strength, pulled his head back. He sensed, rather than saw, the open jaws of the creature coming down at him. Its breath was overpowering, sulfurous and foul. He struggled as teeth stabbed into the flesh of his throat. He couldn’t breathe. Christ, the pain was tremendous. But, as his brain became more oxygen deprived, the pain went away. Now his mind became oddly calm and he stopped fighting. He saw a large ear, inches from his eyes. Definitely not human, he observed, as consciousness faded.
JohnB
Friends in Dark Places by John Bushore
Prologue
Tonight would perfect for UFO watching, Jimmy Paxton thought as he relaxed in his tent, fully dressed, listening to the weather report. Cool and clear, just what he’d hoped for. He’d wait another hour, for full dark.
A tall, lanky young man with long, brown hair, he had set up his tent in a jumble of massive boulders beneath a canyon wall, where three huge stone formations sat high atop the cliff. From his vantage point, he could look down on the distant hangars of the military base, but be hidden by the boulders.
Jimmy knew deep down in his heart that the government was involved in a cover-up. He had talked to people who said they had actually been present in Roswell in 1947 and witnessed the crash of an alien spacecraft. The government, however, stonewalled the press almost immediately, and ever since, stuck to the story of a downed weather balloon. Since that time, strange flying craft were often reported around the Roswell base.
Sightings had diminished in recent years, though. Jimmy theorized that the government had moved their alien study project to another secret installation. He had checked out two other bases, so far, without results.
This remote base, Patterson, might prove to be what he sought. The navy called it a “Research Facility”, a catchall phrase that could mean anything. And, most importantly, the base had been established just a year after the Roswell incident.
He climbed out of the tent, put on his shoes and warmed a can of beans on his camp stove. He ate the beans directly from the can, while he speared hot dogs on a stick and cooked them in the flame. Finishing the meal, he turned off the stove, tossed the empty can aside and walked away to take a leak against a boulder.
Satisfied the darkness was deep enough, he turned off the radio and stashed it between two rocks. Slinging his binoculars and camera around his neck, he grabbed the telescope and tripod, then climbed up the slope without using his flashlight. He propped his back against a boulder and set his equipment around him. He set up the telescope, but left the cover on the lens.
The clear desert air showed a panorama of the universe. Jimmy looked up at the magnificence of the desert sky and wondered if he might be gazing on the home star of some wondrous civilization.
Looking down, he saw lights a couple of miles away on the valley floor, at the base headquarters. He had seen several large hangars during daylight, another hopeful sign the alien ship might have been moved here. No mysterious lights wandered the sky, though, only the occasional jetliner.
The desert night was quiet, save for the occasional call of an owl, and the sounds of small animals or insects skittering nearby. He worried about scorpions, but not enough to turn on his flashlight. Then he heard a louder sound.
“K’kit.”
That didn’t sound like a bug.
“K’kit.”
There it was again. Jimmy had spent a lot of time in the desert in the last couple of years, but he had grown up in the city. He wasn’t sure what might be out there in the dark. He picked up the flashlight and held it ready.
“K’kit. . . K’kit. . . K’kit.”
It seemed to be coming closer. From the corner of his eye, he saw movement in front of a nearby boulder. Pointing the flashlight, he thumbed the switch.
Holy shit! He caught just a glimpse of a naked, red-eyed creature as it jumped behind a near-by boulder. It appeared to be humanoid, but not a man. An alien! What else? There sure weren’t any white apes out here in the desert. Maybe an escaped E.T. from the base? He cursed himself for not bringing a flash for the camera. He had expected to take photos of UFO’s, nothing close up. Well, maybe he could get a picture with just the light of a flashlight, if he could get near.
Jimmy used the flashlight to switch the lens and set his camera for the lowest light setting. Then he turned the flashlight off again. He’d have no chance of sneaking up on whatever-it-was with a bright light. He closed his eyes for a few seconds to restore his night vision. Now that he was still, he noticed a sulfur odor. From the creature? From its ship?
He tiptoed forward, his shoes making slight scuffing noises, feeling like a kid playing hide-and-seek. The noise of his breathing seemed louder than hell.
Suddenly a shadow blocked out the starlight above. He staggered and fell as a heavy weight crashed onto his shoulders. It had jumped him from atop a boulder, whatever it was. Jimmy hit the ground hard. He screamed out when the angular camera gouged into his chest and pain ripped into him.
He tried to pull his hunting knife from its sheath, but it was too late. A hand grabbed his forehead and, with tremendous strength, pulled his head back. He sensed, rather than saw, the open jaws of the creature coming down at him. Its breath was overpowering, sulfurous and foul. He struggled as teeth stabbed into the flesh of his throat. He couldn’t breathe. Christ, the pain was tremendous. But, as his brain became more oxygen deprived, the pain went away. Now his mind became oddly calm and he stopped fighting. He saw a large ear, inches from his eyes. Definitely not human, he observed, as consciousness faded.
