Infinite Darkness

By Kyle Pratt

One day you're on Earth, the next you're in a war on another world

A young man wakes and discovers he is the new guy in an army unit on an alien world. Infinite Darkness examines one day in the life of Denton Alexander, caught in combat on this alien world. 

Infinite Darkness is a 7,000-word short story.

Kyle Pratt is an award-winning and Amazon bestselling author of post-apocalyptic thrillers including Through Many Fires, A Time to Endure and Braving the Storms.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Camden Cascade Publishing
• Release date: Mar 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9781732896413

Kyle Pratt

Kyle Pratt is the bestselling author of speculative fiction. His latest novel, A Time to Endure is the second book in the Strengthen What Remains series after the bestseller Through Many Fires. Through Many Fires is the first book in a post-apocalyptic series released in paperback, Kindle and on Audible in August 2013. Within two weeks the novel appeared on the Kindle Science Fiction Post-Apocalyptic list, reaching #10, and reached #1 on the list on December 2, 2014. Through Many Fires has earned its way to the #1 spot on the Kindle Dystopian and Military list, and #39 on the Mystery, Thriller and Suspense list. Kyle grew up in the mountains of Colorado and earned an Associate in Arts degree from Mesa State College in Grand Junction.  When money for college ran low he enlisted in the United States Navy as a Cryptologic Technician. "I thought I would do four years and then use my veteran's benefits to go back to college," he once said. His first assignment was with a U.S. Navy unit at the Royal Air Force base in Edzell, Scotland. While on leave in Israel he met Lorraine from Plymouth, Devon, England and married her the next year.  Together they spent the remainder of his twenty year naval career traveling across the United States from Virginia to Hawaii and on to Guam, Japan and beyond. Even before he retired from the service he wrote short stories. In July of 2012 his debut novel, Titan Encounter, a science fiction space adventure, came out on Kindle and later in paperback. His second book, Final Duty - The Speculative Fiction Anthology, was released in January of 2013.  The anthology is regularly updated with new short stories and samples. Today, Kyle and Lorraine live on a small farm in Western Washington State.  Kyle believes the future of publishing is digital.  You can easily find and follow him online.

Book preview

Infinite Darkness

A young man wakes up and discovers he is the new guy in an army unit on an alien world. Infinite Darkness, my third tale in the Final Duty universe, examines one day in the life of Denton Alexander, caught in combat on an alien world. I quizzed my youngest son, an Army veteran, for procedural details while writing it. Infinite Darkness uses a loop literary technique that I enjoy and have used in other short stories.

* * *

Infinite darkness encompassed him. No conscious thought or sense of time intruded upon this universe, just the black endless void of a mind without awareness. Perhaps years passed or perhaps it was merely moments.

Gradually, a vague awareness, a sense of self, emerged, but not consciousness. Blissfully the unchanging place of rest continued without beginning or end.

Without warning, the nothingness shattered.

Light pierced the void.

His eyes snapped shut in pain.

He gasped for breath as a feeling of suffocation flooded his now conscious mind. Cold swept over him. A slap across the face caused a reflex gasp for breath.

Still gulping air, he opened his eyes only to discover he lay naked on a metal table. A bright light shined on him, but beyond that only darkness. He squinted to focus his eyes as movement at his feet caught his attention.

So, your name is Denton Alexander, a man in a white lab coat said reading the information off a plastic tag attached to his toe.

My name is John, John Denton Alexander, he gasped, sat up and pulled his feet away, but as he did the room seemed to spin around him and he flopped to the floor with a thud.

We’ll call you Denton. Here’s a towel, he dropped it on him and walked to a nearby shelf. Here’s a helmet and uniform. He rested his hands on the items. Wipe yourself down and get dressed soldier.

Where am I? Denton’s heart raced. Who are you?

We don’t have time to go through the integration protocol right now. I know the personality procedures were completed. The Hex will be here any minute—so get moving!

The