Falling Stars

By Lance John

Our sun is losing its energy.

With Earth succumbing to an imminent Ice-Age, there is one last effort at saving the planet.

A veteran astronaut has to lead a crew of four spacemen on a dangerous mission to re-ignite the sun's core.

But when an unexpected event affects the mission, the old astronaut and his crew have to overcome the impossible, all the while Earth's fate hangs in the balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lance John
• Release date: Sep 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223233190

Lance John

Lance John, is a fiction novelist and short story writer from Durban, South Africa. His stories paint vivid pictures of futuristic adventures, grunge alleyways and heartfelt moments as he writes in the genres of Science Fiction, Thriller, Crime Fiction and Adventure. His writing borders on speculative fiction while showcasing a fair amount of imagination, especially since he creates from the raw possibilities of life. With a background in Mechanical Engineering, his experimental attitude is quenched in the creations of his stories wherever he finds inspiration. His interest in writing started at the age of seven when his mother had to use her library card to allow him access to books of his liking at the local library. It was there that he discovered the powerful effects of words and how it could transport a reader to other lands and other times. He remembers how he and his friends at school enjoyed their free time making up stories on-the-go to entertain themselves, and to see whose story was the most entertaining. It was usually decided by the storyteller that drew the most listeners around him that won. Ever since then, he has been trying to draw in readers with his stories. Join his mailing list: http://eepurl.com/cd64vX

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Falling Stars

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By

Lance John

Copyright Page

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright 2018 by Lance John. All Rights Reserved.

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This ebook may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at lancejohnbooks.co.za, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Also by Lance John

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First Edition

Easy Math Dictionary

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Standalone

The Drive The Assignment

Dirty Heist Chimera Island The Target

The Last Ones Knock Knock

The Horror Story Bundle Flightpath

Discover more at www.lancejohnbooks.co.za

Chapter 1

The misty reflection in the mirror stared back at me. I didn’t recognize it. Each soft drop from the slow-leaking faucet drew me nearer to the mirror’s reflection. Steam from the basin misted up the mirror some more, but I kept my gaze on the reflection. I moved my head slightly to the left to see if it followed my motion, and as expected, it did. Why does it look like me, but...different? My hand grasped the razer firmly as I lifted it up to my chin to see the mirror’s reflection mimic my motion. My foam-covered face felt the razor’s downward motion, but for some strange reason, the reflection stopped mimicking me and it slowly turned its head to gaze directly at me. A sudden pang of fear gripped me. I felt like I was losing my mind.

And then it started, the sound of voices coming from everywhere. Softly at first, and then becoming louder. It was too jumbled up for me to make exact sense of it all. All I saw was the reflection in the mirror turning slightly darker and darker while its face started to change. Something resembling bubbles began to form underneath its face. The skin on its face started to distort as the bubble-texture began to become prominent before ripping open the skin with flames coming from out of the open wounds.

Are you going to get ready or what? said a voice, ripping me away from my thoughts.

In a state of shock, I dropped my razor into the basin and quickly turned to see First-commander, Carol Fontein, standing in the doorway of the bathroom. Her curly brown hair was twirled into a thick knot that hung down the left side of her neck. She could see her question took me by surprise. I turned to face the mirror’s reflection again and was surprised to see it was replaced with a clean, dry reflection of me. I looked at Carol and then back at the mirror, trying to grasp what had happened.

Hey, are you okay? she asked.

I turned to face her and forced a smile, trying my best to hide my confusion from her. I’m fine, I said.

Uh-huh, she replied, lifting her chin up to stare at me in her usual manner of medical curiosity.

I sighed and turned to face the basin which was now obviously dry.

Carol shifted her weight and leaned against the doorway, folding her arms.

Classic move, I think to myself. She’s going to corner me now.

I assume you’re just nervous, right? She said in that slightly serious-tone of hers.

I stared at the basin and opened up the faucet to pretend everything was alright.

Yeah, definitely, I added with a few nods.

The more I pretended that my motions were natural, the quicker she would leave me alone. I started to shave my foam-covered face and felt her staring back at me.

She slowly drew in her breath and said, Simon?

I hit the rim of the basin a little bit louder than usual with the handle of my razor while staring at her reflection in the mirror. She took the cue and decided to shake off the thought of what was about to come next. She then looked at me and forced a quick smile, saying, Don’t keep them waiting now.

I lowered my head and nodded.

Sure, I’ll be there. Just give me a sec.

I remained still, staring at the basin. She understood my mannerism and took it as a sign for her to move off. She left and I waited a few seconds before I exhaled and lifted up my head to stare at