Alien Winter (Salmon Run - Book 2) - Sample

The following is the entire first chapter of "Alien Winter" which is the sequel to "Night of the Aurora."

The full book is available at most online retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, and others.

Enjoy!

***

The groceries ran out on the third day.

Which suited Zach Callahan just fine, as it meant a trip into town. He'd been impressed with the size of the Salmon Run Lodge when he and his father first stepped foot in it. Now that they had to clean every inch of it, the sense of awe at his father inheriting the place from Crazy Uncle George was quickly wearing off.

Grandpa Neeley mentioned he'd spruce the place up before their arrival, but it obviously hadn't included the bedrooms or the layers of dust on everything. Thank goodness for the drop-cloth covers over the mattresses and the furniture, or they might not have had a place to sleep the first night.

So much cleaning.

Zach peered out the window of the Salmon Run General Store at the winter landscape beyond. The parking lot held the usual assortment of snow machines, four-wheelers, 4-wheel trucks, and strange hybrid vehicles that only an Alaskan would piece together and insist on driving.  Across Main Street the local office of Fish & Game, closed for the winter, sat buried under piles of snow, the parking lot showing no signs of having been plowed clear all winter. 

A mangy black and gray dog ran across the top of the closest snow berm, chasing after a black bird with a big piece of bread in its beak. A dog he recognized as Darnit, which meant Chance McRoyal must be around.

He used a foot to move one of the bags of groceries sitting around him out of the way so he could stretch a little. The half-dozen tables in the café in the east side of the General Store sat empty, making him wish for a bit of company after so many days alone at the Lodge.

Maybe he should have gone with his father on the last few errands. Just to see a bit more of the small town. But, the warmth of the General Store felt so good after the cold drive in. Their jeep, called the 'Buggy' by all the locals, might drive well on the snow but the canvas top did little to keep the heat in.

"The greenhorns left the barn," Jacob Neeley said, flopping in the chair diagonally from him, his lanky legs crossed at the ankles. He brushed over-long black hair out of his eyes, giving Zach a lop-sided grin.

A grin that didn't fool Zach for a minute. He'd wanted someone to talk to, but why did it have to be Jacob?

"What, no basketball? I thought you carried one everywhere," Zach said before he could stop himself, noting what was conspicuously absent from Jacob's hands.

Jacob grimaced, "Not after knocking over the lamp."

He had a mental image of Jacob's mother coming unglued and confiscating the basketball. Later, he would have to find out from Sasha exactly what happened.

Zach put a hand out to rebalance a grocery bag on a chair. "I'm not joining the team."

"Your loss."

Zach's eyes darted to the boy. Jacob lived and breathed basketball, had been on Zach to join the small Salmon Run High School team since they'd first met in Cordova, and that wasn't why he was at the table? Instead of feeling relieved, he was instantly suspicious. 

"How did your first few nights at the Lodge go?" Jacob asked, looking everywhere but at Zach.

"Just fine."

"Nothing, well, unusual?"

Why couldn't it have been Sasha who'd found him today? Where were the rest of the Neeley's anyway? "The curtains needed to be washed."

Jacob turned his full attention to Zach and rolled his eyes. "Don't be so obtuse."

He shrugged. "You obviously want me to say something. What is it?"

Jacob leaned forward and said in a loud whisper, "Did you see one?"

Zach's mind automatically flew to the aliens he and Sasha met the night of the aurora. Did she tell her brother about it?

He mentally shook himself. No, Sasha wouldn't do that. She wouldn't trust her older brother to keep his mouth shut, or to keep from ridiculing them about the story. Or both.

Which meant Jacob must be talking about something else.

Jacob frowned, the right edge of his lip moving up, giving Zach the confirmation he needed that Jacob as up to no good. Did he even realize he could hardly contain his laughter and amusement?

"Come on, out with it. And stop staring at me like an idiot."

"You're the idiot. I have no idea what you are talking about." He glanced outside, wishing to see the buggy among the other vehicles in the parking lot. But, nothing. What was taking his father so long?

"Okay, fine, I'll spell it out for you, dimwit. Did you see the ghost?"