Cold Eternity

Cold Eternity is a fictional novel described here as a 2025 science fiction horror story, though no such published work exists by Stacey Kade or under the pen name S. A. Barnes as of 2025. The story blends psychological and body horror, following a political aide stranded on a decaying spaceship that holds the frozen remains of the terminally ill.

The protagonist, Halley, is a political aide fleeing assassins after uncovering a scandal involving her manager, Niina, and the Prime Minister of the United Nations of Colonies. She takes an illegal job aboard the *Elysium Fields*, a 150-year-old vessel originally built by Zale Winfield to freeze people with incurable diseases, with the promise they would be revived once cures existed. When cryonics research stalled and thawing became unsafe, the ship became a museum until it abruptly closed, leaving only a mechanic named Karl aboard. Karl orders Halley to press a button every three hours to signal the ship’s board of directors that it is still crewed. Sleep-deprived, Halley begins seeing a strange creature and visits the ship’s theater, where holograms of Winfield’s three children—Bryck, Ianthe, and Aleyk—appear far more advanced than normal AI. Aleyk breaks his programming to warn Halley to leave, but there is no nearby station or ship to escape to.

Halley eventually learns the truth: over 150 years ago, Winfield merged with an alien to achieve immortality, unaware it required him to eat human flesh. He built the *Elysium Fields* as a food supply of frozen bodies. His children were placed in a special stasis that let them communicate via holograms, so he wouldn’t be alone. Over time, the alien craved fresh victims. The museum allowed Winfield to pick solitary visitors who wouldn’t be missed, but it closed when his mind deteriorated and he began eating people who would be noticed. To satisfy the alien, Karl brought desperate, overlooked individuals aboard for the creature to hunt. Karl hoped the alien would transfer to his body, even feeding it parts of himself. Aleyk contacted Halley to help her escape and end the cycle.

Terrified, Halley broadcasts her location to the Prime Minister’s political opponents, hoping for rescue. While waiting, Karl attacks her but is killed by the alien. The creature tries to take Halley as a host, but is interrupted by Niina, who had been monitoring the opposition’s messages.