Outpost H311

by Townsend, Sara Jayne

  “Something other than Andres, you mean?”

  Jake pulled his head out of the engine block and looked at Ellen. “I assume you noticed the footprints around the plane?”

  “And the fact they were way too big to be human? Yes, I noticed.”

  “So let’s not waste any time. We need to siphon off hydraulic fluid and it’s going to be fiddly.”

  “Let’s get on with it then,” said Ellen.

  They had brought sealed containers to carry the fluid back to the base, with funnels and a suction device to siphon it out of the engine into the containers. It was an awkward task that took a couple of hours.

  By the time they had finished, a full-blown blizzard had taken hold. With the containers of hydraulic fluid safely tucked away, Ellen and Jake settled into the remains of the plane’s hold to shelter from the wind and wait out the storm. They cannibalised bits of wood and scraps of fabric to make a fire, lit in the break in the hold so the smoke could escape. Jake had to use a little lighter fluid on it to make it ignite, and it gave off a noxious smell and thick black smoke, but the fire, once burning, provided a little heat and light.

  They only had energy bars for food but they ate a couple each and heated up some water to drink. Boiling water provided an unappetising hot drink, but at least it was warming.

  Ellen watched Jake, who was staring thoughtfully into the fire, frowning a little. “Are we really going to get out of this?” she asked.

  He looked at her. “Why do you ask that?”

  “You look pensive. I thought maybe you were assessing our chances.”

  Jake sighed. “I’m trying not to think about that.”

  “What were you thinking of, then?”

  “Just someone back home.”

  “Oh. What’s her name then?” Ellen asked.

  Jake looked at her. “What makes you think it’s a ‘she’?”

  “Well, I assumed you must have a wife, or a girlfriend or something. But I suppose one shouldn’t assume such things, in this day and age. I mean, maybe you’ve got a boyfriend.” Ellen felt herself going red. “I’m sorry, I’m babbling. I don’t mean to offend you.”

  Jake grinned. “No offense taken. Let me make it easy for you. I am attracted to women. But there’s no woman at home. No one special in my life right now.”

  “Oh. Right. So who were you thinking about, just then?”

  “My brother, actually. We’ve not spoken for years. I was thinking that if we do get out of here, I should call him. Patch things up. I’ve got a niece I’ve never even met.”

  “Yes. You probably should.”

  “So, did you have a particular reason for asking me about the women in my life?”

  “I didn’t ask about the women in your life. I was just assuming you were thinking about her, by the look on your face.”

  “It was a very roundabout way of asking, but you were. And you sounded somewhat relieved when I said there wasn’t anyone.” Jake moved in a bit closer to Ellen. The firelight cast red highlights into his hair and made dancing shadows in the crevasses in his face.

  “I was just making conversation,” Ellen mumbled. She could feel her face getting hot.

  “Stop playing coy. That’s not your style.” Jake’s face was close to Ellen’s now, she could feel the heat coming off his body.

  “And I know I’m not your type.”

  “You got that right. I can’t stand ballsy women.” Jake came in closer, his face inches from Ellen’s.

  “And I hate arrogant macho men.” Ellen moved her head and her lips met Jake’s. There was an urgency and a hunger in the kiss, a passion that had laid dormant in her for years, and suddenly she was pulling him into her, rolling around on the floor, fumbling to find the fastenings in the layers of clothing.

  It was sex from passion born out of fear, and need, and a desperate desire to be close to another human being in this place that was devoid of human life, and it was over in a few minutes. Afterwards they both lay on blankets salvaged from the plane, still wearing most of their clothes, arms wrapped around each other, Ellen’s head resting on Jake’s chest. She could feel his heart beating, slowing after the frenzied activity, while their breathing returned to normal.

  There was so much that Ellen wanted to say, so much she wanted to ask Jake, but it seemed inappropriate to say anything. The two of them remained silent, and eventually Ellen drifted off to sleep, huddled up in the relative shelter of the wrecked plane, in the arms of a man that in the ordinary world she would never have looked twice at, but who here seemed to be an unlikely saviour and hero and her best chance of getting back to that ordinary world.

  CHAPTER 42

  Nathan was heartily sick of Allison bossing everyone around. Just because she was a project manager she seemed to think she should be in charge.

  He was severely regretting the decision he’d made that day when he walked into the Chief Executive’s office and agreed to accompany the Arctic Exploration mission. The Big Boss had made it clear that not only had he been hand-picked to control the purse strings for the project, but that agreeing to it would lead to rapid career progression. But the mission been a failure – they had not reached the oil field, people had died, and on top of that they had lost a great deal of expensive equipment. And now they were stranded out here with no way of getting back. If by some miracle he managed to survive and get back home, he would never make Finance Director now. He’d be lucky if he still had a job.

  Allison poked her head around the doorway into the kitchen, where Nathan was huddled over the pot-bellied stove nursing a cup of tea and ruminating on the unfortunate circumstances that had led to his current predicament. “There’s a lot of work to do, Nate,” she said pointedly. “I’d appreciate it if you could give us a hand, instead of sitting around in here.”

  “I never said you could call me Nate,” Nathan muttered to her retreating back, but he put down the mug and stomped down the corridor after Allison.

  Allison went all the way to the trap door in the roof of the eastern corridor. There, she climbed up the ladder, opened the trap door and disappeared from view.

  “Come on, Nate,” she called down. Nathan scowled and climbed up the ladder.

  The ladder came out into an above-ground storage bunker. The place was freezing, despite the lanterns that had been set about to illuminate the place.

  In one corner, there was a cluster of oil drums. Daniel was in the process of pulling one onto its side and rolling it across the concrete floor.

  “What are we doing in here?” Nathan asked.

  Allison pointed at oil drums. “We have to get these down to the plane. And the canisters of kerosene, too.”

  “You’re kidding.” Nathan stared at the oil drums.

  “The sooner we can get this done, the sooner we can leave when Jake and Ellen get back.”

  Nathan sighed. “I suppose we better get to it, then.”

  And so Nathan was recruited into this back-breaking task. Working in relay, they lowered the barrels and canisters down the trapdoor and piled them up by the lift shaft. Moving them down into the hangar required a rather complex procedure of having one person shimmy down the rope to the lift shaft, then the other two tying up the barrel and lowering it down the shaft, with the person at the bottom guiding it down and then untying it when it reached the floor.

  It required more physical effort than Nathan was used to. He’d never been one for team sports, finding the idea unappealing, running around getting sweaty with a bunch of men whose collective IQ was probably less than his, and gyms he found insufferable places, full of vain idiots who waxed off their chest hair and preened themselves in the mirror, admiring bulging pecs. He preferred to keep his brain in shape rather than his body, with crossword puzzles and strategy games. He was a keen chess player, though he had no one to play with in real life so was limited to online games. He usually had several games on the go at once and prided himself on never yet having lost a game. He wondered if any of his
online partners would miss him, but of course the players were anonymous so nobody knew who he really was. If he was not there to make his moves, his opponents would probably just get annoyed at him for abandoning the game and move on to find another opponent.

  Sweating with the exertion, Nathan peeled off his gloves, scarf and jacket and tossed them against the wall, wiping sweat from his eyes as it dripped down from his thinning hair. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath, letting go of the oil barrel he was rolling. He was leaning by the intersection of the middle corridor, the one that was still sealed off. From beyond the concrete block that sealed the corridor, he could hear the angry raspy growls of the trapped zombies. And a rhythmic banging noise.

  The banging caused a vibration that Nathan felt under his feet. He stared at the concrete seal. Several cracks had appeared across it. He was sure they hadn’t been there when they had first discovered it. Something was really shaking these bastards up. And Nathan wanted out of this hell hole before they got loose. Now it was all about survival. He was going to get off this rock if it was the last thing he did.

  He looked over towards the lift shaft. Allison and Daniel were below, allegedly taking the barrels they had lowered down to the plane, ready to be used. The one that Nathan was rolling was the last one. He thought it was overkill; they’d already acquired more than enough oil and fuel for the plane. It wasn’t as if they needed the plane to make more than one journey. They just needed it to get off this frozen rock.

  And they needed weapons. With those undead Nazi bastards wandering around, Nathan had thought everyone should be armed and had aired this view on several occasions. Allison of course had contradicted him, arguing that the zombies were all now contained behind sealed walls and it wasn’t practical – or safe – to have everyone wandering around armed.

  But with Allison and Daniel below in the hangar, and Ellen and Jake at the plane wreck, Nathan had the base to himself. With no one to tell him not to, he made his way to the weapons store in the northern corridor.

  Everything had been catalogued. Many of the weapons had been removed, but there was still enough of a selection for Nathan to be spoilt for choice. After some thought he selected a Mauser HSc semi-automatic pistol and ammunition. He made sure it was loaded and the safety on then tucked it into the spacious inside pocket of his North Face jacket, stuffing the ammunition into one of the pockets of his hiking trousers. His only experience of fire arms was a couple of visits to the shooting range with the two friends from primary school he was still in contact with. They had drifted apart over the years, but they still got together every once in a while for drinks. The two of them were really into target shooting and had persuaded Nathan to come along with them a few years ago. He hadn’t particularly enjoyed it but had been pleased to discover he was quite a good shot, and because of that had been talked into going again, a couple more times. He figured that knowing how to shoot a weapon was a useful life skill. And maybe it was about to pay off. At least now he could be sure he wasn’t going to be taken down by one of those Nazi bastards. All he had to do now was figure out how to get off this god-forsaken ice cube.

  He made his way back to the lift shaft. There was still no sign of Allison and Daniel. Using the rope, he climbed down the lift shaft, more confident now that he’d done it a few times.

  At the bottom of the lift shaft, he peered into the hangar. Daniel and Allison were standing by the plane, looking at it. They were in conversation with each other and had their backs to him. The oil drums and kerosene canisters were stacked up neatly on the ice floor of the hangar.

  Nathan swiftly turned right, through the door and out into the corridor. He paused, looking left towards the boathouse. There was no point in going that way – they had already established there was no means of escape in the boathouse.

  He looked right down the corridor, where a soft green light illuminated from the open doorway of the room at the end of the corridor. The light was strangely alluring. It seemed to be calling to him. Intrigued, he walked down the corridor, closer to the light.

  As Nathan stepped into the room he heard voices whispering into his consciousness. Soft, seductive voices speaking of great power, of immortality.

  He stared at the pentagram on the floor and the cauldron standing on the altar, bathed in the warm green light. The voices came from the cauldron, Nathan was sure. Whatever it was that whispered to him, it was in the cauldron.

  He took one, two, three steps. He stopped at the edge of the pentagram.

  Come to me, Nathan, the voice whispered. I can give you anything you want.

  “All I want is a way off this frozen rock,” Nathan muttered.

  I can give you the power of a god, the voice urged. The physical world will no longer restrain you. Come to me, and all the power in the mortal world is yours.

  Nathan stepped over the boundary of the pentagram. He felt a frisson of power flow through him. It was like a mild electric current, simultaneously thrilling and dangerous.

  It can all be yours, the voice whispered.

  Nathan stepped up to the altar and looked into the cauldron. Despite the seductive light, the interior was dark and murky. He could see something moving in there, but he couldn’t tell what it was. He put his hands on the edge of the cauldron and leaned over it, peering into the murky interior to see better. He felt something tickling the edge of his consciousness, something wondrous and wonderful with a dark-tinged edge like a snake hiding inside a favourite slipper.

  And then the presence inside the cauldron revealed itself to him in its full terrible glory. For just an instant, Nathan knew pure, abject terror, before his mind disintegrated, and he could no longer care.

  CHAPTER 43

  “Well, there’s something to be said for all this back-breaking labour.” Daniel leaned forward, hands on knees, trying to catch his breath. “At least it keeps us warm.”

  “That should be enough.” Allison surveyed the canisters of kerosene and gas, stacked up in a neat pile in the hangar. “I wish we could make a start on putting them in the aircraft, but I haven’t got a clue where to begin.”

  “Best leave that job for Jake. And I really hope he knows how to fly a plane or else we’re stuck.”

  “He seemed to imply that he could.” Allison looked around. “Where’s Nathan disappeared to? That man is really winding me up.”

  “If he really doesn’t want to do this, then leave him be. It’s done now, anyway.”

  “That’s not the point. We all have to work together. He’s been uncooperative from the start. None of us wants to be here. What makes him a special snowflake?”

  Hearing a noise in the corridor outside the hangar, Allison turned her head. “Nathan? Are you out there?”

  Nathan stepped into the hangar, a semi-automatic pistol in his hand. Allison opened her mouth to speak, but froze when Daniel clutched her arm. “Look at his eyes!” he hissed.

  Nathan’s eyes were red and vacant. A low feral growl rumbled in his throat. He raised the gun.

  “Oh my god, he’s been in the ritual room,” Allison said. Daniel yanked her back, hard, and pulled her down to the ground just as Nathan opened fire. A bullet sailed past Allison’s ear, narrowly missing the stack of canisters and embedding itself into the concrete of the eastern wall of the hangar.

  Daniel grabbed Allison and hauled her into the concrete bunker on the west side of the hangar. A couple more bullets went sailing past them, embedding themselves into the concrete as they dove for cover.

  “We can’t let him go nuts with the gun in here. He might start hitting the canisters, or worse, the plane,” said Daniel. He scanned the shelves of the bunker. “The only useful things in here are grenades, and we can’t start lobbing those around, not with all those cans of kerosene. Where did we leave the weapons?”

  “Upstairs.”

  Daniel groaned. “Just marvellous. We start climbing up that rope we’re easy targets.”

  “I’ll try and keep him dist
racted,” Allison said. “You go back upstairs and get the weapons.”

  “Allison, he’s not human anymore. He won’t listen to reason.” The guttural groans of the thing that used to be Nathan sounded very near. He was coming after them.

  Allison looked at Daniel. “You’ve got a better chance of getting out. You’re a much better shot. If you’re left holding the fort till Jake and Ellen get back, you might do it.”

  “And what if Jake and Ellen don’t come back?”

  “I’m trying not to think about that. Just move.” Allison stepped out of the bunker, hands held up above her.

  Nathan was ten feet away from her, red eyes glowing. His face was twisted in a snarl. He growled and raised the gun.

  “Nathan, you don’t want to do this.” Allison took a few steps away from the bunker, trying to give Daniel room to move. Her legs were shaking so badly that it was an effort to walk. “I know you’re in there somewhere.”

  The Nathan-thing focused on her as she moved away from the bunker. He kept the gun trained on her as she took a few more steps into the centre of the hangar.

  “I’m really sorry I’ve been bossing you around,” Allison said. She kept her voice clear and steady, looking at Nathan’s distorted face, forcing herself to look him in the eye. If a small part of Nathan was still in there, she had to get through to him. “I can’t help myself sometimes. It’s what I do all day. Order people around.” She took a step backwards, moving towards the plane, her eyes on Nathan. He swivelled and followed her. Over Nathan’s shoulder she saw Daniel, creeping out of the bunker and heading for the lift shaft.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, Nathan.” Allison spoke loudly, staring fixedly into Nathan’s red demonic eyes. Keep him looking at me, she thought. Don’t let him turn around and see Daniel. One more step backwards. “I should have listened to you, Nathan. I was too busy bossing people around. Too busy project managing. You’re the smart one. I see that now. Please, forgive me. Nobody else has to die. There aren’t many of us left. We can all get out of here, if we listen to you.” She took another step backwards. Nathan took two steps towards her, his back towards Daniel who was climbing up the rope, disappearing from view into the lift shaft.