Ragnarok Rising: Desolation: Book Five of the Ragnarok Rising Saga

by D. A. Roberts

  “Did you hear it?” he asked, darkly.

  “I heard something,” I replied. “What was it?”

  “I am not certain,” he said, turning to look at me. “It is doubtful that it bears anything but ill tidings for us.”

  “Aren't you cold?” I asked, looking at the ice that had formed in his hair and beard.

  “A gift from my Hrimthurssar blood,” he replied. “I do not succumb to the cold.”

  “Must be nice,” I said, shaking my head. “I'm freezing my ass off. I thought you lost all of your abilities when you joined us.”

  “I did,” he said, glancing at me. “My resistance to the cold is not a gift granted by Loki, but a part of my heritage. I inherited it from my father.”

  “That must be an interesting story,” I said, glancing at him. “I'd like to hear it sometime.”

  “Perhaps,” he said, gravely, “However, we have more pressing concerns. Something is not right. I felt it long before I heard the sound.”

  “I've had the same feeling,” I replied, peering out into the storm. “I don't see or hear anything, though.”

  “It comes and goes,” he said, turning back to his observation.

  The sound came again, faintly on the wind. Bergelmir cocked his head to the side and craned his neck, as if urging the sound to come to him. For my part, I closed my eye and let my brain process the sound. I had to filter out the wind and the crackling of the trees, trying to isolate the sound and indentify it. When it came again, my brain kicked into overdrive.

  “That sounds like a…,” I began.

  “Wolf,” finished Bergelmir. “That is the howling of a large wolf.”

  “How could a wolf survive in this cold?” I asked, glancing around.

  “A normal one could not,” he replied. “These are not ordinary wolves.”

  “Then what the Hel are they?” I said, starting to grow apprehensive.

  “If I am correct,” he rumbled, “they are like the Hrimthurssar. They are servants of Loki and the offspring of Fenrir[3]. They are called Vargr and they are very formidable.”

  “That doesn't sound good,” I muttered, tightening my grip on the shaft of my spear.

  “It is not,” said Bergelmir. “We need to get inside the compound before they find us. We are being hunted.”

  “Let's get everyone moving,” I said, heading for the stairs.

  Bergelmir followed right on my heels. When we reached the door to the guard shack, I knocked to get their attention. Since it was a decent sized building, it had room enough for all of us to stand inside. I walked in and headed for the small wood stove. Although it couldn't be putting out all that much heat, it felt like a warm sunny day compared to what was raging outside. Bergelmir shut the door behind us and stood where he could keep an eye on the window.

  Gathered near the fire were Marko, Spec-4 and Snake. When I joined them beside the stove, I leaned my spear against the wall next to Snake's hammer. Although I had created Brjótanir for myself, it seemed like it had been meant for Snake. It never left his side, so it seemed only fitting that he keep it.

  “What the fuck are we doing out here?” asked Snake, by way of greeting. “Whatever is giving us all the heebie-jeebies needs to be dealt with so I can get back inside where it's warm.”

  “We're going back in now,” I replied. “We know what's out there and we don't want to be out here to fight it.”

  “What could possibly be alive out there in that storm?” asked Marko.

  “I know it can't be the dead,” added Spec-4. “They would be frozen solid in this cold. I doubt even the Frostbiters could move in this.”

  “I would not be so certain of that,” answered Bergelmir in a deep rumble. “I have seen stranger things come to pass.”

  “He's got a point,” I agreed. “We can't rule it out. Now, we really need to get our gear and head below.”

  “What's coming this way?” asked Marko.

  “Wolves,” I replied.

  “Wolves won't be able to get over our fence,” said Snake. “We built it strong and tall. Unless they can jump over ten feet, they can only look up at the wall and howl.”

  “These are no ordinary wolves,” cautioned Bergelmir. “Most wolves weigh around one hundred pounds. Now imagine a wolf the size of a large grizzly bear, at close to a thousand pounds, with all the speed of a wolf.”

  “That's not good,” said Marko. “Maybe we should get inside the compound and seal the door.”

  “That would be most wise,” said Bergelmir. “Especially since they do not travel alone. They are pack hunters, just like normal wolves.”

  “Fuck,” muttered Snake.

  “Alright,” I said, reaching for my spear. “You heard the man. Let's get moving and get our asses back inside. If we're going to have to fight these things, I'd prefer it was in better weather. I’d also prefer to use guns.”

  With that, everyone grabbed their gear and headed for the door. Bergelmir went out first, with me right behind him. The others followed as we started to head for the rope. I nearly ran into Bergelmir's back when he came to a sudden stop.

  “What's going on?” I shouted.

  “The rope is gone,” he replied without turning around. “We are no longer alone.”

  I turned to put my back against the wall of the guard shack and brought my spear up in a two-handed defensive position. I noticed the others were now readying their own weapons and looking around. The howling of the wind became more insistent and seemed to be tearing at our gear and faces with renewed intensity. It seemed like even the weather wanted us dead.

  Then out of the blinding snow began to emerge shapes. First it was only one, then another, followed by three more. Bergelmir had been conservative in his estimate of their size. These things were as big as a small car. They had to weigh in close to twelve hundred pounds or more. They were closer to the size of a large buffalo instead of a grizzly. Their coats were as white as the flying snow, making them almost impossible to see until they were nearly on top of us.

  They had the massive frames and heavy muscle of a bear, but the lithe lines of a wolf. The heads were more angular than a normal wolf as well, with canine teeth that were as long as a large knife. The most intense feature was their eyes. The eyes seemed to glow with a light that looked like green fire. They fanned out and surrounded us, making escape virtually impossible.

  With our options severely limited, we had no choice but to fight. Even if we managed to fight our way clear, we would have to stumble blindly through the driving snow to reach the building that led to the entrance of our base. If we missed it, we would be lost in the storm and freeze to death. Bergelmir would survive but that didn't offer much comfort to the rest of us.

  I briefly considered switching to my sword, but decided I liked the added reach of the spear. Everyone prepared for the attack that we knew was about to come, doing our best to cover each other. Although there were five of us and five of them, it wasn’t even close to a fair fight. I wondered if we were a match for just one of those things. Their jaws were big enough to take someone's entire head into it without any problem.

  As the first one advanced, I lunged at it with the spear. It easily dodged to the side and I missed it completely. Although it seemed to be approaching with more caution, it was none-the-less still coming. The others were beginning to look for their own openings, sensing quick kills. We might have been much smaller than they were, but I was going to make certain that they no longer thought of us as an easy meal.

  Just as I was about to lurch forward for another thrust, I felt something hit my shoulder. Glancing down, I saw a piece of ice about the size of a softball. Although it didn't hurt, it did indicate that something above me had to have knocked it loose. My instincts screamed a warning and I instantly knew that there were more of them coming over the gate.

  Spinning as fast as I could, I turned and brought up my spear just as the first one leapt down at us from the roof of the guard shack. Using the weight of t
he beast and the sharpness of the blade, I skewered the creature through the chest, causing it to let out a tremendous howling whine of pain.

  Planting the end of the spear on the ground, I used the creature's momentum to shove it on over and away. It flipped over and fell into the snow about ten feet away from us, forcing the other wolves to leap back to avoid their dying brother. The shrieking howl ended abruptly as I twisted the spear and yanked it free of the beast's chest.

  Dark crimson blood stained the blade, standing out in sharp contrast to the intense white of the surrounding snow. It dripped off of the blade for a few seconds before freezing solid as it rapidly cooled, coating the blade in a red sheen of ice. Before the last drop had hit the snow, the other creatures charged us, snarling in fury for their fallen pack-mate.

  The first one to reach the line was bearing down on Marko. As he leapt to the side, Snake brought Brjótanir down in a crushing blow to the top of the beast's head. It struck with bone rattling force, knocking the creature onto its belly. I could see that it wasn't dead, but it was so addled that it couldn't get back to its feet. Snake brought the big hammer around for another blow to finish the job, taking full advantage of his prone opponent. Before I could react to that, I had to defend as another of the creatures bore down on me. I could smell the fetid breath of the beast as its fangs slashed at my face.

  I drove the shaft of my spear into the thing's mouth, barely keeping it from tearing my skull apart. As I shoved back against it with all of my might, it forced me against the wall of the guard shack. The contest of strength was one-sided, though. I was no match for the power of this massive creature. It would be only a matter of seconds before it ripped the spear free from my hands and tore me apart.

  In desperation, I gripped the shaft of the spear with both hands and twisted it to the side. This forced the beast's head at an angle and opened its neck to Bergelmir. He wasted no time in driving the tip of his sword into the exposed throat and severing the arteries and windpipe. Blood sprayed all over the front of my parka and onto my boots. I could feel its strength ebbing by the second as the fire began to fade from its eyes.

  With a bellow of effort, I shoved as hard as I could and forced the creature away from me. It fell onto the ground and the remainder of its blood poured out into the snow. Steam rose from the growing puddle, only to vanish in the wind as the blood quickly froze. The bright red color did not diminish by freezing, but remained in vibrant contrast to the surrounding ice.

  The other creatures were growing more cautious about coming close to us, having lost three of their pack so quickly. That had to mean that counting the five who had approached and the one that had come off of the top of the guard shack; there were only three of them remaining. They were somewhat less bold, now that they had lost half of their numbers.

  While they were unsure of themselves, I wanted to press the advantage. I stepped forward and drove the blade of my spear at the head of the nearest creature. It reacted by biting down on the steel and holding it firmly in its mouth. It was so strong that I couldn’t force the blade farther in to finish the job but I couldn't pull it away either. Just as it was about to wrench the shaft from my hand, I heard a voice booming from my right.

  “Hold still!” bellowed Snake.

  I turned in time to see him swinging the hammer around behind me. I thought for a moment that he was about to attack me, then I saw the beauty of his move. With a blow worthy of Thor, he drove the head of the hammer into the end of the spear with a massive ring of steel on steel. Sparks flew from the fury of the blow and I felt the power reverberate up the shaft and through my hands.

  The blow had its intended effect, driving the blade of the spear through the beast's mouth and out the back of its head. It pitched over onto its side, ripping the spear out of my hands in the process. Instead of going after my weapon, I reached over my shoulder and drew Ulfrbrandr. The steel of the blade seemed to glow with a strange light of its own, reflecting both the security light above the guard shack and the fiery glow of the remaining creatures’ eyes.

  The last two wolves growled a warning, then turned and fled off into the snow. They vanished from sight almost instantly, disappearing completely into the storm. I started to sigh with relief, but froze when I heard a sound that chilled me to the core. Not all that far away, I heard the two wolves howling a keening, mournful sound. It undulated in pitch and tone, lasting for several long moments.

  “That was…,” I started to say.

  All around us, off in the distance, came the answering calls of dozens more of the beasts. The ones we had just fought had to be scouts for the rest of the pack.

  “Run!” I bellowed.

  I paused only long enough to yank my spear free from the fallen beast before turning back to the others.

  “Follow me!” shouted Bergelmir.

  Without hesitation we headed after him, away from the guard shack and into the storm. We hoped that it was the right direction, but it was almost impossible to know for certain in the near white-out conditions that we were in.

  Instead, we concentrated on keeping each other in sight. If anyone got lost, we wouldn't find them until the storm passed. Since it had been raging for days, there was no way to know when that would be. It might not be until the Fimbul Winter had passed and the spring finally returned.

  Bergelmir led us close enough that Spec-4 was able to spot the outline of the building and correct our course. Just as we were approaching the front door, we were beginning to hear the yipping sound of approaching wolves. We were quickly running out of time.

  I yanked the door shut and locked it. I was suddenly very glad that they had fixed this door after I cut the lock to get us inside the first time. It was going to buy us a little time. I had little doubt that they would smash through this door in fairly short order, but it would give us time to get through the next door and down the stairs.

  Outside, I could hear more of the mournful howling as the creatures found their fallen comrades. I had knew that they would want revenge on us for killing them. There was a feral intelligence to them that seemed to indicate that they were much smarter than normal wolves. No matter how smart they were, I had no intention of being out here when they forced their way inside.

  As we were entering the stairwell, I motioned for everyone to be quiet. Bergelmir and I exchanged a dark look, which confirmed that he had heard the same thing that I had. Carried on the wind, was the unmistakable sound of a signal horn. In this weather, that could only mean that there were more of the Hrimthurssar out there hunting us.

  “How many of the Hrimthurssar are there?” I asked, dreading the answer.

  “I am afraid that I do not know, for certain,” replied Bergelmir. “However, it would appear that there are more than I was aware of.”

  “So it would seem,” I replied, sarcastically. “Let’s get inside.”

  Once we locked the door to the stairwell, we headed down the stairs as fast as we could go. The air temperature climbed steadily as we got farther down. When we reached the door to the facility, Snake tapped a specific sequence on the door with his hammer. Immediately, I heard the locks on the other side coming open and the door swung outward.

  Despite the correct knock being given, we were greeted with the barrels of two guns. Sanders and Winston had their M-4's trained on us, just in case. They lowered them when they saw who we were.

  “Wylie,” said Cal. “Glad you made it back, dude.”

  “It's good to be back,” I replied. “We need to get inside now. We've got company coming.”

  With that, we all headed quickly inside and sealed the door behind us. I finally breathed a sigh of relief when the bolts locked into place. I knew that those creatures didn't have a chance of getting through that much steel. We were safe. Well, as safe as anyone could be in this world.

  The question remaining was, where the Hel did those things come from?

  Chapter Six

  Storm Warning

  “Life is
not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.”

  - Jack London

  As with all such storms, this one blew itself out. It took three days of intense winds and heavy accumulation, but it finally stopped. When the sun eventually came out (well, what passes for the sun since the sky turned grey), we decided to go topside and have a look around. Even without the storm it was a balmy minus twenty degrees Fahrenheit. It was as cold here in Missouri as it was on a daily basis in McMurdo Base in Antarctica before all of this started. I could only shiver at the thought of how cold it must be there.

  We went out tactically, expecting trouble from more of the wolves. Bergelmir told me that they were called Vargr, the offspring of the Norse monster of Ragnarok. It was fitting, I suppose. I mean, here we are at the end of things and it’s these wolves that might devour us all. In the stories I had read of Ragnarok, Fenrir devours Odin in the final battle. That thought wasn’t particularly appealing, all things considered.

  As we emerged from the building, there was no sign of the wolves. I breathed a silent thank you to the Gods for that bit of luck. Once we were certain that the area was clear, Bergelmir began to dig the fallen Vargr out of the snow.

  “What are you doing?” asked Spec-4.

  “I will take the bodies into the base,” he replied. “Once they thaw out, I will skin them and make cloaks and boots out of the furs. They are excellent against the effects of the cold.”

  “Good idea,” I added. “If you don’t mind, I’d like one.”

  “Of course,” he replied. “I will make one for all of us. We brought down four of these beasts. There is enough fur to cover a dozen men.”

  Marko hung behind to help Bergelmir while I went with Spec-4 and Snake to check the gate. In the grey light of day, we could see well enough. Although the light wasn’t bright, the added radiance of the snow made it seem brighter. It was more than enough for us to search for tracks in the snow. I was hoping that we would be able to determine just how many of the Vargr had been here. Once we reached the top of the gate, it was easy to see the surrounding area. The view was much better than it had been the last time I was there.