“Who cares, they’re all wetbacks anyway,” Lance said nonchalantly as Buck giggled with delight.
It was then that the sky suddenly turned dark as it plunged the entire area into a grey twilight. All three men stood up in surprise as they finally noticed the massive overcast right above them.
Mark’s mouth was open as he looked up at the sky. He had never seen anything like it. “What in the hell is going on?”
Lance’s eyes opened wide as he pointed at something in the northern horizon that was coming right at them. “What in blazes is that?”
It was then that they saw a glimpse of it. Although it was partially obscured by the low hanging grey clouds, they could see its monstrous outline. It was the size of a small building as it uttered a shrill scream, then dived down on them with solid black wings that echoed the sound of rolling thunder, the force was so powerful, its shockwave blew the desert sand around them into the air. Almost instinctively, all three men began to panic fire at it as it swooped down and pounced, but it didn’t seem to affect it as the sharp, deafening thunderclap that followed it drowned out their dying screams.
6. The Northern Lights
Lapland
It was late afternoon and they still hadn’t arrived. Anders stood outside the Kiruna police station and smoked a cigarette. He had come in just last week, right before things started to get strange.
First, it was the animals that seemingly began to migrate south by passing right through the urban areas. In his first night on the town, he saw herds of reindeer and quite a few moose in the streets as they continued to move out of the region. Anders had laughed at first because he had never seen it before and found it quite amusing, until he saw that even the wolves had come out and started moving south. The police and the townspeople were on the ready as small packs of wolves descended into town and also followed the reindeer herds southwards. It was then that Anders heard the townspeople talking and mentioning that the wolves looked tired and starving, but they showed no signs of aggressiveness, in fact it looked like they were afraid of something as they passed through. Then the smaller animals like snow lynxes and even the owls started flying through the town. By the third night, about a dozen bears had entered into the city streets; the police were ready, but even these powerful animals largely ignored the people who were observing them. The only time there was a conflict was when one particularly large bear was shot and killed by local hunters as it wandered into the street near the church. The other bears didn’t even stop to rummage and eat in any of the trash cans in the nearby park, they just kept going as well.
The fourth night was even worse. Even though the northern lights, the aurora borealis, was regularly seen around the evenings, the lights themselves began to act strangely, no longer did they streak across the night in wavy lines but instead started to fall, like shooting stars, driving their streaks of light into the earth as seen from the far horizon. It was then that the snow began to fall. The next evening, all the dogs in town began howling all night, no amount of love or harsh discipline could stop their cries and within a few days many fell sick and died. The stray cats disappeared while owners with pets reported them either missing or had to throw them out of their homes; the poor felines became hysterical and would hiss and claw at anything. By the fifth night it was the rats, squirrels, and other small mammals that had begun to empty from all the nooks and crannies of the town while they all fled southwards as the falling snow continued to increase. That was when people truly began to get scared.
Rossby Centre had reported back after Anders had submitted his findings. They told him that every single country had been losing contact with their satellites in earth orbit and there no longer was any chance that they could predict the weather using satellite maps. They would have to rely on field reports from now on until the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, the local police had been swamped with reports that a group of local hunters had disappeared while looking for game near the base of Kebnekiase, the tallest mountain in the country. A small team of four police officers went off in search for them and failed to return as well. Mass panic had begun to spread and just two days earlier the Swedish government in Stockholm ordered the evacuation of the entire town. It took less than a day before Kiruna was deserted, save for himself and a few constables still staying at the police station. Anders appealed to his superiors at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute to let him head south as well, but his last orders were to sit tight because a climate team was heading out to meet him.
It was just before nightfall that two police Volvos, equipped with snow tires, had been seen heading into the outskirts of town. Anders finally sighed with quiet satisfaction in the feeling that he could be relieved and would be on his way back to his native Stockholm to be with his girlfriend, whom he had lost touch with ever since the nearby mobile cell site had ceased to function just a few days before. Even the powerful police radios in the station had encountered a lot of static interference and were only transmitting information to and fro half the time.
As Anders and two police constables stood outside the front entrance of the police station to greet them, the cars drove over and soon stopped beside the sidewalk and a small group of additional police reinforcements from the south got out of the vehicles, along with a dark-skinned man wearing a deep blue parka.
The man walked over to Anders and held out his hand. “I am Dr. Ranju Nandwani, from the UN, are you Anders?”
Anders shook his hand. “Yes, Anders Olsson. I am the representative for SMHI over here. Would you like to come in the station?”
“Yes, that would be nice, thanks,” Ranju said as he followed Anders inside.
The police station was largely deserted. Most of the staff as well as a few detainees had already been evacuated. It was also the only inhabited building in the entire town as everyone else had left a few days before. With the additional six police constables and Dr. Nandwani, there were now eleven of them in total. Everyone was grateful that the heaters were still functioning as they took off their cold weather jackets and stretched out their stiff bodies after the long drive up north.
Anders sat in front of a steaming mug of coffee in the conference room, along with Ranju and Sergeant Dure Johnsen, the commander of the station. “I was told to wait for you, Dr. Nandwani. What can I do for you?” Anders said.
Ranju took short sips from his own mug. “I’m a special inspector with the UN’s World Meteorological Organization. I’ve come to find out the cause of the cold front that’s sweeping southwards towards mainland Europe. We believe the source may be emanating not far from here.”
Anders frowned. “I’m sorry, I thought SMHI was sending a replacement for me so I could be relieved of my duties so I could go south.”
“We can all go back soon, but first I need to find the possible source of these strange weather patterns. Once we’ve located and identified the source, we all can report back to Stockholm,” Ranju said.
Dure Johnsen’s voice was devoid of emotion. “The situation out here is getting worse by the day. I would think that it’s time we all evacuate by tomorrow.”
“But it’s imperative that we find out what’s causing the cold front,” Ranju said, almost pleading. “Tens of millions of people in both Scandinavia and mainland Europe could be in danger. We have an extraordinary weather pattern developing in the entire region. The whole of Northern Europe is now being blanketed by snow and it’s still August! It’s almost like winter and summer have changed places. This is an extraordinary event in history.”
“Since I’ve been here for a week, I have already recorded over two meters of snow falling,” Anders said. “I feel it may be more near the mountain ranges.”
Ranju looked at his watch. “It’s barely four in the afternoon and yet the sun has already set. I thought days were longer in this part of the world.”
Anders shrugged. “They’re supposed to be, we’re not supposed to have any evenings at this time of the year in t
his region at all. That is why we call it the land of the midnight sun. But now the daylight only lasts from late morning until early afternoon. I don’t think the earth has changed its orbit around the sun, but the cold front may be blocking the sunlight.”
“What you just said is impossible. Yet it's happening,” Ranju said.
“All the more reason to go and get out of here … my men are not happy being here,” Dure said.
Ranju looked at him. “Sergeant, unless we find out what the source is, running to the south will be pointless.”
“Even if you could find the source, what good will it do?” Anders said. “Mankind cannot magically change the weather.”
“Maybe not, but at least we might know the cause and we can at least understand it,” Ranju said. “Because right now, the people of the world are in a panic and we have to figure it out or everything is lost.”
Dure’s face remained impassive. “Do you have a plan?”
“In the last satellite images I saw of this area that we were able to get, there seemed to have been a cold front that developed right above Kebnekaise Mountain. I believe that’s east of this city,” Ranju said. “Has anyone in the towns north of us reported anything unusual?”
Dure shook his head. “Everything north of Kiruna has been evacuated. The Finns and the Norwegians have done the same on the sides of their countries.”
“Wait,” Anders said. “We could try to get to the research station in the Tarfala Valley just facing Kebnekaise. I know it was evacuated last week, but Rossby Centre informed me that the weather instruments over there might still be recording.”
Dure looked at him with tired eyes. “Four policemen went in that area, including my superior, the chief inspector, to look for some missing bear hunters. They never came back. I’m not about to risk the lives of my remaining men.”
Ranju sat up and straightened his back. “Then give me a car. I will go alone.”
“I’m going too,” Anders said. He said it almost as an afterthought, but he was young and didn’t want to be called a coward.
Dure frowned at the both of them. “Even if I wanted to let you both go on your own, I am still responsible for you regardless of what happens. You realize that I am also responsible for my men and whatever happens to them, yes?”
“Then ask for volunteers, Sergeant. The rest can stay here if they wish,” Ranju said.
Dure said nothing as he stood up and left the room.
Ranju turned to face Anders. “Do you think he will accept this?”
Anders sighed. “He is part Sami, the original inhabitants of Lapland. His people are dour and practical. But I know him. As much as he is concerned about the danger, he wants to end this crisis too because his own people are suffering … and he knows the only way to possibly do that is to find out what’s causing the cold.”
They all sat down for an impromptu dinner in the station’s canteen just before leaving. The food was typical of the area: cold reindeer sausage, dried reindeer jerky, sautéed reindeer, smoked reindeer, and gravlax. Ranju was a vegetarian and ended up eating some thin crusty bread, boiled potatoes, cloudberries, and some instant noodles he had packed in his bags before heading out to Sweden. Anders didn’t eat much because it felt like the last supper for him. The policemen said nothing as they ate heartily. Towards the end of the meal, Dure simply said that they were all going. Nobody protested.
Tarfala Valley was a little over forty miles away. Three Volvo sport utility vehicles made a beeline towards the research station as the evening twilight was obscured by the cold front. The police vehicles had fog lights, but the visibility steadily became worse as they got closer. Dure was driving the middle car along with a constable sitting in the front seat who was armed with a rifle. Ranju and Anders both sat in the back.
Dure cursed as the conditions ahead of him deteriorated to the point where he could barely see the lead Volvo, whose rear was just a few feet in front of him even though all of the headlights were in bright mode. The radios were barely working because of the static, and the speed of the small convoy had slowed to a crawl lest they collide with each other.
Anders turned sideways and faced Ranju. “You came from UN headquarters in New York?”
“Yes,” Ranju said as he adjusted the collar on his dark blue parka. “It took me two days just to get to Stockholm, the transportation system in Europe has slowed down to almost nothing. Nobody wants to fly anymore. The same thing is happening in America.”
“I heard that portions of France, Spain and Germany are now under military jurisdiction. What is happening?”
Ranju shrugged. “I don’t know. It seems people are rioting for some unknown cause. Parts of Europe have also been blocked, either because the government cordoned them off or because of the strange weather patterns. The whole continent is being pounded nonstop by rain and snow. All we know is that it seems to be emanating from this part of Scandinavia.”
“Any word on China and the Far East?”
“China has completely closed itself off from the rest of the world, or at least they’re trying to. The little news that we’re getting is pretty confusing.”
“And what about Japan? I have a friend living there.”
“Japan is in a state of near anarchy from what I heard. News reports are saying that demons were roaming the streets of their main cities, but I'm not sure believe a word of that.”
Anders said nothing more.
After a little over an hour, they could finally see the faint outlines of buildings at the base of the valley. Tarfala Research Station was really nothing more than a cluster of deep-red colored wooden lodges with a couple of shipping containers and a small antenna tower nearby. Anders took out a woolen cap from his coat and put it over his head. Ranju’s parka had a built-in fur lined hood, which he pulled over his head before opening the passenger door. All three cars had halted just alongside the station as they all got out. The wind was howling and it was near whiteout conditions as everybody soon had their handheld flashlights turned on. Dure had to shout in order to get his instructions heard as the police constables split into groups of two to search each cabin. Anders and Ranju paired up as they both headed for the main research lodge.
Although he had the keys to the door since they were entrusted to him during the general evacuation a few days before, Anders found the door to be unlocked and so went inside. The interior of the wooden cabin was cold and totally dark except for the illumination from the car headlights that were shining through the windows. Using his flashlight, he noticed that everything was still in place.
“Will there be any power at all?” Ranju said as he closed the front door behind him.
“I think the generator is in the next room, hold on a minute,” Anders said as he started walking towards the door at the far end of the room.
Just as he put his hand on the door knob it suddenly flung open, hitting Anders in the face and knocking him down. A shadowy figure came out. As Ranju instinctively aimed his flashlight towards it, he could see that the assailant was in dark winter clothing and had a knife poised over his head.
“Stop!” Ranju screamed as the man looked like he was about to stab Anders.
The man turned and faced him. Ranju could see the ice frost on his shaggy beard but what was really disconcerting were his wild blue eyes, they had the look of a madman. For a short minute, no one moved or said anything. Suddenly, the front door opened and in came Sergeant Dure, who instantly saw what was happening and pulled out a gun from his holster.
“Put down the knife!” Dure shouted at the man as he aimed the SIG Sauer pistol at him.
The man simply let out a wailing cry and dropped the knife as he fell to his knees. Anders instantly grabbed the knife by the handle and threw it further away so the man couldn’t reach it as he got up. Dure ran over to them as Ranju kept his flashlight steady to provide illumination. The police sergeant placed the man’s hands behind his back and handcuffed him as Anders picked up his flashli
ght and went back into the generator room, found the circuit breaker and flipped on the power switch. Within minutes, the lights around the camp went up.
Dure sat the man on a chair and began to search him. Other than a packet of dried meat, there was nothing else on him. Ranju turned on the lights within the main cabin as Anders activated the massive floodlights outside using the controls in the generator room.
“Who are you?” Dure said as he sat down in front of the man while holstering his pistol.
The man simply looked away, closed his eyes and whimpered.
Anders walked over to them and let out a gasp as he peered at the man’s face. “That man, he’s one of the hunters the police are searching for. I think his name is Mihkal, I believe.”
“Is this true? You are a hunter?” Dure said to the man.
The man’s chin was trembling. Bits of saliva dribbled out from his chapped lips as he answered. “Y-yes, I-I am Mihkal.”
Dure put his arm on the man’s trembling shoulder. “What happened? Where are the others?”
“T-they’re dead!” Mihkal cried.
Dure narrowed his eyes. “How did they die?”
Mihkal was sobbing again. “W-we were nearby when we saw them, everyone ran, but we were too slow, they caught up to us. I saw one of them pick up Lars and started chewing on his head! I ran and ran and I hid here!”
Dure crossed his arms. “Who did it?”
At that moment, a massive roar was heard that reverberated across the entire valley. It sounded like a strange combination of a lion’s bellow and a foghorn. For a brief second, everyone looked up in surprise. Then Mihkal started to scream.
Anders, Dure, and Ranju ran out of the front door. The visibility was still very bad as the snowstorm continued to swirl around them, but at least the base lights had illuminated the area so they could see that the other police constables had come out of the other cabins and started walking towards them.
The Glooming (Wrath of the Old Gods Book 1) Page 8