Erebus: An Apocalyptic Thriller

by Steven Bird

  Noticing one of the bodies move, Ronald pointed, and said, ���Look! He���s alive!��� as he ran to the person���s side.

  Kneeling beside the horrifyingly disfigured body of the man who barely clung to life, Ronald saw that the blood on the ground was beginning to freeze. Turning to the others, he shouted, ���This just happened!��� Feeling the man���s arm move, he turned back to see him mouth the word, Run, as his life left him and his final breath escaped his lungs, emitting a cloud of frozen mist.

  ���Run? Run from what? What the hell is going on?��� he asked to no avail, as the man lay there still and lifeless.

  Turning back to the others, he shouted, ���What the fuck is going on?���

  Seeing Dr. Hunter turn to face him and then quickly noticing the look of horror in his eyes, Ronald turned just in time to see a crazed man standing before him. In the man���s hands was a large, jagged piece of metal, torn loose from a piece of machinery. Ronald immediately recognized the man as someone he had seen around McMurdo many times. Was it in the cafeteria? Was it in the greenhouse? Or was it from Gallagher���s Pub or the Southern Exposure Bar, both of which Ronald frequented on his visits to McMurdo when taking a break from the seclusion on Mt. Erebus.

  ���Hey,��� Ronald said, holding up his hands in a calming gesture. ���I don���t know what happened here, but I didn���t have anything to do with it. We just got here from MEVO.���

  Not replying, the man inched closer to him as his heavy breathing intensified. His eyes were wild and unfocused, and he was sweating profusely with the droplets quickly freezing, covering the man with an icy sheen that seemed to freeze and re-melt in a continuous cycle. Sweating? In this frigid cold? Ronald thought. The man was facing Ronald directly, but his eyes seemed as if they were looking straight through him, instead of at him. There was a froth around the man���s mouth that was freezing to his face in the terrible cold of the Antarctic night.

  Turning to look over his shoulder, Ronald heard Dr. Hunter say, ���Put it down. Put down your weapon,��� in a forceful tone directed at the crazed man.

  Turning back to the man, Ronald started to back away as the threat continually inched closer, his rate of breathing increasing with each passing moment. As the man drew near, Ronald could see something on the man���s neck. There was a film, or substance, algae-like in appearance, though it was gray instead of green, running up the man���s neck, appearing to follow his jugular vein.

  ���Drop it!��� Mason shouted as both he and Brett appeared from the darkness to his right, both having retrieved ice axes from the rescue and climbing gear lashed to the snowmobiles.

  In an instant, the man let out a primal scream as he charged at Ronald, shoving the broken metal pole through his abdomen.

  Falling backward onto the ground, Ronald gripped the metal pole as it protruded from his body. He could feel the warmth of his own blood against his cold skin as the man began clawing and biting at his face and neck, his world slipping into darkness.

  Hacking at the man with the axes, Brett and Mason swung wildly, hitting him several times in the back, spilling the man���s blood, but seeming to provide little to no deterrence against his aggression. With a well-aimed, powerful swing, Mason landed his axe squarely in the back of the man���s head, the blade crashing into his skull and ending the fight.

  ���What the fuck?!��� Lester screamed. ���Is he a fucking zombie or something?! What the hell is this?!���

  With the crazed attacker���s body slumped over Ronald, twitching violently, Brett and Mason each took hold of one of the man���s boots, pulling him clear while the others gathered around Ronald���s now lifeless body.

  ���He���s gone,��� Dr. Hunter pronounced after feeling for Ronald���s pulse.

  In a near hysterical fit, Lester, the member of the group who had grown closest to Ronald, shouted, ���We���ve got to get him to the medical hut!���

  Looking around at the scene of the carnage, with bodies and frozen blood spread throughout the area, Dr. Gerald Bentley said, ���Mr. Stevens,��� as he placed his hand on Ronald���s shoulder. ���I fear the medical hut is not an option for him due to both his current state, as well as that of McMurdo. Something dreadful is afoot, and I don���t see anyone responding to the needs of these poor folks. That���s very telling, indeed.���

  ���The Operations Center!��� insisted Dr. Perkins. ���We���ve got to get to the Operations Center and find out what the hell is going on!���

  Taking a deep breath, Dr. Hunter scanned the area and said, ���I���m afraid Gerald���s assessment of the probable state of the medical hut would also apply to Ops. First things first, we need to get somewhere safe and warm for the night. We���ll freeze to death if something���or someone���doesn���t kill us first.���

  Lowering his bloody ice axe to his side, Brett said, ���Dr. Hunter is right. We need to find a safe place to hide out and get warmed up. We just need to ride out the night and figure this out in the daylight.���

  After an awkward moment of silence with many of the group seeming to be in shock, Neville spoke up, saying, ���Well, come on, then. Let���s get to it. I���m freezing, and I don���t like just standing out here in plain sight waiting for the next potential killer to find us.���

  Kneeling to look at Ronald���s attacker, both Dr. Hunter and Dr. Duval noticed the organic-looking substance that seemed to follow along the man���s jugular vein. Reaching out to touch it, Dr. Duval���s hand was quickly knocked aside as Dr. Hunter said, ���Jenny, no! Don���t touch it.���

  ���What do you make of it?��� she asked.

  ���Well, I���m a geochemist, not a biologist, but it appears to be some sort of bacterium or a mass of microorganisms of some sort.���

  ���Are you sure it���s not just dirt or grease?��� she asked. ���Or even ash of some sort? There are a lot of fires in the area at the moment.���

  ���I���m not sure, but let���s get moving,��� he said while looking around. ���One crazed man didn���t do all of this alone.���

  Chapter Seven

  McMurdo Station

  Quietly working their way around McMurdo���s outer perimeter to the west, Dr. Bentley whispered to Dr. Hunter, who appeared to have reassumed his authority over the group, ���Where are we going?���

  ���The D2 pump house,��� Dr. Hunter replied.���

  ���What? A pump house? Why?���

  ���Because until we know what the hell is going on, I don���t want to intentionally go where I would expect people to be. Like I said, that man back there didn���t do all of that alone. The pump house is heated to keep the pump and its associated valves operating in the extreme cold. We���ll be able to stay warm in there for the night, and hopefully, avoid others in the process,��� Dr. Hunter explained.

  ���That���s sound thinking,��� Dr. Bentley whispered in reply.

  Arriving at the D2 pump house, Brett and Mason stepped ahead of the group and said, ���Let us check it out first.���

  Nodding in agreement, Dr. Hunter gestured for them to proceed.

  Grasping the lever on the heavy, steel door, Mason nodded to Brett as he slowly pulled it open. Standing at the ready with his ice axe, Brett listened for sounds from within, and upon hearing nothing, he continued inside.

  Feeling along the side of the wall, Brett flipped on the lights to reveal a room full of pipes, valves, and a large electrically powered pump housing. After a quick scan of the building, the two motioned for the others to join them.

  Once everyone was inside, Dr. Perkins closed the door as Brett and M
ason quickly found several heavy pieces of extra pipe from the supply rack and wedged them firmly against the door to prevent entry from the outside.

  Shivering, Dr. Duval said, ���It sure feels better in here than it does out there. I don���t think I could have taken the cold for much longer.���

  Looking around, Neville asked, ���What is the purpose of all of this?���

  Pulling his balaclava over his head and rubbing his cheeks, Dr. Hunter replied, ���D2 stands for diesel tank number 2. This is the pumping station to get the fuel to each of the fueling stations for the diesel-powered equipment.���

  ���Like Ivan the Terra Bus?��� Neville asked, referring to the facility���s famous, large-wheeled passenger bus.

  ���Exactly. That and the dozers, loaders, and all the other equipment running around the base,��� Dr. Hunter replied.

  ���You sure know your way around Mac-Town,��� remarked Dr. Perkins.

  ���I���ve been coming here for over ten seasons. This place has been my second home.���

  ���Okay, someone has to say it,��� Lester said, redirecting the conversation. ���What the hell is going on? Why were there bodies everywhere with no one rendering aid? Who was that man and why did he kill Ronald? What the hell is going on?��� he said, his voice becoming more frantic with each question.

  Taking a seat on a large purple fuel pipe that spanned the width of the room, Dr. Hunter said, ���The only question we have an answer to at the moment is why Mac-Town didn���t answer our radio calls and why they didn���t send a helicopter. They apparently had more pressing matters to deal with. Beyond that, I���m as shocked, horrified, and confused as you.���

  ���Do you think it was a terror attack or something?��� asked Dr. Duval.

  ���I don���t know, Jenny,��� Dr. Hunter replied. Shaking his head, he added, ���Well, I just don���t see how it could be. I mean, did you get a look at that guy? He seemed to have lost his mind. Something wasn���t right with him, but he couldn���t have acted alone. He definitely wasn���t taking a conscious action in the name of a jihad or something.���

  ���Then what the hell is it?���

  Speaking up, Derrick Mason said, ���He almost seemed rabid. Have you ever seen an animal with rabies? They���re aggressive and irrational, just like he was.���

  ���I was thinking the same thing,��� replied Brett.

  Standing up and walking to the door, ensuring it was adequately secure, Dr. Hunter said, ���Okay, until we have a way to gather more information, we just need to accept the fact that we haven���t got a clue as to what���s going on. We also need to acknowledge the fact that there are potentially more threats out there. We���ve had a long, hard day. We all need to get some rest and investigate further in the morning when we have daylight to work with.���

  ���What about the telephone?��� Jenny Duval said as she pointed to the station���s land-line phone mounted to the wall next to the light panel. ���Can���t we call around looking for help?���

  ���I imagine we could, but again, we don���t know what���s going on, who���s involved, or even the extent of the situation,��� Dr. Hunter explained. ���I���d rather not alert anyone to our presence until we can get a better look around and adequately assess the situation.���

  Looking around at the group, Dr. Hunter then said, ���There are seven of us, now. Let���s take a rotational watch throughout the night. We don���t want to wake up to an unwelcomed guest. I���ll take the first watch. I���ll then wake someone to relieve me in a few hours, and we can continue rotating throughout the night until morning.���

  ���Who���s after you?��� Mason asked. ���I mean, who are you waking to relieve you?���

  ���I guess you���re volunteering, Derrick,��� Dr. Hunter proffered. ���You can then wake Dr. Perkins to relieve you, who will be relieved by Dr. Bentley, Neville, Brett, and then Jenny. That should get us through until morning.���

  ���What about Lester?��� Jenny asked.

  ���Let him sleep���if he can. He needs it.���

  ~~~~

  Early the next morning, Derrick Mason awoke to see Dr. Jenny Duval with her ear to the door. ���Hear anything?��� he asked softly, trying not to wake the others.

  Replying with a whisper, she said, ���I heard a metallic thud a few minutes ago. It sounded like it was off in the distance���to the east side of the station, perhaps. I haven���t heard any voices or vehicle traffic at all. McMurdo is usually bustling by now.���

  As the rest of the group began to stir, Dr. Hunter said, ���If McMurdo was still functional, we���d have heard a response to the violent scene we saw. The silence is very telling.���

  Waking the others, Dr. Hunter gathered everyone together and said, ���Okay, we need to come up with some sort of plan of action. We can���t sit in this pump house waiting for help that may not come.���

  ���I agree,��� said Brett. ���We���ve gone long enough without food and water, and we need to secure a source of both before we move forward with any other plans.���

  ���The station galley?��� Dr. Bentley asked.

  ���That���s a logical choice, and if there were other survivors, surely, they would have gone there as well,��� added Mason. ���Everyone will be need food and water.���

  ���Where there is the potential for people, there is a potential for threats,��� replied Dr. Hunter.

  ���Agreed, which is why we all need something to defend ourselves with,��� said Brett as he stood and looked around the room. ���Mason and I have our ice axes, but the rest of you need something as well. There are plenty of pipes, tools, and other objects here that can be used as blunt weapons. Everyone, find something that you can comfortably handle.���

  As the group looked around the room at the resources they had available, Dr. Hunter picked up a pry bar of about four feet in length, swung it through the air a few times, and said, ���This will do.���

  Rummaging through a tool locker, Jenny Duval picked up a forty-ounce ball-peen hammer. Neville Wallace picked up a piece of one-inch steel tubing with a shut off valve on one end, thinking it would make a nice club.

  As the rest of the group rummaged aimlessly, Mason said, ���Hey, if we saw an angled cut into the end of this one-inch pipe and cut it into four-foot sections, it will make some very handy stabbing weapons. Like spears or lances.���

  With a look of interest on his face, Dr. Hunter said, ���If we run those saws, we���ll make too much noise. We don���t want to lead who or whatever may be out there to us.���

  ���You mean, lead the zombies to us?��� Lester blurted out in frustration.

  ���Look,��� Dr. Hunter said, trying to calm Lester���s agitated state. ���We may not know what���s going on out there, but let���s not go off the deep end about zombies. Ronald���s attacker was clearly not the walking dead. He was as alive as any of the rest of us. That, Brett and Mason proved without a doubt. He did seem ill���or something���but we���ve got to keep our perspectives straight. There���s no such thing as a zombie. We all know that. Let���s stick with what we know and not get ourselves wrapped around the axle of our minds.���

  Holding a Milwaukee hand-saw above his head, Brett said, ���Here we go. We can use this hand-saw. It���ll take longer, but we should be able to muffle the sound and not make anywhere near as much noise as a power saw. Maybe if we wrap the pipe we���re sawing in insulation or something, we can deaden some of the reverberating
sounds of the metal.���

  ���Fine idea,��� said Dr. Bentley as he selected a section of tubing for his weapon. ���Let���s get to it then.���

  ~~~~

  After approximately an hour���s work, the group���s slant-cut, sharpened pipes were complete, providing everyone other than Brett and Mason with what was essentially a makeshift spear or lance.

  ���I wish I had a damn gun,��� Mason quipped. ���It���s ridiculous to be facing a situation like this with sharpened pipes.���

  ���At least you���ve got an ice axe,��� Jenny replied.

  ���If the politics of the Antarctic Treaty didn���t keep this place so…���

  ���So, what?��� Neville asked. ���Demilitarized? What is it with Americans always needing an armed presence to feel secure?���

  ���You call it demilitarized. I call it vulnerable. A lot of different people flow through McMurdo during the research season. What���s to keep one of those people from snapping? What���s to keep a wannabe terrorist from making a name for himself, wreaking havoc on the place? That could be what���s going on right now, for all we know. And here we are, sharpening pipes when there should have been a security force of some kind.���

  ���There is…or there might be, something along those lines,��� Dr. Hunter replied.

  ���What do you mean?��� asked Mason.

  ���The NSF Station Manager is rumored to have a weapon, or weapons, for just such a thing.���

  ���With what we saw, wouldn���t you think we���d have heard gunshots last night? And if someone is armed, why aren���t they out and about right now, checking on the extent of the situation?��� Mason asked.

  ���I can���t answer that,��� replied Dr. Hunter. ���The station manager���s office is located in the Ops building, on the top floor. If there are weapons at McMurdo, that���s where they���ll be.���