Erebus: An Apocalyptic Thriller

by Steven Bird

  Dropping the axe to the floor, she looked at Dr. Hunter, and cried, ���Nathan. Oh, my God, Nathan. I���m so glad you���re finally here.���

  Chapter Nine

  McMurdo Station

  After an emotional reunion between Dr. Hunter and Dr. Graves, Mason interrupted, saying, ���We need to get moving. All that ruckus was surely heard by… uh… others���if they���re around.���

  ���Where is Jared?��� Dr. Hunter asked.

  Before Dr. Graves could answer, Jenny Duval asked ���What the hell is going on here? I feel like this is just a nightmare. I feel like I���m in a fucking zombie apocalypse movie like we watched all the time when cooped up back at MEVO. This can���t be happening. It can���t be!���

  ���I���ll explain more when we get somewhere safe,��� answered Dr. Linda Graves. ���Mason is right, we���ve got to get moving.���

  ���What are your recommendations?��� Dr. Bentley asked. ���Being that you���ve been here amidst the chaos the longest, there is little doubt you have a better idea of what is safe and what is not.���

  ���First, we���ve got to get to the medical building and get you all suited up,��� she replied. ���This is contagious.���

  ���This?��� Dr. Perkins asked with a raised eyebrow.

  With a stern facial expression, Dr. Graves reiterated, ���I said I would explain more when we get somewhere safe. First, we���ve got to get to the medical building, as I said. It���s not far. It���s right behind the galley.���

  Hurrying over to the double-doors at the main entrance of the galley, she scanned outside for threats, and said, ���Come on,��� as she stepped outside.

  Quickly following close behind, Brett, Mason, Dr. Hunter, Dr. Duval, Dr. Bentley, and Dr. Perkins slipped back into the frigid, blowing winds of McMurdo.

  Walking as stealthily as they could, following closely along the side of the building to avoid being seen too easily, the group gathered at the back of building 155, just across from the medical facility, commonly known as McMurdo General Hospital.

  Though more of a metal, shop-type of structure than a traditional hospital, building 142 was equipped with just about anything that station medical professionals would need to treat the myriad injuries and health conditions that were likely to occur to McMurdo���s seasonal residents.

  Slipping up to the side door, marked Mass Casualty Equipment, Dr. Graves motioned and said, ���Quick. In here.���

  Once everyone was inside, and the door was closed securely behind them, she flipped on the lights and began sifting through the stacks of supplies in the room, which looked as if it had already had a thorough ransacking.

  ���Okay,��� Dr. Hunter, said. ���What do you know? You can���t keep us in the dark forever.���

  Giving him a stern look, Dr. Graves replied, ���Look, Nathan, I���m not keeping you in the dark. The truth is I���m barely keeping myself together. You���ve not seen half of what I���ve seen, damn it! So, don���t give me any������

  ���Hey, hey, hey,��� he said, holding his hands in the air as if trying to calm her. ���Linda. I���m sorry. I didn���t mean to������

  Shoving hazmat gloves and a disposable medical face shield against his chest, she said, ���Just go and deal with Lester. Don���t leave him there like that. Do something respectful with his body,��� she said, breaking down into tears.

  Taking what she���d given him, Dr. Hunter nodded to Mason, gesturing for him to join him in retrieving Lester���s remains.

  Stopping them before they left the room, Dr. Graves said, ���Nathan. Don���t touch it. It gets inside you.���

  ���What?��� he asked. ���Don���t touch what?���

  Slumping down into the floor, Dr. Graves began to cry uncontrollably. As Jenny Duval rushed to her side, Dr. Hunter knew that Linda had gone through more in the past few days than he could imagine. She had held it all inside���until now. She had managed to suppress the horrors and sorrow, but no more. For the moment, she would let it overtake her. He knew that���s what she needed for the time being. She needed to deal with things. With that in mind, he and Mason left the room to do as she���d asked.

  ~~~~

  Closing the heavy, steel door of the unheated storage building adjacent to the galley, Dr. Hunter removed his face shield and looked to Mason, who was standing guard behind him with his ice axe at the ready. ���Their bodies will be preserved in here just fine. It���s the best we can do for now. It���s not like we can dig in this icy ground.���

  Replying with only a nod, Mason began walking back toward the galley with Dr. Hunter in trail.

  As they worked their way around the galley and back to the medical facility, both Mason and Hunter watched and listened for threats. With the wind howling through the station, they could barely hear their own footsteps, much less the approach of any potential threats. Wiping his snow goggles, now covered with blowing snow and debris, Dr. Hunter caught a glimpse of movement to his left. Stopping in his tracks, he watched for a moment, holding his makeshift spear at the ready.

  ���Did you see that?��� he asked Mason, shouting over the noise of the violent winds.

  Huddling close, Mason asked, ���What? See what?���

  Pointing, Dr. Hunter said, ���Over there. Between that modular office and the FEMC trade shop.���

  ���I didn���t see anything,��� Mason replied. Tugging at Dr. Hunter���s arm, he urged, ���Let���s get going.���

  ~~~~

  Hearing a bang on the door, Dr. Perkins asked, ���Dr. Hunter? Mason? Is that you guys?���

  Hearing a muffled voice through the door, ���Yeah. It���s us. Open up,��� he threw the latch to the side and let them in, quickly closing the door behind them.

  ���It���s done,��� Dr. Hunter said while removing his gloves and snow goggles.

  ���Don���t get undressed too quickly,��� Dr. Bentley said, handing him a sack of items picked out by Dr. Graves. ���We���re off to the Crary Lab.��� Pausing for a moment, he said, ���You���ve got an office there, right, Nathan?���

  ���Yes. Yes, I do, but I don���t use it much. It���s mostly storage for me. I���ve always preferred to be in the field and on the mountain,��� Dr. Hunter replied.

  As the group left the mass casualty storeroom, Dr. Graves said, ���Follow me. The best way into Crary is through Phase Three, the Aquarium Pod. The main doors at Phase One were barricaded shut when the breakout began.���

  ���The breakout?��� Dr. Perkins asked.

  ���I���ll explain when we get there,��� she replied curtly.

  Following Dr. Graves as she worked her way carefully toward the Crary Science and Engineering Center, known commonly as Crary Lab, the group was pummeled by the violent winds. Wiping his goggles, Mason looked off to the left to see Gallagher���s Pub. Nudging Dr. Hunter, he leaned toward him and said through the noise of the howling winds, ���I sure could use a beer right now.���

  ���We all could, Derrick,��� Dr. Hunter replied. ���Or a shot…or three.���

  Approaching Crary Lab, Dr. Graves signaled for the others to work their way around to the lower steps leading up to the door next to Loading Dock E. Once gathered at the bottom of the steps, she pulled Dr. Hunter close and said, ���Dr. Bob Muller was waiting for me in room 303 when I left. It���s next to the loading dock door on the inside. He���s supposed to be keeping an eye out while I went to look for food at the galley in the main building.���

  ���
�The GPS guy? He sent you out into this shit while he stayed behind?��� Dr. Hunter said, appalled at the thought of Dr. Muller staying safe while sending Linda out to face the madness that had become McMurdo Station.

  ���I insisted,��� she replied sharply. Opening the door slightly, Dr. Graves saw no immediate signs of danger and slipped inside. With the group following and closing the door, sheltering them from the foul weather of the day, Dr. Graves removed her goggles and hood, whispering, ���Bob. Where are you?���

  Hearing movement but no direct reply from room 303, Dr. Hunter and the others placed the sacks and bins of supplies that they had brought from the mass casualty storeroom on the floor and readied their makeshift weapons.

  Gripping his spear tightly, Dr. Hunter gestured to Mason to ease open the door to room 303. As Mason rotated the lever-style doorknob, he pushed it gently open and backed out of the way. With virtually no time to react, a male figure ran straight into Dr. Hunter, slamming him violently into the wall behind him, causing both men to fall to the floor.

  As his attacker struck the floor, the metallic sound of Dr. Hunter���s spear could be heard as it protruded from the man���s back. The direct rush of the man���s attack had caused him to impale himself on Dr. Hunter���s sharpened pipe as the handle struck the wall behind him.

  Scurrying to his feet, trying to distance himself from his attacker, Dr. Hunter heard Linda Graves scream aloud, ���Bob!��� as she ran to the man���s side.

  Pulling her away as the man known as Bob Muller reached for her ankle, Mason shouted, ���No!��� as they watched Dr. Muller squirm and struggle on the floor as if his injuries didn’t faze him at all.

  Dr. Muller had the same violence and rage in his eyes as the others. He was drenched in sweat and his breathing was heavy and fast. Holding him down with the spear shoved against him, Dr. Bentley said, ���Look at the tracks on his neck. They���re the same as the bloke that attacked Ronald.���

  Pointing into room 303, Dr. Graves said, ���Look!��� as a body lay next to the saltwater holding tank, apparently killed by multiple blows to the head by a blood-covered piece of gear lying next to him. The floor was covered with water, as well as dead giant isopods, pteropods, sea spiders, and other strange Antarctic sea life as one of the aquarium tanks had been destroyed during the apparent struggle, spilling its contents throughout the room.

  Turning back to Dr. Muller as he lay on the floor, reaching for Dr. Perkins who still held him in place with his spear, Dr. Graves said, ���He���s going to die from his wounds, anyway. Put him, or what part of him that may remain, out of his misery.���

  Staring at her with a look of disbelief, Dr. Perkins stammered, ���R… re… really? You can���t be serious. This is Bob Muller. You know him.���

  Taking Dr. Duval���s spear from her hands, Dr. Graves walked over to her friend, Bob Muller, writhing and struggling on the floor. Watching as he reached for her with pure, unbridled rage on his face, she said in a cold, calculated voice, ���I���m not sure that���s true anymore. I���m not sure Bob is still in there. Even if he were, he wouldn���t survive an injury like this with no medical care.���

  The group was horrified as she then plunged the rusty pipe, with its sharp, angle-cut at the end, into Dr. Muller���s eye socket, penetrating his brain and putting an end to his struggles.

  Handing the makeshift spear back to Jenny Duval, Dr. Graves said, ���Don���t touch the blood. Clean it off the first chance you get.��� Turning back to the others, she said, ���Now, come on. We need to get to the Phase One pod so I can show you what I know.���

  Looking at the blood on the end of her spear, Jenny Duval was in shock at what she had just witnessed. Dr. Linda Graves was one of the kindest and gentlest people she had ever met, yet she had somehow, over the past few days, gotten to the point where she could plunge a weapon into the eye socket of a friend. What was this madness? When would they wake up from this nightmare?

  Watching as the others began to leave, Dr. Duval snapped out of her shock-induced trance and followed her bewildered colleagues as they began to leave.

  Leading the group up the connector to the Phase Two of the Crary Lab, which houses the Earth Sciences Pod as well as the Atmospheric Sciences Pod, Dr. Graves stopped, pointing to the Earth Sciences Pod. Looking to Dr. Hunter, she asked, ���Nathan, is there anything in the MEVO office you would like to retrieve?���

  Thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, ���No. There���s nothing there of use to us in our current situation. Let���s just keep moving.���

  Continuing up the slanted ramp toward the Phase One section of the Crary Lab, Dr. Graves paused, listening intently.

  ���What is it?��� Brett asked.

  Turning to him, she replied, ���Nothing. I don���t hear anything at all. Everyone was in a hurry to leave. A large group left together saying they were heading to Ivan the Terra Bus to get to the airstrip. There were several planes leaving. There was a very unorganized emergency evacuation taking place. I… I was just wondering if any of them had returned.���

  ���But why didn���t you escape with them?��� Dr. Hunter asked.

  Pausing for a moment, seeming to struggle with something in her own mind, Dr. Graves maintained her composure and replied, ���I couldn���t leave Jared. At the onset of everything, I had no idea what the end result of this condition would be. That���s why I got him safely locked away while I focused on just trying to understand what was happening around me. I couldn���t leave him. Besides,��� she said, turning to look at Dr. Hunter, ���I knew you were still out there on Erebus. I knew you would find a way back.���

  Continuing up the connector, affectionately known as the ���skateboard ramp,��� Dr. Graves led the group into the Phase One section of Crary Lab.

  Looking ahead, the group could see the barricade that Dr. Graves had spoken of at the main doors at the end of the connector. To their left was the Biology Pod, which was, since she was an astrobiology researcher, Dr. Grave���s home at McMurdo when not at MEVO with the rest of the group. To their right was the Core Pod, the administrative and support wing of Crary Lab.

  With Phase One being the largest section of Crary Lab, the Biology Pod was separated into two hallways with numerous research labs and offices lining both sides of each hallway. Taking the first door on her left and entering the southernmost hallway, Dr. Graves said, ���It���s this way. What I need to show you is in the microscope room on the right, room 122.���

  As they reached room 122, a violent, loud impact was heard against the door across the hall, startling everyone but Dr. Graves. Turning to face the threat with their weapons held at the ready, Dr. Hunter asked, ���What the hell was that?���

  Reaching for the doorknob, Mason said, ���Let���s deal with this.���

  ���No!��� Dr. Graves commanded. ���Leave him be.���

  ���Him?��� Dr. Perkins queried.

  Pausing for a moment, reluctant to answer, Dr. Graves said, ���Yes. Him. It���s Jared. He���s… he���s the same as the others.���

  They were stunned by what they had heard. Their friend and colleague, Dr. Jared Davis, volcanologist and junior member of the research team from Dr. Hunter���s own NMT, was on the other side of the door, raving mad and full of the same rage and violence as the others.

  ���He can���t get out,��� Dr. Graves said. ���I locked him in. Just leave him be. I don���t have the heart…���

  Growing impatient with his own lack of understanding of the situation, Dr. Hunter said, ���So, what���s in room 122 that you have to show us?���

  Chapter Ten

  A. P. Crary Science and En
gineering Center (Crary Lab)

  Once in the microscope room, Dr. Graves turned on the lights, locked the door behind them, and said, ���Here. It���s over here.���

  Leading Dr. Hunter to one of the room���s many microscopes, she said, ���This is the substance you have all noticed following along the major blood vessels of those affected.���

  Looking into the microscope, Dr. Hunter adjusted the magnification several times and said, ���Eukaryotes?���

  Removing the sample slide from the microscope���s stage with a gloved hand, she replaced it with another and said, ���This is a sample of what Brett and I found just before I left the mountain.���

  ���It���s the same,��� he said, startled by what she was clearly laying out for him.

  ���Yes, it���s the same,��� Dr. Graves replied. ���Those eukaryotes are chemolithoautotrophic. Like the many other microorganisms we���ve seen on Erebus and in other extreme environments around the world, they thrive not by feeding on organic materials, but by deriving their energy from the chemical reactions between themselves and rock. They basically use materials such as iron, carbon, nitrogen, and more, for food.���

  Sitting up from the microscope and looking to Dr. Graves, Dr. Hunter asked, ���But what is happening here?���

  ���Our bodies are full of iron, carbon, nitrogen, and all of the things they have evolved to process for energy. Our bodies are like a candy shop for them. They can extract the nutrients they seek from our blood far easier than from the cold, hard rock of Erebus. Of all the eukaryotes I���ve encountered in my studies as an astrobiologist, I���ve never seen anything quite like this. I don���t know why they are interacting with us when all the others remained happily restricted to a diet of rock and minerals, but they are.

  ���Once inside our blood, they reproduce at a rapid pace and begin to take over. How it is exactly that they interfere with our brain function is still a mystery to me, but that is clearly what is happening here. Is it an unfortunate side reaction of the host/parasite relationship? Or is it something we simply can���t grasp, such as an intentional reaction to get the host moving around to encounter other potential hosts so they can increase their population through physical contact? Blood and bodily fluids would make the most convenient vehicle for transfer.���