‘May,’ Mum cut her short.
‘We can land anywhere,’ Dima said. ‘Here the ground is mostly flat and we have polar camping gear and survival supplies if we need them. I have landed here many times. It is fine. I promise. Whatever happens, we be A-OK.’
Zak could tell he was trying to sound confident, but he heard the doubt in Dima’s voice and saw the worry in his eyes. The pilot was just as afraid as the rest of them.
3
OUTPOST ZERO, ANTARCTICA
21 HOURS AGO
The blizzard tore at Sofia’s coat as she staggered across the ice. She fixed her eyes on the metal staircase leading up to Outpost Zero, and prayed she would reach it. She didn’t want to end up like the others.
Those stairs were her lifeline. The Outpost was the only place for her to go. Everything else was a swirling frenzy of wind and snow and ice, spinning in never-ending clouds. It howled around her, clawing under her hood, sapping her strength.
Just a bit further. That’s all. A bit further and she would be safe from—
Tick-tack-tick-tack. Tick-tack-tick-tack.
Her thoughts blazed white with terror at the sound.
Tick-tack-tick-tack.
They were coming for her.
Sofia forced herself onwards, reaching the stairs and grabbing the handrail to drag herself up. At the top, she lunged for the panel on the wall beside the door. She fumbled her gloved fingers under the handle and yanked it open with a violent tug that unbalanced her.
‘Help me.’ Prof Peters’ last words echoed in her ears as she steadied herself and grabbed the emergency lever. She pulled it hard to one side. With a calm hiss, the Outpost door slid open and she was there. She was home free.
Sofia scrambled to safety and turned to punch the button. She hit it hard, the door immediately beginning to slide shut. As it did so, she backed away, staring at the horror approaching through the blizzard.
The world was lost in the nightmare of swirling ice and howling wind, but there were shapes out there. Dreadful shapes in the storm.
The door took an eternity to close. Sofia willed it to move faster, and when it eventually slid shut, she engaged the lock and her legs gave in. Her knees buckled and she sank to the floor, staring at the door. Outpost Zero was silent except for the muffled sound of the storm raging outside. Sofia tried not to think about what she had seen – about what had happened to the others. Prof Peters, Commander Miller, Dr Asan, Lee, Doc Blair… all of them.
But this wasn’t over yet. There was one more thing she had to do.
She drew on her last reserves of strength and pulled herself to her feet. It wasn’t far to Refuge, and that’s where she needed to go. It was essential she upload the video. When the Exodus Project sent a rescue party, the footage might – just might – save someone’s life.
4
OUTPOST ZERO, ANTARCTICA
NOW
Engines whined. Alarms screamed. Warnings lights blinked.
Staring through the cockpit window, Zak couldn’t tear his eyes from the swirling void as they descended into the storm. The plane shuddered and rattled. It dropped and buffeted, lurching to the side. Zak tightened his grip and clenched his teeth as he wished for a miracle. If only Dima could see the landing strip. If only the lights would—
A sudden intense pain flashed in his head as if a hot spear had pierced his right eye. It exploded in his mind and blossomed like black fire. He’d had pains before – a symptom of his condition – but never anything as awful as this. This wasn’t just a physical pain; it felt alive. His breath faltered, his eyes squeezed shut, and he was the pain. That’s all he was. There was nothing in his mind but a vast black sea of pain.
And then it let go. The fiery grip relaxed and his thoughts returned to what had been running through his mind before the attack. He had been wishing for a miracle… for the lights to come back on.
‘Brace!’ Dima was shouting. ‘Everybody brace! The ground is coming up on us. We’re going to—’
Zak opened his eyes and the lights at Outpost Zero burst into life. In an instant, the main building lit up like a beacon, and bright beams chased along the length of the landing strip as they ignited one by one.
‘Thank God!’ Dima said under his breath.
The storm continued to shake the plane like it was in one of the snow globes Grandma sent May every Christmas from Hong Kong. It reeled from side to side, the wings tilting first one way then the other. Zak’s stomach churned with every sudden movement of the aircraft. His adrenaline spiked with every shudder and rattle, but Dima held it on course as he took them down. There was an awful grinding from beneath the fuselage as the skis lowered into place, and a few seconds later they touched the ice with a heavy crunch.
As the Russian pilot slowed the engines and brought the plane sliding to a standstill, nobody spoke. Zak supposed they were grateful to be in one piece. May’s crossed fingers must have brought them luck.
Dima sighed and took off his headset. He rolled his neck from side to side and turned to his passengers. ‘Welcome to Outpost Zero,’ he said. ‘Welcome to the Exodus Project. The outside temperature is minus forty degrees Celsius, your pilot’s name is Dimitri Alekseyevich Milanov, and he is as relieved as you are to be on the ground. I hope you had a pleasant flight and that you will fly Dima Airways again in the future.’
‘I don’t think so,’ May muttered under her breath.
‘Well done, Dima.’ Dad’s voice was shaky and he had to clear his throat. He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose as he collected his thoughts. ‘Let’s get everyone inside, shall we?’
Zak unclipped his seat belt with trembling hands and turned to the window. He stared through the storm at the orange glow of lights. It looked strange out there; nothing but white and orange and—
The lights went out across Outpost Zero. The landing lights, the windows, everything. The base plunged into darkness.
‘What’s going on now?’ Dad said, but Zak took no notice of him because exactly as everything went out again, he saw something move out there. Something large among the flickers of ice and snow. A black shape passing along the length of the plane.
‘What’s that?’ He pressed his face closer to the window, peering left and right.
‘What’s what?’ May asked.
‘I dunno. Something… Hey, you don’t get polar bears here, do you?’
‘Polar bears?’ May had recovered from being close to death and was unbuckling her seat belt. ‘That’s the North Pole, doofus. We’re south. In fact, we’re about as far away from the North Pole as you can get, you freak.’
Yep, she had definitely recovered.
‘I know,’ Zak said. ‘But I’m pretty sure I just saw—’
‘The only animals out there are penguins.’ She came to stand beside him, pressing her face close to his as she looked out. ‘Nothing else. You know, this is the only place in the world that doesn’t have spiders – unless you count those horrible drones Mum and Dad built.’
‘What about all those creepy things we saw online? Sea spiders and worms and things? All those freaky creatures with too many legs.’
‘They’re in the sea. Duh.’
Zak pulled a face at her. ‘I knew there was a reason why you’re my favourite sister.’