Tale of The Broken Sword

Chapter Forty Eight : Similar Destination, Different Methods

23rd February, AD 2057

Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica

It happened in a split second. I don’t know what to do. Everything’s a glowing red and the sirens blaring as loud as they could; the walkway now seemed like an endless path into the abyss. The tunnel walkway seemed smaller as I glared deeply into it; its walls are closing down on me. I feel suppressed, and a hard, thumping voice of fear resonates louder into my ears. Those voices, they’re stepping in, taking over my conscience. I hear distant footsteps approaching from ahead, and I saw a meagre light waving around within the spirals of the tunnel that looked so deformed to me. It was accompanied by a few voices, saying things that are indiscernible to each other.

I staggered to the nearby wall; my head is spinning wildly like a top going at its maximum. Its dark in here and it narrow enough to make me pass out. I hate this fear, this paranoia dwelling within me. I’m at the end of my limits. Breathing in and out makes a little difference to my swirling brain. Those voices are coming closer. They would’ve found me any second now. I wanted to run, but my feet aren’t gonna move; stuck to ground like glue.

Then, the door behind me pulled open and I felt a sharp jerk from behind. The moment I could realise it, it was already over. Its pitch black in here, and I couldn’t see anything. A dark silhouette stood behind me, and I could hear his heavy breaths. What is he gonna do to me?

“Kelson,” Warren’s voice reverberates from the earpiece. “Where are you? I’ve been waiting here for the past thirty minutes and I still couldn’t see you coming in.”

“Just stay there,” I responded heavily, running and dashing past an empty lobby. “I’m just around the corner.”

“Around?” Warren said. “Hell, they’ll find us if you don’t hurry up!”

“Just be fast, Kelson. Time’s running out. We can’t stay in here any longer.” Janice interrupted.

“I know, I know,” I stopped at the corner and craned my neck at the edge of the wall. There is no one there. Strange, the lower levels should be filled with people especially at this time. Just to be sure, I waited there for the next two minutes, and not even a single person to be seen walking out of the doors. Satisfied, I quickly looked behind to see if anyone would’ve seen me and tailed from behind.

I ran along the walkway, eyes cautiously looking around the still-empty walkway that extends into the centre of the facility. At the far end of the walkway, a metal door stood between me and another labyrinth of storage rooms and offices that ultimately leads to the Central Dome, like the directory had stated. I quickly punched the red button with my index fingers but the metal door didn’t move a single bit.

Time’s running out, and I gotta find something to break open this door. The control panels aren’t working, their flashing lights had stopped, for unknown reason. Every step I’d take, i felt that someone’s watching over me, waiting for a single mistake made and the next I know, guards would be flooding in from all sides. I gotta act fast, like now, to be there and off before this ‘unseen observer’ would act.

There’s nothing useful except a small winch leaning against the wall. It proved useless anyway, since the doors looked unbreakable with such a small tool. I peered through the glass window and saw a lone figure approaching from the other side of the door. I quickly slid into a dark room just next to the entrance and waited there, for him. I heard a small click and the doors pulled open. He walked past without even noticing me. Dumb guy, perhaps.

The moment he turned his back onto the door, I rushed out and slipped into the hallway seconds before the door started closing. I looked around again before moving on; it seems this area looks pretty much deserted. Besides the man coming out, there was virtually no one in here.