The Last Vikings

#PositiveMentalAttitude

I lurched onto my knees, hands in the snow. I could still hear the screaming from the other side of the portacabin.

Should I go round there? What should I do? Stay here, where I was (maybe) safe?

I retrieved my phone from the little grave it had dug itself in the snow. The screen was shattered way beyond use.

The screaming continued.

Standing up, legs hollow, I crept shakily to peer round the side of the portacabin.

It was Suzie.

She was running around on the snow, first backwards, then forwards, twisting, writhing as she screamed.

As far as I could tell, there was nothing wrong with her.

Apart from her jerky, puppet-like movements, she had no sign of injury, nothing.

"Fuck! Fuck!" Ruben recoiled, hands up defensively, stepping back hastily whenever the howling Suzie came too close. "Oh my fuck!"

I ducked back behind the portacabin, breathing heavily.

What was I going to do?

I definitely wasn't going to run out there and try to help her, risk getting death-rayed myself, that was for certain.

I don't know if you were expecting heroics after that whole climbing incident.

But I was there in that moment, and I can assure you it was the last thing on my mind. I was petrified, completely fixated on the fear of the same thing happening to me.

I suppose that's why we celebrate heroes. We wouldn't bother if cowardice wasn't commonplace.

Ruben was no better.

He retreated from his girlfriend, heels crunching in the snow, tripping over his feet to maintain a safe distance as she jerked unnaturally from place to place, clawing at her clothes, her pretty face spasming into ugly contortions.

"Jennie!" Ruben was yelling. "Jennie! Fucking hell, Jennie, do something! What's happening to her?"

I stayed round my corner, back against the portacabin, horror-stricken, snivelling.

I had to do something.

Not try to save her. I neither knew how, nor could make my paralysed limbs move towards Suzie's frantically convulsing body.

But there was something else I could do.

Something heroic, but that carried less risk of either crippling pain or untimely demise—or so I thought, anyway.

I pulled my coat around me, shut my eyes tight for the length of one deep breath, and ran out from behind the portacabin.

"Stay with her Ruben!" I yelled. "And warn everyone! Wake the others! I'm going for help!"

Suzie screeched hysterically in my direction, as if incapable of words.

"Help!" she finally gabbled. "Help! It buuurrrrns!"

"Don't leave me Jennie, fuck! I can't handle this!" I could hear Ruben yelling as I tumble-ran down the hill towards the hotel.

My every nerve was flinching as I waited for the ray to find its mark in my bones, Suzie's screams still ringing over the ice.