Read Online Beneath the Ice by Patrick Woodhead - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Patrick Woodhead
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start to pulse.
‘Please go into the base and meet rest of team,’ the Russian said, nodding slightly towards the door at the far end of the hangar. ‘It is that way.’
‘You not coming in?’
‘Regretfully, I have a radio call to make.’
Luca hesitated, wondering why he would choose to sit inside the garage to make a call, but Dedov remained motionless, obviously waiting for him to leave. Luca swung open the tractor’s door and, without another word, walked away into the main part of the base.
Only once he was out of sight did Dedov try to lift his hand off the steering wheel. His fist was locked tight, the muscles in his forearm straining.
‘The light. Don’t look at the light.’ Dedov whispered the words out loud, but already he could feel his gaze being inexorably drawn towards the single beam flooding into the cavernous space. It was mesmeric, commanding his attention until his whole face twisted up towards it as if enraptured by the sight.
His jaw tightened, back molars grinding together. He groaned, knowing this was the precursor to yet another seizure. They were coming more regularly now, virtually every two days.
Suddenly his body snapped backwards, his back arching while his arms curled up close to his chest. His fingers wrung the air as if clawing at some imaginary foe. He gurgled, neck straining as spittle began to foam out of the corners of his mouth. The colour drained from his face while his upper lip pulled back from his teeth making it look as if a terrible, demonic force had suddenly taken hold of him.
He tried to hold on, to control the seizure in some way, but it ripped through him like an electric current. On it went, foam spilling out across his beard and pooling on the faded leather seat of the tractor. He could feel his peripheral vision darkening with just the single shard of light now visible before him. He clung to it, every part of his being reaching towards the light.
Twenty minutes later, Dedov woke. His eyelids flickered. Slowly he pulled himself up using the steering wheel for balance. He could feel the whole right side of his face was damp and his arms shook with the effort of simply raising himself vertical. He felt exhausted, so absolutely drained of energy that he barely had the strength to move.
Finally, his vision cleared and he stared towards the door of the hangar. It was still closed. Laying back his head on the seat rest, he let out a ragged breath. No one had seen what had happened. His secret was still safe.
But already he knew, it could only last so long.
Chapter 5
DESPITE BEING OFFICIALLY classified as ‘operational’, the interior of GARI was only just that. As Luca walked in, he could see wooden crates lying in the far corner of the room stacked in some long-forgotten order, while instructions for gas piping were scrawled in permanent marker across the sidewalls. He took a few paces further inside to where a makeshift couch had been positioned in front of the main heating vent. Everything about the scene looked unfinished, as if the builders had somehow got distracted halfway through the construction process.
A figure lay on an inflatable mattress next to the couch, with a sleeping bag pulled high across its chest. The hood concealed most of its face, while a single hand protruded from the covers, clutching a novel whose spine had been broken back so the pages could be turned using only one hand. The book was held only inches away from the figure’s nose, leaving the eyes protruding above. The eyes blinked several times before switching focus and settling on Luca.
‘So who are you?’ asked the reader, his voice laced with boredom.
‘Luca Matthews. I’m the new guide.’
It seemed to take several seconds for the information to be processed. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, the man tossed the book aside as if it had suddenly become contagious and tried to wriggle his body up through the innards of the sleeping bag. His elbows and knees
‘Please go into the base and meet rest of team,’ the Russian said, nodding slightly towards the door at the far end of the hangar. ‘It is that way.’
‘You not coming in?’
‘Regretfully, I have a radio call to make.’
Luca hesitated, wondering why he would choose to sit inside the garage to make a call, but Dedov remained motionless, obviously waiting for him to leave. Luca swung open the tractor’s door and, without another word, walked away into the main part of the base.
Only once he was out of sight did Dedov try to lift his hand off the steering wheel. His fist was locked tight, the muscles in his forearm straining.
‘The light. Don’t look at the light.’ Dedov whispered the words out loud, but already he could feel his gaze being inexorably drawn towards the single beam flooding into the cavernous space. It was mesmeric, commanding his attention until his whole face twisted up towards it as if enraptured by the sight.
His jaw tightened, back molars grinding together. He groaned, knowing this was the precursor to yet another seizure. They were coming more regularly now, virtually every two days.
Suddenly his body snapped backwards, his back arching while his arms curled up close to his chest. His fingers wrung the air as if clawing at some imaginary foe. He gurgled, neck straining as spittle began to foam out of the corners of his mouth. The colour drained from his face while his upper lip pulled back from his teeth making it look as if a terrible, demonic force had suddenly taken hold of him.
He tried to hold on, to control the seizure in some way, but it ripped through him like an electric current. On it went, foam spilling out across his beard and pooling on the faded leather seat of the tractor. He could feel his peripheral vision darkening with just the single shard of light now visible before him. He clung to it, every part of his being reaching towards the light.
Twenty minutes later, Dedov woke. His eyelids flickered. Slowly he pulled himself up using the steering wheel for balance. He could feel the whole right side of his face was damp and his arms shook with the effort of simply raising himself vertical. He felt exhausted, so absolutely drained of energy that he barely had the strength to move.
Finally, his vision cleared and he stared towards the door of the hangar. It was still closed. Laying back his head on the seat rest, he let out a ragged breath. No one had seen what had happened. His secret was still safe.
But already he knew, it could only last so long.
Chapter 5
DESPITE BEING OFFICIALLY classified as ‘operational’, the interior of GARI was only just that. As Luca walked in, he could see wooden crates lying in the far corner of the room stacked in some long-forgotten order, while instructions for gas piping were scrawled in permanent marker across the sidewalls. He took a few paces further inside to where a makeshift couch had been positioned in front of the main heating vent. Everything about the scene looked unfinished, as if the builders had somehow got distracted halfway through the construction process.
A figure lay on an inflatable mattress next to the couch, with a sleeping bag pulled high across its chest. The hood concealed most of its face, while a single hand protruded from the covers, clutching a novel whose spine had been broken back so the pages could be turned using only one hand. The book was held only inches away from the figure’s nose, leaving the eyes protruding above. The eyes blinked several times before switching focus and settling on Luca.
‘So who are you?’ asked the reader, his voice laced with boredom.
‘Luca Matthews. I’m the new guide.’
It seemed to take several seconds for the information to be processed. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, the man tossed the book aside as if it had suddenly become contagious and tried to wriggle his body up through the innards of the sleeping bag. His elbows and knees
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