I woke up as the plane was jostled up and down. The seatbelt light popped up, accompanied with its ding. A voice came over the announcement system.
"Hello, this is your captain speaking. We are experiencing a bit of turbulence right now. Please fasten your seatbelts. Flight attendants will come around to check on you guys. At current velocity, we reach Whitehorse within one hour." Sighing, I fastened the seatbelt and tried to go back to sleep. I envied the person beside me. He seemed like he could sleep through anything. I closed my eyes, and with the help of the hum of the plane's engine, I was able to drift back to sleep.
"Ugh." I groaned, and got up groggily. I couldn't make out much, but I could see fire and snow. My head was throbbing and I think I had a cut somewhere on my leg. I could see bodies around me. I knew for certain that we had crashed. I wondered if there were any other survivors. Given my luck, there probably wasn't. I checked my watch. Nothing. I checked the battery and it was still there. It didn't seem broken. As if back in the military, my mind drifted to an EMP. It couldn't be. Could it? I thought to myself for a moment. Why would anyone want to detonate and EMP in the middle of nowhere, Canada? I fished out my phone, but it didn't matter. It was busted, without the EMP's help. The screen was cracked, and there was a giant dent in the back. I wondered what had hit me.
There was probably no salvaging my luggage. Good thing I'm a paranoid ex-military, I thought. I always kept some tinder, and a magnesium fire starter. Matches were too unpredictable. I checked myself, and apart from the cut on my leg, I seemed fine. It was then that the cold started to hit me. I had a thin jacket, and some cargo pants. I grabbed the nearest coat I could find and put it on. My leg burned, and I could smell the smoke. There was a giant hole in the plane, so I crawled out. The sun was high, and there were pine trees forever. I couldn't make camp in the plane. Too many dead bodies to move out. I grabbed a decent sized stick and used it as a cane, and I limped off.
As I was walking(or, limping, whichever one, take your pick), I thought of how I was going to survive. Actually, I first thought how the plane crashed. EMP's were pretty useless out in Yukon territory. Not many electronics to fry. Could it be a whole continent bombing? Probably. However, I had more pressing matters to attend to. I could make it a day or two without food, but water and heat were my two essential resources. I knew I was going to have to take a look at my leg, but I needed to push on. After what seemed like hours, I found a tiny hut, next to a frozen lake. As I limped forward to take a better look, I noticed a frozen corpse outside.
"Rest in Peace, buddy." I said out loud as I searched his body. Matches and a knife. A knife is probably one of the best tools you can have. Matches are also a good fire starter, and that way I can conserve my tinder. I pocketed the matches, and knew I would need a backpack soon. So I took a quick look around, and entered the hut. When I was in and shut the door. The first thing I noticed was dark. Then I noticed exactly how cold it was outside. It was much warmer in the hut, and it had great insulation. I could still see my breath, but I could deal with that. I noticed an oil lamp, and lit it with a match. The entire room lit up. I could see some firewood, a broken chair, and a bed. There were some crates, and after some digging, I found me a can of tomato soup and a bottle of water. I pondered whether to check my leg or get a fire started. I decided on the fire, as I could cauterize the wound and I could get this soup going as well. I tossed in the firewood and some of the reclaimed wood I got from the chair. I searched around but found no newspaper. I didn't have any starter either, like kerosene. Great, I have to start a fire with some big pieces of wood and matched. I knew my chances were slim but I had to get that fire going. The cold would probably kill me before dehydration. So I got out my knife, got one of the pieces of firewood, and started to carve at it. I cut pieces not entirely off, so that they were hanging but still connected, as well as sticking out. I was increasing the surface area, increasing my chances of getting a fire going. I did that with all of the pieces of work. It was consuming, and before I know it I think like half an hour passed.
"Ok, lets try this." I muttered to myself, as I got a piece of firewood. I cut little strips, trying to make sticks. I got about 4-5 of them. I set two aside, and put the rest in the fireplace first. I got out the box of matches, and lit a match. It took me 3 tries to light the fire. I immediately cupped it around my hands, gently blowing on it, giving it as much oxygen as it needed. The fire blossomed, quickly consuming the sticks. I put the firewood on, and luckily they catched. Soon enough, I had a blazing fire, casting my shadow across the wall. I didn't know how to open the can of soup, however. After a bit of sawing with my knife, I was able to get the lid off, and I put it on the fire. Hopefully, I can hear it boil. After I addressed the situation of the soup, I started to look at my wound. It was a long gash, maybe about six inches across my thigh. It was deep enough to cause a problem, I assumed. I wasn't a medic, not by a long shot. But, I knew it had to heal, and in order for it to heal fast, I needed to cauterize it. So, I reached for my knife and stuck it in the fire, waiting for it to heat up. However, halfway through, the soup was ready, so I got a 2 pieces of treated wood and grabbed the can, like using chopsticks. Then, I got back to heating my knife. I addressed how I was going to cauterize this. There was no way I could clean this off. No sticks to bit on. To alcohol. Let's just hope I don't get infected. So I pulled off my pants to fully reveal the wound. The knife began to glow red. Perfect. I watched enough of my friends do this. How hard can it be? VERY hard. It hurts about as bad as getting shot.
As soon as I touched the hot blade to the edge of the wound, pain immediately flared up. I just had to keep pressing. I had no idea how long, so I tried to hold it for about 3 seconds. They felt like 3 years. Just constant pain, black spots danced in my vision. I think I passed out after I released the knife. I'm lucky I didn't stab myself. I pulled my pants back on, being very careful around my raw skin. The soup was very hot, but I don't think I can be burned more than what just happened. Even though the tomato soup was good, it wasn't very hydrating. So I got an idea. I stood up, shakily, testing my leg. It was basically the same, but I knew the it would get much better. I looked in a cupboard, and found a metal pot. I reached outside and filled it with snow. I looked around for anything to hold the water I was going to make in. I found a clean enough gallon jug. I'll just melt this snow, then boil it, and put it in here. However, snow takes forever to melt, and my eyelids got heavy. So I decided to take a quick nap. I didn't even know if it was still sunny outside. So I fall asleep, right next to the fire.
"Where the HELL is extraction?" Andrew yelled
"I don't know just hold on!" Sarge yelled.
"We've been holding on forever!" I yelled.
"Hold on guys, ETA 3 minutes."
"3 minutes? We'll be dead by the time get here." Smith replied. The ground shook and a mortar shell blew up to our left, spraying up dirt and rocks. I re-chamber my sniper and take another shot. I hit someone square in the chest. Re-chamber. Shoot. This pattern is so effective at killing people. Click. Click. Out of ammo.
"I'm out, cover me!" I yell as I dive into cover. I pull out the spent clip and shove another in. Push the bolt in and I'm ready to go. I rise out of cover and look down the scope. Breath in. Breath out. Lower heart rate. Aim for center mass. Squeeze, don't pull. My officers words ring in my ears. I'm about to take a shot. Suddenly, pain flares up in my chest. Before I know it, I'm on the ground, wheezing. I scream out in pain.
"Shoot! James is down!" Smith yelled and ran over. He puts down his gun and takes out his med bag. A shot of morphine, and some x-stat to the wound.
"James should be fine. His armor saved him." Smith yelled back to Sarge. "Come on, you'll be fine." He hands me a pistol, and re-positions me so I'm in cover, able to shoot if I lean to the left. The morphine hasn't kicked in yet. Immense amounts pain coming from my chest. No, focus. You need to shoot. I lean around the cover and shoot off a couple of shots. I don't think any connected. Gun fire everywhere, ringing in my ears. The smell of smoke is almost intoxicating.
"Hang on, 30 seconds guys!" I see a helicopter come in and swoop down, and it's shooting something. My breath is short, and black spots start to take up my vision.
"All aboard, hurry up!" I fell someone grab me around the shoulders. Someone's saying something. I think I'm moving. I feel gravel and rocks cutting into my legs, my back.
I wake up with a start. It seems like my chest is throbbing. I look at the fire, and it's burning low. I check the pot. It looks like it was boiling. I remove it from the heat and fill up the gallon jug. Once the pot is empty, I set it on a table somewhere. My mind is buzzing. It was the first time I had that dream in a while. I sigh, and start to the door, to check what time it is. I trip and almost fall over something. I look to the floor, and search for what I tripped over. My leg seems to be fine. I spot a shadow-y lump. I reach down to pick it up, wondering how I never saw it. I can't believe my luck. It's a backpack. I'm about to put my water in, until I notice a big hole in the bottom. Dang, I need to fix that before I even think of using it. So I sling the useless piece of cloth and polymer around my shoulders and open the door. A blast of snow hits me, and I'm temporarily blinded by how bright everything is. I poke my head outside to try to locate the sun. The dead trees and the pine's are all I see at first. I look higher up, and see the sun, near the horizon. Is it time for sun-set or did the sun just rise? It doesn't matter, I tell myself. I need to move. I keep the door open, letting my body get used the cold. I pack up and take another sweep of the hut, making sure I didn't miss anything that could be of value. I close the door, and trudge away from it. I have no idea what direction I'm going. I know where the plane is, but I doubt that would help. I decide to head towards the sun.
Walking is a good pass time. Nature is just so beautiful. The white snow gleams back, making it seem a lot brighter. The dead trees are everywhere, but they seem elegant. Something about the way that they sway in the bitter cold wind, how they seem to be endless. The occasional pine tree is a sight for sore eyes, it's green filling your brain, shoveling away the white snow and growing on the bare trees planted in your mind. The rare grey of a wolf's pelt. The wolves don't seem to bother me, so I won't bother them. That reminds me, I need to find a weapon soon. Something to defend me, and to get my hands on some fresh meat. That's also another thing about walking. It gives me time to collect my thoughts, and to plan ahead. Time also seems to blur. You just force yourself to keep on going, until you see something that you can look at.
About maybe an hour after I started walking, I decided to take a break. Take a drink of water, and locate a decent size rock. I spot one, and wipe the snow off the top, and plop down. Look around, and note the time. It was a sunrise, and I estimate that I have maybe about 5 or 6 hours left of daytime. I need to find shelter, but this place is so barren. I force myself to get back up, though my sore legs protest. I once again start walking, having a slower pace then before.
As I was walking, something caught my eye. A reflection off of something. Glass? I've got to check this out. I turn in the direction I saw the reflection. It wasn't a sniper's scope. It was too big and too bright. I had been trained to know that type of glint. So I was curious. After some walking, A watch tower came to view. I must be near a border or something. I saw the Canadian flag flapping around, and a set of stairs leading up. All too happy to see some shelter, and at the prospect of being near civilization, I climbed the tower. I entered the box at the top. Despite most of the walls being glass, it was warm, and there was a pile of firewood. A couch and a bed, with a compass on the bed, in the corner. A sewing kit and a map was also on a table. However, the best two finds probably saved my life. The first, which would help my food problem, was a box with six MRE's (meal ready to eat, basically military rations).
The second, which would later actually save my life, was a C14 Timberwolf. At first, I thought it was an Arctic Warfare sniper, of any model. However, I enjoyed the timberwolf even more. With a bolt-action and .388 lapua magnum ammo, it could take down an elephant. It had an 8x zoom scope on, and the clip was fully loaded at 5 rounds. However, no reserve ammo. That was fine; I knew how to conserve shots. It was a bit heavier and longer than the AW (arctic warfare), but it had far greater range. I leaned the timberwolf against a wall, and got a fire going, sacrificing some tinder. Tinder is very special, it's effectively tiny burned bits that help you start a fire with anything that makes sparks, like flint and steel, or in my case, a magnesium fire starter. With the fire roaring, I opened an MRE. I knew I had to save these, but there was no canned food, and I didn't want to go hunting. After I wolfed down the MRE, I got to patching up my backpack. I'm no expert sewer. I'm really messy. But I got to work, utilizing pieces of cloth I scavenged and the sewing kit, I was able to get the bottom fixed up. So I stuffed my water and the rest of the MRE's into the backpack, which I sat next to the bed. I was going to give myself a nice long sleep. Laying down and covering myself with the blankets, and I let the warmth consume me.
Dust blew into my eyes again.
"This damn sand." I muttered. Wiping my eyes, I looked down the scope of the rifle again.
"Wolf actual, you are clear to proceed to bravo waypoint." I say.
"Copy that, Wolf 2. Proceeding." Sarge says. The stronghold seems barren, but there are hidden snipers everywhere. Built out of sand bricks, you could miss the building if you didn't look closely enough. The sun baked everything in this desert. It was actually a weapons cache for the terrorist cell I-15. The mission was to destroy the entire cache. A few well placed c4 charges would do the trick.
"Watch out Wolf actual, you got a patrol heading to your position." I noted, noticing two men approaching the tan uniform that he knew was his sergeant.
"Copy, neutralize if necessary, planting charge now." Sarge replied.
"Copy." I answered, and I kept an eye on them. They turned a corner, and were about to enter the area where Sarge was. Wind, 14 mph. distance, 1000 meters. I lined up my crosshair accordingly. I pulled the trigger, and the first man dropped. Pull the bolt back, and in again. The second man was freaking out. He looked in confusion around. He was about to call for help, but he dropped to the ground, too.
"Charge set. Status?" Sarge asked.
"Sarge, two enemies eliminated. Should be safe to head to Charlie waypoint." I reported, re-chambering.
"Copy, moving." He replied, and I saw him get up. I heard a weird shuffling noise behind me. I rose from my rifle and looked behind me. The dead shrubbery swayed, but there was no wind. I pulled out my side arm, and gripped it with both hands, looking into the shrubbery. A man charged me with a knife, and knocked me to the ground. I squeezed a few shots in his direction, and one caught him on the arm. He yelled in rage, and proceeded to stab me in the chest. I yelled in pain, and threw him off. Tearing off my knife that was at my side, I slashed his chest. He fell down, but his leg came around and knocked me over. I rolled, my arm hitting the hilt of the knife that was still sticking out of me. I was still taking pain medication for my bullet wound. I raised my sidearm, and emptied the rest of the magazine into him(2 shots). After the adrenaline rush died down, the pain really set in.
"This is Wolf 2, calling for immediate medi-vac." I muttered. I fell to my knees, my hands stained blood. The sun seemed to get hotter every second. I heard wolves howling. Wait, wolves? In the desert?
I woke up with a start. It was dark outside. "Where am I?" I wondered. Suddenly, it all came back. I was in the watch tower. I sat up, to see the fire dead, the embers glowing softly in the background. I rubbed my face, and got out of the bed. The moon was out, and it seemed full. I could hear the wolves out in the distance. My throat was dry and my belly rumbled. How long was I asleep? I drank some of my water, and forced myself not to eat the appetizing looking MRE's. I wondered if I could fall back asleep. I doubted it. Those wolves were really loud. I decided to take a look at that map, but I didn't have a way to illuminate it. I wished I had taken the oil lamp from the hut. I lit a match, and I decided to just look at the map, five seconds at a time. First match and I got the general outline of the area. Second match, I got the location of the watch tower. Third map, I noticed something circled; I couldn't quite make out the name. Fourth match and I found the hydro electric dam. Fifth match, I saw the words: "Strange energy readings." Sixth match, I read the words: "Quarantined until further notice." Seventh match, I found that it was about 2 clicks east from this location. I should head there. There must be some guards or something. Some other humans out here, out in the long dark.
I was restless. My mind was consumed with the thought of finding the dam. I had pocketed the map, and was pacing near the door, contemplating whether to venture out or not. I decided: "To hell with it." I grabbed the timberwolf and exited the tower. Climbing down the stairs, I checked my compass to make sure I was headed in the right direction, and then started to jog. Rifle in hand, breathing hard, snow leaving marks. I was determined to get there, to a possible rescue. I was out of breath within 3 minutes, and within 10 minutes, my legs were sore and tired, as well as my arms. I had no idea how far I had gone. I just had to keep going.
The wolves were getting crazy now. Howling every couple of seconds. I didn't notice any. Suddenly, I heard water rushing. The trees broke, and I saw a massive complex. Dim lights across the top, with silhouette's dotting the top as well. All I had to reach them was cross this river. I couldn't see how deep it was, but it was roughly 4 meters wide. I would have to wade through it; I didn't see any stepping stones or a bridge anywhere near. Ready to brace myself for the iciness of the river, I heard a growl behind me. I turned around, raising my timberwolf. I saw a pair of eyes. No, 2 pairs of eyes. Scratch that, 3. Make it 5. Ok, there are 6. I don't think anymore. I keep my timberwolf trained on the wolf in front. I think it might be the alpha wolf. It approaches, snarling, decreasing the delta between us.
As it's about to pounce, I shoot it. The shot rings out, breaking the eerie silence. I think I hear people shouting. I don't have time to check. The rest of the pack springs out. I barely had time to shoot another before they tackled me. One bit into my shoulder, which I responded to by stabbing him in the neck. Three down, three to go. The other three are reluctant to approach. I chamber another bullet in, and they take a step forward. I step back. They all pounce on me, quicker than I can react. I was closer to the river than I thought. My feet give way, and I'm falling. Right before my head strikes a stone, I can hear someone yelling, and gunfire.