First story, play nice.

I remember, the flashing light, and the soft snow.

White, pristine snow, coming toward me rapidly.

It was a hard impact, but I'm quite sure that nothing was broken. Maybe the surface of the snow.

How did this project happen? I can't tell. I'm in shock, I think. Right?

'Templar' was the only name displayed that didn't appear to be a brand of some sort. The man was limp in the snow. And he was slowly shutting down.

Project Snow Codex was a unique project in that it was funded by a shadow government. The researchers had discovered an old tome in the snow, and had begun to excavate the ruins of a ruined pyramid.

Many teams were sent into the pyramid, and none of them had come back; they kept reporting back, though. It perturbed Templar. Despite orders to come back, many teams simply denied, saying that they had found a new passageway and would press on.

Templar never approached the pyramid, but one day, the radio network had the same frantic message repeating constantly, like a mantra: " THIS PLACE IS FLOODING! "

Templar sat up, jarred awake by a deafening crash. He clutched his facemask, easing some of the ringing in his ears as he gawked at the sight of a plane, ruined and ablaze, with charred and dismembered corpses strewn across the proximity.

Whatever it was, the connection was ceased. They had decided to roll a final directive: No personnel are to turn off their helmet cameras under any circumstances. Templar abided.

Templar regarded the view he was receiving as traumatizing. He wasn't much of a talker; but people did talk to him. They were his friends, and they were motionless in the snow. He mourned, and despaired over his inability to remove their helmet and close their eyes for them.

However, when the waning days of the project came and numerous mesmerising relics were discovered, Templar was one of the first to hear the creaking noise in the base; when they heard a snap, is when they were frightened beyond reason and made for the plane.

Templar assessed the situation. There wasn't much forest; most of the organic beings were turned to habitat-domes, to which Templar had a special kind of love for. The main base was intact; he really wondered why everybody was so desperate to get out. Even then...look where it got him.

The pilot screamed something, and Templar felt himself hurling toward the back end of the ship; to oblivion, he thought. He heard a female yell, and soon, Templar felt only soft snow and sharp pain.

Templar silently inspected all of his former friends' carcasses. He set aside his own grief for the benefit of others; he always did. He ignored the fact that there would be nobody benefitting from his actions anyway. There was Chris, who had his mask smashed to pieces. Templar made out retinas splattered against the cracked metaglass, and cringed.

There was Kaster, whose body was a black husk of blood and organs.

The rest of the bodies, Templar couldn't distinguish. He thought on, and was terrified. Nad, his ( hidden ) love interest; he didn't find her corpse here. His heart swelled with hope, and within time, night descended upon the hopeful knight.

Never thought I'd write a story here, but the time has come for me to do such a thing.