Prologue
The end of the world is often portrayed in the same way that the universe was created. A fiery, cataclysmic event; filled with earthquakes, explosions, and the screams of the dying. In reality, this was not the case. The end of the world as we know it involved unrest, skirmishes and small amounts of violence; but ultimately; we as a species, ebbed away into oblivion with little fanfare and even less lamentation. Our undoing was caused by events that were set in motion some 100,000 years ago in the seemingly unlikely setting of the Antarctic. This onset of our demise was released by those hoping to know more about the planet and our place thereon. Time and again, the destroyer of our species had been thwarted in its attempts to reach civilization. Time and again, those unfortunate to find themselves in its path would be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to delay the inevitable onslaught that threatened our very existence.
But mankind could only stem the tide for so long...
Present day - Antarctica
One could barely differentiate between the snow and the sky. There was no clear horizon to speak of. Amongst the gusts of ice and snow, a single form drifted in and out of view. Curled into a foetal position alongside the twisted wreckage of a piece of alien machinery, a woman lay shivering. The snow began to build up around her, creating a small wintery dune across her back. Every breath she took felt like knives were driven into her chest. She was almost oblivious to the helicopter that thundered overhead, only able to make out the crude outline of the fuselage as it descended, making its way ever closer. The helicopter dug into the snowy wastes as it landed metres away from her. The large side door slid open and an emergency medic leapt from within and ran to her. He keyed his radio "Control. We have a live one. Barely. But she is still breathing."
Scooping her up in his arms, he staggered back to the helicopter before placing her in the safety and warmth of one of the fixed medical cots that adorned the interior of the aircraft, which began to rise uneasily from the ground as it battled the barrage from the icy winds.
The medic skilfully placed the cannula into her trembling arm, easily finding and piercing a vein. Within moments, she could feel the warm tingle of the sedation as it coursed through her weary body.
"You guys got hit pretty hard with the storm, eh? You must be Kristanna. Guy that radioed into us said you'd be here." mused the medic as he tucked the foil insulation around Kristanna's body. "We could barely see you and had to take the guys word for it that you were there. Luckily, the fire that caused so much damage also has temperatures raised across your entire camp."
"Everyone's… They're all dead." Kristanna whispered, her throat aching and her lips frostbitten.
The medic's eyes narrowed, "Not everyone. It was pure luck that, as we traced your movements from the camp to where we found you, we picked up this fella staggering through the mists. I tell ya. Another few minutes out there and he would have been in trouble."
Kristanna painfully twisted to see in the direction of the medic's gesturing. Her heart leapt as she regarded the slumbering form that lay mere inches from her. There, sleeping peacefully, was Sverre; her erstwhile and late colleague from the outpost. Having lost his brother to the creature, Sverre had bravely sacrificed himself to save the rest of the group. Kristanna knew there was no chance of this being the real Sverre. And that meant that monster. That creature. That fucking thing that took everything from her wasn't dead. It had taken refuge in the shape of her dear friend and one-time saviour. She knew she had to raise the alarm. That thing couldn't make it out of here alive. It needed to be burned. It needed to die. She clawed at the mask that covered her face, but slowly felt the sedation reach her head. As her vision became increasingly dark and blurry, she fixed her gaze on the imposter beside her.
The helicopter thundered over the heavily populated Amundsen Scott station, awaiting permission to land and unload its contents. Its payload, unbeknownst to the unsuspecting station occupants were two slumbering entities. One was a survivor, in mourning for her fallen friends. The other; death.