AN: Thanks you guys :) Guess I'm still working on this, more to come~
Olav was in the corner where Carter had left him, rocking in place with empty eyes, ignoring the others as they argued. Kate watched as he murmured to himself in Norwegian, biting her lip in worry as shaking heads beat against his head.
And she wasn't the only one watching. Colins eyes were shooting around the room as he tried to watch everyone, and anything, for signs of the alien. The Englishman's jaw was jutting forwards, even as he hunched over his crossed arms, fear and anger warring across his face.
The Norwegians, apart from Olav's hunched inward form, were almost congregating together. There was plenty of space between them, just in case, but they had a side of the room to themselves.
Peder was sitting on one of the benches, his favorite toy resting against his leg, as he avoided anyone else's eyes. Too lost in thought over his deceased comrades and afraid of who he might have to kill. Jonas sat across from him, mouth a thin line lost in his great beard, worried eyes on his friend.
Lars was at the next table over, eyes tracking and sudden movements, while Edvard stood near him against the wall. The head of Thule station had his eyes fixed on the doorway back to the labs.
The other Americans were likewise huddled together, both pilots eyes were fixed on the door like Edvard, waiting for their third member. Well almost. Jamison's gaze was zeroed in on the door, while Griggs would glance around the room checking on the other people. Kate hoped Carter would be back quickly too; he seemed to be the only other person who understood how dangerous the creature was, and the only other sane man.
The celebration of finding alien life felt like it was centuries ago.
Kate shivered in the tense atmosphere, Adam was still behind the table close to the door with the blood tests. Her old friend looked distant and worried, they were all so worried, but his eyes were to similar to the panic in Olav's to feel safe.
Halvorsen strode in, tall and cold as the ice surrounding them, his eyes moving around the room over the gathered people. Gloved hands carefully held the glass dish with it's dangerous sample, as he moved next to Adam.
Out of the corner of her eye Kate saw the two pilots were sitting up and glaring, stiffening as they realized that Carter wasn't trailing behind the cold bastard of a scientist.
"Where's Carter?" Jamison was the first to speak, rolling over Edvard's greeting, as the doorway remained empty.
Halvorsen gave the pilot a look Kate recognized, the same cold irritation as when she had questioned him while taking the original sample through the ice. And look how that had turned out.
"I assume he will be here shortly." The scientist was indifferent as he turned to Edvard.
"I'm not playing with you man, where the fuck is he?" Jamison's fists were going up as Kate started moving between them.
"Hold on!" Kate put her hand up, Jamison stopping just before touching it, turning her face to glare stubbornly at the annoyed scientist. "Halvorsen, where did Carter go?"
"I am not the man's keeper." Halvorsen's cold eyes almost rolled. "He informed me he was retrieving something from the helicopter."
"You let him go alone?" Kate was shocked, didn't the other scientist understand the danger in being alone at the moment?
"At the moment." Halvorsen's eyebrows rose, while his lips twisted in almost amusement. "I assure you, he is much safer on his own."
"What the hell do you mean by that?" Jameson was only held back by Kate's glare and Grigg's mumbled words and hand against his back.
"Simply put. If we are all in here, than no one is free to harm him." Halvorsen rewarded the other pilots with disappointed looks. The sad teacher once again disappointed by his students. "Currently he is in fact the safest person here."
"Hey." Kate had her arms wrapped around her body in protection, but she still glared hard at Halvorsen. "We need to stay calm, remember?"
Halvorsen glanced at the woman, expression looking utterly flat, as he eyed her. Then, very slowly, looked around the room at the people standing as far as possible from each other. Paranoia etched across every face, from Olav's near insanity to Colin's angered eyes, stared back at him.
"Yes, of course. I can see how calm." The icy eyes met Kate's stubborn glare and narrowed before moving past her again. "Adam, do you have the samples ready?"
Adam's head jerked up, eyes wide and shifty, as he hovered over the dishes.
"Well?"
"Yes," Adam looked down, refusing to meet anyone's eyes, as he held up one of the blades. "Just need blood samples from everyone."
"Good." Halvorsen nodded sharply, giving Kate an appraising look. "Kate. If you would be the first?"
Kate bit her bottom lip, ignoring the odd gleam in the older scientist's eye, and stepped up to Adam, holding out her hand.
Adam shifted again, scalpel shaking in his loose grasp, shifting from foot to foot as he eyes moved wildly. The adam's apple bobbed, swallowing and coughing as Kate stepped closer, face going chalky.
"I-i-i d-don't think it's a, a good idea." Adam dropped the scalpel on the countertop, backing away with wide eyes.
"Adam?" Kate hesitated, she wasn't going to step forward without being sure what was wrong. "What's going on?"
"This Thing can be anyone!" Adam screamed, waving his arms, spittle flying from his mouth. "We could all be infected and not realize! What's the point of test?"
His arms came out, colliding with the prepared blood tests and scalpel, sending the equipment crashing to the floor. Adam kept screaming, as Kate jumped back away from the flying glass, scalpel slicing through his arm as he jumped at Halvorsen.
More screaming and swearing erupted as Halvorsen fell backwards, with Adam on top of him, the sample of alien flesh flying away.
The screaming intensified as the piece flew, people shoving backwards over each other to escape the falling sample, ignoring Adam being kicked aside as Halvorsen stood roughly.
Jamison's arm came up, hidden gun pointing at Adam as he screamed, shaking as he aimed.
"Calm down man! Don't make me shoot!"
"Where did it go!"
Kate tripped as someone shoved her aside, falling to her ass, hands coming protectively as one of them men rushed past her.
"Is it alive?"
"Kill him him! He is infected!"
"No, no no!"
"Wait!" Kate twisted, panicking as she looked up into the equally panicked men.
"Oh fuck!"
The shots rang out in quick succession, Adam's cowering form dancing as the bullets impacted, before stunned silence fell with the corpse.
Kate looked over her head, Jamison standing in pace with the smoking gun, eyes wide as he watched the still body.
"Oh my god." Kate sat still, hands covering her mouth. "You..."
"He was that thing! He had to be!" Jamison's voice shook as the others stepped away from him.
"And why was that?" Halvorsen's harsh voice as he stood against the wall. "Because he was frightened as us all?"
"Hey man-"
"Ahhh! Help!"
Kate spun around again, Halvorsen grabbing her arm, and pulling her up before she could back up into Adam's feet.
Collins was dancing around as he screamed, both hands slapping at his pants leg, falling over and screaming bloody murder. Still twisting around as he tried to escape the thing crawling up his leg.
"Help you bloody idiots!" Collins shrieked louder, grabbing at his right leg. "It's crawling up my leg!"
Peder swung the flamethrower up, the heavy pack bouncing against his shoulder, as he pulled it up. The small flame within the metal mouth flicking on as he primed the weapon, aiming with deadly accuracy at the moving legs.
"No! Not like that!" Collins screamed again as he saw Peder aiming, hands flying up for protection, as he flinched.
"Peder!"
"Shoot the thing!"
"No! Wait Peder!" Kate watched with horrified eyes as the Norwegian's finger tightened, almost in slow motion, on the trigger to the deadly flames.
Flames streamed out, hungry for flesh, Collins screaming as they hit his stretched out legs. The smell of burning meat hit Kate's nose as the Englishman screamed louder, thrashing as the flames ate away at his legs, hand against her mouth and gagging.
Unearthly shrieking joined in with Collins screams, tentacled muscle ripping away from the burning limb, twisting in agony as the flames continued to burn. It twisted harder growing and stretching as the flames ate away at it.
"Burn it! Burn it!"
Peder aimed again, switching to the twisting alien flesh, more flames spilling out of the weapon, as he backed up. The flames were spreading to quickly, eating along the alien flesh, the wood, and Collin's clothing.
"Get out of here!"
Kate gasped again as Jamison shoved her towards the door, looking over her shoulder to see Olav open mouthed gasping as he skirted around the burning flames, and Collins shrieking pitifully as he tried to crawl away from the squirming flesh and his own burning legs.
Another tentacle ripped through Collins, higher above the burning leg, turning the man's screams to gurgles as it stabbed through his throat.
Kate through another glance over her shoulder, almost stopping as the tentacle worm grew larger, twisting away with Collins' head to escape the hungry flames.
The unearthly wailing, deep and screeching all at once, grew louder as it chased behind the escaping humans.