Alaska! Dead of winter and fucking cold.
"It's just you and me guys. We can do this."
Aurora Dawson followed behind her sled dogs through a careening valley of trees on both sides of a less than travelled path. In search of a downed transport plane which help would be far too late reaching in the turbulent weather pattern she bravely pushed on into less than pleasant terrain, determined to be a hero. With her team of twelve faithful Malamutes, she was fearless against the unknown. Having been an Army Ranger for the better part of five years until she was discharged over sexual misconduct unbecoming of an officer, she was well prepared to be a survivalist in the wilderness. Combat training, crack shot in most firearms, trapping and hunting skills, even with a bow she had an 85% accuracy in her aim. The sexual misconduct charges were nothing when framed for it to hide the rape she endured at her platoon's weekend long assault. When overwhelmed ... survive. That she did, just as she would today. Loving sex kept her sane under duress. However, when filing charges, she realized it was a losing battle and hung up her fatigues. Who needs to defend a country anyway, right?
In escaping the world, Aurora moved further north in her home state of Alaska, taking the sole job at a landing field and rescue unit, last stop before the Arctic Circle. Living alone was far better to rehabilitate her sanity. Her love of dogs made it easier; they were man's best friend even if she was a woman. At least they were loyal. Relationships were never on her radar but when she did let herself fall in love look what happened to her? Her former lover Commanding Officer Antonio Harker was only setting her up for failure.
"Fuck you Harker." Even now Aurora had flashbacks of he watching as his men ripped her clothing from her body and abused her again and again, "So, not the time." Shaking it off she called out to her dogs, "Up ahead Yukon, keep the lead steady Ghost. To the right by that bend." Her faithful lead dogs followed her words like worthy soldiers, their own troops on both canines' heels. Her bond with her fleet of hounds was astonishing. Somedays it was as if they were reading her mind.
Smelling and barely seeing smoke on the horizon she concluded she had reached the isolated area where the transport plane had crash landed. Survivors unknown, as communication ceased with screams of agony. That alone had her worried, the pilot Lloyd Prescott was a veteran himself, yet something scared the hell out of him on his last report. As if something attacked him while in the air. Something from within his plane. After refueling at her station and taking flight she knew it was only Lloyd and his 13-year-old son Kodi on board, carrying food, supplies, and medicine to the base up in Stones Throw, a research station on the arctic circle. God knows what they researched up there. He was not informed of everything in his cargo, to his dismay.
With a call out for help she knew the local rescue units would take a while in the storm to get there so Aurora took it upon herself to get the job done for them to the best of her ability. A credit to her career choice regardless of her scarred up reputation. She was tougher than they gave her credit for. Any Medal of Valor would be a dog tag in her mind, one she could share with her furry platoon.
"Whoa! Ease in Ghost. Slow down." Her pack leader obeyed, and the dogs halted Aurora's sled. Releasing two of her dogs to use as defense and tracking she armed herself with her rifle and a handgun. Fur coat added for extra warmth she paraded through the knee-deep snow to reach a hilltop where the smoke was choking the snowfall. Darkness was not a good thing, only flames and the green aurora borealis in the sky lit her way. Flashlight almost useless on her headband in its small-scale efforts kept her from getting lost in the trees. Reaching the top of the hill she looked down into a thin valley where the plane's burning shell was hunkered in. "Damn Lloyd! Your landing was pretty good considering."
Her dogs at her side begin sniffing the air snarling at something that agitated them. Huddling next to her in a protective pattern she realized something else was in the area. "Did you find a bear guys?" She asked her dogs Ghost and Folly. Just as she spoke a loud crashing of a tree to her left startled her, making her react by pointing her rifle in case it was a bear charging. Nothing!
Folly hugged her legs as if ready to turn her away, staring into the brush. "No time guys we have to see if we can find Lloyd and Kodi." She pushed from within their confinement and trudged toward the plane. Reaching it, she carefully avoided the dwindling flames and discovered the side hatch opened and literally ripped off of its top hinge to dangle and sway. Claw marks on the metal frame she presumed were tree scratches until closer inspection. "What the fuck did that?"
Ghost beat Aurora inside the plane by leaping up into the hatchway ahead of her being as protective as he could be. Folly remained outside sniffing at the ground discovering large footprints in the snow. Barking at an unresponsive Aurora, Folly was on her own, Aurora had joined Ghost inside the plane. Within the storage area Aurora found the cargo tossed everywhere, a huge box busted open as if from the inside out. Tensed by the atmosphere of dread she pushed on, finding liquid on the floor that glowed a fluorescent green in color an almost mist like glow simulating the Borealis itself.
Ghost avoided stepping in it and literally bit her pant leg to tug her away from it. "Easy boy! Even I know that stuff could be toxic." Masking her mouth and nose with her fur she moved away and toward the cockpit. On the way there she found blood splatter, fearing the worst, that both Lloyd and Kodi were dead. At the controls she found Lloyd's body, well part of it. His torso was still strapped in, but his head and arms were missing. An eyeball on the dash in a bloody heap of veins made her jumpy. "What the hell happened here? He's half eaten." Turning quickly, she realized his son Kodi was not in the seat next to him. It looked as if his seatbelt was detached by his own hands, a good sign if anything that he might still be alive.
"Ghost? Find Kodi." She directed the malamute by locating a scarf she knew the boy had worn and letting the dog capture a scent. Backing away Ghost began sniffing the interior of the plane then back to the opened hatch. Barking let her know Kodi must be outside in the weather. Following him to the hatch Aurora slightly lost balance and stepped into the glowing chemicals. Being slippery she fell forward right on her face into the ooze, the liquid smothering her skin wherever available like an unwanted facial. Grimacing at the glow upon her skin combined with the sheer stupidity of her mistake she wiped her face with her gloves. Feeling no pain of its contact over her flesh, she concluded it was not as severe as she might have suspected, that is until the green ooze began to immediately eat through her fabric. "Oh, shit! Wait! Why is it only eating what I'm wearing? I'm coated in that stuff."
It was acidic yet not harming her actual skin. As if a surging fire of its own her fur parka was dissolving right before her eyes, yet the cold air was not affecting her. Fearing it she ripped her parka off and tossed it away. Just as her parka went edible so were her pants, her boots, her entire clothing. "FUCK!" She was not feeling any pain due to it, only the shock of it happening, nor was her flesh being eaten away either. "What the hell were you hauling, Lloyd?" In five minutes, time Aurora Dawson was standing nude in a dark cargo area. Suddenly, her flesh began to glow. "I'm so going to die here, aren't I?"
Ghost retreating outside joined Folly in searching for Kodi, Folly leading Ghost to the footprints for a shared examination. As if with human eyes the dogs concluded that whatever left that print was not ... human. Looking back to see Aurora stepping from the plane the dogs grew leery of her. Walking up to her cautiously the dogs whimpered circling her from a safe distance. Noting their curiosity Aurora shook her head, "How the fuck should I know? It's not like I want to go streaking in minus twenty below zero. I'm not even feeling the cold though. Whatever that green shit was it affected my physiology. I know you two don't understand me but just keep clear of me, so I don't hurt you guys." The emerald glow fading her body hue becomes normal, yet she still felt warm inside and out. "Guys go find Kodi."
