Apocalypse Weird: Reversal (Polar Wyrd Book 1) by Jennifer Ellis Page A

was too shocking. Had he come by parachute from one of the planes? Was that how they intended to rescue them?
    “All is lost,” the voice continued.
    “Who are you?” she said. “Did you come from one of the planes?”
    “Who am I? Who are you? I’m afraid I can no longer see.”
    “Join the club,” said Sasha. How was it that nobody could see? Some airborne chemical? A terrorist attack? Had a war started? “I’m Sasha Wood, one of the researchers here at the station.”
    Hands felt for and gripped hers, and then pumped them in an exuberant handshake. The man smelled of menthol. “You’re alive. I’m so glad to hear that. So glad. Sasha, Sasha, Sasha…I’m sorry. I don’t remember you. There have been so many researchers over the years. Did we officially meet?”
    “It’s okay. I don’t think we’ve met. Who are you?” She really had to find Soren’s ropes. She knelt and started feeling around in the snow.
    “Why, I’m Vincent Robinson, of course. But I guess you can’t see me, can you? I thought everyone was killed when the station was destroyed. But I should have guessed someone would be out collecting data. I couldn’t read the log on my phone.”
    “Station…destroyed. Are you sure?” The prospect was horrifying. Were Amber, Cedar, and Timber dead? To her chagrin, it was the loss of the dogs that upset her the most.
    “Yes, of course. Didn’t you hear the explosion last night during the storm? It was earth-shattering. I went to the station as soon as the storm subsided, and there was nothing there. Nothing. All those poor researchers. All our years of research and equipment.”
    “Last night? But we’ve just come from the station this morning. It was just fine.” The other researchers are probably all dead, though, she thought. What kind of rescuer was this? From the tenor of his voice he sounded like an old man.
    Her hands moved over the snow with more urgency. She couldn’t find Soren’s ropes. She needed to get to the edge of the crater without falling in.
    “Soren!” she called. “Soren! Are you alright?” She heard no answering call.
    “What? The station not destroyed? How is that possible?” Vincent interrupted.
    “It’s true,” Sasha said. “I can’t talk, I really have to find my friend. He’s climbing out of a crevasse, or a hole in the ground, or something.” She started to inch away from Vincent on her stomach feeling everywhere for the ropes. “Soren! Please answer me. Are you okay?”
    “Could I have gotten turned around? I can’t believe it. I’ve travelled this ice pack for years. I knew my GPS was acting up, seemed to be giving me the complete wrong directions.”
    “Ours too. I wonder if a satellite got knocked out of orbit or something. Maybe there was some strange solar flare. Maybe that’s why we’re all blind.” She heard Vincent’s footfalls in the snow next to her. “Vincent, please stop walking! There’s a crater or hole in the ground right around here, and Soren’s ropes are anchored in this area. I don’t want you to trip over them.” Why was Soren not answering? The air had grown heavy with the smell of electrical smoke. Maybe the station had been vaporized. Or maybe it was the plane, burning off in the distance.
    “Soren? That’s not a common name. You must mean Soren Anderson? Did he come back to the station?”
    “Yes,” Sasha stuttered, trying to get him to stop talking. What did he mean by come back to the station?
    “Wiry fellow, strong as an ox. Built for polar research that one. It was a terrible tragedy about Marina of course,”
    “Vincent!” Sasha’s voice was sharp this time. “Stop talking. I need to go find Soren.”
    “I’m sorry. I’m prattling on, aren’t I? I’m not quite right. I think I hit my head. One of the hazards of being blind, I suppose. I must get back to the station and see if everyone is all right. Which direction did you say it was?”
    “I don’t know. We were going to rely on Tundra