Night of the Aurora (Salmon Run - Book 1)

Chapter 12

Zach hit the bottom first with his hind end, and then after rolling, on his back.

He lay on the snow looking up, trying to figure out what just happened. The aurora must have quieted down, as the light coming through the fogged helmet was almost gone. And a different color. Much more to the red.

The sound of the snow machine engine cut out.

In the silence he heard a soft whooshing noise that sounded nothing like the engines of the other snow machines. His dazed head instantly cleared as a feeling of dread descended on him.

Zach sat up quickly and pulled and tugged at the helmet. "Sasha? Are you here? Something wrong? What happened to the engine?"

"I'm here," Sasha said from somewhere to his right.

Zach let out a relieved breath. At least he hadn't been abandoned.

"We have a problem."

He didn't like how she said that. The helmet finally slipped off and he could see his surroundings again.

What there was of it.

No hills or mountains around them. No trees or wide-open snowy plains. No forests predominated by pine or spruce trees. No wide sky with the dancing aurora.

Instead, they were surrounded by smooth metal walls. Half-way up the far wall a red light glowed. To his left the wall rose a short height before slanting into the room in regular segments, meeting up with a high ceiling.

Directly above him one segment had slid under another, allowing them a small glimpse of the Aurora above them through a narrow tunnel of snow. The mounds of snow and placement of the snow machine told his shocked mind that the opening had been their accidental entry into the room.

A metal room in the middle of nowhere?

And it was sliding closed.

"Grab it!" Sasha yelled, scrambling for the wall.

The boots twisted under him as Zach tried to get to his feet. He grabbed the edge of the segment, but despite both of them pulling on it, it continued to close.

Before it could close on their fingers they let go. It slid into place with a soft click, leaving them with no light except that of the red glow on the far side.

Sasha put her hands on her hips as she turned towards him, "Okay, this is a first."

Zach swallowed hard. "Where are we?"

"How should I know? The snow opened up beneath us, and boom, here we are. There isn't anyone up around these parts except old man Isley." Sasha stopped in her efforts to find an edge to the segment. "And this doesn't want to open again. I can't even find a handle."

He took off a mitten and touched the walls. He expected to feel cold metal, but instead found it warm. Just like the air. 

He quickly unzipped his coat as the warmth started making him sweat. "Do you see a door?"

"No. You take one side, I'll take another?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Zach stuffed both mittens into his pockets. With both hands on the wall, he walked the length of the wall, trying to find any indentation that might indicate a handle or a door. But all he found were smooth sides. He looked up at the ceiling. In the limited light it looked like an endless dark abyss.

He heard a snap. He turned towards it just as a beam of light pierced the gloom. In the new light he saw Sasha push the seat of the snow machine down.