By Lincoln Reed
The red transport helicopter chased Rohan down the snowy peak. Staccato gunfire roared from the chopper, each bullet ripping snow in his wake.
Rohan’s skis shredded the slope with sharp maneuvers, zipping side to side, risking speeds faster than he ever had on the most advanced black diamond runs. The helicopter swerved to his right where the Himalayan range cut across the horizon like jagged teeth slicing the crystal sky. Making use of centripetal force, Rohan made a sharp turn and plunged farther down the mountain.
His pursuers wanted the artifact Rohan carried securely in his jacket. Their archeological investigation to Lake Roopkund had produced a revelation Rohan believed didn’t belong to an elite group of government officials.
The world needs to know.
Days earlier, Rohan had landed at the small lake five thousand meters above sea level with a team of archeologists, historians, geologists, and Mark Casper, a billionaire philanthropist obsessed with solving the mysteries of human civilization. Mark’s recent quest included deciphering the truth behind Skeleton Lake—Roopkund’s home to hundreds of ancient human remains. As a noteworthy historian and archivist, Rohan had been invited to document Mark’s findings and offer a level of credibility to whatever the billionaire hoped to unearth. With permission from the Indian government, they had the site all to themselves, digging with intricate care until…
If Rohan wasn’t racing against death, he would have laughed at the irony. The same helicopter that had transported him to Skeleton Lake was now intent on making him one of its permanent residents.
As he launched haphazardly over a dune, Rohan’s thoughts raced to his fiancée, Esha. The compensation from Mark would’ve paid for their wedding and given them a strong foundation in life.
The turret spit bullets. Snow sprayed.
Rohan raced down the crest with an unrelenting pace beyond his control. Even if he wanted to halt and surrender, he wouldn’t be able to slow his momentum…
Without warning, the earth beneath his skis morphed from silver to unending darkness.
Air sucked from Rohan’s lungs. Adrenaline kicked time into slow motion as he spilled into the heart of a narrow crevasse. Instead of a whiteout, Rohan’s world went black. From behind his goggles, he couldn’t fathom how deep the pit reached into the bowels of the mountain.
Time sped up again when his poles struck rock. A strap on his right ski boot snagged something as his skis clacked against the cleft walls. The sudden halt sent pain searing through his ankle. Rohan groaned in anguish.
Once his vision stopped spinning, Rohan’s pulse jackhammered.
I’m upside down!
The helicopter loitered above the fissure, rotor blades whirring, kicking up snow.
He dangled, mind reeling, options dwindling.
He patted his coat, then pawed the outline of a rocky slab the length of his hand.
Suspended in the crevasse, Rohan clung to one certainty. If he dropped to his death, the mystery of Skeleton Lake would disappear with him. He couldn’t let that happen. Somehow, someway, the world had to know what he had discovered.
Blood rushed to Rohan’s head. He blinked, sucked thin air, and mumbled petitions to deities he had minutes ago believed mere superstition.
The hum of helicopter blades eased. Boots crunched above.
“Rohan?” the British accent of Mark Casper sounded from the edge of the crevasse.
Wind wailed.
“He’s down there! Get a rope, hurry!” Mark called to someone on his team, then his voice returned to the fissure—echoing, pleading. “Rohan? There’s been a misunderstanding. The bullets… bad form, I know. Let’s forget what we said at the lake. We’ll find a way forward. It’s not worth your life.”
A rescue rope thumped Rohan’s coat.
“Listen, old chap. Think of your fiancée.”
Rohan’s tired voice reverberated off the walls. “They deserve to know!”
“Come now! Grab the rope. Let’s discuss this face to face. Like men.”
Rohan eyed the cable meant to secure his salvation. Mark’s a liar. He’ll shoot me as soon as he has the stone.
Thoughts of Esha flooded his mind’s eye. If he had any hope to see her again…
Rohan grabbed the rope and, within minutes, found himself facing Mark Casper beside the helicopter, armed mercenaries flanking to prevent another escape attempt.
“The stone.” Mark extended his hand.
Rohan spit on his enemy’s boots.
The billionaire chuckled. “You history buffs never seem to understand—true history isn’t in books. It’s made every day. And today, we’ve uncovered the most scandalous find in recorded memory.” Mark ripped open Rohan’s coat and grabbed the slender rock.
Rohan’s eyes were locked onto the artifact’s smooth surface. Seashells had been discovered in the Himalayas along with other odd remnants of bygone eras, but nothing compared to what the billionaire now grasped in his gloves. During the dig, the team had broken off part of the fossil, revealing contours that resembled a smartphone—an impossibility beyond all reason or imagination.
Mark’s eyes gleamed. “You misjudge me, friend. This is not for the uninformed masses. It deserves utmost secrecy. Reverence.”
“It means we’ve been lied to… our world… our heritage—”
A low rumble vibrated through Rohan’s chest as guttural thunder shook the mountain with the intensity of a freight train powered by a jet engine. Rohan turned toward the peak as snow surged like a waterfall.
Avalanche!
Mark yelled. The rotor blades kicked into action.
Rohan’s fist crunched Mark’s nose and the billionaire dropped the fossil.
Rohan grabbed the artifact as the swelling avalanche blocked out the sun.
Rohan snapped awake inside a natural igloo, sweating. Snowy walls reflected orange light from the object squeezed between his gloves. Its fossil crust had melted away, leaving only a glimmering shell of surging heat.
Rohan panted as a horrifying realization took hold.
On the device’s cracked screen, strange symbols flashed, as if counting down, ticking toward some unavoidable event. Perhaps the event that had produced a lake of bones more than a thousand years ago.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Interesting concept. I like the description of the chase.
Thanks for reading, Alex!
Very dramatic ending!
Thanks for reading, Pamela!
Craziness! Great description!
Thanks for reading, RJ Dib!
Whoa! Lots of great twists in this one! Loved the heart-pumping action!
Left my heart pounding!