The Glaciermen #1: Flight

Begin a chilling adventure of a boy’s survival after a plane crash on the ice sheet of Southern Greenland, where man is not the apex predator. "The Thing” meets “Apocalypto.”

Welcome, Dear Reader,

Thank you for being here—I’m excited for you to begin this journey, if you find it to your liking. This is the first piece of The Glaciermen, my next novel. All new, it’s a terrible tale of dangerous adventure, mysterious evil, and the struggle to survive.

New manuscript previews go out for free every Tuesday, and I put out whatever I’ve got written—so if you subscribe and join the growing modest cult following, you get to see what happens less than one week after I do.

Also, there are convenient, binge-ready navigation links at the end of each section which go right to the next one so you can keep reading, interruption free.

Without further ado…

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Chapter 1: Lee

Lee peered out the window of the airliner at the shrinking Chicago skyline. The city was slowly swallowed by white mists as the plane ascended into the cloud cover. Speakers crackled to life and the cheery voice of the pilot soon filled the passenger cabin.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for flying with Helix Air. This is Captain Lindham again. We will be approaching cruising altitude any minute now. Please stay in your seats until the seatbelt light turns off, then you will be allowed to move about the cabin. 

“As for our destination, it’s a balmy December day in Iceland. The air temperature in Reykjavik is currently negative four degrees centigrade—that’s twenty-four in Fahrenheit for my fellow yankees on board. The skies are clear for now, though we’re expecting a little winter flurry as we cross over Greenland so we might encounter some turbulence, but it should be minor so there’s no need to worry. Lastly, the seatbelt light is now turning off, so you are free to leave your seats. Our lovely flight attendants will begin coming through with beverage service. Thank you again for choosing to fly with Helix Air.”

Lee looked to his mother in the seat next to him. He was nervous—it was his first time on an airplane. While the takeoff had been exhilarating, he now felt a queasy gurgling in his stomach when he thought about how far it was to the ground with only a few inches of metal and plastic between himself and the air outside.

“Mom, I don’t feel so good in my stomach,” he said.

“You’ll be fine, Lee. Just look at the horizon,” his mother replied.

“But there’s clouds. I can’t see the ground.”

“Well, then just look at where the clouds meet the sky. See?” she said, pointing a finger out the window.

“You’re almost ten years old now,” she continued, “so do you think you can be a big boy and try to feel better on your own? Remember what we talked about in the airport—just take steady, deep breaths and focus on the horizon. You’ll feel better in no time.” She gave his back a hearty rub, ending with a pair of firm pats. It did not help Lee’s stomach.

“I’m going to try and get some sleep. I suggest you do too, Leeland. It’s a long flight. Mommy needs her rest, so don’t bother me unless it’s important. If you get thirsty, just ask one of the flight attendants for some water when they come by.”

Lee’s mother pulled on a pair of headphones and spread a blanket across her legs. Lee slumped to the side of his seat, frustrated again at his mother, but nevertheless he stared intently toward the horizon while focusing on his breaths. He was soon distracted by how the puffs of cloud looked like giant ice mountains and began to imagine little men snowboarding down them and doing agile tricks.

Eventually his stomach began to calm and Lee felt sleep pulling at his eyelids. His mother had pulled him out of bed in the middle of the night to get to the airport, and he was feeling the effect. He let his eyes close and slipped into a deep slumber.

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A violent jolt jerked Lee awake. The pilot's voice was coming through the speakers, but the animated sounds of other passengers were drowning out most of what was said. Lee only caught bits: “...unexpected weather… turbulence… keep seatbelts…”

Lee turned to his mother. She was staring straight ahead, clutching the armrests of her seat so hard her knuckles were white. He glanced out the window and only saw the dim darkness of pre-dawn skies. He looked back to her.

“Mom, what’s going on?” 

She didn’t respond, so he tried again but louder, “Mom!”

She turned to him, eyes wide with fear, “Everything’s gonna be okay, sweetie, just keep your seatbelt on. The pilot knows what—”

A powerful wave of turbulence racked across the plane. An overhead compartment broke open, dropping a carry-on into the aisle. A woman several rows behind Lee screamed. The pilot’s voice was still coming out through the speakers.

“Remain calm… over soon… stay in your...”

The plane jerked again, and Lee felt as if he was dropped several feet before being slammed back down into the seat. Multiple overhead bins burst open and luggage spewed into the aisle and onto the heads of unlucky passengers. Yellow masks and tubes dropped from the panels above his seat. An automated voice came out of the speakers as screams erupted across the plane, panic spreading among the passengers.

Lee grabbed the armrests of his seat and stabilized himself as the plane continued to rumble. Something in the window caught his eye, and as he looked out through the multi-layer plexiglass, he saw a purple light growing in the dimness below the plane. It grew brighter, illuminating dark clouds below the plane with an eerie glow. A few seconds later, purple tendrils of light burst from the clouds, streaking up toward the plane.

The purple bolts of energy shot into the plane. For an instant the inside of the cabin was lit by a deep purple glow, reminding Lee of the black lights at the throwback roller skate rink, then the glow was gone and sparks burst from buttons and panels all over the plane. Lee covered his head with his arms as sparks came down on him. The cabin lights went dark. He could hear the heavy whine of the engines beginning to fade and felt the plane begin to tilt nose down. The cabin filled with hysteria as passengers shrieked in darkness.

Another wave of turbulence shuddered across the plane as it began to twist sideways in the air. Lee looked toward his mother. He could barely make her out in the gloom, but it looked like her head was rattling senselessly as the turbulence shook them in their seats. He held tightly to his armrests, losing track of the orientation of the plane and feeling his stomach pushing against his throat as the plane tilted into freefall. After a few more seconds, dim red lights came on along the ceiling over the aisle, illuminating the plane in a crimson glow. Luggage was tumbling around the cabin, and a flight attendant slid down the aisle past Lee as the plane continued its dive. Lee could only make out a few words over the screams as the speakers came back to life.

“...electrical systems… manual override… emergency landing… Greenland.”

The plane began to stabilize, but Lee’s stomach told him he was still falling fast. The faint light of dawn began to pierce the darkness outside, and Lee saw a white coast streaked with mountains far below, but growing larger at a disturbing rate as the plane careened down toward them. Lee turned to try to wake his mother as another wave of turbulence racked the plane. As he was shaking her arm, a hard suitcase dislodged from a few rows behind him, bouncing past a few shocked passengers to come crashing down on his head.

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And that’s it for now folks

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©Xavier Macfarlane 2023. All rights reserved.

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