It’s the 192nd day locked down inside the labs. Outside, in the frozen hellscape, a blizzard rages. Lurking within its blinding depths, the creature prowls, hungering for its next victim. Inside, the quartermaster holds bursts into the cafeteria.
‘It’s got inside!’ he yells, ‘It’s made off with the eggs and flour!’
The commander nods and moves aside to present a cake waiting on the table. The other four survivors jump from the shadows. ‘Surprise!’
The quartermaster blinks. ‘I-’
The commander smiles. ‘Happy birthday,’ she says.
Paddy Dobson
3rd April 2021