FICTION
TUNDRA ESCAPE
By: Nino Campos
If you can escape from the Tundra in two days, Mr. Ballard, you will be automatically rewarded with $20,000 in your bank account at the end of 48 hours.”
Those words felt like the makings of the types of movies Elliot Ballard would watch in his dorm room on Friday nights.
Two hours ago, 20 year old college student, Elliot Ballard, awoke a top a snowy perch that soared 20 feet in the air. His body scrunched up into a fetal position as he shivered and clenched his teeth. He sat up and looked around the icy environment. A mass of snow had piled onto his dark red hair and he brushed it off, feeling his icy strands of hair that nearly cracked. A large envelope fell off of his chest as his eyes scanned the cold land and the frigid wind brushed his dry skin. Elliot rubbed his chest rapidly to keep warm and shouted for help.
“Help! Anybody?!” he yelled.
Elliot saw that his clothes were now different from what he had worn earlier in the day. He was now wearing a North Face Summit jacket, a blue sweater vest and two layers of pants. He rummaged through his pockets and felt a pair of gloves yet no hat.
The last thing Elliot remembered was the meeting with Mr. Murphy. The room became warped and he felt nauseous. Then suddenly, his head felt heavy and his body fell over on its side. Elliot figured that this was all some sort of misunderstanding and he probably fell out of a plane or something along those outrageous lines.
Elliot saw the large envelope that lay next to him and opened it up. He turned it upside down and documents of paper fell out along with a pocketknife, a stick of flare, and book of matches. He breathed the subzero air through his lungs and felt something vibrating in his jacket. It was a Nokia cell phone that didn’t belong to him. He shuddered trying to get the phone in his hand and looked at the caller ID which read, “Unknown Number”. He opened up the phone and heard the voice on the other line.
“Mr. Ballard,” said the familiar voice.
“Who…who is this?” Elliot said breathlessly.
“It’s Julius Murphy, Mr. Ballard. I considered the grant you asked for when you came to my office. Your proposal is in question as of now and will be until…well up till 48 hours.”
“What does my grant have to do with anything? Where am I?!”
“Calm down, Mr. Ballard. You are in the Alaskan Tundra, the coldest biome in the world. Luckily for you though, it’s still summer time in this area but only for two more days.”
“What do you want from me?!” Elliot yelled and his voice cracked.
“I have my own methods of seeing who deserves my money, Mr. Ballard. You have to earn it. And what better way to earn it than to prove that you can survive in the harshest of real world environments. The goal is simple: If you can survive the Tundra for two days, Mr. Ballard, you will be automatically rewarded with $20,000 in your bank account at the end of the 48 hours.”
“You’re insane! I’m gonna die! I want out of here!”
“Oh by the way, a couple of colleagues and I are on the prowl for you and are tracking you by your cell phone.”
Elliot heard the cocking of a rifle and his eyes widened.
“Start running, Mr. Ballard.”