The Frozen in Time

Jack barely had time to process Mercer's words before alarms blared through the facility. The lights flickered, and a red emergency glow bathed the room. Scientists scrambled to their stations, shouting updates as security personnel rushed to reinforce the entrances.

"Something just breached the perimeter!" a technician yelled, staring at a monitor displaying thermal images. "They're moving fast!"

Mercer cursed under her breath and turned to Caldwell. "How the hell did they get here so quickly?"

Caldwell's jaw tightened. "They must have already been tracking the artifact. It's like a beacon to them."

Jack's grip on the device tightened. "So, what? We're just sitting ducks?"

Sigurd stepped forward, his stance rigid. "Then we take the fight to them."

Mercer hesitated. "That's not an option. We need to isolate them, contain them before they spread into the city."

The facility rumbled violently, sending Jack stumbling backward. A deep, guttural howl echoed through the air vents, chilling him to the bone. The Frost Wraiths had arrived.

"Containment might not be an option," Jack muttered.

Caldwell grabbed a rifle from the emergency weapons rack and tossed another to Jack. "You any good with this?"

Jack checked the magazine, feeling the weight of the weapon. "Better than I am with a spear."

Sigurd rolled his shoulders, gripping his own weapon—a spear he had refused to part with. "Let them come."

A security officer's voice crackled over the intercom. "They've breached the main corridor! We're losing containment!"

Mercer snapped into action, typing rapidly at her station. "If we can lure them back to the gateway chamber, we might be able to force them through before the portal destabilizes."

Jack exhaled sharply. "And how exactly do we do that?"

Mercer turned to him, her expression grave. "We need them to follow the artifact."

Jack felt a pit form in his stomach. "You mean me."

Before anyone could respond, the reinforced doors leading to the lab burst open with a deafening crash. A chilling wind swept through the room as the first Frost Wraith slithered in—its semi-transparent form shifting and writhing like living ice. Its glowing blue eyes locked onto Jack, and a sound like cracking glaciers emanated from its throat.

"Move!" Caldwell shouted, firing his rifle. The bullets passed through the creature, slowing it down but not stopping it.

Jack bolted for the nearest exit, gripping the artifact tightly. Sigurd and Caldwell followed, covering him as Mercer shouted directions over the intercom.

"Left corridor! Down the maintenance shaft!"

Jack sprinted, his heart hammering against his ribs. The howls of the Frost Wraiths echoed behind him, their presence dropping the temperature with each passing second. Frost formed along the walls as they moved, consuming everything in their path.

They reached the maintenance shaft, and Jack practically threw himself down the ladder. Sigurd landed with a heavy thud beside him, followed by Caldwell, who immediately sealed the hatch above them.

"Will that hold?" Jack asked, panting.

"For now," Caldwell said, pressing a code into a nearby panel. "We just bought ourselves a few minutes. Keep moving."

Jack nodded and pushed forward, gripping the artifact tighter. He knew this wasn't over. If they didn't act fast, the Frost Wraiths wouldn't just take over the facility—they would spill into the city, into the world.

And this time, there would be no Ice Age to stop them.