The steady mantra continues in David’s head as he crushes through the freshly fallen snow. ’One, Two, shake." The constant words. Words he has used to traverse untold miles of snow in the past still work to propel him towards his goal today. It repeats in his mind like some kind of gasoline, igniting a fire deep within David that causes his body to feel little pain from the incredible exertion that is caused by exploration of the polar cap.

The mantra stops and David takes a break to drink from his water supply. He surveys the area surrounding him. White snow returns his gaze as David finishes his break and the Mantra continues. David trudges forward the mantra, forever, his motivation. He pushes through thousands of feet of snow the mantra his driving force, propelling him toward the frozen horizon.

He’s walked for hours before there is a need for another break. David takes off his backpack and surveys his surroundings, before peering through the approaching gloom toward his destination. He expected to be closer to the campsite by now but he’d made great time and the mantra would get him there tomorrow.

David took out his gear to set up camp, placed the items out methodically around him then he began to build an ice hut. Once finished David returned all the items to his backpack before entering the hut. Once comfortably set up inside the hut David took out his Arctic sleeping bag, some caribou jerky wrapped in brown paper and foil, and his GPS.

He took a large bite of the jersey as he pressed buttons on the gps device. Less than thirty miles to his destination. He put the device back in his pack then checked the battery life on his satellite phone. Satisfied with the phone,David returned it to his pack as he grabbed another piece of jerky. Though caribou jerky is tough David eats two more pieces before laying down to rest; the 2500 calories per bar would keep him and the mantra going tomorrow.

The polar wind howled against the hut as David placed earbuds in his ears and laid down for his short rest. Five short hours later the mantra continues as David resumes his arduous journey toward his destination. It takes him no time to reach his goal. The fires from the village inform him of their nearness. David halts, unslings his pack while surveying his surroundings. He lowers himself slowly against the freezing snow then he begins to crawl toward civilization one inch at a time.

A short while later. David wiped the sweat from his forehead before he surveyed his work. Smoke now rose from several destroyed sections of the village. There was little to no resistance to David’s onslaught as he cleared out the village. Sure there was a small group of villagers that put up a fight, some came at him without weapons; David mowed them down like the bowling pins that they were to him.

All in all he counted fifteen villagers that he had to put down, the others were probably hiding in their whalebone homes but David had a surprise in the form of an AG36 that he brought along for such cases. David plopped a grenade into the AG then aimed at the nearest home.

The grenade sung through the air before it blasted into the hut. No one burst from the remains of the hut. David scoffed in amazement at the fact that people weren’t screaming out of the remaining huts after that explosion. ’One.’ He plopped in another grenade ’Two.’ and aimed at the hut farthest away from him’Shake.’ He fired the grenade and watched as the explosion lit up the sky.

Still no villagers came bursting out of the remaining huts. ’I see, they want to make this hard.’ David thought as he slung the AG over his shoulder. The Marta continued as he pulled his assault rifle up to eye level and trudged toward the remaining huts. He pulled back the seal skin expecting to see villagers huddled somewhere in the hut but the place was empty; the same thing with the next hut and the hut after that.

Every hut in the village was empty. That didn’t sit well with David.there are nineteen small huts in the village, not to mention the seven large huts that circled the village. David checks one of the large huts and there was enough room to sleep thirty easily. Alarm bells ringing, David verified that the village was in fact empty before setting fire to the village and the villagers that were victim to his visit.

He quickly retreated from the area while following step two of his plan; covering every trace of his attack. He took another route back to the hut from the night before and destroys the entire site before preparing for the return journey to home base. ’One, Two, Shake.’ The mantra says informing David of the need to move and he does, plodding one snow show after the other away from the last vestige of evidence to his presence at the now destroyed village.

David focuses on the mantra, his body exhausted from his exertions. He takes a break after ninety minutes of walking to have a drink of water and down two pieces of jerky. After a quick survey of the area it clear that David is not being followed. David again thinks of the missing villagers but the mantra interrupts his thoughts forcing him to put the village aside and continue his grind.

Six hours after his deeds at the destroyed village, David again sets up an ice hut. He repeats the ritual but this time using the satellite phone to confirm completion of the job. After the accolades and promise of great reward, David checked his bank accounts for verification of payment. As promised, a payment from AO oil in the amount of seventeen million dollar had just been delivered to his account.

David accessed several websites at once on his tiny phone, working with the ease of someone who knows how to use technology. He transferred the funds to several different bank accounts before powering off the phone. He allowed himself a moment to think about the missing villagers again but quickly bored of his own thoughts and laid down to rest. A shrill scream intertwined with the wind as it buffeted David’s hut. The sound was that of loss and regret. The sound was followed by a roar that could not be mistaken for anything but rage. The animal that owned that sound was a hurt soul.