Everest | the expedition is dead

A roaring wind shakes the icy fabric of the tent. Inside, the smell of damp, metal, and an unearthly, suffocating fear fills the air. Nine climbers from different countries sit in a circle, breathing heavily through masks. An hour ago, they were supposed to set out on the final assault on Everest, but Camp 5 has become a trap. And it's not the weather that's causing it. John, the American team leader, lies in the corner of the tent. He's dead. His mask is torn off, his face is blue, and a broken climbing peg protrudes from his neck. But the worst thing happened a minute ago, when Lars checked the storage area: someone had deliberately pierced the valves on the remaining oxygen tanks. The gas had hissed into the thin atmosphere. Only three tanks remained—exactly enough for three people to descend alive. For the remaining six, Camp 5 will become a mass grave. “Going down in a storm like this without oxygen is certain death,” Elena, the Russian doctor, says hoarsely, looking from the corpse to the people frozen in shock. “John was killed professionally. Quickly. And it was done by someone who is sitting in this tent now.” “Oh, my God, we are all going to die here! Because of some psycho!” Carlos, the Mexican, starts screaming, clutching his head in his hands. “Calm down!” Chen, the Chinese official, cuts him off harshly. “We need to search everyone. Someone among us locked us in here and took the last of the oxygen for himself.” A ringing silence hangs in the tent. Everyone looks at their neighbor with suspicion. The atmosphere is tense to the limit: everyone has a different past, different motives, and their own hidden truth. Akira (Japan) silently holds his hand on the ice axe. It's known that his brother died on an expedition led by John many years ago. Ahmed (UAE) frantically stuffs something into the pocket of his down jacket. He had millions, but they're worthless here, and he looks the most frightened. Marie (France) continues to quietly clutch her camera, the flash capturing the pale faces of the suspects. What did its lens capture? Tenzing (Sherpa) whispers a prayer. He's certain an evil spirit lurks among the foreigners.