Free Frankenstein Lives Again (The New Adventures of Frankenstein) by Donald F. Glut, Mark D. Maddox

Monster?” added Dupre’.
    Winslow said, “I just hope it isn’t necessary to use those guns.”
    “We just might have to,” said the driver, his eyes scanning the bleak horizon.
    Lamont’s truck continued to roll at the maximum speed the snow-covered road allowed, the road almost indiscernable from the rest of the white terrain. The wind blew harder against the canvas top of the truck and the huskies seemed to become more restless.
    The cab’s heater offered only the slightest protection from the cold. The two men seated next to the driver shivered and rubbed their hands to stimulate their circulation. Yet, it was probably their own anticipation of what reward this quest would bring that really helped them to forget much of their discomfort.
    The men saw no other vehicles in the area. No people, no animals, nothing save the great snowy mounds which appeared everywhere outside the truck.
    So it was without warning, after a considerable distance had been traversed by the truck, that Lamont cleared his raspy voice and applied his boot to the brake. The mammoth vehicle thundered to a halt, slipping several yards on the glossy white strip that was almost a road.
    “This is as far as we can take the truck,” said Lamont, looking out the cab windows at the Arctic desolation.
    Winslow turned his head in the direction of the barking. “That’s why the dogs, Mr. Lamont,” he said.
    “And from the sound of those animals,” said Dupré, “I’d say they’ll be glad to get out of the truck. They’ve been cooped up in there for quite a while.”
    “Well, let’s get moving then,” said the scientist, not wanting a precious moment to be wasted. “Mr. Lamont, will you please wait here and guard the truck while Pierre and I go off on the sleds?”
    “Sure thing,” answered Lamont. “You don’t think I’m going to leave this valuable piece of equipment out here, do you? Not with angry Eskimos possibly lurking behind every glacier just waiting to do her some damage!”
    The doctor smiled. “Thanks, Mr. Lamont. You didn’t have to come out here with us and I appreciate what you’re doing.”
    Laughing, Lamont shook his head, then waved down his hand.
    “Aww, go on,” he said. “It’s nothing at all. Anyway, you sure paid me enough for this little trip. So I won’t be needing another customer for at least a month.”
    Dupré opened the cab door, then he and Winslow jumped out cold. Fighting the sudden rush of freezing air that assaulted them, they hurried to the back of the truck, their boots digging into the snow, to fetch the snowshoes Winslow had purchased at the general store. Wearing the snowshoes, the two men shushed about awkwardly, then removed a ramp from the truck and attached it to the rear end.
    The Frenchman checked a pair of loaded rifles while Winslow rushed up the ramp and entered the canvas-topped back section of the truck and hitched up the two teams of sled dogs. Dupré re-checked the rest of their gear and made certain that the axes picks, hooks, shovels and various other tools were all securely wrapped in their supply packs.
    Within minutes, all preparations had been made, and the huskies and sleds were waiting for their drivers.
    Both Winslow and the Frenchman took their places behind their respective teams. Nodding to each other, they each shouted “Mush!” into the shrieking northern winds and cracked their whips over the heads of the dogs. Immediately the huskies pulled at their burdens.
    Around them, the two men saw nothing unusual about the desert of ice and snow. Still, neither of them could escape the feeling that they were being watched. Constantly they scrutinized the area as they drove their teams harder and faster through the wilderness. The wind was biting at their faces and it was sometimes almost impossible to breathe, but the excitement of their quest pushed them further.
    Suddenly Winslow’s eyes snapped. A look of utter enlightenment swept across his face. In the distance