So this is something I thought up after the cancellation of STALKER zero an expertly crafted fanfic created by TheannaTW over on a fanfic that I would sincerely recommend you to read. But I don't want to seem like I'm copying her which is why I do the things I do.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this fic more will be coming soon.
The plane violently shook as the screams from her friends surrounded her. Miho's mind was in a blur. She couldn't quite tell what had happened or what was going on, but it was apparent that they were in danger, upon attempting to look out the window she was greeted with by a blinding light which refused to let her see out into the world.
She didn't know whether it was her extensive training or the fact that she had only just woken up, but she felt abnormally calm about the situation. Mako who was known for her sleepy attitude who sat across the aisle, next to Saori looked to be in a larger state of panic then her, gripping her seat with such uncharacteristic vigour that Miho was afraid that she was going to pass out.
Even Anzu who sat directly in front of her was a far cry from her ordinary laid-back self, screaming at the top of her lungs, easily drowning the rest of the plane. But it wasn't only her, every group had a person or two that were in such a state of panic that it overpowered the rest of the group.
An explosion suddenly rocked the plane throwing her to the left. Before her mind could process what had happened, another explosion rocked the aircraft, this time throwing her to her right. The screams around her intensified as a sudden feeling of weightlessness overtook her senses. A single thought filled her head that finally pushed her over the edge into the fear that the entire cabin felt. The plane was dipping.
Panic began to spread to every facet of her being. This wasn't supposed to happen, they were supposed to be going to the senshadou world championships in Britain where she would see her mother and other adults compete in the sport she loved.
She felt something wrap around her hand, looking towards it she found Yukari clinging to it for dear life. her trailed up the arm until she found herself staring face to face with her tank's loader, her breathing was calm, and her body lacked any sign of anxiety. But her eyes betrayed the boast of confidence.
They continued to stare at each other their eyes speaking louder than any words could in this situation. The uncertainty, the terror, the fear. All of it was present, and all of it was up front.
Miho grabbed hold of her tank loaders hand and enjoyed the rather small comfort it brought.
Another explosion rocked the aircraft. Her grip tightened as she let out yet another scream. Her body was yanked forward by some invisible force. The only thing holding her back was the seat belt that Yukari had put on her when the turbulence first began.
Miho slammed her eyes shut hoping that all of this would go away, that this was nothing but a nightmare and that she would wake up in her bed. Then, everything went silent. The tugging at her body stopped as a new light attempted to pierce her eyelids.
Confused, Miho slowly opened her eyes, finding the entire fuselage blanketed in a ghostly blue hue, seemingly originating from up above them. But the thing that took her breath away was the fact that the top of the cabin was now missing, seemingly ripped off by some unseen force. She slowly turned her gaze skywards squinting at the blinding light as if she was gazing into the sun itself.
What was going on? Were they dead? They were a dive and now sat in the middle of whatever this was. Was this the place beyond?
The screams petered off as the rest of her classmates seemed to realize their new-found predicament. Hushed whispers began to be traded between teams as they gazed up into the strange blue light. "Miss Nishizumi, what's going on?" Her tank loader whispered into her ear.
Miho had wanted to provide the answer, she was their commander after all, but no matter how she looked at it, she had absolutely no clue. "I'm. Not sure. But... I'll go find Kay, see if she knows anything." unfastening her belt, she pulled herself out of the chair and shimmied past her crew member.
She moved through the cabin with haste, passing row after row of girls all silently terrified and confused as to what was happening. The sweat on Miho's head a clear display of her anxiety.
She swallowed her fear and pressed on before she knew it, she was already Pushing through the threshold to the next part of the plane, she encountered the Pravda team, one of the two other schools on this trip.
They were in the same predicament that her team was in, with most of the students entranced by the light. All except their tiny commander Katyusha who looked to be on the verge of breaking down with her face pressed firmly into Nonna's shoulders.
As she passed them by, she could hear faint sobs coming from the tiny girl, and her friends attempt to calm her down. "Shh, Katyusha we'll be fine. Klara has gone to see Kay and make sure everything is fine." The tall raven-haired girl.
Pressing forward, she passed the empty command cabin and found herself at the entrance to the flight deck which was still fully intact. Opening the door, she found herself freezing up Her eyes widened at the scene. The windows were shattered, glass littering the ground, a sickening smell of sulphur wafted from the control panels, carried by the faint smoke that rose from the console.
All three girls from Saunders, that had been piloting the plane laid on the floor. Their arms and faces covered with bandages, no doubt applied by the blonde-haired girl that sat over them applying bandages to Kay's face.
Audibly gulping she stepped forward cautiously, their weak moans of pain becoming more audible the closer she got. "What happened?" She said breathlessly.
"Electrical discharge. Or at least they think that." Klara spoke in her thick Russian accent paying no attention to her as she continued to tend to the girl's wounds.
'So, lightning?' She thought to herself. It made a bit of sense, it would definitely explain the turbulence they experienced. But would that explain the damage?
"Da, but I'm not entirely sure it could do all this? But is my best guess." She explained as she finished up the bandages. Had she said that out loud? Standing up Klara patted herself off and turned towards Miho, her eyes devoid of the fear that plagued the passengers. "There is something going on that cannot be explained by nature. I'm sure you've noticed the bright blue light that surrounds the plane."
"Of course,"
"Well, it isn't limited to just our environment." The blond-haired girl raised her wrist. A sturdy looking military watch was wrapped around it. However, something was off. The numbers that made up its digital display were rapidly changing, with seemingly no pattern to it. "My watch, as well as the surviving plane instruments, are all acting up."
Miho's gaze shifted to the control panel finding something that looked to be a compass embedded within. It looked completely different from what she was used to. The needle was replaced with a line that ran vertically down a pane of glass, behind it was a small disk which she could only assume had the four cardinal directions on it as it was nearly impossible to gauge what was actually written due to the speed it spun at.
The rest of the working instruments were in much the same state of usefulness. This only added to the confusion of this situation, it was as if they had entered a new reality where nothing made sense.
"What should we tell our classmates?" Miho asked hoping that Klara had an answer.
"That we know nothing." She responded bluntly. "It would be a bad idea to lie to them."
Miho bit her lip, this wasn't what she was looking for, or wanted, they were expecting her to come back with answers, but she had nothing. She briefly toyed with the idea of telling them a white lie but deep down she knew it wasn't going to work, they weren't stupid.
"well we-" Before she could even finish that thought a terrified shriek pierced the air. Both her and Klara instantly turned towards passenger cabin where the scream had come from.
The pair sprang into action, instantly rushing out of the pilot's cabin, finding everything in complete disarray. In every row, girls were being plucked up into the air by some unseen force. Every girl was working to keep their friends from floating off into the blue void.
Her eyes drifted over the cabin, soon resting on the disheartening scene of the small Pravda commander desperately trying to save her vice commander from being pulled into the void. But it was no use, Katyusha, as strong-willed as she could be, was being pulled up with her "Nonna, Katyusha!" Klara shouted from behind Miho, she was suddenly shoved aside by Klara who rushed to her friend's aid jumping up to grab hold of her hand.
However, even with the combined weight, Nonna continued to rise into the air. "Forget about me Klara, keep Katyusha safe." Nonna pleaded with her, tears in the corners of her eyes.
"Don't listen to her Klara!" Katyusha shouted. "I order you to help me save her!"
"Klara!" Nonna barked.
Klara barred her teeth making her struggle clear. "I'm sorry Katyusha." Miho could only watch the scene unfold as Klara let go of Nonna and grabbed hold of Katyusha pulling her away from her raven-haired friend.
Katyusha now safe on the ground could only gaze up in horror as Nonna flew higher and higher, a ghostly light beginning to form within her core. "Nonna!" Katyusha could only scream out her friend's name as she exploded into a bright blue light, a thunderous boom that shook the cabin accompanying it.
Katyusha stared wide-eyed at where her closest friend used to be, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she seemingly began to grasp the situation. "No...nna." she mouthed before collapsing to her knees, making no attempt to hide the fact that she was now crying. Klara was quick on the draw swiftly pulling her tiny commander into a tight hug in no doubt hoping to comfort her.
The strange anomaly took no break for the tragic scene in front of her, continuing to drag girls up into the void, following their vice commanders' fate. And all Miho could do was stand there, frozen solid as her mind tried to comprehend what was going on.
Then she remembered her own team. Were they being affected by this? She had to know, she was their commander and she wasn't going to let fear stand in her way. In a single moment, she rushed down the aisle, pushing past the panicking Pravda students who continued the hopeless struggle of attempting to save their friends.
She had wanted to help them like she had saved her old teammates, but she knew that, as cold of a gesture as it was, her team came first.
Pushing through the entrance to her school's cabin once more, Miho gasped at the view in front of her. Her school was in a worse situation then Pravda, with all that remained being mallard team who were currently trying to save their commander, and her own team. Yukari and Saori were still planted on the ground clinging to their other teammates in an attempt to save them.
Questions flooded her mind like a fog obscuring her view. What had happened? How could she have been so slow? She wasn't gone that long so why everyone gone? "Miporin help!" Saori shouted breaking her trance. She shook her head clearing the rest of the fog.
Miho crossed the gap in an instant, quickly grabbing hold of the larger girl's hand in an attempt to stop her ascent. She stared into Hana's eyes attempting to reassure the girl that she was going to make that she was going to be all right. Three sudden terrified shrieks echoed from out sight which were soon followed by three thunderous booms that marked the end of their friends.
Her eyes widened, a chilling running down her back at the realization that shattered her confidence. Hana turned to where mallard once sat. Tears began to fall from Hana hitting Miho on the way down. "Look at me Hana, just keep looking at me." She told the girl attempting to keep her focused on her and not the void that seemed to consume everything around them
But that didn't change the fact that they were alone now. Her heart's tempo doubled in speed as sweat form on her brow. She tightened her grip on the girls hand every ounce of strength in her body poured into saving her friend who had stood by her side since she first entered Ooarai.
However much like everyone before her it was pointless to try and fight the light. Not ten second after grabbing hold of the girl, she felt the ground beneath her pull away. Panic snaked its way through her body, a voice in the back of her mind yelled at her to let go to save herself. But she couldn't, she wouldn't. She looked around for anything for her foot to hook on too, but found nothing.
"Let go of me Miho, save yourself." Hana's voice shaking with the fear that they shared. Miho, grit her teeth, Hana had always been one to think of others instead of herself, but to ask her to let her go, to let her die? How could she ask such a thing, didn't she remember how she ended up at their school?
"Never!" She said through gritted teeth.
The doubt within her grew louder, it was apparent that she was going to be taken with her, but she ignored both Hana's and its pleas, she wouldn't let the doubt that had held her back from doing the things she loved win. She suddenly felt something wrap around her ankles. Looking towards the source, she found Yukari holding onto her leg. "Hold on Miss Nishizumi!" When had she let go of Hana?
But it wasn't enough, she was still being pulled skywards. Doubt boomed within her head, yelling at her to let go to save herself, to not be the hero. And she believed it, she couldn't save her. She suddenly felt two pairs of hands wrap around her free leg. Gazing to the floor she found Mako and Saori both hanging on to her, both of their faces showed their fear, but also they're willing to face it.
Miho steeled herself, she wouldn't lose Hana, resolve empowering every facet of her being, she wouldn't lose. Gritting her teeth, she clung onto the long-haired girl with all her might. So much so that she didn't doubt that had it not been for the numbness provided by the adrenaline that Hana would be in pain.
A shriek from Saori grabbed her attention, however as she turned her gaze, Saori and Mako passed her by, heading up into the blue light, she reached out to grab them, to save them like she was supposed to. But whoever or whatever was controlling the blue light used this opportunity and yank Hana from her grip.
She stared in silence as she watched three of her closest friends explode into a bright blue light. This wasn't supposed to happen, she was supposed to save them, they were expecting her to save them. She was Miho commander of Ooarai's senshadou club, the ace of Kuromorimine that took a no-name school to being the national champions. But how could she still call herself a commander without a crew, the only one left was Yukari.
"Just a little longer." Yukari her voice filled with the confidence she wished she had. She couldn't help but envy the girl's stubborn nature. Pushing past the tears she readied herself, she may not have been able to save Hana, but she would save Yukari. Reeling back her free leg, she kicked the girl's hand causing her to let go as a pained grunt escaped her lips.
"I'm sorry." Were the last words she told to her as she rose up from the plane. A chill ran through her body as she continued to ascend, every part of her body tingled causing her muscles to relax, it almost felt comforting. But that feeling soon faded, being replaced pain that grew in intensity as she continued to ascend, eventually feeling like her entire being was being torn apart by this force
Her vision went white as her very soul was torn apart. The last thing she heard was a faint cry of her name.
xXXXx
Pain, what was this pain Miho felt? Why, even within the void of sleep, did her head feel like a construction crew was taking a jackhammer to it? Letting out a small groan, she brought a hand to her head, slowly massaging it in an attempt to dull the pain.
As it subsided, she slowly opened her eyes allowing her to see out into the waking world, finding herself in a dark room she didn't recognize. The two windows on the right side of the room had wooden shutters that were exotic in design. The desk next to the wall had what looked to be a radio, that was playing some strange instrumental music, as well as a hot plate, a ceramic bowl sat atop it. Next to her was a wooden cabinet filled to the brim with books but what seemed odd to her was that this apartment if you could even call it that had a single other room or rather it looked to be a simple closet.
It was tiny compared to her own in Ooarai not to mention the fact that all of the furnishings looked to have been at least forty years old if the wear was anything to go by. But what had happened to them? Where were her friends? Pulling the covers off she found herself in her school's uniform, only adding to her confusion, it didn't help that the bag that contained everything she needed was nowhere to be seen.
The music wound down and before silence could take over the apartment what she could only assume was the announcer began to speak in what sounded like Russian. "With our recent measurements, we predict that the next emission will take place tomorrow between 6 and 7 pm. So, make sure to be indoors and listening to our excellent line up of catchy tunes. Radio freedom, making this harsh cold zone a little warmer. Next up KY from 5'nizza."
So, she was in Russia, maybe. She wasn't the best with eastern Europe, the most she knew was East Germany and that was due to her German tutor who lived there before the wall fell. But why wasn't she in Britain? Her gaze focused on the window as an idea formed in her head. Shifting over to the edge of the bed she placed both feet on the rug that covered most of the floor and attempted to stand up. Only to be forced back down by a wave of dizziness.
She took a moment to compose herself, taking a deep breath which, thankfully ended the feeling. Standing up once more, she walked over to the shutters and slowly opened them, finding a dreary scene that only added to her confusion. She looked to be on the second floor of some building in the middle of nowhere if the dark dense forest in front of her was anything to go by. It didn't help that clouds blanketed the sky making it look all the more depressing.
Beneath her was a small courtyard with a paved roundabout for cars to easily turn around. But everything else looked to be completely neglected. No that was understating it, it looked as if they had been 'abused' junk covered the tall unkept grass with the garbage mostly consisting of old cars, rusted beyond repair, old factory equipment which was much in the same state and large cement pipes strewn about the area as if dumped in a hurry.
Her heart picked up in pace as a single thought entered her mind, what if she had been kidnapped? It would explain why she didn't remember how she got here. But, why wasn't she restrained, surely if she was kidnapped her captor would restrain her? She needed more information to go on before coming to a conclusion. Turning towards the closed door to the room she cautiously approached it not sure if she wanted the answer it would give her.
As she grabbed the doorknob and gave it a small twist, she felt her heart sink, it was locked. So, she was kidnapped. But who would do such a thing? why? was it for money? Whoever did must have known her family name and if he did, he must have known that she had been disowned? So, he would know that her mother would pay nothing. So why would he, or they kidnap her?
Her gaze shifted to the cabinet, perhaps it contained a clue or something that could help her figure out her situation. Walking over to it she opened and began to scan its contents, finding nothing but row after row of books written in Russian.
A defeated sigh escaped her lips. Why did she expect to find something she could actually read? As she turned away from the makeshift bookshelf, she noticed something different out of the corner of her eye, it was a single book that was backwards making it impossible to read the title.
She mindlessly reached out and placed a hand on the book, only for her sense of morality to stop and scold her. What was she doing snooping around someone else's apartment even? But... no, this was a kidnapping, she couldn't let her morals stop her. Grabbing the book, she pulled it out allowing her to now see the title finding that it was a German Ukrainian dictionary. An odd book to be sure, but it gave her the answers she wanted. she was somewhere in Ukraine, maybe. This could just also be a guy who spoke Ukrainian or German and wanted to learn the other language.
This was good though at least she has some way of translating the books, but that would take time. Perhaps she would have to be more creative. Gripping the dictionary Miho sauntered towards the radio and began to toy with the dials first switching it to AM. If she could find a weather report, she could use the dictionary to translate and see if she was near any of Ukraine's cities depending on the weather. If there was a flaw in her plan, it was assuming that she was in Ukraine.
After much fiddling, she finally tuned in to what sounded like a talk show of some kind. Well not really a talk show, more like a shouting match between an extremely angry woman and an equally as furious man. Now if this was like the AM stations back in Japan then the weather report should come on every thirty minutes, she just hoped that she didn't just miss it.
Sitting at the edge of the bed, she placed the book on her lap and began to flip through the pages, until she landed on the page titled, We. Scanning the page, she soon found the German word for weather, Wetter. Which when translated into Ukranian sound like Pohoba. With that in mind she flipped to "Be" in the book soon finding bedeckt, the German word for overcast which when translated sounded like khmarytysya
Repeating the words over and over in her head she focused all of her attention on the radio. A few minutes later the debate or whatever you would call this, went to break, in which several presumably commercials played. And then she heard what she was waiting for. Weather she flipped back to her second folded page and stared at the Ukrainian word for overcast.
"it is currently eight here in Kiev the overcast that covers most of our wonderful Ukraine won't dissipate until early tomorrow. the change in weather will be accompanied by a rise in temperatures reaching a high point of fifteen. however, on Wednesday you can expect a dip to a low of three. Weather updates every thirty minutes here on KTSR 960 AM Now back to today's debate, whether we should open up the zone to foreign nations."
Miho stared at the book in bewilderment, she didn't get any of that, she heard the name Kiev and Ukraine which confirmed that she was indeed where she thought she was. But other than that, she had nothing. She could possibly be in Kiev, or nearabouts to it but she didn't know for sure. But she still needed to get out of here.
The sudden sound of metal creaking came from beyond the locked door. Widening her eyes, Miho realized, that whoever had captured her was coming back. Shooting to her feet, she rushed over to the cabinet, only to trip over a fold in the rug sending her to the ground face first, letting out a small grunt of pain on impact. The clicking of the door being unlocked quickly brought her back to reality.
Having no time to hide the evidence of her awakening, she quickly crawled under the bed and out of sight. Her heart pounded in her chest as the door was slowly pushed opened, which was accompanied by a loud creak that shook her down to her core. Her captor sauntered into the room the clacking of their boots sent shivers up her spine.
It didn't help that the boots and pants looked rugged and worn as if, adding to this vile sense of mystery that surrounded her captor. He let out a sigh that confirmed her captor's sex. "Should have known it would come to this" The man uttered in Ukranian before walking closer to the bed. Her heart sank into her gut as she could do nothing but watch from her position as the boots got closer, and closer, and closer. Until they were mere inches away from her face.
"Alright, come on out." The man spoke in his language as he crouched down. Miho began to panic, what should she do? What could she do, she was backed into a corner with no escape. The man's face soon came into view, revealing an old man who looked to be in his sixties at least due to the large grey beard that covered most of face and deep wrinkles that coated the man's forehead.
A small shriek escaped her lips, but was quickly silenced by her own hands. The man examined her for several seconds before letting out a tired sigh. "There is warm oatmeal on the desk. I'll be out in the garage." The man promptly stood up and left the room closing the door as he did.
Miho sat under the bed for what felt like minutes staring at where the man used to be. She didn't know what to think, he wasn't what she had thought her captor was going to be like. He wasn't some young man who looked like he needed the money her family had. He looked as if he had helped her in some way. The fact that he didn't try to drag her out from under the bed was proof of that. Or was it? She didn't know anything about the reason why someone could kidnap a person other than what she gleamed from the various tv shows she's seen.
But there was something else she noticed, she didn't hear the man lock the door as he left. Maybe, he hadn't locked it, maybe she had found her way to escape. Quickly crawling out from under the bed and Standing up, she rushed over to the door. Reaching out she once again grabbed and twisted the door handle. Finding that it lacked any resistance that it once hand.
A wave of relief washed over her as she slowly pried the door open. Finding herself on a metal catwalk of some kind. In front of her was what looked to be an elevator shaft like the ones she'd seen in pictures of her tutor's old apartment building. To her left was a dead end while to her right was a set of metal stairs that wrapped around the wall and out of sight no doubt leading to the first floor.
She bit her lip, it was easy, too easy. Had this man really kidnapped her? Or had she just been misinterpreting the situation? No, the door was locked when she had woken up, he must have kidnapped her. Her gripped tightened on the book that she still held as the plan finalized in her mind. She would find a town, someplace where she could call her sister to ask for help, but she wouldn't tell anyone about the man that had been her host. However, she would still need his book in order to translate things.
Quickly moving from the door frame, she descended the stairs, being extra attentive to not cause any unnecessary noise. She didn't know where the man was and what he would do if he caught her running off.
As she reached the first floor, she found a large double door, the soft howl of wind coming from the other side made it clear that this was the way outside. Reaching the door, she pushed it open causing a gust of cold wind to rush into the building. A chill ran up her spine at the sudden change in temperature. Clenching the book to her chest she continued forward, leaving the building altogether, taking in her surroundings as she did.
In front of her was the same road and courtyard as before, only the garbage that covered the grass was now a lot larger. But the forest, her plan of escape was something else. It looked imposing, almost alien in a sense. Tearing her eyes away from the forest she began to look around for any sign of the man. But found nothing other than a small garage that looked like it had seen better days.
Not letting this opportunity slip by she began to jog across the courtyard ducking behind the garbage every now and again in order to try and stay hidden.
She did this several times until she came face to face with the forest when she froze in place. She didn't know why but she was scared, not like before when she watched the man approach her, no this was different. The forest felt evil like no man should ever tread its ground for fear of death. This feeling was amplified by the cry some far off monster. The will that compelled her to escape fled from her leaving her nothing but a scared girl stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Stop!" The man shouted from behind her. Looking back her eyes widened. He was carrying a gun and was running towards her. He had kidnapped her. Sweat formed on her brow, as the fear of the forest in front of her was superseded by the threat that man posed. She broke into a sprint towards the forest, praying that she would make it. It didn't matter how scary that forest seemed she had to get away from him.
A sudden unholy growl pulled her attention away from the old man, turning to face the source of the hellish sound Miho saw it. A man, or rather, what used to be a man, crawling on all fours towards her, its hands and feet caked in mud and what looked to be blood. Another terrifying sound came from the beast's maw, which lacked lips of any kind revealing its jagged and bloodied teeth. The head of the beast was covered in its most striking feature, an old battered gas mask which by some miracle it still wore, a long tube hung down from the mouth area of the mask which would have made her laugh if not for the context of the situation she found herself in.
The scream for help was stuck in her throat. How was that thing moving? Its skin was grey necrotic so how was it moving!?
The beast suddenly lunged at her with a clear intent to kill. Acting purely on instincts Miho slammed her eyes shut and dived out of the way. Her skin scrapped against the pavement, the pain muffled by the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She swiftly turned herself over, finding the beast growling as it prepares for another attack.
Two Powerful cracks pierced the air, the bullets tore through the beast with ease ending its assault. Miho stared in silence at the beast as it laid limp on the road it back in clear view of her. She was stunned. The beasts back, was torn open revealing both its spin and the bloody lower layers of skin which was speckled with maggots who gleefully ate at the dead flesh. Bile rose from her gut which she fought to keep down. And then the smell hit her. Turning to her side the contents of her stomach shot out of her mouth.
'What was that thing? Why did it look human? How could it even live with his back like that?' The same questions as before repeated themselves over and over again. It was the only thing she could focus on.
"Here." The man's voice broke her from her thoughts, her eyes widened, that was German gazing towards the source he found the man standing over her with a hand outstretched. Her gaze shifted back to the forest. What other dangers lurked within it, what would have happened if she hadn't been stopped.
Looking back to the man, she bit her lip. Reaching out she grabbed hold of the man's hand.