Chapter 7 "Old World Horror"

"Why do the stars of the Kremlin attract people?" Piter asked as they strolled through the dark tunnel.

"The legend goes that the Kremlin makes people see what they want to see." Ivan said. "It just that everyone wants to see the Kremlin, to see the holy of holies still intact."

"I don't understand." Piter atmitted.

"It is a really hard topic, and not even I know how to explain it."

"What happened to it?"

"I don't know either, your cannibal friends did though. Maybe a biological weapon. They didn't notice it right away, or sound the alarm, because once they noticed what was happening, it already consumed everyone in the Kremlin, including the people in the neighborhood."

"You sound like you were there."

"Do I? No I heard the story from a trader who claimed to be there when it happened."

"Quiet you two." Yuri interrupted.

The tunnel ended and they found themselves in a station. This one, unlike its unnamed cousins, sported crimson color tiles and green marble floor. The station was dark as the flashlights from the Rangers faded down into the station. However the station had light, red emergency lights still glowed with power. The Rangers climbed onto the platform and carefully checked the arches, benches and other abandoned accessories for any hint of a trap, or mutant. This station was the end of the line as the rail line that they traveled on ended at the opposite side of the station.

"Where to now?" Ivan asked as they regrouped at the center of the platform.

"Well we are not going back, so the only way is up." Yuri said.

"Great, right into the frying pan."

Yuri led them to the staircase, "Everyone keep your masks on!"

Mark putted on the gasmask he had acquired from his fallen comrade. The rest of them where fortunate enough to have protective head gear. Yuri was the first to step onto the staircase, followed by Mark, Boris, the unnamed Ranger, Ivan and then Piter. With every step the stairs gave out a loud squeak or completley collapsed into themselves. The stairs where blocked by a large golden door, which served as an airlock for the Metro. Yuri slowly opened it and entered the outside world. Piter slowly crept up the stairs as the walls parted, and he ended up in a marble hall. The room with faded red paint and cobwebs and dust supported a high dome like ceiling. The Rangers walked down the hall, paintings of Lenin standing over a crowd of people who cheered for him, soldiers in outdated uniforms and Russian families living in peace. When they reached the end of the hall, Piter felt uneasy. Yuri opened the golden door and entered as the Rangers followed. Piter, being the last to enter, turned around to shut the door. He saw a large figure standing running straight at him. He recoiled and slammed the door. Waiting a few seconds for a loud thunk but nothing happened. Was it just his imagination?

He turned around and looked at the room. It was a large square room, with carpeting and paintings. Large chandlers complemented the tall ceiling that was supported by large pillars. Faded out tables and chairs littered the room. Tinted windows blocked out any natural lighting from the already dark sky. A collapsed large pillar near them, and damaged ceiling showed them the grey darkness of the sky above. Across from them a staircase led into another part of the Kremlin, however the path was blocked, once the Kremlin's dark secret reviled itself. Piter saw a blackish brown, dirty, oily, alive creature slowly crawl into the room from the stairs. It looked like multiple pieces of human flesh and skin combined into one creature.

"What the hell is that?" Yuri said.

"That looks like the Biomass that was sitting in the reactor room of D6!" Ivan said.

The creature spreaded freely among the floor, making strange and revolting noises, and opened a monstrous jaw that had rows of sharp teeth. The Creature wasn't on Piter's mind as he noticed that above the monster, through a broken window on the ceiling, the Kremlin star rose for all to see.

"Piter run!" someone yelled as a gloved hand slapped him on the side of his helmet.

His legs would not move, a flash of conciseness was extremely short.

"What's wrong with him! Pull him!"

"Mother of God. It's already come out!"

"To me, to me! That is an order or I will shoot!"

"Damn it, Piter climbs the pillar!"

"Lift him up... I got him!

"What is he looking at!"

"Look above!"

"The star!"

"Tighten it up!... Don't look. Don't look there... do- ook-... its beautiful."

Mark climbed up onto the pillar that his fellow Rangers used as a mean to escape the monster, and looked at his Rangers. They were all sitting down in crossed legs and looking up. Mark quickly and slowly glanced at the window above and saw the pole that he remember held the stone made Kremlin star. Looking back at his Rangers he saw that they were lost in the hypnotic powers of the star.

"Guys don't look." He cried out standing in front of the Rangers. "Don't look damn it!"

They simply leaned out of his path to glance at the star. Mark started to shake Piter, trying to get his friend back.

"Piter, wake up!" He yelled.

"It calls me." Piter said happily.

"Good, speak boy! Speak!" Mark said. "Ivan how are you holding up?"

"It calls me." Ivan said and started rocking back and forth mumbling a song.

Mark thought that if he managed to get there minds off of the star and focus on the monster. In fact, he glanced back at the monster who was sitting at the bottom of the pillar trying to gnaw it's way up to them.

"Sing! It wants us to sing!" Mark asked.

No one responded, which made Mark feel uneasy.

"Here join me!" Mark said. "United forever in friendship and labor, our great mighty republics will ever endure!"

"The Great Soviet Union will live through the ages. The dream of the people their fortress secured." Yuri joined in.

"Yes don't give up!" Mark stood up and cried out.

"Long live our Soviet Motherland, built by the people's mighty hand!" Boris said and joined Yuri.

"Long live our people, united and free!" The unnamed Ranger joined his comrades.

Then silence. Mark realized that Piter and Ivan where too young to know the song.

"Stand up!" Mark said and lifted Piter and Ivan to a standing position.

"It calls me!" Boris said.

Mark turned to him quickly to see the bear of a man fall forward into the creature below.

"Shit!" Mark said.

Boris fell into the hungry quagmire below, no screaming, no sounds of intense pain. Just low chewing and chomping noises. Yuri and the Ranger continued to sing the hymn of the old song, but Piter and Ivan quickly rushed to the edge of the pillar to see Boris find peace with the beast. Piter envied Boris and was about to go before Mark quickly grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Well it's my time to go!" Ivan yelled.

"Goodbye my comrade!" Piter said.

Ivan jumped off the pillar and landed right on top of the monster who swallowed him whole.

"IVAN!" Mark yelled out.

Piter, who was rather jealous of his friend, pushed off Mark and walked back to the edge. He didn't see his friend at all, as he was already being consumed by the monster, and slowly realised that Ivan wasn't there, not on the pillar or on the monster.

"Ivan?" Piter said looking around the pillar. "Where is Ivan!"

"Piter?" Mark said.

"Mark where did Ivan go?" Piter said and noticed he used Mark. "I mean sir!"

"Thank you God, Piter you are back to normal!" Mark shouted with joy.

"Back to normal?" Piter asked.

"You looked at the star, everyone did, Ivan tried to go to it but he, the monster..."

Piter looked at the monster for any sign for his friend.

"Through days dark and stormy!" Yuri said.

"Where great Lenin led us!" The other said.

"Our eyes saw the gre-" Yuri said before Mark threw him to the floor of the pillar.

"Wake up!" Mark shouted

Yuri's eyes, that looked as grey as the dust around them, came back to a greenish color.

"Where am I?" He asked as Piter tackled the Ranger with the Flamethrower.

"Yuri, you all looked at the Kremlin's star. Boris and Ivan jumped into the creature's mouth." Mark said.

The other Ranger came through.

"Shit where am I?" He asked.

Piter helped him to his feet as Mark and Yuri inspected the monster. Yuri shot more bullets into which disappeared into the creature.

"Nothing!" Mark said angrily then noticed Yuri had a grenade. "Maybe a grenade?"

"I don't want to use it, no telling how fragile these pillars are."

"How about the flamethrower?" The Ranger asked.

"Yes, use it, give it a try!" Yuri said.

The Ranger turned on the flamethrower and after pointing the nossle at the beast, let out a long dirty orange flame that struck the creature. After a long screech and gallons of fire being emitted onto the it, the abomination started to retreat into the corner and shrink.

"It's leaving!" Yuri said.

"The stairs!" Mark yelled.

The stairs that the monster guarded was clear.

"Follow me and hurry!" Yuri said and he jumped off the pillar as the Rangers followed.

The monster gave out a graveyard howl and with a thunderous grumble stretched its head and with sharp teeth grabbed the Ranger with the flamethrower. It was unexpected so he gave out no sign of pain. Yuri stopped at the stairs to let Piter and Mark go. He pulled out the grenade and as the monster finished the Ranger and looked at him, he threw it at the monster, who swallowed it whole. Piter heard a loud explosion as he steped onto the castle walls of the Kremlin. He turned around to see the dome structure collapse and dust fly out of the staircase.

"Yuri!" Piter said.

Mark stopped and turned to his comrade.

"We have to go!" He called.

"Why so fast?" Yuri came out of the dust and pushing it off nochalonley.

"I thought we lost you." Piter said.

"I wouldn't miss a chance to see the Kremlin." Yuri said.

Piter turned from the castle wall and looked into the courtyard of the Kremlin. It was as if the war never happened. It looked clean with its tile floor; unscratched buildings and plants covered in snow like it was during the winters of the old world? When one turned around you would see the destroyed city of Moscow, grey, ashes, snow, and ruined buildings and cars.

"Ok lets try to find a way off this wall." Yuri said.

They walked along the crimson stone wall of the Kremlin until Mark saw the Great Library.

"Happy day, never would I thought to be so happy to see that cursed Library!" He exclaimed.

The Great Library was right above the Polis stations and was guarded by ape like creatures called Librarians but luckily the Rangers didn't need to transverse the Library. Piter looked down the Kremlin wall.

"You think we can jump down?" He asked.

"Give it a try." Yuri said.

Piter climbed over the side of the Kremlin wall and dropped down onto the streets of Moscow. He gave a loud grunt as he landed on his fell then fell over on his back.

"You OK?" Mark asked.

Piter sat up and stretched. Then he looked up and yelled, "Yes, I am alright."

Yuri and Mark climbed down the wall and fell in a similar fashion as Piter. They collected themselves and readied there weapon.

"Here Piter." Mark said and threw Piter a Makarov Pistol.

Piter checked it then readied to fire. No one knows what horror could pop out at them. He looked at the path ahead. It was a large grass field with destroyed trees, shrubs and snow that cover the grass.

"We just need to clear this court yard and we will be home free!" Yuri said.

A wolfish howls from behind attracted there attention.

"Watchers!" Yuri said.

Watchers are another horror that spawned from the ashes of the apocalypse. They were large harry creatures, and hunted in packs.

"Run!" Mark yelled.

The Rangers rushed across the court yard and the sounds of multiple footsteps followed. Piter glanced back and saw a Watcher following close behind. He turned and fired as the beast multiple times before it tripped over and died. Then he ran like a mad man toward the end of the court yard.

"Just a little bit further!" Yuri assured.

They were just across the Great Library, a large gorge of radioactive water and rubble separated the Library from Polis. The Rangers quickly took right and ran down a dirt path and then stopping suddenly.

"Shit the side path has collapsed!" Yuri shouted.

"What now?" Mark yelled turning around to see the watcher rush at them.

"I know that there is a man hole that will lead us through the gorge through a pipe so we should be protected from the radiation."

With suppressive fire the Rangers rushed toward an open manhole and crawled through. Mark was the last one in and watched their back in case any of the Watchers followed them. They crawled through the sewer tunnel that had a greenish light emitting from radioactive fungus. Piter Heard the Watchers following and encouraged Yuri to move faster. A moment later Yuri climbed out of the man hole, followed by Piter and Mark. Piter saw the stations entrance, just one escalator to go and they were home free! Piter quickly rushed down the steps like an Olympic runner and found himself at the cold airlock of Polis station. Yuri and Mark came from behind and Yuri pounded at the airlock shouting, "Sargent G, open up!"

A yellow lite lit up the stations entrance. Piter knew that in a couple of seconds he would be home. A graveyard howl shuttered him as watchers descended from the staircase. The Rangers fired at the mutants, making every shot count. If the door didn't open soon they would be swarmed. More hairy black beasts rushed down into the stations entrance.

"Fire, damn it!" Yuri shouted.

"I am out!" Mark yelled.

A beast tackled him and Piter rushed to his rescue by grabing the mutant and will all his might flung the beast off of him. Piter fell to the ground and the beast turned his attention to Piter. It jumped on him and gnawed his mask off. Piter couldn't breathe right as his vision blurred and his eyes watered. His arms and legs stiffed and he was frightened that his would be killed right there. It went in for the kill, only to be killed by a hail of bullets. The stations door opened and a fire team of Rangers rushed out armed with shields and silenced VSV. Piter felt somebody grab him and dragged him into the station. He saw three Rangers step into the stations entrance rescuing Mark and Yuri. Then another team of five rushes into the entrance firing at the monsters and climbing the escalators to finish the horde.

The stations doors closed and Piter realized that he was back at home, Polis, the Metro. He looked at his fellow Rangers, who plunged into the legendary side tunnels of D6 and realized that the worst was yet to come. Piter stood up stretched his body and shook both Mark and Yuri's hand.