The skies were cloudy, the ambience grey. The sun was nowhere to be found here in the Exclusion Zone of Chernobyl.
It was a really depressing sight to anyone but the residents of this place, like Yuri, who was bored out of his mind while he was guarding the main building of the military base in Agroprom.
Sure, he wasn't out there training a bunch of stupid recruits or making sure nobody killed themselfs for not checking their guns correctly, so he was somewhat grateful for having the boring job of the day.
At least now he had the oportunity to smoke those cigarettes that Makarov have gifted him yesterday.
"Maybe i should stop smoking..."
...
"Ugh, whatever..." He groaned while he was looking for that poison in his rig.
This was life, it can't get any better for someone like him. A talentless guy, without ambitions and not that smart. His sister had better luck than him, he has to pay for her education with the money he earns in this hellhole.
But he wasn't complaining, another day doing nothing means another day survived, and that means another day closer to see his family again.
But until that comes, he has to keep his duties here, feeling alone and melancholic.
It wasn't helping the fact that the other guys in the bar were listening to some rather sad and nostalgic music with the radio they kept there.
He shook his head to keep away any stray thoughts.
He was still recieving letters from home anyway, so that kept his spirits high.
The last one talked about his sister entering college, so that was a great thing, at least his money was being spend in something good.
The clouds grew darker and he noticed that the ground was stained with raindrops that fell from the sky.
"It can't get any worse that this, can it?"
The sound of a helicopter aproaching to the base startled him. He noticed that from here it looked like it was carrying personel.
That was weird, they usually only came to carry coffins, so this was a new sight.
But that was kinda ironic, since the majority of the time there wasn't any corpse to bury...
"Maybe something important." He mumbled while puting one cigarette in his mouth and lighting it up with a match.
He continued to stay guard, whatever it was wasn't his concern.
The rain was growing in intensity by the minute and the air was getting colder, so he let his AK-74 hang from the sling and chose to rub his hands, his gloves were trash since the time he tried to grab a Fruit Punch anomaly...
It miraculously didn't ruin his hands.
He wondered where the rest of his team was, maybe in another base or 6 feet below the ground. Nobody survives long enough in the Zone anyways.
There were rumors of some monolithians doing a raid in an underground lab somewhere, X-18 he remembered it was called.
It was kinda worrying, but again, it wasn't his concern.
He would return home in another week.
"Liutenant! Liutenant Yuri!"
That was his name, who's calling?
He turned around and saw one of the recruits running to him from the main building of the compound.
"Lt!"
"At ease, soldier." He answered, throwing away his cigar and stepping on it with his boot. "What's the matter?"
"Commander is looking for you! H-He looks angry!"
Damn, it better not be something bad.
"Fine, but replace me here until I solve that matter".
"Sure thing Lt!"
He walked inside, greeted the guards and directly went to the stairs. The commander's office was in the third floor, so he had to jog a little to not be late for whatever the guy wanted.
Once up there, he sighed and prepared his mind for the worst.
It helps with not developing a bad mental state, he thinks, but knowing his luck, he would probably be fine.
And he thought everything would be fine until he questioned why the hell were they calling him now, what special occasion was this?
With a little doubt, he chose to swallow the lump in his throat and enter the office.
Surrounded by three men in suits, the commander was sitting in there.
He totally was not expecting that sight, it send a shiver down his spine.
What...?
Every pair of eyes was on him the moment he entered the place. The one that disgusted him the most was of the commander, wich was the only one that was smiling for some reason.
"Ah! There you are."
Against his better senses, he standed straight and saluted. "Sir."
He signaled him to stop and Yuri relaxed. "Take a sit."
The liutenant obeyed, he didn't want to risk his career.
"Great, we have some questions to ask you." Spoke the commander while looking at the men in suits.
One of them brought a document and started reading. "We have recieved reports about some irregularities regarding the handling of equipment issued by the government in cooperation with the United States of America, precisely the fact that large quantities of weapons and ammunition have disappeared from the warehouse." He explained. "Certain irregularities present us with some main suspects, among them a private named Joseph Makarov."
The commander looked straight to Yuri. "I believe he was one of the members in your unit, am I correct?"
The liutenant frowned.
Makarov? Missing weapons? I don't like this at all...
"We apprehended and interrogated the offender, but one part of his statement did not fit with everything and that is the fact that, in order for him to be able to hide the weapons and take them outside the premises, he needed help for transportation and access to the deposit itself."
The direction of the conversation was making him pale a little.
This can't be, right?
"In addition to the fact that one of the few people with access to the deposit is you, it leaves us with the question..." The man turned the page. "Where were you on Sunday, February 7 at 11:30 at night? "
That's oddly specific, besides...
He noticed something's off.
His gaze narrowed at the commander's direction.
"I was patrolling the perimeter of the compound"
"Is there someone that can verify this?"
Fuck.
"The... guards on the tower... I'm sure they-"
"Didn't see you around because you snuck out of your position to join Makarov behind the warehouse and break through one of the windows to take out the equipment one by one." Interrumped the commander.
That... that!
"That's a lie! I didn't do that!"
"Oh, yeah?" Continued the commander. "And how is it that I have the word of two guards who were doing their work in the towers and prove that what you say is not true? How shameless do you have to be to continue lying even when you've already been caught?"
What... the fuck!? That is obviously a lie!
The commander stood up and walked to Yuri, looking down at him.
"Get up."
He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white.
There's nothing else to do...
He obeyed, his head low.
"Look up, have some dignity."
He didn't want to be part of this shitshow anymore.
His gaze met the one of his superior.
The commander grabbed the patches on his uniform and ripped them from the fabric, then dropped them on the table behind him.
One by one, all of his equipment was removed from his person. He was left with nothing but his pants, boots, dog tags, and the telnyashka he was wearing underneath his jacket.
He looked at the ornate Fort-12 pistol resting on the table, the one he was given a week ago for his service to the country.
The commander followed his gaze and looked at the pistol.
Then, he smiled at him.
"A fine piece, there's no doubt about that."
He unloaded it and shoved it to his chest, Yuri barely grabbed it.
"You can keep it."
Yuri felt something snap inside of him.
"From this moment on, you are no longer a member of the Ukrainian army, all your privileges are taken from you and your salary is denied." The commander spoke, looking like someone who got what he wanted. "You are banished to the Zone and all military personnel have orders to shoot you on sight, furthermore, if by some miracle you return to society, you will be treated as a terrorist, now get out of my sight before I get an execution squad ready and pin you against the wall to annihilate you."
This was an absurd injustice. He watched the officers to see their reactions to the punishment without trial.
They too were smiling.
Ah... that explains it.
He was the backup plan, wasn't it?
It made sense.
He left the office and the entire building. Everyone looked at him with curiosity but nobody bothered to interrupt his path as he left the base.
Exposed to the elements, the only thing that accompanied him was the rattle of the rain as it fell to the ground. He wandered for several hours until he found himself in front of an abandoned house in the middle of the forest.
It was very cold, so it was better to sit for a while and process everything that had just happened.
He entered the dilapidated building, the wood of the floor crunching beneath his weight.
The moldy bed he sat on was slightly comforting.
Now that he was here, what will he do?
He hunched over and rested his head in his hands.
With no job, he can no longer return, which means that he is practically already dead to his family according to the story they tell them, which ends with only one conclusion.
He's a mere nuisance to the world now.
He sank into despair knowing that it is very likely that he will never return home.
What could he do now? He couldn't do anything but just sit in a corner and die, his life is ruined.
How the hell this happened?
He felt the cold wind from outside blowing in through the shattered window of the house. He had to do something or he would get hypothermia.
That, until he heard footsteps approaching.
No bullets, not even a knife, why fight anymore?
Probably bandits... or something worse.
He looked to the entrance with apprehension.
"Haha, can you believe it? That stupid begged me for his life."
"Heh, yeah... I can imagine it."
"Whatever, who the hell was that guy anyways?"
"Some Loner?"
"Ah, makes sense."
Four individuals dressed in leather jackets and cloth tracksuits entered the building. They immediately noticed Yuri.
They prepared their weapons and aimed them at the exiled soldier.
He just lowered his head, might as well accept death now.
"Who the fuck is this guy?"
"Oi! Drop everything you have!"
Yuri just spared them a glance, then returned to have his head low, nothing mattered anymore.
Somewhat surprised by his demeanor, they lowered their guns. "Huh, did something happened to him?"
"Uhh... should we kill him?"
"I... I dunno, man."
One of them took off his jacket and approached the soldier, then left it on his back. He didn't flinch or say anything, but the slight tremor he had stopped.
Then, he proceeded to sit next to him.
"Hey asshole, are you a soldier?"
Yuri sighed and shook his head.
"Then what about those clothes? I dunno, but that is what those pigs wear."
Yuri didn't answer.
The man grunted, then asked again. "What are you doing here? We're close to the fence that separates Agroprom and the swamps, plus you're carrying nothing but that unloaded gun, so what happened?"
Yuri found it strange that these strangers had decided not to kill him yet, but he figured he could talk for a while as long as they didn't want to kill him.
"The high command's dogs used me to hide the fact that they smuggle weapons... so they stripped me of my rank, my equipment and kicked me out of the base to die."
"Yikes, that sounds fucked up."
"Yup, those cocksuckers are some of the nastiest shit."
"Ha! I knew they were like that, maybe a little worse than us!"
"Heh... hehe... That would be asking for a miracle, hehe."
Yuri only watched them next to the guy who gave him the jacket.
"Yes, well, most of us renegades are like that." He spoke, apparently noticing what Yuri was thinking. "People with mental problems or seen as individuals who simply seek for violence, so no one likes us... and they're right, haha."
The ex-military man frowned. "You... are renegades?"
The man patted Yuri on the shoulder while laughing. "Now you are too, so..." He stood up and opened his arms in a sign of welcome. "Welcome you, brother from another mother! Now you are a renegade, you have the perfect opportunity, because you have nothing else to lose! Complete freedom to do atrocities! As long as you stay alive." He signaled to his companions, who nodded and left the cabin. "Just one last piece of advice, boy, don't trust other renegades." He finished, and then left with the others.
Yuri watched them go as his breathing became increasingly labored.
Slowly, a smile formed on his lips.
"I have nothing to lose now, huh?"
Somehow, he felt more relaxed now that he had heard those words.
So... a week passed and the world continued without any problem.
I took a deep breath of the humid environment of the Zone's swamps, a place plagued with mutants, anomalies, and every kind of human garbage.
"Haha! And then I shot him in the head! That's how I earned this beauty, a harmonica!"
And, as much as I hated to admit it, I ended up grouped in with the latter category.
I was resting with a small group of renegades I encountered on one of my travels. They don't know anything about me except that I'm a renegade like them.
We were in one of the dozens of abandoned houses scattered throughout the swamp, sitting in front of the campfire outside and generally doing nothing.
I rejoiced in the fact that these heartless people won't be able to recognize me even if they try. My PDA status describes me as MIA.
Yes, I checked from the PDA of another idiot I killed several days ago and that's what it said about mine.
Now I go under the nickname "lunatic", mostly because of a couple of things I did the first few days as a "renegade".
It's a funny thing, actually.
I have a tendency to get into fights that would be impossible for anyone else to win, like the time I took on a dozen Loners with just my Fort-12 pistol and two magazines full of old bullets, or when a group of bandits attacked me. They ambushed me to try to rob my ass, but I was able to defend myself and annihilate that group...
Now that i think about it, it's quite strange, because each time it seems that luck is what allows me to live each day as I do.
Although I'm a little worried about the fact that every time I get into a fight, I tend to be more sadistic...
Tsk.
I'm not going to lose myself because of the Zone. I still... I still have to go back...
I sighed, then looked up and noticed that the sky was beautiful today. The sun shone throughout the area, bathing the surrounding landscape in its light.
There is only one problem...
"Ugh, which one of you motherfuckers stole my vodka?"
"Oh come on Telnya! You didn't even bother hiding it, that thing was just begging for me to drink it!"
The renegade named Telnya drew his pistol and shot the other in the head. "Bastard!" And he continued shooting at his corpse until he ran out of bullets to fire, but that didn't stop him from going and repeatedly kicking that guy's lifeless body.
While all this was happening, the others were laughing.
The problem is that everyone here is shit.
Yup.
I hope they fucking die.
...
Yeah, fuck them, I can worry about my growing violent tendencies later.
I stood up and walked to the cabin behind us. I checked carefully and found something interesting.
A gas canister.
I picked it up with both hands and staggered out of the abandoned house.
As soon as I saw the unfortunates, I swung the cylinder and threw it towards the group of renegades next to the bonfire.
The thing fell on one of them, crushing it under its weight.
"AH!?"
I unholstered my gun and fired non-stop at the thing.
The metal gave way to the continuous shots and a hole opened that let the gas escape, which ignited in flames seconds later when it came into contact with the sparks caused by the bullets bouncing off the metal.
Which, consequently, caused those psychopaths to catch on fire as well.
Their cries of despair were like music to my ears.
I continued firing my last bullets until it finally exploded into a small tornado of flames as the canister began to spin in all directions as it was propelled by the force of combustion of the gas.
I covered my face. The smell of burning flesh assaulted my nostrils.
And I stood there, looking at the human bonfire for a few more minutes, probably half an hour or I don't know... it just looked complacent to look at.
What have I just done?
I just burned a bunch of people alive.
Was it necessary?
...
Probably.
When the flames finally died out, I had the oportunity to see the horror I had committed.
And I liked it.
I went through their corpses, sometimes accidentally burning my hands. I found some broken weapons, pieces of cloth mixed in with burned flesh, and a strangely intact ornate harmonica, the same one the renegade from earlier was talking about.
There were also bullets in the mix, but I'm not at all risking using those bullets in my gun.
Which is why I'm taking them to make a gunpowder bomb later, a perfect tool for an ambush.
You tend to learn things when your life is at stake.
I adjusted my backpack and made my way to the pumping station in the center of the sprawling swamp.
If I want to have my revenge I need equipment and I won't get it by sitting around doing nothing.
I've heard that Stalkers from different factions often gather there because of the rather large tower in there that is great for setting up surveillance while others take a break from their travels.
Whoever the group is that I'm going to meet, I just hope that God feels compassionate today.
I had very few rounds to spare, but they would be useless if I missed my shots, since the 9x18mm won't be able to do anything against superior armor.
In other words, this better work or I'll become the next mutant's dinner.
As soon as I saw the pump station in the distance, I crouched down and decided to continue but, unfortunetaly for me, it was under the concealment of tall weeds and radioactive stagnant water.
The place was a shack glued together with wood and metal suspended in the air by a wooden platform over the water below. There were cylindrical metal containers that were responsible for storing the water that they collected from the different tubes that were connected throughout the structure. Additionally, there was a watchtower with the roof full of holes and missing parts, the one that I was thinking about.
Overall, the place looked like it could barely stand.
There was someone up there in the tower, from here I couldn't see the faction patch he belongs to, but he wears blue, so he could very well be an ecologist or a mercenary.
Maybe both.
Good for me, good equipment awaits me.
If I fucking survive.
Well, there's no turning back now.
I took several breaths to calm my growing nerves.
Slowly, I crawled along the ground towards my goal. The guy up there didn't seem to be paying attention down here, so it's the perfect opportunity.
With my skills, I slipped under their guard and sneaked under the platform. My clothes now were wet, but it was just an inconvenience in the face of a greater goal.
I only have my gun and a magazine and half of bullets.
Eh... It could work.
I carefully crawled across the moldy floor, completely avoiding making noise that might attract unnecessary attention.
Without anyone noticing, I was now outside the shack, stuck to the wall.
I looked up and noticed the tower guard nonchalantly smoking a cigarette, his attention directed elsewhere.
I then turned towards the wall and peered through one of the various holes in the wood.
"Have you seen if we've been paid already?" One of the men in blue asked, checking the time on his watch.
"Tsk, connection here's weak." The other responded, looking at his PDA. "Just give me a second until this thing finally decides to load in."
There were two people inside, sitting on wooden boxes and talking about various things, although my limited understanding of English didn't give me a clear picture of the conversation.
Then, I noticed the patch on their uniforms, being a blue eagle behind a black background.
So... mercenaries. Although that was already obvious, no one else speaks English around here...
I prepared the gun in my hands and took a deep breath.
Damnit.
I stood up and walked without caring about the noise my boots made, I was going to go around to meet them face to face.
"Hey, Ivan, is that you?"
I entered the dimly lit room and pointed my gun at the nearest one, who was wearing only a gas mask for protection.
The bullet pierced the lens of his mask and the man collapsed to the ground.
"Oh, shi-!" The other tried to draw his own gun but I had already shot him in the throat.
He put both hands on his neck and began to regurgitate his own blood.
I kicked him to the ground and stomped hard on his throat.
"Hey! What happened there!?"
I turned and pointed my gun at the door just as two more mercenaries appeared with weapons in hand, so I fired three times, making them take cover behind the wooden wall from the shots, wich gave me time to bent down and pick up an M4A1 that was lying on the ground, it will no longer be of any use for this corpse.
I continued shooting as I retreated to the other room of the shack. This one with two beds and a nightstand with a candle. There was also a bathroom, but it would be stupid to hide there.
I put away my pistol and held the American rifle with both hands.
I've never had one of these in my life, I hope it works for me.
"Fire in the hole!" I heard something roll across the floor in the other room, followed by an explosion that left me momentarily deaf.
Bullets whizzed past my sides, some piercing the wood of the walls.
Too dangerous.
I retreated through the other exit and tried to go around, but the other mercenary in the tower was already coming down the stairs.
"Who the fuck are you!"
I pointed my M4 at him and he threw his hands in the air.
Then, I squeezed the trigger, but it didn't fire.
...
Fuck, it must have the safety on.
The mercenary took advantage of my surprise and tried to draw his own pistol, but I threw the weapon at his face and lunged at him.
We both fell onto the ladder, the mercenary taking the brunt of it as his back collided directly with the metal, but not that I cared.
I hit his face covered by the mask several times, I could see how he stopped struggling so much after the blows, so I wrapped my hands around his neck.
"Hey, hey, hey! Freeze, motherfucker!"
I turned, the mercenary that I was choking having his back against me, using him as a shield from the weapons of the other Stalkers in blue.
I reached my hand to his waist and unholstered his own weapon, firing it from that position and killing the other two mercenaries. Then, I changed the direction of the gun and shot it right on the right side of his ribs, the guy will probably die in a while.
Just to be sure, I also planted a bullet in his temple.
I pushed him and he fell to the ground unceremoniously.
With my breathing stabilizing, I kept the simple, square looking pistol in my hands as I scanned my surroundings for any other threats.
...
Good.
I took several deep breaths and stood up from the ground. My body hurt a little, but I was generally fine.
Then, I made sure the others were dead too by shooting them in the head again while they were on the ground, you never know...
Without any more dangers around, I looked at the gun in my hands.
Glock 21 .45 Auto, was what the inscription on the slide of the pistol indicated.
I'll keep it in mind.
I collected these bastards' equipment and piled it on one of the beds in the place.
I have to say, I think I hit the jackpot.
Wait...
...
I could... I could swear I heard something in the bushes outside...
Whatever.
I found Western weapons, including Glock and M1911 pistols, a UMP45 submachine gun, two M4A1s, a Steyr AUG, and a SPAS-12 shotgun, as well as bullets to take care of a few dozen people.
As for the armor, practically everything was fine. I just won't be able to use the gas masks they had, as they were now full of holes.
The clothes, on the other hand...
I could very well disguise myself as a mercenary and try to get information about the military, I could even work undercover and earn some money.
Everything was starting to turn into a good color now.
"David, are you there?"
What is that...?
One of the mercenaries had a radio in one of the pockets of his clothes. I took it and listened carefully.
"You there...?"
Uhh...
"Okey, fuck, hope you rookie idiots aren't dead, that firefight in the distance sounded rough. So, we don't have time to lose, we'll be waiting for you in the fishers cabin east of our objective, good luck getting there, out."
Soo... a message.
"Oh, one more thing." The radio played again. "If you aren't David, fuck you, don't even dare to come 'cause we'll tear apart your ass, fuckin' out."
Well, that last one sounded more like a threat...
Now, I have a direction, the only thing I don't know is if these guys know I'm going there or if they even know that their companions are more than dead.
I hid a stash of all the equipment I wasn't going to use and, instead, I put on one of the uniforms with its respective vest and took an M4A1 and a Colt M1911.
Awkwardly, it took me a little while to figure out how to remove the safety on the American rifle...
Carrying all this gear makes me feel safer, even if just a little.
Those guys said they would be in a fishing cabin east of their target, but what is their target? There's nothing interesting around here other than old buildings destroyed by time and...
Oh.
Are they looking for the remains of Clear Sky?
That... might make sense.
What could they be looking for?
Eh, it doesn't matter, I'm going to kill them anyway, plus they'll probably use it for something nefarious, although I'm not one to judge.
I walked through the tall brush, looking for any sign of life around me.
Just because it's the old Clear Sky base these guys are looking for doesn't mean I know where it is, after all...
There is a tower there in the distance, maybe I can find something if I gain some height, that would be great.
I wet my new pair of boots with contaminated water while cutting my way through the swamp, but it didn't matter, better that than being material for a new artifact in an anomaly...
I made my way there without any problems, except that I swear I'm going to sound paranoid, but I think there's something following me.
It must be the wind moving the bushes...
If I think of something worse, I will surely lose all my courage.
I climbed to the top of the tower and took a look around.
To the east, I could see a dilapidated church, usually a refuge for bandits.
To the west, a cabin with a small boat dock.
It must be the fishing cabin those guys were talking about...
I followed the dirt road with my eyes and noticed a couple of blue spots that did not match the greenish color palette of the landscape.
A small group of 5 people walked cautiously towards the fishermen's cabin.
Well, it must be them.
If I had a sniper rifle, I might as well take my chances and take the shot, but I only have an M4 and I don't think I'd have the necessary accuracy or training to pull off an effective ambush.
... Neither the guts, I don't want to die yet, so I have to get closer
Here goes nothing.
I went down the tower carefully, mostly because it gave me some vertigo.
Once down, I trotted in the direction of the group of mercenaries.
They may have the numbers, but I have the advantage of being able to start combat whenever I want. The surprise factor.
The further they advanced, the more self-confident they looked, without fear of what lurks in the bushes.
They arrived safely at their destination.
It was time to start the party.
I aimed at the closest one and pulled the trigger.
A small burst of gunshots extinguished the candle that illuminated his life.
I ran for cover behind the wooden wall of the cabin to my left. I could have kept shooting, but all it takes is a little bad luck and that's the end of it.
"Crap, they got Eddie!"
Several bullets whizzed past my side, some of them hitting the wood of the wall. "He's there, I got it cornered!"
"Then what are you waiting for!? You have fuckin AP rounds! Light'em up!"
"Sir yes yes-!" I peeked out from cover and opened fire, the one who was giving suppressive fire fell to the ground. "Aah, FUCK! My ARM! He got me!"
"Chavez, get him into cover!" I hid and another series of shots hit the wall. I decided it would be best to reposition myself, so I walked around the cabin and climbed in through one of the back windows.
I noticed how they continued shooting at my previous position, so I calmly stood there, rifle at the ready.
"Where is he!?"
"I dunno, he was there!"
"Aaaaagh, my aarm!"
"Throw a grenade! It'll flush him out!"
"Right'o!" I heard the pin of a grenade release. "Frag out!" I noticed said grenade fly out from behind some trees.
I aimed and waited.
The grenade exploded. "Chavez, go look after it." One of them appeared to move and clear my old position.
I filled his body with bullets.
He fell to the ground, inert.
I was attentive to any movement in the surroundings.
A flurry of bullets combed my hair.
I fell to the ground, my heart pounding in my chest, wanting to get out.
"I got him!"
"Dont risk it, throw another grenade!"
I felt something liquid on my face.
I brought my trembling hand to my face and let out a sigh of relief when I saw that it was just sweat.
I was sweating quite hard.
Something bounced off the window frame and I panicked.
I frantically crawled to the other side of the room and jumped out the back window.
An explosion made my ears only hear a painful ringing.
My vision doubled, I was disoriented, yet I had to continue. There were only two left.
I held my gun with both hands and took several deep breaths.
When my hearing returned, I stayed alert to my surroundings.
From inside the house, I heard whispers. "Fuck, he's not here...
"Fucking bastard."
They were inside, that makes it easier.
"Look, it appears he jumped from the window, shall we look?"
"No, just take cover, I'll handle it."
I could feel their presences behind me.
"Aye... slava ukraine, ¿eh?"
His Ukrainian sounds more like Russian, but it's not like I couldn't understand it.
"American, right?" I responded in their language.
"Ha, you bet so." He continued to speak in Russian. "Mercenaries, we officially do not exist, but for the right price, we do your dirty work."
Mercenaries...
"What are you planning to do here?"
"Hey, don't get us wrong, we just wanted to take something important and return home richer than before, does any of that concerns you?"
It seems that getting information from them will be of no use...
"When you invade my land and kill my people, yes, it concerns me."
I heard him click his tongue.
"Look son of a bitch, if you had listened to the warning I gave you earlier, none of this would have happened."
Huh, it seems more like a skill issue to me than anything else.
"I'm still alive and your men aren't."
"Oh you fucking piece of shit!" He answered in his mother tongue.
Heh...
"What's the matter?" I bit back in English. "I thought you were the best of the best, but even a simple renegade like me can handle you, a shame..."
"That's it, you are so dea-!"
A guttural roar silenced our argument and my heart stopped.
What the hell was that...
"Dont tell me..."
I froze as I heard heavy footsteps bending the roof of the cabin under the weight of whatever was on top.
I really didn't want to look up.
But I simply had no choice, not when it was most likely that I was about to die.
Still, I couldn't look, I was afraid.
Something sticky fell on my stolen jacket.
Damn.
I stretched as far as possible to my left, using my legs for support. Apparently I jumped at the right time, because after I did something jumped back to my previous position with a horrendous scream.
I rolled on the ground and quickly turned to look at it.
"It's... it's!"
It had two faces, a scarred body, and moved on all fours. Its black claws seemed to have a razor edge and its deformed mouth had a series of pointed, salivating teeth.
And it was looking at me.
"It's a fucking Chimera, run!"
Yup, a fucking Chimera.
I've never seen one before, but having it in front of me is like looking at death right in the eyes.
I didn't have the courage to aim my gun.
I stood up in an instant and, although stumbling, ran in the opposite direction of the out-of-this-world abomination.
I turned a corner just as the Chimera jumped after me, thus avoiding another near-death experience.
Fuck...
I just continued running, nothing mattered at that moment, I just ran away from there as quickly as possible.
That's when I stumbled.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, get out of the fucking way, moron!" The mercenary had fallen to the ground along with me when we collided, him doing the same thing as me, getting scared shitless and running away.
I simply stood up and ran back towards the cabin when I heard that beast jump on the mercenary and make him scream in horror when he had it on top of him.
I didn't dare look at that.
I jumped out a window and stood in a corner, M4A1 in hand and pointing at the entrance in case that thing came back for me.
I heard several shots outside. "FUCK, FUCK, FUCK! WHY WON'T YOU DIE!? OH FUCKIN SHI-!" Their screams were silenced with another roar and the sound of something being cut.
"Crap, I'm out!" The other one screamed, I heard him run away.
His footsteps became more distant as the seconds passed, but I think the chimera is still out there.
Shit, shit, shit, shit...
I heard it snort and slowly approach.
OH SHIT.
I looked up and there was that thing.
I stood absolutely still under it's gaze. It was growling at me like it was about to jump.
At that moment, I felt my entire body tense as a cold wind lowered my body temperature by a few degrees.
The thing stopped growling at me and turned around, then chased after the one who escaped.
I didn't make any movement for several minutes, I could only hear my breathing and my heartbeat, after that, just silence.
I didn't like it at all, because instead of being calming, it was as if the silence itself was the loudest sound I had ever heard.
It's been 15 minutes since I cowered in a corner, but I haven't heard the Chimera or the mercenary it was chasing again.
Will this be my cue to leave?
Slowly, I stood up and walked over to one of the windows. My footsteps on the old wood making my muscles tense in anticipation of that thing coming back and listening to me trying to escape.
I looked outside and watched for a few seconds.
It didn't look like... that thing was coming back anytime soon...
Did it... did it let me go?
What the fuck!?
Ah... uh...
Fuck it.
I climbed out the broken window and approached the nearest corpse.
The man had been cut in half, his torso being three feet from his bottom. There was nothing in his pants pockets but his PDA, so I went and took what I could from his other body part.
I slung his gun on my back and took his bullets with me. Everything else is useless to me, I only want weapons.
I checked the other three corpses. One bled to death from a wound in the arm, the other two from gunshot wounds to the chest and head.
I also took their western weapons and their respective ammunition. After that, I chose a direction and fucked out of there.
I ran as fast as I could until I saw the pump station in the distance, my heart beating absurdly fast with all the effort I was putting into carrying that equipment and not shitting my pants with fear.
After about 20 painful minutes of terror, I did it.
I escaped death...
...
For now...
...
Still, the bright side of all that...
I liked it and would do it again.
When I could finally breathe easily, I packed up my gear, climbed up the tower, and checked the surroundings for any idiots to mug.
My path to revenge starts by gathering all the equipment I can, and now, I'm damn sure I can do it.
After all...
...
Yeah, fuck everything.
I have nothing to lose anymore.
Time passed and there was a lot of talk about a particular person with the infamy of being someone brutally cruel.
Lunatic, a renegade who only his nickname is known. A being that can hardly be called human, who shows no mercy against his opponents.
The factions were paranoid about this evil presence as several reports of espionage occurred among them, specifically of situations in which one member of the group betrayed all the others and left a massacre in their wake.
Faced with the hysteria that the renegade's actions caused, the influence of the renegades as a faction grew exponentially, several of them following his example and infiltrating the factions, living as parasites within each of them.
The future did not promise anything good, but that did not matter.
Yuri would still be blinded by rage, wanting his revenge, it only required patience and effort, it didn't matter if the entire world fell beneath his feet.
There was nothing left of the righteous man with a sense of duty that he once was, after all...
Nothing matters to him anymore.
Sooo... this is kind of a prologue.
Yeah, you can notice very much how my english is lacking... hey, I'm accustomed to spanish narration so, sorry!
I, uh... I have this same story in Wattpad (name's MoiTheKato), but it's all in spanish and I wanted to publish it here too, but the majority of this site speaks english so I'm doing an effort to translate all of my story here.
There's obviously more chapters on my account on there, so go check it out if you feel like reading in spanish today.
This entire chapter took me like 4 hours to translate, it will be worse with the rest of them as they usually have more than 10k words...
Yeah, this is gonna be a pain.
I'm out.
~ Moi.