_____A small group of stalkers moved through a dilapidated pier, the pop of gunfire echoing into the woods. Rotted old planks groaned beneath the weight of their bodies, and some of the small buildings had sunk partly into the river. Their journey had brought them to the ruins of prior expeditions into the zone, hurriedly built piers that had once served as bases for illegal stalker raids and government operations alike. Once upon a time, tourists had freely traveled the waters of the Pripyat river, riding to the heart of the city itself. A second, larger zone had appeared, and stalkers who tried to venture too deeply into it would be left as mindless husks, wandering the forest like ghouls.
_____The guides strictly avoided taking the river all the way to the city. Instead, the small group of stalkers had stopped at a pier along the river banks, skirting the military's heavy presence that was ever-present in the outer fringes of the zone...
Zone E
@dryskim @DB_Explorer @PanzerWaffles
_____Bratok's weapon was almost touching the boar when he fired. The blast mottled and scorched the beast's skin. Several bullets slapped against its thick hide in quick succession as Draga and Hephaestus joined in. It was a fatal lead poisoning, even if the boar didn't quite realize it at the time. The huge animal squared up with the things that had caused it pain and charged for them, snorting and huffing.
_____Its hoofs beat into the dirt, propelling it forward. Then they lifted from the dirt as the boar went skyward.
_____Droplets of blood seeping from bullet-wounds welled up and lifted away, as if dripping toward the sky. A red spiral climbed up toward the clouds with the boar flailing just below.
_____It came apart. Like a wad of hamburger thrown into a wall, it broke into indistinct pieces of bloody meat. Vaporized blood outlined the funnel-like shape of the force that had undone the animal, and for a moment after, things were very still.
_____As bits of shredded meat splattered against the walls of the nearby building and landed in the dirt, the padlock fell off the locker they had been examining just a few moments ago, and the body of a person stuffed within it fell onto the floor in a heap.
@Rassvet
_____The last thing Lena had remembered was the bite of Stolichnaya vodka in her canteen cup as they sat around the campfire. It had been a long day, and the small Clear Sky scout squad had taken shelter with a handful of loners.
_____She woke up in complete darkness with a throbbing headache, her knees shoved up against her chest, her hands covered with numerous scratches. Her cheek was bruised and swollen, and her jaw ached like she'd been hit with a pipe. The skin-tingling sensation of what was probably an anomaly had finally brought her to consciousness.
_____The lock holding the door closed broke off with a snap, and she fell to the rotted old timbers of a pier, staring up at the trees and the faces of several stalkers peering down at her...
Zone C
@Wizard_Marshall @Project J @AlphaD
_____Athena slammed the butt of her rifle in the green stalker's head as Star took out the stranger's legs with a few well-aimed pistol shots. Their target made no attempt to catch itself as it was knocked onto its side, the force of the motion flinging a rotten old hunting rifle from its hands. As Athena watched her target fall, she heard the crackle and pop of the Geiger counter on her vest.
_____"I wouldn't stand so close," Journalist said. "Those zombies are always swimming in radiation."
_____He had been a soldier, once upon a time. Ukrainian military dogtags jingled in the torn-open collar of his pixelated camouflage jacket, and an empty ammunition vest was soaked through with blood old enough to have turned the color of rust. His eyes were wide open and grey-white. Lips parted, only a thoughtless, raspy groan emanated from him. Their Geiger counters popped endlessly as the zombie squirmed, clawing at them, pushing at the dirt with legs that would no longer support his weight.
