Chapter XLVII: Darkscape Overrun Part 1, Calm Before the Storm

Sun rose over the hills sheltering Cordon from Darkscape, and in its rise came the light filtering through clouds, covering the valleys in golden colours. A group of stalkers were camped in the tunnel to Darkscape, and with the first light of the day they begun having breakfast, hastily cooking beans and even some slices of flesh-meat bacon, a new delicacy in the Zone. The gas stove one of them carried helped reduce the harmful radiation gained from this new salty treat. Each of the stalkers camped around the campfire eyed the sizzling strips eagerly.

While they waited for the food to get ready, one of them, Anton Anomaly, finished the story he had told them the night before. It was of a Clear Sky stalker named Theo Restless and his companion Mark Garlic. These two stalkers had breached the new defensive barriers set up by the Monolith after the Second Activation, and braved the northern wilderness until they reached the center of the Zone. Theo had sworn bitter revenge against the Zone itself, and had been utterly shattered when he reached the Wish Granter only to learn that he could not destroy it. The explosive material he poured into it only shattered a part of it.

• So this guy was responsible for the Shard of the Wish Granter?, Boris interjected, remembering his  operations inside the Sarcophagus alongside the legendary Strelok.

• Indeed. And Mark, who you met in the Meadow not too Iong ago, tried to stop him and get him to leave, but they got surrounded by the Monolith and Theo urged Mark to leave him behind, saying that he still had reasons to live while Theo did not. Mark left, but returned later on to find out what happened to Theo.

• Did he find him?, Vityukha asked, clearly pulled into the story. Anton shook his head as an answer.

• No, he did not. I went there with him, I was only a trainee back then, and he seemed like he was determined to see it through or die trying. He almost did too, I had to drag him out of there to Zaton alongside my pal Grisha Ink, who you might've met in Agroprom, Anton replied, seemingly lost in memories.

• Well this is all very interesting, but how does it benefit us and the hunt for that goddamn karlik in any way?, Dima questioned, and Anton made a gesture that said "I'm coming to that", silencing Dima. The loner continued:

• So after Mark returned from the CNPP the second time, he became angry and bitter man. He wanted to fulfill Boris' mission, and he spent weeks simply slaying beasts all around the Zone. That guy even apparently killed a chimera with a ball-peen hammer when his rounds ran out, at least according to the mercs who found him next to a carcass, bloody hammer in hand and the chimera utterly beaten to pulp. Mark may be quite aloof these days, but he is the best hunter this side of the Barrier.

• Ye, can confirm, I went on a hunting trip with him once, and while he barely said anything, we got the best kills I've ever had that day, Hip added, promting a nod from Anton and Boris.

• Okay then. We'll get him on our team to track the karlik, but first we'll need to check in on the sawmill of Darkscape. Wolf said there has been no messages coming from there since yesterday afternoon, we need to make haste, Boris said as the food was finally ready. Everyone chew their part quickly, and they set off, Vityukha, Dimuha and Anton going to fetch Mark from Meadow while Boris, Antipin, Dima and Hip headed to Darkscape.

The tunnel connecting Darkscape to Cordon is a long and dark one, but nothing really lives there, as it is mostly sandy and muddy road covered with the occasional Burnt Fuzz and cobwebs. Still, as the group moved through it, shining their flashlight, there was something exceedingly eerie about the place. As if a powerful psi-mutant had just moved through it. This only made them move faster. If their fears were correct, it could already be too late. They trudged through the darkness until finally a small light appeared in the horizon. The tunnel end came quicker than expected and the stepped into the light once more.

It was a clear day, and thus they could keep up their quick pace. They avoided various electric and gravity anomalies while wading through the almost hip height grass at places. While the darkness of the tunnel had been concerning, in the forest Boris was thankful of the shade provided by the gigantic pines. He would have been sweating like a flesh otherwise. Antipin kept his excellent Svarog detector running in the shadowy forest, making sure the group would not run into any barely visible Burners.

While the forest was full of mutant sounds, they managed to avoid most of the packs, only occasionally fending off some lone dog or boar. But despite the lack of attacks, they could see mutants absolutely everywhere. Dogs, cats, boars, volks and fleshes ran in large packs, chasing each other or lazily sunbathing in the openings. But that was not all, there were even more concerning things lurking in the forest. Sometimes the shadowed forms of bloodsuckers emerged in the distance, and at times they could hear roars indicative of pseudogiants.

The nerve-wracking journey through the forest came to an end when they finally reached the sawmill. Antipin warned them of burners, and they moved slowly, throwing bolts and occasionally prompting massive pillars of fire emerging from the ground. Slowly but steadily Boris made it inside the sawmill, only to find a bemusing scene.

He noticed the dead trader first. His hand was clutching a AK-74UNB, while his head had a hole the size of a baseball, encircled by dried blood. The ground and walls were full of bulletholes, indicating that he had sprayed the room with bullets, perhaps before or after death. Not too far from him, two other figures lay on the ground. Dima and Hip checked their pulses, and incredibly, they were still alive, simply unconcious. One of them was an ecologist in a Topaz variant of the SSP-99 suit, other one was a loner rookie in a checkered jacket.

Not far from them, Antipin found the last body, this time a loner technician in Sunrise suit and with PBF gas mask. He too, was still alive, and Antipin took off his mask to splash some water on his face. This woke the stalker up, his eyes bloodshot and wild. He almost slashed Antipin, who managed to grab his hand holding the knife. A look of recognition came to the stalkers eyes, and he slowly relaxed.

• Sorry, I thought you were someone... ahem something else, the technician said and rose up, looking at the room, still quite dazed. His eyes filled with sorrow when he saw the trader dead on the floor.

• That fucking thing, poor Cutter... Oleg and Vadim, they still alive?, he asked, looking at Hip and Dima. They nodded to him, prompting a quick look of relief.

• What thing? A karlik perhaps? Boris questioned, eager to get answers.

• I've never seen a karlik, only heard stories but it fits the bill I guess. It just that usually karliks are not that strong, but this one made the others see all sorts of things, made poor Cutter kill himself with the visions. I'm Polymer, by the way.

• Wish we met under different circumstances, Polymer. We are hunting that beast you mentioned, it already wiped out all of Cordon checkpoint, Antipin said, surprising Polymer.

• Jesus... I wonder why we survived?

• Judging by these bloodmarks, Cutter managed to somehow wound the thing. Perhaps a ricochet or a stray bullet, not sure. Either way, that small dried up patch of blood looks like it's not from any of you, you got lucky, Boris remarked, analysing the room.

• Lucky? Not sure. At least dying would have saved them from the dreams,Antipin commented, his voice showing heavy signs of personal experience.

Polymer was explaining the events of the previous night to the group when Dimuha burst into the room, prompting everyone to point their guns at him out of instinct. Dimuha raised his hands up, panting, and everyone lowered them once more.

• We got a problem. Vityukha stayed back to take care of the Meadow, me and Mark came here, but then I received a distress call from some old pals at the gas station, Mark and Anton are investigating it while I came here to see if you'd made it here already, Dimuha explained hastily.

As soon as he had explained his sudden arrival, a vicious gunfight erupted nearby. The crescendo of firearms was joined by a choir of mutant screams, barks and howls and the cacophony was made complete by a sudden explosion. Boris looked at the group and raised his weapon.

• Looks like the peace and quiet is over, lock and load, I think we are needed ladies and gentlemen, Dima remarked.

• Indeed. Dimuha, you and Hip will run sniper duty, I'll make a frontal assault with Dima and Antipin. Polymer, stay here and try to get those two up, Boris commanded and pointed the two unconcious stalkers with his thumb. With these last few orders, the ragtag group of stalkers headed out, towards the sounds of battle.