Chapter CXXVII: Out of the Zone, Into the Big Land

 Ironclad boot after another stomped the dusty road of Zaton under the midday sun. The Zombified stalkers of sawmill observed absent-mindedly a group of stalkers marching by, too far for the husks' cobbled-together weapons to target. The day was bright and without a cloud in the sky, a proper late spring sky above the stalkers. Days like these were a rarity in the Zone. The weather reflected the mood of the stalkers aptly, as Anton Anomaly especially seemed to be bursting with joy.

• Got a message from Pilot. He'll meet us close to the burnt farmstead, by the pier. So past that bridge and up the hill, then down, Anton said enthusiastically.

• And he will get you out? Sidorovich handled that?, Dima asked.

• Yes, since Sid is using Pilot for this I know he isn't going to scam us this time. Probably overcharged me for it a whole lot, but I don't mind. I have enough on me to last a few decades, Anton replied.

• Keep an eye out for bandits then, Dima said jokingly, and Anton chuckled.

• The day I see a bandit try their luck on a squad with a Nosorog and exoskeleton is... Well, probably never going to happen, Boris chimed in.

The squad crossed the long and thin concrete bridge, leaving behind a conga line of Zombified shambling behind them. Sanyok left an IED on the bridge in case the husks would not give up the chase, and as they rose over the hillside an explosion told that the mindless former stalkers had indeed not given up on their prey. The squad did not turn to look for the carnage, they had much more important business to attend to. As they descended downhill, a figure sitting at the edge of the pier came to view. The stalker guide, Pilot, was resting, waiting for his customers.

• Ah, there you are! That explosion was your doing? Beard sends his regards, we've been using those artefact containers you brought us like crazy after that massive emission, the guide greeted them.

• Good to hear us trekking through Red Forest amidst acid rain wasn't for nothing... My armour still has chemical burn holes in it, Mark grunted.

• And Mark would not stop bitching about us killing a fox by accident, Anton groaned in turn.

• Foxes are peaceful creatures, goddammit!, Mark protested.

• That one was rabid!, Anton replied, as Boris, Sanyok and Dima chuckled in amusement.

• Rabid or not, shall we leave gentlemen? Time is money as they say, and my time is quite expensive. The tunnel entrance is at the foot of that hill, watch out for ghosts though, Pilot said mischievously and begun walking downhill.

• Ghosts? Poltergeists you mean?, Sanyok asked.

• No, not those. You'll see.

The group of stalkers descended the hill and crossed the shallow lake at its foot, marching through moist marshy ground at the other side of it. Between the reeds, the gentle breeze and the chirping of critters unknown, one could almost imagine the Zone being peaceful. Almost. But gunfire coming from the sawmill broke the illusion, and the squad picked up the pace. Stepping on odd Zone flora, they traversed a thicket at the side of the hill. Boris wondered for a second if this was actually some sort of ambush, leading them into a place few souls ever passed by. But Pilot's reputation was impeccable, so Boris relaxed.

And then it came. Like a ball lightning of green energy, surging forward through the small willows, burning them away with chemical sizzle. Pilot screeched to a halt and stopped the others as well. The experienced guide waited a moment, observed the pattern in which the chemical ball traversed the thicket in and then led the squad on a different path. Through the bushes, Boris could see numerous similar anomalies dot the landscape. They made a low, almost electrical or insect-like noise, which was contrasted by the very bio-chemical nature of the destruction they caused.

• What are those?, Sanyok asked, scrathing his head under the Sphere-08 helmet.

• Ghosts, like I said. I am not exactly sure where they came from or how, but they seemed to be related to the massive emission. Like somebody twisted the "new anomalies" valve at Zone Improvment and Other Fuckery Ltd. HQ, Pilot explained.

Boris and Dima shared a look that roughly translated to "C-Conciousness isn't it?", and Dima nodded. It had to be the doing of the reformed C-Conciousness, although to what extent they controlled the anomalies was unknown. Pilot kept going on about other new phenomena, and Sanyok seemed especially interested, writing down information on his notepad, so immersed into it that he kept getting hit by the branches of young willows.

• There's a fellow over at Ranger Station who might know more, I'm a guide, not stalker or egghead so I only care about whether they burn me, shock me, eviscerate me or trap me into a space bubble. And trust me, I never want to get stuck in one of those. I knew this one merc who got stuck in one, Beast I think he was called, and apparently it was a harrowing experience, Pilot rambled as he kept going, tossing bolts ahead of him.

• I can sort of imagine that, Boris said while getting cheeky grins from Sanyok and Dima.

• I think we should visit that scientist after we've dropped off these stooges, right Boris?, Dima asked and Boris grunted in approval.

The thicket finally revealed a small hole ahead of them, enough for a crouched man to pass through. It led deep into the hillside, reminding Boris of similar ones in Agroprom. It was unclear what dug those holes, some claimed there was some sort of mole mutant that did it, while others blamed the Diggers. Whatever the case there, this was clearly man-made.

• In we go then, I hope you fellows don't have claustrophobia, Pilot chirped while cracking on an orange glowstick, after which he crawled in.

• I bet you two are loving those exoskeletons now, Mark said with a smirk while crawling after Pilot.

Boris and Anton muttered excuses in return but the master hunter was far down the tunnel already. They crammed themselves behind him and begun a painful, tedious crouch-walk in cavern, following the only dim light source up front. Dima and Sanyok came last. Fifteen minutes of grunts, groans and back-ache later, they emerged into fresh spring air on a lush hillside. First green plants were rising from the ground, the initial growth of grass was in full swing and some species of birds had arrived to chirp in the trees. A light breeze touched Boris' face as he took of the helmet, and the damp smell of swamps was replaced with a fragrance of spring's finest. The Big Land.

The stalkers looked around in astonishment. The change in athmosphere was so tangible you could almost touch it. The rays of sun, the taste of air, the smells, the sounds. Everything felt normal, yet so much more real. Like a blanket of the Zone had been lifted from their eyes. Pilot looked at them with a grin on his face.

• Welcome back to the land of the living, the place where one does not need a filter to survive and where there are more women than Hip!, he announced, and the stalkers laughed.

• End of the road for me then, Anton said happily, dismounting from his suit and handing the heavy piece of equipment to pilot along with his rifle and other gear.

• Indeed. I will make sure these are sold to Owl and Nimble, and wire the money back to you through secure connection. I'm sure these friends of yours will come knocking if you don't get it, Pilot replied with a friendly smile.

• I believe so. Well, Mark, time for a final decision. Do you leave the Zone as well or stay here?, Anton asked, surprising the Redemption stalkers.

• You're leaving as well?, Boris blurted out.

• Yes... I think I'll join you, Anton. My task here in the Zone is done. I've lost enough friends. After Pavel and Theo, I don't think I could take more. Thank you, once more, for all the help you gave me, Boris, Dima and Sanyok, I am forever in your debt. But it is time for me to leave, Mark said seriously.

• I understand. Good luck to you both, I hope the Zone doesn't follow you wherever you may go. And to the good health of your family, Anton, may you grow old with them!, Boris said, shaking his friend's hand with a warm smile.

• And from me as well. I hope you use the excellent array of jokes I have taught you in all your endeavours. Now, go in peace friends!, Dima commented in turn.

• And while our time together was shorter than these two, I may add that I am forever grateful to you for all you have done for my new faction as well. May the Big Land treat you well!, Sanyok said in turn with a smile.

Some more well-wishes and goodbyes were shared among the group, when an old Lada rolled up the road nearby and stopped. Old farmer looked out of the window, measuring the heavily-armed and armoured men from head to toe. He then turned to Pilot and scoffed.

• You finally got some proper customers and not some leather jacket rookies?

• Indeed dedushka, two of the best free stalkers in the Zone. Well, they were!, Pilot replied, chuckling.

• I see. Well, don't just stand there, get in! What are you two, statues?, the old man said encouragingly.

Anton and Mark gave one last look at their friends, smiled and got into the car. The farmer waved goodbye to the group and drove off at breakneck speeds, leaving behind a dustcloud. Boris watched them go with mixed feelings. Some part of him wished that he was there as well, heading away from the Zone as fast as he could, starting a new life in Jalta or even further, some Mediterranean island far away from tourists. But he knew in his heart that it was a pipe dream. Redemption was his duty, his burden, and he would carry it to the end. What that end was, he did not know. Some small part of him knew it would most likely be a violent end. But it was his path, and he would see it through.

Three weeks later

In a small apartment in the city of Linz, a woman watched the street below with tearful eyes. On the worn and chipped kitchen table before her was a set of bills, on them demands for sums she simply lacked the means to provide for. Her daughter played on the floor, far too small to understand such financial woes, and the mother quickly dried her tears as Sophia, her daughter looked up to her. She fell back into dark thoughts when the doorbell rang. Sophia ran for the door, and her mother soon followed. Behind the door, a grizzled man with a grey beard and shaven head awaited them, tears welling in his eyes as he saw the pair. Sophie broke the silence first.

• Daddy?

• Yes Sophia, I'm home, Anton said before his voice broke as his daughter hugged him, followed by the embrace of his wife.

And behind him, in the stairway, Mark Garlic, or as he was now known in his forged ID as Markus Schmidt, smiled as well. Years would pass as uncle Mark and Anton begun a successful business in hunting equipment manufacturing, and the call of the Zone never ceased to them. But unlike so many others who had left the Zone, the pair never answered the call. For all its wonders, the Zone did not have anything to compete with the warmth of family life for them.