*Click*
"Easy. Put your hands up if you don't want a bullet in your back," a hoarse voice ordered behind me.
Something cold pressed against my spine a gun barrel. Slowly, I raised my hands and turned to face the source of the threat.
A man stood before me, wearing a filthy coat and gripping a double-barreled shotgun. Old, probably homemade, with worn pipes for barrels and a simple trigger mechanism. Easy to make, easy to maintain.
"Relax, we're not enemies," I said slowly, making sure not to make any sudden moves.
The man kept his gun raised, and the tension in the corridor became almost suffocating.
"Who are you? And what the hell are you doing here?" His voice was harsh but not outright hostile.
Now everything depended on what I said next. In the Metro, trust was never given freely, and one mistake could cost you your life.
"Calm down. We're just passing through your station," I replied, keeping my voice steady.
"Vadim, what's going on?" Katya's voice came from behind me.
"So there's more of you, huh? I swear, I'll put you and your friends down with my little darling right now," the man threatened, gripping his shotgun tighter.
"Wait, Vadim? You mean the stalker?" Another voice chimed in this one younger, no older than twenty.
"You know his name?" The man frowned but didn't lower his weapon.
"How could I not? He was one of the first to go topside. He brought back supplies, traded with our station. And that map the one that spread across so many stations so people knew the safest routes to the surface that was him," the younger guy said, his voice tinged with respect.
I hadn't expected that my attempt to help a fellow stalker survive would one day work in my favor like this.
"So what, not supposed to shoot?" the man asked with a hint of disappointment. Something was definitely off with him.
"Of course not," the younger guy replied. "Sorry, Vadim. Lately, there've been a lot of... suspicious people. We barricaded this passage to avoid any surprises from behind."
"I understand," I nodded, lowering my hands. "We mean you no harm. We just need to get to Turgenevskaya."
"Turgenevskaya? What for? That place is as radioactive as the surface," Zhenya said.
"That's our business," I replied.
"Drop the gun!" Katya's voice suddenly rang out.
She had partially climbed out of the pipe and was aiming her pistol at the armed man. He didn't hesitate his shotgun was instantly trained on her.
I stepped between them.
"Lower your weapon, Katya. Climb out. We're not going to shoot each other," I said firmly.
Slowly, she lowered her gun. I helped her out of the pipe, followed by Igor, and lastly, Sergey.
"Well, thanks for not shooting. And sorry for the trouble," I said, pulling out five bullets and offering them.
"Oh, come on. I don't have the heart to take money from you," the younger guy replied. "Next time, just call for us, and we'll let you through. We're on duty here every other day."
He extended his hand.
"By the way, I'm Zhenya, and this is Dmitry."
"Why the hell are you spilling classified information? Are you an idiot? I'm reporting you," Dmitry grumbled.
"What classified information? Everyone knows already. You were the one yelling across the whole station about what you do, where, and when," Zhenya smirked, shaking his head.
"Really?" Dmitry said, skeptical.
"Did you forget? His memory gets wiped every time he drinks," Zhenya snorted.
"Thanks. If you ever need anything, just ask. I'll try to get it," I offered.
"Well, if you could spare a couple of cigarettes... Any kind," Zhenya replied.
"Then we'll be on our way," I nodded.
"Good luck out there," Zhenya wished us.
After saying our goodbyes, we moved on. I adjusted my rifle on my shoulder.
"So, you gave out your map to everyone?" Katya asked.
"No, I gave it to a stalker once. Can you believe how lucky he was to run into us? Otherwise, he would've died he didn't even have a weapon, just a metal pipe. Out of pity, I gave him my map with the safest zones we had scouted. Looks like he shared it with everyone," I explained.
"I see…" Katya murmured.
Skirting around the station, we entered a long tunnel leading to Turgenevskaya. Even here, the rising radiation levels were already noticeable.
[image]
"Put on the gas masks," I ordered.
After about a hundred meters, our dosimeters started beeping, warning of a critical radiation level. We fell into formation. My biggest fear was that there might be rats here... or worse, mutants.
"Be extremely careful," I said.
The tunnel was too dark, and the flashlight didn't provide enough light. I took the night-vision goggles from my bag, put them on, and began scanning the surroundings, peering around the derailed train cars.
Before us lay a blockage a derailed train had completely blocked the path.
I lay flat on the concrete and started crawling under the wreckage. Igor followed me, then Sergey, with Katya trailing behind. Once I made it to the other side, I paused, waiting for everyone else to make it through.
*Shh-shh-shh-shh.*
Hearing a rustle, I quickly turned toward the sound and caught a glimpse of a mutant rat's body disappearing among the train cars.
"We need to get up," I said. "We can't stay down here. Too much room for them to come at us."
I placed my crossed arms on my knees for support, then leaned my back against a train car. They started climbing up, first putting one foot on their knee, then on their shoulder, and finally jumping onto the roof of the train cars.
*SHHHRR!*
A long rustling sound filled the air...
As soon as Katya reached the top, a flood of mutant rats rushed in from all sides.
Sergey and Igor started shooting at the creatures, but I could tell the situation was going badly. I quickly jumped up, grabbed the outstretched hand, and climbed up.
"Light the flare!" I ordered.
We couldn't fight in the dark, or our effectiveness would be minimal. While I was comfortable with the night-vision goggles, we needed the collective efficiency. Suddenly, a sharp red light flared in the dark tunnel, illuminating the swarm of rats trying to climb up the train car.
[image]
"F*ck, how many of them are there?!"
"Move! Don't stop!" I shouted, ripping off the thermal visor.
"Katya, get the Molotov cocktail!" I called, not stopping.
I was the last in line and couldn't see what was happening ahead.
"Ah!" Katya cried out.
I turned and saw a mutant rat had latched onto her leg, while she desperately tried to shake it off. I quickly aimed and fired several shots, killing the rat.
Katya staggered but still held onto the Molotov cocktail bottle. Without wasting a moment, I grabbed the cocktail, removed the cap, took out a lighter, and lit the cloth, throwing the Molotov behind us.
A fiery wave exploded behind us.
"Move faster, let's go!" I commanded, helping Katya to her feet.
Author's note:
There will be author's liberties with hidden paths, ruined parts of the metro, and similar elements. While it may not be entirely realistic, it does make the writing process a bit easier.
I ask readers, if you have the opportunity to recommend the book, please do so!