Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Ex 16 Part 2 : Shakey Dawn

Without further ado, the continuing story.  Now with loads more pictures.




0530 Day Two
It occurs to me now, as I near the Embankment again, that I didn't spot the time of the next blowout before I  set out.  It's usually some time on day two.  So I don't really know if heading to the Garbage is a good idea as yet.  As I've mentioned before, the nearest safe place in the Garbage is pretty far along (at the place known as the Rail Hanger) and as such actually further than I've actually been yet *cough*.


Truly, I could just dash back to Cordon and hide in the crossing post.  But usually one gets caught up in all  manner of crap the minute you head to the Garbage and stuck with bandits from all directions. Adding a  blowout to the mix is just awkward.

So here I'm doing that thing I do a lot of and wanding vaguely in the direction I need to go and seeing what  happens.

The anomalies on the Embankment mean I have to take the long way all the time.  But at least I'm not running the risk of any gunfire, I guess.

0543
It's quiet, but I'm still not alone out here


(there's actually a bloke in this picture.  It was a bit more obvious when I took it.  Oh well.  Should use fraps)

A tweet informs me that The blowout will be in around six hours time, which is about 11-ish.  Usual caveats apply on the accuracy of that.  I'll head to the crossing and see how I feeel when I get there.

0556
The crossing's not far now.



Hmmmm.  I wonder what that could be? (does this mean it's the same controller that was buzzing me when I was over near the Garage?)
I sneak in for a closer look.


Man, these guys look way too chummy.  No help there.
The controller is wandering around though, so I wait and see if he ends up by himself


Bingo. Ok, what is the appropriate action in this situation?


Hmm, no.


Mm. better



Ooh, maybe.


Ahah!

It's the first ball of the game ladies and gentlemen.  Bases are not loaded.  In fact they'll probably get loaded if he misses with this pitch and bad things want to know who threw it.
None the less, here's the wind up....

He Scores!
And the controller is going all the way to the fence.  He's not getting up folks.

My vision clears and I move on in.  Annoyingly there's still someone on scope.  Make that four people on scope.  Six... Seven...  Ooh bullets.

As I close in a group of stalkers comes through and cleans house while I hang around outside the wall and  wait.  I have to dash around and grab the loot before they do, but it's a small price to pay.

0644
Seeing as there's a blowout in a few hours, I figure I'll head back to camp at this point and stock up again.  Since I'm going that way I decide to stick with these guys as they're going that way too.  I didn't catch all their names, but the guy in the only yellow jacket is Grishka Smoker (Grishka seems to be almost the John or Dave of the Zone).



0820
Our walk takes us out to the fields eastern side of Cordon. For some reason these guys don't like taking the road.  I guess it makes sense as this way they won't have to tangle with the Soldiers, if they make it that far. 

What am I saying? Of course they will.  Of course we will.  Make it that is.
Anyway, somewhere out in the back woods behind Fox's shack the fellas fan out and we form ourselves a bit of a hunting line and try to bag ourselves some doggies (I don't know what that's called.  You know when a bunch of hunters all walk along at a good spacing?  Like that). 




"Be Vewwy Qwoiet"

There usually a pack or two in this area and our formation work pretty good.  Gets me some tails so I'm happy.

0902
I managed to make Grishka my friend just by shooting the dogs that were attacking him (and not shooting him in the process, I guess).  As in, his dot shows green on my scope.  I've made friends by giving people health and things before, but never like that.  So that's cool.

I feel like I want to follow him around a bit more in case he gets into any more trouble. 



But the way seem clear enough. At this point I notice the two of us have become separated from the other two.



When I turn around I can't see the other other two anywhere.  I leave Grishka and go back.

0945
I back track all the way to where I last saw them (roughly in the region of the dog hunting pics above).   Nothing except a corpse I'm pretty sure was there before.

1005
Back to the embankment.  Grishka seems to have gone on ahead and I can't see him anymore.  Maybe he went to the Garage.  Probably tangling with a Controller then.  I think of heading in to find out when I remember the time is getting away from me.

1100


Amazingly the other guys made it all the way to the underpass camp.
Good work fellas. (How, I have no idea). No time to stay and chat.  I don't like this spot as a blowout  hideaway.

1120
As soon as I make camp, it's that time again ladies and gentlemen.


All personel please make you way calmly to the nearest safe area.


It's the screaming animals and so on outside that really makes it, I find.

OK, fun's over.  Everybody out.


1231
Well, that's over with. I guess I don't really have any more excuses.  I head in to Sid's and sell all my  superflous crap and prepare to head north.

1250
On the road I get a tweet about zombie sightings near the Garage.  The controller must have someone.  I don't stop to find out who.


1401
Travel has been uneventful and quiet.  Nothing to really make trouble for me while I negotiate the new locations of anomalies and so on.  The crossing post still lies empty from the earlier excitement.


The rain rolls in just in time.  Here goes nothing.

The Garbage
1410
I've barely arrived when trouble starts. Expecting to hear the sounds of the mugging of Yurik going on ahead, I am greeted instead by shouts and gunfire.  Going  forward to have a look there's dogs running through the scene causing all sorts of havok.  The bandits are firing all over the place.  Not so much at me but elsewhere.  I pick a few of them off thinking this isn't so bad.  But the rain is heavy.  It's hard to hear any movmement. I can't see very far and there's too many voices.  The bandits are worried about something else that's picking them off as they move out up the road.  Maybe a hunt drove the dogs this way.

It's soldiers!  Lots of them out in the bush.  By the time I can just hear their shouts it's too late. No bandits left, they concentrate on chewing me up.  I can't see or really hear them in all this.  The seem to have me surrounded and they're coming for me.  Every time I stick a limb out I get shot. I'm retreating behind every vehicle, barely with time to stuff myself with food and meds.  But when I get there I'm still under fire.  I shoot, I fling grenades out into the rain, anywhere I see a muzzle flash.  I get some success, but they are still out there and they're still coming.
After running out of bullets for one gun and less than a clip left in the other I come to the idea of running.  I don't want to run on into uncharted territory.  The road ahead is open and anomalies could be anywhere.  You don't go out there under fire.  I have to go back to Cordon.  But I step out behind the last truck between here and the gate and there's at least two soldiers in the scrub, covering the ground.  I know this because they blast me mostly to death, I drop my gun and stagger back behind the truck.
I've got no other weapons now except one grenade.  I sold all my pistols and the MP5 is out. They're closing in now. Maybe too close for grenades. There's nothing to do but down my last bits of food, use my last bandages and go and get it.

The grenade is flung high over the truck into the vague area I thought they were. A dot appears on the hillside after the blast. I run out and stab the pick up key like crazy.   A soldier is already coming for me when I step out.  I'm running straight towards him with no gun, but there's no breaking the plan.  I pick up the AK.  His first couple of shots miss.  The AK is set on single shot, so I point it at him and hammer the fire button.

And that's it. Several minutes go by of me just standing there.  The rain clears.



To be continued...

2 comments:

  1. Still looking forward to the continuation.

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  2. Hey thanks. I've been off doing other stuff. Keeping this updated was something that was easier when I was in a writing mode. Now I'm off in a picture mode (I've been looking at doing video for this a bit too).
    But I really should finish up this chapter at least.

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