43. Benedict : Terminal

Dust danced over the debris illuminated by shafts of light beaming through a gash in the steel plating of the train. Pain shot throughout my body but spending just a moment to remain absolutely still on the ground was bliss. If it weren’t for the groans of the others in the trainwreck it would have almost been relaxing compared to the horrors we just endured. Rolling my head around I noticed both Valentine and Collette were missing.

Slowly adjusting myself checking for any major damage I stood up with the support of the wall. No one seemed to be seriously injured in the train which was a miracle in itself but the absence of my friends prevented any form of relief. Going past the groaning bodies none of them proved to be who I seeked. Clambering out of the train with excruciating effort I looked around for any sign of life.

Quickly honing onto a man scrambling from a bush Bishop clawed his way into the grass rolling onto his back still in shock from being thrown from the train during the crash. Looking over to my left Collette sat kneeling over another who had met a similar fate. Quickly walking over with debris crunching under my feet she failed to react to my cumbersome approach. Looking over the body stole my attention as it did hers.

Valentine’s head laid gently in the grass as it’s contents spilt over the desecrated soil. His fractured skull left his face shifted at an odd angle to the rest of his body. Kneeling down with Collette we both sat still looking the broken body up and down. The zone finally claimed one of us. My mind was still shaken and teetering on the edge of madness but grief still managed to rip itself to the center of focus.

Interrupted only by the sound of metal clinking looking to my left Collette lurched forward pulling a scalpel from her bag. Intercepting her she fought with surprising strength throwing me aside. Quickly getting back up she had already punctured Valentine’s arm with the instrument. Throwing myself into her taking us both aside she continued to fight back.

“I have to save him it’ll take him away!”

Wrestling to keep her restrained the scalpel carried through the air glinting with whatever freedom of movement was left. Ripping it from her hands the scalpel flew off into the grass somewhere as Collette gave in and let emotion flood over. Looking back Fledger was also approaching the body. Preparing to intercept him as well he circumvented the corpse to instead retrieve the scalpel and quickly hand it back to Collette.

“It isn’t too late the void won’t have him yet. It’s not too late is it?” Confused looking back over to Collette she shook her head. Fledger let the scalpel slip from his hands as he joined us kneeling on the ground before burying his face in his hands.

“It’ll consume it all. All of it.” With Yeti approaching to help escort Fledger away I sat with Collette who stared at the corpse from a curled position with eyes wide. Picking her up regardless of fatigue I carried her away from our deceased brother in arms to the group where they all sat trying to recover from the unassailable stress we had all just endured until Duke spoke up.

“So… what now?” Tending to his wounds Sandworm spat a response.

“We die. That was meant to be our way out.” Yeti then quickly responded to the despair.

“We’re still breathing it’s not over yet-” Sandworm stopped bandaging himself to interrupt.

“For how long? How long have we been here? Somehow we ended up here and then in that tunnel. How long until it drives us into another hole to die in?”

Going to argue Yeti sat silent, the fight bled from him. We all sat in despair as the realisation of our situation sunk in. All the losses and for what. Bodies still laid in the field from our initial assault and those lost deep underground would never be recovered. Every single one of us lost someone close that died knowing they would never see the light ever again. It was only a matter of time before we joined them in darkness. We all shared the same despair except for Sparrow who began with a sigh.

“This isn’t the end. Not yet.” Looking up from his knees Sandworm prepared to lash out.

“The fuck are you on about. All we get to decide now is if we get ripped apart, starve, fall to infection or shot up.” Ignoring him Sparrow went on.

“There’s helicopters landing in Pripyat in a couple days. If we make it we live.” Bisso, Terra and Karte immediately rose their rifles prepared to fire looking for any reaction while Karte hissed back at Sparrow.

“Are you out of your mind? Anyone of them could be hunting us and after all they've been through they could fucking lynch us.” Waving her hand down in a tired fashion the three lowered their weapons.

“If they were after us we’d already be dead. Besides no one has the energy to be irrational right now.” Sandworm barely contained himself as what she said sunk in.

“You made us go in there regardless of having another exit? Made us see everything down there?” Looking over to him Sparrow confidently responded.

“Getting to Pripyat means going through the red forest. That alone is borderline suicide. The city itself? No one has ever returned from there. We had better odds with the complex down there, or at least we thought.” Looking to take the argument further Sandworm was interrupted by Duke as he stood up.

“Arguing isn’t getting us anywhere. She hasn’t got a reason to lie. Let’s just move out while there's still light.”

Following his lead we scavenged what was left in the train carts in the tunnel securing the mercenaries supply of ammunition and rations. Enough to get us to the dead city at the very least. With Artur being the last to secure his backpack we marched onward into the horizon. Looking back only for a moment to see Collette standing over our dead friend one last time.

Taking her by the shoulder I paid my last respects to the corpse as the rain began to sprinkle down becoming an absolute downpour. We never underestimated the danger of this place but now that death was staring us in the face reality sunk under our skin embedding itself in our souls. The grand illusion was finally shattered. We saw this place as it truly was.

Collette’s madness was becoming more understandable by the hour as we marched. Intrusions and whispers made their way into the corners of my eyes and mind. What I thought were dreams began to feel more like memories. Memories of being ripped to shreds or dissolved in the gelatinous tissue of some form of flora from the stars.

The entire group seemed to feel it’s effects. Even passing by the cemetery ships island and over the bridge that so few returned from we felt as if nowhere was safe. Entering the irradiated swampland on the other side we avoided the deathly bodies of water as if they were ridden with plague. Mutants found the area to be a natural hunting ground. Twisted aquatic life often threw itself onto the banks snapping towards us to be brought down by heavy fire.

It wasn’t long however until one creature found some luck in taking Line by the leg and dragging him down the gritty mud towards the water. Diving forward Flux worked his knife down it’s jaw to release him as I fired into it. The others could be heard sprinting over to assist but we knew they’d be too late. Just working through it’s jaw in time Flux darted back before the bulbous creature that ambushed from below the water dragged Line into the deathly liquid as he flailed.

“Fuck it burns! Someone!”

Dragging his soaked body out from the water steam rose from his body. The leg wound from where the creature latched on was already festering. Treating him the best we could we continued on through the swamps twisting and turning like tendrils in the earth. With Collette suddenly floating in place we discovered the area also to be filled with void pockets devoid of any matter entirely.

Though her environmental suit kept her safe from the lethal vacuum we knew if any of us stepped into such a tear death would be just quick enough that help wouldn’t arrive in time but long enough to be agonizing. Throwing her a rope and reeling her out we continued in single file petrified of what awaited us in the reeds. With more abyss jaegers joining the fray an intense firefight broke out between us and the mutants of the area.

Finding a clean pool of water Artur, Collette and myself immediately charged forth into the small pond heavily concealed by reeds. Standing nearby each other we watched the water's surface as gunfire broke out in the distance. Light might pass through them but they would still disturb the surface even if the rain made it hard to discern. Our years of surviving this place had taught us well in how to combat these threats but doubts began to surface once again.

Today could be the day. Valentine had already fallen. We were in unknown territory to all but the master pioneers or the broken. The creatures that resided here would be that much more hardened than those we fought outside the ten kilometer exclusion zone. The tunnel was suicidal as it was. This place was surely teeming with worse. What chance did we stand. What hope did any of us have.

With a heavy wet strike to my jaw I fell beneath the water submerged. Desperately rising a mess of flexible and almost gelatinous appendages came through the water entangling me as it’s maw of maggot tendrils writhed towards my face slapping against my forehead trying to find a grip to rip itself forward. Holding it back with my arm and driving a knife forward the water became thick with the monstrosities blood.

Every strike was dampened by the water and growing desperation for air. The blood now completely obscured my vision except for the maw of tendrils brushing against my face. Constantly stabbing with the knife as vision began to fail the creature was lifted from me and a hand thrust through the red cloud of gore dispersing through the water.

Grasping the hand I flew upwards gasping for air as I broke the surface. Dragged by my chest rigging by Collette as gunfire blended with the thunder and lightning a fire started with a bolt landing near by. Throwing me down at the bank her smg lit up the darkness brought by the clouds drowning out the light. Artur stood beside her dropping another creature hoping to catch her off guard.

Catching my breath I joined the fight. Bringing down another horde the torrential rain washed off any remaining gore. Struggling to see through the storm the abyss jaegers took the immediate advantage. Reforming after being initially disrupted and isolated we formed a perimeter to cut down the relentless attackers. After a few minutes the mutants all laid dead or retreated to try their luck another day.

With adrenaline fading again a few of us began to fall to excruciating fatigue. Though the city was only a few kilometers away the stress of fighting and navigating the minefield of deathly tears, plantlife and waterways threatened to not only break our bodies but also minds. Every step could be our last and we only took inches with every fight. Our own blood was beginning to be spilled threatening irrecoverable infection or blood loss.

With men collapsing without the strength to go on only Flux, Strider, Bishop, Bisso, Terra and Karte stood with the strength to go on. Leaving us behind to scout ahead they quickly returned with Flux covered in something otherworldly claiming they secured a tunnel. Burning the absolute last reserves we had we descended into the earth once more to take cover from the elements.

With no hope of setting a fire and all our gas burners left behind to save on weight most of us eagerly broke open MRE’s shovelling the desperately needed meal’s into our mouths. Only Flux and Collette stood guard at the front of the cave. Looking over them she shared his look. They could see through the rain and horrors beyond. While he stood in almost unnatural and deathly manner she still contained a spark of life with her eyes darting around to something imperceptible to me.

There might still be hope for her. Her sanity was truly fleeting but so long as she didn’t stand unafflicted as Flux did I had to believe that something human was left in her. Looking through the cave Yeti and Baron were providing their jackets to Line who began to suffer vicious shivers. Infection was no doubt assaulting his body. Between radiation and whatever horrifically mutated microbe had taken hold in his body one look was enough to judge he might not even last the night.

Not bothering to get comfortable I began to drift off to sleep. Though terrified of what might come in the night my shattered body demanded it be given the time to shutdown to recover from the ordeals of the tunnel and our hike. The next couple of days would determine our fates. If we moved fast enough and fought hard enough we might just see the sun rise without it being manipulated and perverted. If not I was truly beginning to believe the light would be snuffed out forever.