Chapter 13: The Dead City - Part 1

It’s the morning of a new day, the sky is cloudy and the temperature slightly cooler. The Equestrian Strategic Command, that’s our goal, a place not very far from the square. However, it appears it’s also a dangerous place, if what Snow and Frost told us is true. The area around the office was supposedly hit pretty hard in the apocalypse, altering the terrain and giving birth to a number of irradiated zones. These places, naturally, attract large numbers of mutants and something called… ghouls. They’re some sort of zombie, ponies who received high amounts of radiation but somehow didn’t really died, instead, they became half-dead abominations who wander the area. They also told us a few of them might still be sane so we’ll have to keep our eyes open.

So, my good folks, as you all have heard by now, it appears there’s some rumors about aliens wondering our little place in the wasteland. Imagine the surprise of your dear radio pony when I discovered these rumors were true… and in our city no less. Now, I still haven’t had the chance to actually meet or see one, but I have spoken with a few ponies and gryphons who saw them. It appears they are tall, biped and use impressive sets of armor very similar to Steel Rangers and Enclave ponies from the mainland; they also seem to lack tails and have claws.

Now, I know you all must be thinking this might all just be some good hoax made by a bunch of ponies. That’s what I thought too at first, so I went to ask the leader of the Blackwatch, Shortbeak, about all this, since he’s the one in charge of knowing who and what comes in and out of the city. The old griffin was kind enough to give me a few minutes and guess what folks… he confirmed everything is true! Not only that, he also said he personally met one of them for a little chat. As you all expect, I begged him for some information and he agreed to give me some details.

It looks like these aliens, or humans, as they call themselves, came to the wasteland by accident. They claim not to have any kind of ill intentions towards us and that they’re only looking for the source of their unfortunate crash. It also appears they stand against raiders and slavers, to the point of actually fighting them.

To be honest with you, this all sounds mighty suspicious. If anypony told me something similar I would have my gun out in an instant. I mean, they come with all those weapons and hardware and say there's nothing to be worried about? Smells like Brahmin shit to me. However, if the Blackwatch is willing to tolerate them, we should also give them a chance. So, in case you come across one them, keep a hoof close to your gun but also give them a chance to talk. In other news, it looks like the conflict up north is still going strong…

I stopped paying attention to the radio after that. It looks like it won’t be long before the whole island is aware of us. It’s no surprise that our presence would draw some attention from the local media, in this case a mare. I wonder where she’s transmitting her broadcast from, I don’t remember seeing any radio towers when I was at the square. In any way, what matters now is to get to our objective and see if we can find more about the local military.

This time it’s only Barin and I, no other squad members or locals. Strange, it feels weird going out without any ponies with us, after a few days walking with Snowdrop and Bronze I just got used to it. I suppose it’s better this way, I wouldn’t want to put Snow’s life at risk more than I already have, she’s not a soldier and shouldn’t have to face these kinds of threats. In addition, if this place is as dangerous as the ponies claim it is, it’s best to come in a small group.

The two of us are walking through the ruins of the city, heading west. This area of the city is much more destroyed, there isn’t a single building standing and the ground itself has massive cracks cutting through it. This kind of destruction is what one would expect from a massive earthquake… or a really powerful nuke. I can hear some sounds in a distance, probably from some firefight, far away from here. No matter how many times I walk here, the feeling of loneliness and desolation always gets me, as if it was printed in these dead ruins, shadows of an old world and a standing memory of those who died two centuries ago.

I gripped my sniper rifle tightly as we moved. This weapon would do a better job here, since we’re hoping to stay away from any threats we encounter. Just what kinds of things might be living here? I can understand the… zombies, but what else? Could it be something worse than those nosalises we saw, or the giant bugs? I have no idea, and to be honest, I don’t want to find out.

“So, what are you thinking about?” Barin asked, snapping me back to reality. He must’ve noticed my lack of attention.

I looked at him. “Oh, just some things about this place,” I replied calmly, “You know, despite everything we have seen, this place is quite unsettling…”

Barin nodded. “Yea, I know what you mean; I think it has something to do with the story behind it.”

“What do you mean?”

“The fact that we know this place was destroyed by an apocalypse, killing countless innocents in an instant,” I raised an eyebrow at that. He has a point, we have both seen many warzones before, but to see a place where all life was burned in the fires of mutual destruction… it’s just horrible. I guess part of our minds just can’t help but to feel for the suffering and despair these people must’ve gone through in the final moments.

“Yes, I guess you’re right, while Minsk and Berlin were just as bad, at least we had the comfort of knowing most civilians had been evacuated…”

Barin nodded. “Indeed, wasn’t the case of Moscow though…” I winced as he mentioned that particular memory. That’s something I would like to keep away. “Hopefully we can end this quickly.”

“Yeah, I hope so,” At least this place is quiet, for now. “But knowing our luck, we’ll probably end up in a cannibal village or some shit…”

“Stop being so pessimistic, Alex…” Barin said while rolling his eyes, “Things are looking good for us.”

“Sigh… I know, maybe that’s exactly why I’m so suspicious, can’t help but to wonder if there’s something bad behind this surge of good fortune.”

The two of us kept moving on, going deeper into the ruins. The number of skeletons and wreckages became overwhelming. The streets were filled with them, leading me to believe this was one of the first points to be attacked, before anyone could attempt to leave. Closer to us, there was barely any sound, just the whispering of the wind, our boots hitting the ground and the occasional bug wondering.

After a few minutes, we both became used to our surroundings. However, our little walk came to a halt, as we discovered our path was blocked. Whatever fell on this place caused an entire section of the ground ahead of us to elevate almost ten meters up. Not only that, several structures near it had fallen, creating a natural wall on our way. We both stood there, looking at our blocked path.

“Fucking great…” I muttered, “I swear, sometimes it feels like the whole universe is trying to fuck me…”

“Well, that surely makes things difficult,” My friend said. He took a step closer and began to analyze the wall of rubble and dirt. “Maybe we can climb it somewhere.”

Hearing his idea, I looked around for anything we might use. Most of the buildings are destroyed and the barrier itself lacks anything we could use to climb it. I really don’t want to search for another way… maybe there’s something around we could use. You know, now that I think of it, I should probably get some equipment to deal with these situations, my standard equipment alone is hardly enough to deal with things like this. That, of course, is no surprise, back home we could always call for a transport ship or an engineer unit to help us out.

The voice of my friend broke my line of thought. “That shop over there!” He said, pointing to my left, “If we can get to the roof we could jump to the other side.”

The shop he spoke about was right next to the barrier. Just like most of the buildings of this place, it didn’t look very well preserved and had a few holes in it. “You sure that thing is safe?” I asked.

“Well, the main floor is mostly intact and I don’t see any major damage to the columns,” I’m no engineer, but I could see his point, “As long as we keep near the main structure, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Alright, let’s do this…”

Moving inside the interior wasn’t exactly easy. Something that I personally hate is the high of the celling and doorways, they’re always a little bit short for us. Well, I suppose I shouldn’t expect something different. Apart from some lonely skeletons, there really isn’t anything interesting about this place. Baring and I reached the top quickly, which was slightly higher than the barrier, allowing us to get across. The distance between the two sides isn’t big, only about three meters.

I looked at Barin. “You want me to go first?”

He shrugged. “Sure, go ahead.”

I took a few steps back. Like I said, it isn’t very far but with all the stuff I’m carrying it’s best to be careful. Setting a straight path, I rushed forward and gained speed, once I was near the end I jumped to the other side. I landed with a low thud, bending my knees a little to dissipate the impact, once I regained balance, I moved away from the cliff and looked at Barin.

I cracked a short grin. “Okay, your turn now.”

He nodded to me and proceeded to do the same. He rushed forward and jumped, landing in the same spot as me. I offered him a hand, which he took, and pulled him away from the cliff. With that solved, I turned around and looked beyond. All structures near us had fallen, allowing us to have a better field of view. There doesn’t seem to be much ahead, except for a large avenue with small square. However, I can also see some taller buildings far away, one of them must be our objective.

I gestured with my hand for us to move on. Because of the state of destruction in this area, we were forced to switch between walking out in the street and through the ruins, whenever one of them was blocked. There was also a few pockets of radiation on our way, so we needed to change our directions quite frequently.

As we walked inside an old bar, my friend stopped. “Hey, you hear anything?”

I raised my eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t think so…” I concentrated for a while, trying to pick up something. After a brief moment, I noticed some sort of rustling, coming from another room. “Actually, now that you mention, yes, I hear something… what’s the problem?”

“There’s nothing showing up in my heartbeat sensor…” Strange, I had assume it might be just some roach or a particularly big insect (which are somewhat common in this wasteland). However, if it isn’t… what else could it be?

I put my sniper rifle away and grabbed my pistol. “Well, there’s definitely something here, keep your eyes open.”

We slowly walked forward. The sound grew louder as we approached the source. My mind rushed with ideas, just what kind of living thing wouldn’t show in our sensors? Maybe a robot? No, this is just a residential area, which makes no sense. Eventually I began to hear other noises nearby, making me take a sudden halt.

I looked at my friend. His expression was equal to mine and we didn’t need words to understand what the other thought. Whatever this is, it can’t be good. To avoid revealing our location, I gestured him to be quiet and then pointed towards a doorway ahead. He understood and moved closer to me. I took a few steps towards the closed door, keeping a tight grip on my weapon.

Once I was close enough, I placed my hand on the doorknob and prepared to open. From what I can guess, whatever is making that sound should be in the next room. For the last time, I turned my head and locked eyes with my friend. Getting in a combat stance, he nodded. I nodded back and opened the door.

I did so as quiet as possible, swinging the door fast but without applying much force. My eyes scanned this new room as it was revealed to me. Barin took a step forward and covered our left, while I turned right. Dust filled the floors and furniture of this old office. Most of it looked ransacked, with overturned tables and scattered papers. My aim finally settled in a small toilet room besides the door.

What I saw inside, however… was completely unexpected. Of course, I’m not talking about the sink or other common objects, but of the source of what I had heard. It was a creature… or at least it should be, if it wasn’t in such a state of despair. The flesh looked pale and dead, with a few deep cuts in certain places. The smell was absolutely horrible, which is no surprise, given the looks of this thing. The face… if you can call it a face, was mostly just exposed muscle and in a few parts, pure bone. The top of its skull had a missing part, allowing me to see the brain…, which was also rotting.

I had to react quickly to stop my body from getting rid of my breakfast. I’ve seen dead bodies and gore before… but that doesn’t make it any easier. However, I was in for another surprise.

The head moved, more specifically, the right eye (which is the only one left). What the fuck? Is that thing alive? No, that’s fucking impossible, that corpse is missing part of its brain, it can’t be alive! Could this be one of those ghouls Snow and her family warned me a-

The freak let out an unholy scream and jumped at me. That took me completely by surprise and in my panic I pulled the trigger.

BANG

The bullet hit the thing at the chest. However, there was no reaction from the abomination, as it still attacked me without hesitating. The impact send me to the ground and I struggled to keep the thing away. I punched and kicked it as much as possible, as it tried to bite me. However, none of that worked… there’s just no way to explain how something half-dead was so strong.

Thankfully, Barin came to my aid. He gave a swift kick to its face, throwing the creature back to the toilet room. I scrambled away as he pointed his carbine and let out a small burst of rounds. The head practically exploded when the rounds hit. The creature stopped moving, but we waited a few more seconds, just to be sure.

“What the fuck was that?!” I shouted. If this thing is a ghoul than Snowdrop was really serious when she called them walking corpses…

Barin looks just as surprised as I am. His eyes were wide and he struggled to reply as he stared at the dead body. “I-I think it must be one of those ghouls they told us about…”

“For the love of god, they weren’t exaggerating when they said they looked like zombies,” I got back on my feet, while cleaning my body from any bits of dirt and blood that might have fallen on me during the fight. “Not only that, I shot that thing right in chest and it just shrugged it off as if it was nothing!” Just what in the world could possibly create these abominations… I mean, I know we’re in a fucked up magical land and shit, but still, I thought there would be a limit of just how crazy this might get… once again I’m wrong.

“I know, and there might be more of these things out here…” His tone was dripping with worry, “Guess you might be right about our lack of fortune.”

I nodded. “Well, this certainly changes things, we need to be really quiet from now on,” The two of us did expect some minor engagements to break out against whatever creatures wonder this place, but if they’re as strong as these freaks, it’s better to just keep away. “Come on, let’s keep moving.”

We pushed on, deeper into the ruins. Upon a quick check, I discovered the large avenue near us had a few more of those ghouls wondering. They acted like soulless husks… which they probably are, just walking aimless while occasionally howling. The sound they did sent a chill down my body, it just sounded wrong and terrifying. Their presence outside forced us to keep close to the buildings and more narrow streets, where we could hide better. That, of course, also slowed down our progress considerably.

As we moved, Barin let out a silent laugh, to which I looked at him in confusion. “Hell, never thought I would be wondering an irradiated ruin inhabited by zombie ponies.”

“True, not the highest point of our careers, isn’t it?”

Finally, we managed to get away from the ghouls. We went inside a large building, some sort of mall, moving to the upper floors to have a better view of the area. I quickly decided to have a look inside the stores in hopes to find anything useful. A place as dangerous as this probably doesn’t see a lot of people coming for loot, so there might be still something left.

Some of the restaurants had some canned food and another had a small medical box with some bandages. It isn’t much, but it might be useful later on. I also saw a small safe connected to a terminal, but with my lack of knowledge on how to operate their tech and pick locks, I was forced to leave it alone. After I had checked a good portion of the stores, I went towards Barin.

“So, found anything interesting?” He asked as I approached him.

I shrugged. “Eh, some canned food and bandages, not really much,” I stood beside him and looked outside through a shattered window, “We should be getting close to our goal soon.”

“I guess; you see anything yet?”

I took my sniper rifle and looked through the scope towards some of the buildings far ahead. Amongst the tall structures that dominated the area, I could see one in particular still reasonably intact and with a large, slightly faded, symbol of a shield at the center. That is our goal, the local office of the Equestrian Strategic Command. It isn’t very far, probably about five hundred to six hundred meter.

Using the opportunity, I decided to check the streets closer to us for any blockades or hostiles. The area around this mall was clear, so I looked towards the avenue. As I scanned the area, something cough my eye, I saw something moving, not the slow wondering of ghouls, something faster, running.

“Barin, I think I see some ponies running on the other side of the avenue,” I kept my aim at them, trying to pick up some details, “Looks like it’s two of them, currently engaging some ghouls.”

My friend turned to the window and looked through the scope of his carbine. “You sure?” Just as he said that, there was a series of loud cracks, “Shit, looks like they’re in trouble…”

I nodded. “Indeed…” The two ponies, a green unicorn mare and a light blue stallion wearing leather armor, were forced into a small house by a large group of ghouls. The fired a few times from the windows, killing a few, but not enough to win the battle. “I can see green armbands with stars on them.”

“Militia people?” I nodded, “What would they be doing here?”

“I don’t know, maybe these two got lost or something, not like there’s anything valuable in here.”

The situation for the two ponies was getting worst. They were unable to keep the horde of undead at bay, who were slowly pushing forward, forcing the couple deeper into the ruined house. What the hell should we do? The obvious answer would be to help… but still, what if they turn hostile? My previous experience with these people and what I was told by Shortbeak didn’t put much hope for diplomacy. However, even if that’s true, letting those people die is still not right.

“Should we help them?”

“I don’t know, there’s a huge number of ghouls and we don’t know how the ponies will react to us.”

“Still, it wouldn’t be right to just leave them to their fates…” Barin clearly didn’t like this. To be honest, me neither, this reminds me too much of the caravan I saw with the EU lieutenant. Perhaps these ponies could prove useful to us like Snowdrop did. “We could at least take down a few from here, so we wouldn’t need to risk ourselves.”

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Well, that’s actually a good idea,” I lowered myself a little and positioned the rifle at the window, “Watch my back while I do this.”

He did as asked and I looked again through the scope. The two militia ponies were cornered inside the house, but the structure also slowed down the ghoul’s advance considerably. Right now I could see eight enemies, all of them grouped together near the main door. I aimed at the larger one, slowly following his movements and adjusting my grip. At this distance, less than three hundred meters, I won’t have to worry much about the wind or bullet drop. With a deep breath, I pulled the trigger.

BANG

The round hit the ghoul at the base of the neck, probably shattering the spine. As the first went down, I switched my aim to another punching the door. With everything set, I fired again.

BANG

The target fell down with a hole in the back of his head. The rounds of my rifle did a nasty job. Normally I would aim at the center of mass, but with heads so big, these ponies make easy targets. Once again, I aimed at another undead pony. This one was moving a little so I had to wait until I could get a good shot. After a few seconds, I took a deep breath and fired.

BANG

Another bullet went flying and another target went down. Without waiting, I switched to another target and pulled the trigger again.

BANG

With four ghouls down, the militia ponies should have better chances. I saw them looking outside with confused expressions, before changing to determination as they proceeded to fire at the remaining enemies. Happy with the results, I stood up. It's not much, but at least I'm actually helping somebody.

“Alright, I killed enough of them, let’s go,” I said to Barin.

“You sure?” He asked.

“Yes, they shouldn’t have a problem dealing with the rest.”

“Good, let’s keep going, then.”

-x-

For a while, our journey went well. Although we took some time to advance by the destroyed area, we still made substantial progress. Occasionally, we would bump into ghouls, mostly just one or two. They were put down without any problems, except for the high number of rounds we had to use. Seeing walking corpses acting in such a way made us question just what kind of thing could create them.

As we walked, Barin and I tried to find an answer. We quickly discarded any knowledge from earth, since none of it was useful. It’s pretty obvious there’s something else beyond simple biology here. The best theory was, not surprisingly, magic, more specifically, the magical radiation balefire bombs created. Luckily for us, if that’s true than we don’t need to worry about becoming ghouls… just about suffering the effects of normal radiation… which I suppose is not that good.

However, our journey was put on halt as we faced yet another obstacle. In our front stood a huge open area separating us from the office buildings where our objective lied. The ground was carved up by huge cracks, similar to what an earthquake might cause, like a miniature cayon. Most of these cuts along the soil were too wide to jump across… and a long fall as well, as they seem to vary between 8 to 15 meters deep. We immediately began to search for ways to get across.

“Crap, just what we needed…” I said, using a tone equal to my frustration. “Well, at least we’re getting closer.”

“We may be able to get across this first section by that rusted… chariot thing over there,” Barin said, while looking around at some of things scatered around the place. “It does look pretty stable.”

He pointed towards the vehicle, laying exactly between our side and the first island. The old thing acted precisely as a bridge, almost as if it was meant to be. Well, we shouldn’t waste that, however… how are we going to get across the whole way? I doubted there would be natural bridges and paths on every part of this zone, so we’ll need to figure something. Well, might as well get started.

“It’s something, I guess,” I replied to him. “Come on, let’s get across.”

We carefully approached the cliff. The gap between the two sides almost reminded me of a giant trench… filled with wreckages and radiation pits, if my Geiger counter was anything to go by. We began to cross, going one at a time and being careful to distribute our weight. Just because this thing endured for two centuries doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be careful, I could see a lot of rust and damaged parts. As I walked on it, the thing moved a little and I could hear the sound of twisting metal, which obvious sent a quick shot of fear through me. However, the metal structure held and I got to the other side.

This was only the first part. Crossing the whole area took over an hour. We had to plan precisely which sections we could go without becoming isolated. The lack of any kind of vantage point or basic map made this a very slow activity, and when we reached the center it almost felt as if we were inside a maze. However, we still made progress. As we came closer to our goal, I became more excited. Enough time wondering this place, I just want to get the job done and get the hell out of here.

“Alright, it looks like this is the last crossing,” I said, looking at the other side, “Can’t see any other cracks on that side.”

My friend let out a deep sigh. “Finally, getting across this place was a pain in the ass.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, maybe we can do something nicer once we get back...”

“We should see if these ponies have chocolate!” Barin added, “I mean, everything from this place is strangely earth-like, I bet we could even find some beer.”

“Ha, I wouldn’t be surprised by that, now let’s get across… we can use that container over there.”

We walked to the old metal container hanging between the two sides. It looked reasonably stable and well preserved. However, this gap was also deeper, so if for some reason one of us fell, there was a high chance of breaking bones. We can’t afford that here. Barin and I spend a few seconds analyzing everything.

“So, which one of us should go first?” Barin asked.

“You go, I’ll watch out for any threats,” I replied. My friend nodded and then climbed up the container, he moved slowly, trying to see if the metal object could take his weigh. I had my sniper rifle in hand, carefully watching the horizon.

The relative silence of the area was broken by the sound of something screaming from my left. I instantly snapped my rifle in the general direction of the noise. As my eyes scanned the area, I spotted three flying targets heading our way. I looked through the scope to get more details. What I saw were mutated birds, they were big and ugly, with sharp beaks and claws. The three of them were raising in altitude as they approached, preparing to swoop down and attack us. Snowdrop had told me about these creatures, I think they were called… Bloodwings or something.

“Barin! There’s three airborne hostiles incoming!” I shouted.

He stopped in the middle of the crossing. “Yeah, I saw them, what do we do?”

“You get across as fast as you can, I’ll distract them!”

He complied and ran across as I took aim in the first target. The birds were keeping a straight path towards us, making my job easier. I fired at one, hitting the chest; the creature let out a shout and changed direction, braking away from formation, but continue to advance. Fuck! how can that thing withstand a sniper round?! I switched to another, the bigger of all three. As adrenaline began to fill my veins, I pulled the trigger again, and to my surprise, I hit the target right at the head, killing it.

Before I could take out the other, Barin, who was already on the other side, let out a burst of rounds from his carbine. The mutated bird changed direction at that, trying to evade the shots. “Come on Alex, get across while I cover you!”

Without hesitating, I approached the container and climbed up. The adrenaline made the task unnaturally easy, even with everything I’m carrying. I sprinted across the way, as my friend fired once again at one of them. I reached the middle, not bothering to look around, knowing that even slowing down would be a death sentence. There was sweat all over my face and I was so focused on getting across that I didn't even hear my friend shouting something at me.

However, before I could reach the other side, I spotted something coming towards me from the corner of my right eye. I turned my head and saw a Bloodwing less than ten meters from me, going full speed. I didn’t had time to react as the thing crashed with me, while trying to grab and bite. By instinct I threw a punch at the head but his superior mass threw me away from the metal container and into the gap. With all oxygen being squeezed out of me, I didn’t even get to scream or shout as I fell.

My quick journey towards the bottom ended almost as soon as it began. Too much happened at once, I could still hear the noise of the mutants and Barin fighting and I could feel every inch of my body exploding in pain as I made contact with the dirt and irradiated waters of a small crater. I had no idea of just how much damage my body suffered, and I blacked out before I could even think about it.

-x-

Passing out is nothing like sleeping. It is as if someone turned a switch off and your body just restarted. Basically, your mind just shut down. That, of course, doesn’t mean you can’t have a few lonely flashes of memories and other things as you recover. It usually happens at random and with a very poor focus, just a stream of information flying inside your head while you try to figure out what the hell is going on.

This time, I also saw something. Multiple images flashed for mere seconds, I couldn't make sense of them, but figured they must be memories of some sort… hell, I’m not even sure how long they lasted, it could’ve been seconds or hours, not like I could tell in my confused state. Buildings, people, mountains, snow, ice… these were the things I managed to identify. I heard the voices of my friends and others I knew, every single one of them, including the dead ones, little whispers from the past. However, from everything that passed through my eyes, a single moment felt much more important. It was something a had almost forgotten... and hoped I would never have to think about again.

At that very moment, I was back to February, 2139.

The wasteland was gone... or pehaps I should say it had changed. I was no longer inside a radioactive crater, but standing on a frozen sidewalk of a familiar place. A city which had been almost completely destroyed by the advancing ice... Moscow.

At first, I wasn't surprised to be deployed here, it seemed logical that we would be taken to a harsh enviroment for better training, and that's exactly what we did during the first few weeks, making the usual exercises and having the same classes as before. Despite the frozen landscape and the constant stream of desperate people being evacuated, everything went as usual for about two months.

What none of us expected was the sudden wave riots that ripped the whole region apart. A result of the complete failure by local authorities to deal with the evacuation. It was even more surprising when our whole company was called to into the city when order finally broke down.

The first week was marked by violent protests over food and fuel rationing, which were quickly craked down by the local police. The brutality employed by goverment forces only served to raise tensions, and soon led to more open violence. By the end of the month, martial law had been declared and most of the city had been taken over by armed rebels. It became open warfare, and the death toll exploded. That is when the goverment decided to call the armed forces.

It was time for the military to step in and retake the city. Our company, along with the rest of the battalion, were choosen as the spearhead. I have no idea why they decided to place a fresh unit at the front. Maybe they wanted to spare the veteran companies and divisions to the future war against the European Union.

Combat was brutal and short. Even with stolen guns from police and national guard headquarters, most of these people were simple civilians, driven to blind hate by the chaos and cruelty of the world around them.

Those who didn't pick a side were often killed by the crossfire. Those people had nothing to hope for, just the endeless road ahead of them as they tried to escape. Others who refused to leave ended up freezing inside their homes or starving to death. It was common to search homes and appartments and find cuples or even entire families dead, sometimes on their beds and other times at a couch.

But the worst was yet to came. It happened during the morning, as we were ordered to advance against what we believed to be a rebel stronghold.

We were terribly wrong.

Bodies, piles of them, scatered across the whole area. Some more or less intact, others missing limbs or completely burned. The smell is sickening, and I know for sure I will never forget it. Sweat is dripping from my forehead and my hands are gripping my assault rifle. I can’t take any of this, it’s too much. Not even the comforting hand of Barin on my left shoulder is enough to calm down.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. I mean... we all knew this was a residential area but... why would anyone still live here?! Why didn't they ran away at the sounds of battle?

My boots are covered in frozen blood from walking around this place. There is even some it a- oh god... the wheels of our vehicles. We should've stopped as soon as we realized something was wrong. Maybe we could have used a scout team or something. Shit... how the fuck did we not noticed? It was obvious most of these people weren't firing at us, they don't even look like the rebels we were chasing...

I honestly don't know what's worse, the unatural anger that I felt towards the rebels for putting us in this position or the sheer emptiness at what I have done. We were supposed to know about this, we have all been trained as to how we should act during insurgency, how to deal with the civilian population and avoid collateral damage.

Why… god, why did we do this…

My mind is locked in an internal battle. Shame and guilt are both overwhelming and I can't stop shaking. One part of me claims we just followed orders, the other reminds me that this argument didn’t work for the Nazis and will surely not work for us. We didn’t know these people were here when we attacked, how could we? It’s almost impossible to distinguish between a fighter and a civilian when engaging the rebels. However, that doesn’t change the facts.

I can see my comrades are also having a hard time dealing with this. Most of them are just standing idly by, pretending to be watching for enemies or something. Others are fully focused on their tasks, trying to keep distracted from the carnage around them. From everyone here, only one figure seems to be acting normal, the sergeant. I can see him near one of our APCs, talking to the radio, his tall and strong frame standing out from other soldiers. He always had a pragmatic behavior, but to see him acting without a bit consideration for these dead people… it’s infuriating.

“Hey Alexander, are you... you okay?” Barin asked. He knew the answer, but I guess he just wanted to distract me a little.

I looked at him. “What do you think Barin? We just killed a whole bunch of unarmed civilians…” God, it felt even worse saying it aloud. “Is this what we signed up for?” I gestured to scene around us.

He couldn’t look me in the eyes. His expression was a mix of sadness and guilt. “You’re right…" This was supposed to be a simple mission. Our battalion was send here to help end the riots that have been going on for a few weeks now. In the first days we did just that, enforcing the law and helping maintain order. However, as the days went by the situation just grew worse and the whole thing looked more and more like open conflict. Now, in our effort to push the rebels back, we end up hitting a civilian neighborhood and the consequences lay all around us. “I’m feeling as guilty as you are, but-“

“But what, Barin?” I cut him, “This isn’t war, this is murder…”

I can feel rage boiling inside me. I want to be mad, at myself and all others… a few years ago I could be one of these poor bastards. The memories from my time at the camps are still very fresh, and I can’t help but to sympathize with their struggle. When faced with such daring circumstances it’s only natural people will get violent, to the point of rebellion. If only those idiots in the parliament could give a little bit more support, this might’ve been different. It’s not like this is some small village, we’re in Moscow, the greatest city in Russia.

Barin struggled to answer, his mouth opened but no words came out. Deep down I know he's just trying to help... as he always has, but I just can't ignore the rage inside of me. Our conversation stooped as the sergeant approached us, still no sign of being affected by this at all. “What’s going on people?” His tone authoritarian as always, he wasn't loud or rude but still carried a huge weight to his words.

I immediately turned to face him and saluted. “Sorry sir, just a little bit… shaken by what happened.”

He nodded in understanding. “I see, don’t worry, that’s common when getting into combat for the first time,” His eyes passed by every soldier, carefully analyzing them, “I must remind you that these people are not civilians, they were aiding the rebels, which invalidates their status as non-combatants.”

What he said was utter bullshit. We have no idea what these people were doing here. Yes, maybe some of them were aiding the rebels, but it’s most likely the majority simply lived here, even if they were somehow connected to the insurgency it might had been out of pressure and death threats. I wanted to protest... and a small part of me told me to do so in the form of a punch to his ugly face. However, I didn’t, “Yes… sir.”

“Well, with that settled, we’ve received new orders; we are to keep moving until we can link up with another battalion near Red Square.”

After informing the whole company and recieving a chorus of “Yes sir!”, we all packed our things and moved on. Our journey through this hellhole won’t last much longer, in a few days Moscow will be back on our hands. However, instead of going home, a new threat will arise as our country goes to war; we will have to march into another frozen hell, Western Europe.

-x-

My eyes feel heavy. I can barely breathe; pain is pulsing through my body with each beat of my heart. The simple contractions of my lungs are enough to send spikes of pain. Slowly, I attempt to understand more of my current state. It’s almost impossible to ignore all these feelings. Things become slightly better as I concentrate. Everything hurts, but I can’t feel anything bleeding... at least not on the outside.

Suddenly, my recent memories come to surface, reminding me of where I am and what is going on. I whisper some curses, just how the fuck could I let this shit happen… now I must find a way back. I attempt to shift to a sitting position, but as I do so, I feel a sudden surge of pain in my chest. Probably a broken rib, fucking great.

With some effort, I manage to move a little and sit. I open my eyes, revealing the interior of the gap I was trying to get across. This place is dark, wet and slightly radioactive, the opposite of what I like. Goddammit, what about Barin? I can’t hear any fighting, so either he won, ran away or…

I move one of my hands to my radio. My fingers feel numb, so it takes time for me to get the damn thing working. I struggle a little to remember what frequency he was in. “Barin, do you copy?”

After some random static, he answered, “Alex! Goddammit, I thought you might’ve been killed! What’s your status?” He sounded quite worried, which is expected. To be honest, I’m also relieved of hearing his voice, he’s one of my best friends after all.

“I’m inside the crack between the two sides; somehow I didn’t break anything important when I fell… my whole body still hurts a lot though,” As I speak, I can hear my Geiger counter beeping, I better get out here. “What about you?”

“Well, I managed to get away from the hostiles, but they’re still flying around so I can’t go to you.”

Fuck, that’s not good. “Can you move at all, or are you stuck there?”

“I suppose I could keep going through these ruins, but anywhere open would be suicide.”

Great, what can we do now? I can’t reach Barin, and even if I could I don’t think I’m in a good condition to fight against those birds. I can’t stay here, not with this radiation, but where can I go? “Alright, hold up for a second, I’ll think of something,” Maybe I can find a way out or something.

Being really careful, I stood up and began to walk. This place looks like a labyrinth; every part I go looks almost the same. Aside from occasional vehicles, metal parts and lonely skeletons, every corner is the same dark, wet and irradiated shithole. I change direction a few times, with no success in finding an exit. I go back to where I began and take another route, hoping to find anything useful. No matter how much I walk, it all seems fruitless. I kept going, though; can't just give up and stay here.

After almost an hour of wandering this place, I had lost almost all hope of finding a way out. Yet, just like that, I stumbled upon a hole in a wall. This dark path isn’t a simple hole, the concrete around the edges and the rusted remains of train tracks lead me to believe this is part of the subway system… the very same I went through in order to get to Ministry Square. I shouldn’t go inside, for all I know this place could be also inhabited by nosalises, mutated bugs or other creatures bend on giving me a hard time. However… what choice do I have? We’ve come too far to just give up.

“Barin… I think I might have a solution to our problems…”

“Really? What is it?”

“You’re not going to like it…”

“Oh… well, just tell me, it can’t get any worse.”

I took a deep breath. “I think I found a metro tunnel…”

It took a few moments for him to answer. “You mean like…”

“Like the one before, correct.”

“Alex, what are you suggesting… oh, don’t tell me you’re actually considering going in!”

“Well, what other choice do we have? Aside from you going back all the way to the outpost just so the rest of the guys can pick me up, this is our only alternative,” And I'm pretty sure I won't last that long, especially with all this radiation.

“Couldn’t you just, you know… look around for a bit longer?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve been walking through this hole for a full hour, if there was some hidden stairway, I would know.”

“Okay, but you don’t even know what might be inside or where it leads!”

“I’ll just look for a way up; you know I won’t put myself in unnecessary risk.”

“I know, but still… this is far from ideal.”

I laughed at that. “Ha! Tell me about it…”

“So, how do we do this?” I could feel through his voice that he still didn’t like this one bit. I don't like this either... this is the price we pay to get more answers.

“I want you to keep moving to our goal, once you get there, wait for me to get into radio contact.”

“Alright, I’ll do that… be careful in there, Alex.”

“Always; until later, Barin.”

I looked at the dark path ahead. I can’t hear a single sound coming from there, which only adds to my feelings of doubt. Fucking great… guess it’s time to man the fuck up and do this. I grip my pistol tightly, hoping that whatever might be in there doesn’t require more firepower. I turn my flashlight on and walk forward, leaving those dead ruins and walking into the darkness of this unknown tunnel.

The light from the outside quickly faded. I could hear my steps echoing through the tunnel as I moved. Looking around, I noticed the state of this place isn’t very good. Some of the walls have already collapsed and all others have multiple cracks in them. There’s a real chance of this place collapsing on my head. Hopefully I can get to a station before this happens…

I don’t know for sure how long it took for me to reach the station. However, my hopes of getting out were crushed as I looked around. The whole area was destroyed, including the stairways, the piles of rubble preventing me from reaching the upper floors. My only choice is to go even deeper in these tunnels… and I don’t like this one bit. In addition, which one of them should I take? There were three other tunnels connecting this station, after the one I came. The only thing I can do is pick one that stays more or less in the same direction as before.

The following minutes were made up of more walking and more darkness. If it wasn’t for the creepy atmosphere of this place, I would be bored by now. The lack of anyone to talk to also doesn’t help. The constant silence puts me on the edge, I keep looking around, searching for things stalking me in the shadows. Part of me even wishes for something to jump in front of me, just to end the feeling of being watched.

At that moment, as I arrive in a wider tunnel, that very wish is granted to me. I hear sounds of things moving nearby. I know precisely what it is, nosalises. Fucking awesome, me and my big mouth… you got to be kidding me, those things show up right when I’m alone and unequipped to fight them? You know, I’m starting to think I’ve been cursed by some sadistic god who must laughing his ass right now!

In a second, my pistol is aiming forward and I move towards the nearest cover. The sounds come closer and closer. I can hear some of them passing nearby… however, they don’t seem to be interested in me, they kept going on, to another section of the tunnels. Strange, maybe they’re just moving around or hunting something else. I stay pressed against my cover, praying they don’t notice me.

I see two figures moving on the opposite side of the tunnel. With my flashlight on, I’m a shining beacon for them. I hear one of them howling and they both come running in my direction. I stand up and aim my pistol, as the light of my flashlight reveals two nosalises. It takes almost a full clip to put the first down. I quickly turn to my second target and fire my remaining rounds. The creature doesn’t die, but a lucky shot hit his right leg and he falls to the ground. I reload my pistol and finish the job with a single round to his forehead.

I’m pretty sure everything nearby heard that, I better get moving…

Just as I turn around, I spot even more enemies coming my way. There’s too many of them, my only choice is to run. Can I outrun these mutants? I don’t know, but I’ll sure as hell try. I throw caution away as I break into full speed. I enter a new section of the tunnel, one with multiple tracks and different ways to go. I pick a random path and move on. My heart is racing as I try to get away from my pursuers. I can also feel adrenaline being pumped in my bloodstream.

I hear a nosalis getting closer, too much for comfort. I turn around for a second and fire my whole magazine at him. Not even bothering to confirm the kill I turn around and run. I can see another station far ahead. Maybe I’ll be able to lose these creatures in there, even find a way out. Those thoughts help me push myself harder.

However, just as I’m about the go inside, another enemy tackles me. Pain explodes in my chest as I fall down. I do my best to ignore it, delivering a swift punch to his face and rolling to the side. Having a broken rib severely reduces my ability to fight properly. I face this new nosalis and bring my pistol up. A few shots to his face is enough to kill him, however, I still have to worry about the rest of my opponents.

Despite the protests of my body, I stand up and face the three nosalises. I fired a few times at each to buy me some time. As they stagger for a few moments, I move into the new station. I need to find something or somewhere that could give me a better chance. Maybe a chokepoint or a barricade. Using grenades is out of question, not with the risk of everything collapsing.

One of them gets too close and takes a quick swipe at my legs. My armor plates protect me from his claws, but the strength of his attack still throws me out of balance. I struggle to keep myself up, if I fall one more time it’ll be the end of me. I tried to shoot him with my final round, but I miss. Great, what can I do now? Surrounded by three murdering beasts and no time to reload…

Another tries to attack me, once he’s close enough I kick him in the face. I can feel the pain in my chest increasing; I can’t keep doing this for long. A pull back a little bit and search for a way out. My eyes spot an open doorway and I sprint towards it. I go inside and discover the place to be some sort of toilet room. It’s not much, but the narrow doorway will only allow one at a time, giving me better odds.

I bring my knife out as the first one comes. Before he gets the chance to attack me I grab him with one hand and stab his neck a few times. With lots of blood flowing freely, I throw him to the side, blood loss will finish the job. The second put up a better fight; giving me some deep cuts in both arms and a strong kick to the chest, (I wouldn’t be surprised if I break yet another rib). Eventually, however, he also falls, leaving only one target to kill.

I tired, wounded and pissed off, and so I charge in without thinking, attacking the creature with all my might. The nosalis gets a few lucky hits, but I don’t care, I just keep slashing and kicking him until he dies. When fight finally ends, I walk out of the bloody toilet room and sit down for a few seconds. This whole thing took a lot from me. Sweat and blood is dripping from my whole body; I'll need to patch these wounds soon.

Once my breathing goes back to normal I stand up and prepare to keep going. However, just as I do that, I hear something crashing a few meters ahead. Instinctively, I grab my pistol and reload. Pointing my weapon forward, I take a few steps. For fucks sake, what could it be now? As I come closer, I realize these are the sounds of something fighting. I get even closer, and I hear something howling in pain, followed by flesh being pierced. Probably another nosalis coming.

I spot something in the shadows ahead. My flashlight isn’t strong enough to reveal the target, but I don’t care, I just pull the trigger. With a loud bang, the shot goes, but it doesn’t hit the target, passing a few inches from the center of mass. The unknown creature recoils a bit before lashing out and throwing something in my direction. I jump to the side and dodge it, was that a fucking spear? Who the fuck would use a spear?

My small distraction allows my opponent to charge me. In a surge of panic a fire another round, but miss again. The thing is just too damn fast. I wasn't able to see what was illuminated by my flashlight before it collided with me, sending both of us to the ground. I struggle with the attacker, my punches and kicks hit something with furry limbs and a leather chest. I feel something heavy and metallic trying to stab me in the chest (thankfully stopped by my armor), either a knife or a short sword. Being aware of this weapon makes me fight harder to get away; it’s only a matter of time before it goes to my neck or other exposed parts of my body.

In a lucky hit, my opponent is kicked away from me, allowing me to roll away and stand up. I take my pistol and combat knife in hands, readying myself for another strike. I can hear my opponent moving around fast, I hear the sound of… wings, my enemy can fly. What gets my attention, however, is the string of… cursing coming from it.

Hold up for a moment, the way it attacked me, the spear, the sword… am I fighting a pony? Focusing on what it says, I recognize this as equestrian. It’s a mare, probably a pegasus, currently trying to find an opening to strike. Great… this is what I get for shooting first.

“You bucker!” The mare shouts in anger, “Think you could just sneak up on me? I’m going to teach you a lesson, freak!”

Before I get a chance to speak, the mare strikes again. However, this time I was ready, and so I dodge her blow, using the momentum to counterattack with my knife. As she passes near me, I get a better look at her. She’s not a pegasus, no, her wings have no feathers, they are similar to bat wings. Her coat is a very dark shade of gray, almost black, which contrast with her deep red (probably burgundy) mane and tail. I can also see her narrowed golden cat-like eyes, looking at me with anger and determination.

I stand back a little as the mare recovers. “Wait! Stop fighting!” I suppose that isn’t the best thing to say, but in my state I don’t really have much energy to think up something more complex. “Hold up, this was a mistake, I’m not looking for a fight.”

The mare snarls. “Bullshit! If didn’t want this you shouldn’t have shot me, filthy alien!” She hovers a little, trying to get away from my flashlight, “I’m going to rip your hooves out and beat you to death with them!”

The mare attacks, swinging her sword (looks a lot like a roman gladius) and dashing forward. Seeing no choice, I pull the trigger and fire a round in her direction, forcing her to break away. Once again, she begins to circle me.

“I thought you were a nosalis, for fucks sake!” I’m really pissed off right now… why can’t I get things to go my away for a full day? “I’m being honest with you, I don’t want to fight.”

The mare halts for a moment. “Bucking prove it, then!” That takes me by surprise.

I really didn’t want to be at her mercy, but in my current state I won’t be able to fight long. I need to end this before she gets a lucky hit. “Alright, I’ll put my weapons away, please don’t attack me,” Slowly, I put my weapons away, lifting my arms a little in a sign of surrender (not that these ponies would recognize it, I figure). This isn't ideal, but I figure I can still reach my pistol and knife if things become worse.

To my surprise, the… bat-pony takes a step in the light. She’s wearing leather armor with a few metal plates reinforcing key places, like the shoulders and hooves. Obviously, she favors mobility over protection. She’s still carrying the sword in her hooves, pointing it at me. The blade itself looks really well made and expensive.

Her voice breaks my analysis. “Alright, alien, start talking!”

Note: 50% to next level!

Author's Note

Well, this journey is taking more time than expected. As a general rule, I never make chapters larger than 10k words, so I've decided to split this one in two parts. Again, thank you for reading, leave a comment and please point out any mistakes.

Also, I'm busy with college and a small Hearts & Hooves contest, so the next chapter might take longer to arrive.