Breaking Beans

"...with all due respect General, don't you think supplying Chernarus with military and medical equipment is putting a dent in the Military's economy? I mean, it's it really going to make a difference in Chernarus? It seems to the public that it might just be a waste of money..."

"...oh, is that why the Lupines have that-"

"Yup."

"...I mean, ok...that's why your tone of voice sounds so..." Dash thought back to Zecora and her voice.

"Meh...its nothing. My dad already taught me Engli-...Eques...trian when I was born...Sovietwolf was kinda my second language."

"Can you teach me some?"

Whitney glanced at Dash through the darkness. "Maybe. Some day."

The dim red glow of Whitney's flashlight illuminated the road ahead. It was a starry night spotted with clouds. No moon. Something that comforted Dash a little. But without the moon, it was harder to see anything outside of the flashlight's radius. Often the crash of the waves would break the night's silence; forcing Whitney to perk up her ears and listen harder. She had to remain alert; for she knew there was a much bigger danger around than zombiewolves.

The road to Elektro was a short one. In Dash's perspective however, she found it long and tedious. She had been walking for hours now, her hooves starting to sting with pain. The shotgun constantly swung and scraped at her hide, having to make Dash stop for a moment to move the gun. Whitney hadn't lost any energy at all, constantly walking on her hind legs and sometimes on all fours. But she was losing something - her form of entertainment. There was plenty of it in her truck - on the road she would play with the dials on the radio, searching for any last remains of communication within Chernarus; all channels outside the borders had already been shut down. Sometimes, she would make up her own radio stations in her head, re-living the DJs and radio hosts that she heard before the outbreak. Her best moments was when she hummed a song she loved.

But without the truck, the need of keeping quiet waned, giving away to boredom. Hence why Whitney decided to answer all of Dash's questions. Even that wasn't enough for her.

"Hey, Dash...do you mind if I ask this now?" she asked politely.

"Um, what would it be?"

"You didn't...dye your mane...did you?"

Dash was confused. "I don't understand, Whitney. My mane's always been like this."

"Oh ok...'cause, I just wanted to...know..."

The red light revealed the giant canister of a fuel truck. The truck was laying on its side, already been burnt down. Whitney moved the light across the darkness. Some fuel pumps and a small red and white building were shown.

They had arrived to the outskirts of Elektrozavodsk. And already the situation was tense.

A loud shot rang through the air. With instinct, Whitney dropped all her legs to the floor, lying down as low as possible. Dash copied Whitney but at a slower speed. She needed to learn to react fast. The gunshot sound continued on, covering miles until it faded away after three seconds. It was enough to aggravate a few distant zombies away from the two, stepping up their pace a little and moving toward the source of the sound. Dash and Whitney stayed still on the ground, Whitney switching off her flashlight.

A minute had passed since the shot. "I think we should go now." Dash said, raising herself.

Whitney forced a paw down on Dash. "No, keep still."

They stayed there a little longer. All nearby zombies had disappeared, moving into the city. There was a burst of gunfire, much more quiet though. A few more shots of varied volume rang; and all was still after that.

Using the perks of a Lupine, Whitney analysed all the shots - where they may have come from, what guns were being used...how they were used. She made quick calculations in her head before making the decision to get up, but keep all paws on the ground.

"Should be ok to go; I don't think we're in too much trouble." she armed herself with her AK, carrying it with one paw.

Dash tried to control herself as she got up. She was shaken; thinking over whether this was a good option.

Whitney saw to it that Dash was scared to move on. She walked over and comforted Dash.

"Hey...it's allright, nothing to worry about." she spoke quietly.

"I just...I...I don't think...I...I...can't do this..." Dash's voice spoke of fear.

"Yes Dash, you can do this," Whitney said, "Think of your friends, what will they say?"

Dash closed her eyes for a second to see the smiles of the ponies she knew and loved.

"Ok...ok...I'll try..." Dash mumbled as she opened her eyes up and shifted her shotgun to 'shooting' position.

Whitney smiled. "Great. Let's keep going then."

*****

Elektrozavodsk is a paradox. A nightmare for all those who live within its borders. A playground for the bandits. A trap for the unsuspecting and uninformed survivor. A capital of supplies for those running low. A lot of action is concentrated here; two other places having the rest. In one moment Elektro can be a haven. The next moment its a war zone.

The sounds of gunfire had quietened down to a deafening silence that frightened Dash. She was paranoid, still trying to tell herself that there's no-one watching her. Sometimes she would stop, seeing a quick mental of herself with a bullet passing through her head. She'd whimper over the sight, assured herself it wouldn't happen; and catch up to Whitney whom was oblivious to Dash's fear.

The two moved on further into Elektro, where they discovered two lumps on the road. Whitney got on all fours and stalked closer to it beside the road. Dash followed behind with her eyes shut. She was getting more afraid of what she might see.

Whitney shone her flashlight over the two lumps on the road, revealing them to be dead survivors. Their bodies were riddled with bullet holes. Bits of flesh, fur and blood stained their clothing and equipment. The pool of blood around them was still expanding. Whitney shuddered and grimaced over the sight, but got over it quickly. She was used to seeing dead bodies. But rarely did she travel into Elektro...and discover something worse than what she had seen before.

Curiosity got the better of Dash as she opened her eyes to the horrific sight. Her eyes instantly widened and let out an ear-piercing scream.

Although that did not happen, for Whitney had seen Dash's expression and she had managed to shut Dash's muzzle in time. The shocked pony could only squirm and let out hummed muffles as she continued to stare away at the dead lupines. Whitney kept her grip on Dash until she calmed down.

Dash huffed and laid on the ground as she tried to speak.

"They....th-they didn't get-"

Whitney paused her. "Sorry Dash. They did get shot."

Dash whimpered and cried softly. She didn't understand it yet. The idea of lupines killing each other was something she couldn't bear with for now. For what reason would they just kill another lupine? She thought back to the times she had to fight off evil in equestria - Nightmare Moon, the changelings; she had a reason to fight back. These lupines didn't have that reason. Shouldn't they be all working together to stop the evil that is the zombie-lupines?

Should they?

Dash looked back up to see Whitney had started to scavenge off the bodies.

"Whitney!" Dash whispered loudly. "Isn't that bad?!"

Whitney answered back without stopping. "Not really. The dead aren't going to need it anymore."

Having nothing to excuse that, Dash shut her mouth up. She watched Whitney as she collected what she saw necessary. She kept pacing about on the road as she fumbled for loot in the pocket's the dead lupines, not trying to be in a stationary position for even just a second. Another precaution yet again.

Whitney stepped off the road and laid beside Dash, showing off what she had taken. Dash observed the exquisite Remington 870. Surprisingly, it wasn't stained with blood. It gleamed in the dim red glow of Whitney's flashlight, showing off the chome-coloured barrels and the pump. Dash snatched it up with anticipation of touching it. She sat up, carrying the shotgun with two hooves as she observed all the details of the Remington. Whitney watched her, picking up on Dash's interest of guns. Distinctly, she saw Dash smile and mouth two words. Two words she suspected Dash had said.

Whitney tapped Dash on the shoulder, drawing her attention away from the shotgun. "Come on, we've got a long way to go."

*****

Leaving behind the double-barrel, Dash had swapped it for the Remington; the strapped gun swaying about beside her body. It brought back some confidence into Dash, for which Whitney was pleased with. She didn't have to keep looking over her shoulder to see how Dash was going. If she wasn't afraid now, then that's one thing Whitney didn't have to keep track of now. There was so much she had to think about. She couldn't stop eying and tracking everything that Elektro had to offer. A quick distraction could mean death for both of them.

Two lights beamed ahead. The dim red one belonging to Whitney's flashlight that she carried in her mouth for now, the other one - yellow and bright - coming from Dash's shotgun. It had a little clip on the barrel for attaching a flashlight. The bulb was covered with a tissue tied over it, to dim the light a little. A brighter and long-distance light would give away their position.

The zombielupines were in mass groups tonight. No doubt the recent gunfire had brought them deeper into the desolate city. They walked in large hordes, ambling about beside the pathways, some crossing the roads and others walking into houses and buildings. The stray few would stare endlessly at a brick wall, venting their agitated moans on something that will not move for them. It was like a moving maze, where touching the walls would mean being eaten alive. The numbers were large enough for all survivors in Elektro to all pick up the same understanding: Don't make a noise.

Whitney and Dash moved through the city's undead population, using the darkness to blend themselves in and avoid being sighted. The experienced lupine guided Dash through what she must do: keep to the walls, lay low, move fast, stay in the darkness, avoid being out in the open for too long and avoid all high buildings. There were two different dangers here, after all.

There was one place in Elektro Whitney needed to reach. A lupine that might be able to help Dash in her survival. The problem being was that he and his team stood quite far away from where she was now. As she sneaked about beside the walls she reflected upon the memories of being there once, mumbling the significant landmarks and directions.

"Past the hospital...before the fire station...inside the church...drop weapon and salute..."

"Something wrong?" Dash asked, overhearing her thoughts. "Have we got to go back or something?"

"Huh?" Whitney looked back at Dash, pulling herself out of her daze. "I, uh...nothing...it was nothing..."

A gunshot broke the silence. Whitney got down to the ground, Dash still acting a little slower. The zombies nearby gurgled at the noise; no longer in their dazed state. The noise of zombies sprinting and screaming began the attack, with more gunfire splitting the screams and trying to silence the zombies. At the same time, voices could be heard. Whitney raised her ears and listened in to the shouts and voices.

"I've got to see what's going on, allright?" Whitney said, standing up and drawing out her AK.

Dash nodded, readying up her Remington and following Whitney as she sneaked across to the end of the wall they hid behind. Whitney stopped at the corner of the building and leaned over to observe the street. Within the darkness came the flashes of light flaring out of the muzzle's of guns. Some pointed towards the zombies. Some pointing at each other. Whitney observed the rest of her surroundings, discovering that some lupines were entrenched beside the road, defending a large rectangle building, with a faint red cross over it's entrance.

Whitney thought about what to do. She could sneak past the attack and pretend it never existed. She could pick off the zombies and then walk away, leaving the survivors to battle it out with each other. Or she could choose which side to help; the ones defending the hospital, or those who may have assaulted them in the first place. Then again, helping the wrong side may result in being back-stabbed. She wasn't sure if those guarding the hospital were always there. She wasn't familiar with Elektrozavodsk's hospital. She only remembered going past it.

...on that first day...

...dad shouting at me...

...a panicked and fearful expression on his face...

She shook her head. Not the time to daze off.

The zombies had closed in, trying to breach through the makeshift barricades. More voices shouted and laughed. The sound of bandits.

The sound that pissed off the white lupine.

She never liked bandits.

*****

"The fuck was that?" a bandit yelled over the gunfire, seeing his team-mate take a bullet to the head. Thinking that it came from the other side, he continued to suppress the hospital guards, pinned down by both the bandits and the zombies that were breaking down their barricades. The bandit's machine gun sprayed past the prone guards and into the hospital's walls. His accuracy was very poor. Not that it mattered to him; he was just having too much fun.

Another shot whizzed past him. He stopped abruptly, looking about to see where that shot had come from. Were the guards flanking him? He spotted a small group of zombies, making a run towards him. Swinging his gun around, he fired at the zombies, turning them into red goo. He looked about, trying to find the rest of his comrades.

"Guys? Where did you go..." he half-suspected that something went wrong.

He turned back to find a single white wolf in the distance, pointing a rifle at him. He pulled the trigger.

His eyes widened. He was out of ammo.

"Shitheads." Whitney muttered as she pulled out the clip, replaced the single bullet she used to kill the bandit before loading the clip back in. She looked up, seeing the last of the zombies finished off. The guards carefully peeked their head over the barricade, watching Whitney. Whitney still didn't exactly trust these lupines. But she made a response by lowering her weapon. The guards understood it, slowly getting up and lowering their weapons too, before Whitney slowly walked up to their barricade. A lupine with a bushy mustache greeted her first.

"I don't know who you are, but thank you for your help." he said in a deep voice.

Whitney shrugged and smiled. "It's not a problem." She looked up towards the building. "Do you defend this hospital?"

The guard nodded. "With our lives. We keep the place running; providing medical treatment to those who...deserve it. Most survivors who come here simply get treated and leave afterwards. Others come to sell us supplies or buy some. That being said...do you need help, or do you need to buy some bandages?"

Whitney paused. A lupine could never have enough supplies.

"Hmm, I could use a check-up. I'm kinda late for my appointment." she joked.

The guards chuckled at her joke before relaxing themselves; the situation no longer being tense. The guard smiled. Whitney turned her head and whistled in the darkness. There was a short silence before Dash stepped out from behind a corner. Dash still had a confident smile on her face, her mind still enjoying the moment of blasting zombie's heads off before. As Whitney climbed over the hospital's street barricades and into the main lobby, Dash followed along, struggling to get over the walls and trotting past the silent bewildered guards who all stared at her with surprising looks.

*****

The hospital's front lobby was somewhat a mess. The bandit attack had punctured holes in the walls and taken out some of the lights. It resembled the state of any scavenged building, Whitney thought. She waved to the guard who was hiding behind the reception desk before going around to enter the hospital's main wing. The main wing however, did not carry any patients. Behind all of its locked doors each one were named for they had. Guns, armour, equipment, explosives...it surprised Whitney. How could a small group of survivors manage all this? It was understandable then, that bandits would ambush the hospital if they knew they carried this much stuff...but where would the guards have gotten it from?

Another lupine who protected the main wing pointed towards a stairway, stating that patients were treated upstairs. Stating that all weapons must left behind here on the first floor, Whitney and Dash surrendered their weapons without hesitation and walked up to the next floor. Here, Whitney was startled by the state of it. The upstairs wing was clean. The lights were working and the furniture and walls were well maintained. There were no obvious post-outbreak modifications made unlike the first floor (steel bolt locks, reinforced windows and doors). And the smell of the place was beautiful. Whitney took a quick whiff of the scent, before she fully relaxed herself. She never felt so happy about this place. The same had gone for Rainbow Dash too, sniffing the air before she sighed a breath of relief. It was a pleasant change from the constant stank of blood, rotting flesh and sometimes cordite. This pleased both friends and had put them into a good mood. A a gray lupine nurse stepped out from one of the rooms, smiling and shaking paws with Whitney before gasping at the sight of Dash.

"Oh my...um...you must be...erm..." The nurse stuttered, trying to remember who Dash was exactly, "that...pony...thing..."

Dash beamed up. "You know what I am?"

"Yes...there's, erm...uhh...sorry, I uhh..." the nurse shook her head before continuing on, "erm...yeah..."

Dash smiled and looked at Whitney. "Seems like you just simply didn't know about ponies."

Whitney scoffed before looking at the nurse. "Any chance we can get a checkup, perhaps tonight?"

"Oh, I...yes...sure.  We're not that erm, busy...tonight. The er, nurse in uh...uh...B3 is free...I um, I think..."

"Thank you." Whitney replied as she walked forward, turning her head to each door and room to find B3. Dash followed beside her.

"How did that lupine know I was a pony?" Dash asked Whitney.

"I don't know. Maybe she learned about them in school, or something?" Whitney didn't have an answer to that question.

Dash smiled again. "This place reminds me of Ponyville's hospital..."

The good feeling dropped with every opened room they walked past. Some patients looked like ghosts. Another was being treated for gunshot wounds; having taken three in his chest and two in his foreleg. One was asleep. Dash looked away when she noticed the patient was missing both his hind legs.

"You know...there was this pony I knew back at Ponyville," Dash explained, "she was so compassionate...so helpful...so thoughtful. She would always help ponies, no matter how bad or evil they were..."

Whitney smiled at that. "Seems like she has a good heart."

"She does. Her name was Fluttershy."

Trying hard not to laugh at the name, Whitney moved on from it. "Is she like you? As in...does she have wings or.."

"Yeah, she is a pegasus. She's yellow in colour though...nice pink mane too...she wouldn't think twice about helping lupines here..."

"mmm, I guess so." Whitney replied before stopping at the door of room B3. she knocked on the door before opening it and stepping in. The nurse inside was a little busy. She was preparing a drink for a sick pup. Whitney stopped dead, staring at the nurse. A surprised Rainbow Dash also stared at the yellow and pink pony who returned their expression.

Chernarus

Elektrozavodsk

Day 1