I.
Body ached. There was emptiness in my head, there was a terrible ringing in my ears. There is fog in the eyes. I’m lost. The last thing I remember was the steps that shook everything around and came almost close to me. It was a strider. While our squad was fighting off the Alliance soldiers, this creature walked around and poured generous fire on the building in which the battle was taking place and the street that we were recapturing. I, having already killed several opponents and hid behind a piece of wall, suddenly heard someone scream. They seemed to be addressing me. It turned out they were shouting “Beware”. It became somehow quiet, an incomprehensible loud mechanical sound was heard above my head. Raising my head, I saw the huge muzzle of the strider’s cannon aimed in my direction. Not caring about the fact that I could now be killed by soldiers, I rushed headlong to run from the shelter. Anything, but I don’t want to accept death from this bastard.
Apparently I didn’t have time to run far. First I heard this unpleasant screech, then there was a roar mixed with an explosion. I was picked up and carried forward. At first I didn’t even understand what was happening to me. Different pictures flashed before my eyes, which were not even interconnected. They mixed into something incomprehensible and it was not possible to figure out what it was. This kaleidoscope suddenly interrupted, and I saw a concrete pillar rapidly approaching me. Having only managed to grasp the thought “now it will be very painful,” I tried to somehow regroup. There was a strong blow to the back, I fell to the floor, but remained conscious, although it was really very painful.
Getting ready to switch off, which I really wanted, through this damned ringing I heard what I was afraid to hear – the call signs of the Alliance soldiers. And, by the way, they were heard close to me. My bruised brain struggled to recover from itself, as, in fact, did I. I didn’t really want to die, especially so stupidly – not only did the Strider almost smear you two minutes ago, but a squad of combine harvesters will also shoot you without any twinge of conscience. Rising to my feet, I took the machine gun with weakened hands. I can’t imagine what a miracle I looked like just now. I imagined only one thing – how a detachment of soldiers surrounded me. And the question is how can I get them all to sleep??
– Hey, bitches! – I shouted into the void. – Could you play a nocturne..
— Vlad! Bend down!
I didn’t hesitate and collapsed on the floor. Shots rang out. After them I heard the hoarse groans of the soldiers. Someone grabbed me by the armpit, saying:
– Get up, Vlad! Get up I said!
Fortunately, the damn shell shock began to pass. My eyes became clearer, my hearing became better, and my body at least obeyed me.
— Vlad!
Keighley has always been very tenacious, especially in battle. If he’s decided to get me out of trouble, he’ll get me out. He killed the soldiers who were ready to put lead in me – which means he had already pulled out.
– I hear you, Kaylee!
— Rebels! Code: 2! Fire! – came the commands of soldiers from behind. Kaylee and I turned around sharply. From a hole in the wall that was carefully made by a precise shot from a strider, leading directly to the street, soldiers climbed into the building. One already stepped on the floor, and immediately found himself mowed down by my lovely headshot. They didn’t go any further. Just like penguins.
A series of swear words came out of my mouth as soon as I saw five grenades flying from the breach. I was ready to curse all of City 17, the Citadel and Wallace Breen while me and Kaylee ran up the flight of stairs. Having flown into the doorway, we were a second away from how what had recently been an entire floor of the building became the decoration of a cannonade of explosions.
– What’s there?? – I shouted to Kaylee. He took the small radio from his shoulder.
— We almost retook the building, Vlad!
– That’s good, of course, Kaylee. But we are completely screwed right now, so it would be better to send at least one more person here.
I pressed myself against the wall and looked around the corner a little. Six soldiers were combing the floor. Two of them were approaching the flight.
– Kaylee, get ready! – I said, inserting a new clip into the machine.
– Wait a minute. – Kayley put his hand on my shoulder. – Look. – He showed the grenade he had. – I have a better idea.
“Delta Bravo, check,” came the broken voice of a soldier.
Keighley tore off the pin and threw a grenade towards our opponents. I just managed to hear their signature “Damn.”!». And an explosion. A soldier flew past us, waving his arms and legs, crashing into a wall along the way.
“Now it’s time,” I said, going up the stairs.
It only took a second until four guns were aimed at me. One soldier in the far right corner, two at the left wall and another one almost two steps away from me.
— Kaylee, to the right! – I shouted and killed the soldier standing in front of me in a short burst. After that I jumped to the left, behind a piece of the wall. The bullets whistled past me and now crashed into a reliable concrete partition. Without wasting time, I looked out from behind the partition. One soldier ran towards me. He was stopped by a shot from my grenade launcher.
I turned around and Kaylee seemed to be doing just as well.
After a couple of minutes the shooting stopped. We came out of hiding.
“Not bad, not bad,” I said, looking around the battlefield.
– That’s for sure.
I heard some hoarse sighs. One of the soldiers was still alive. With an extremely accurate headshot, I made this scoundrel doubt the possibility of revenge in our case.
– Your mother, Kayley, you need to shoot more accurately!
– You are our master of control shots.
Kaylee’s radio suddenly became noisy.
— Kayley, what do you have on the second floor??
– It’s okay, Rick. We have several bodies here. Yes, Vlad himself almost became one of them.
“As always,” Rick grinned. – OK. Congratulations guys. This square is ours.
I went to the window. Yes, the street was clear. And there were no soldiers, and the strider went somewhere. Probably offended. Well, we took almost the last point before the Citadel.
– This is good.
—Ordered to hold the square until Calhoun arrives.
– Let’s do it. – Kayley looked at me. – Rick, how many of us are left??
– Few. Me, you, Vlad and Tim. All.
— How will we hold the square with four of us?? – I intervened in the conversation.
– Don’t be afraid, Vlad..
This phrase has always pissed me off.
– You won’t need to hold it for long.
– I hope so.
– Come down, guys.
The radio made a short beep. Hanging it back on his shoulder, Kayley walked towards the stairs. I looked again at the result of our work. Of course, there wasn’t much left of the floor, but we won. And that’s the main thing.
I was assigned to patrol the south side of the building. It’s a short street between our building and some department store or something like that.
The street was pretty empty. Almost all destroyed. After our assault, there was practically no stone left unturned here.
Somewhere behind the houses, in the distance and nearby, cannonades of explosions and shots were heard. There were stubborn battles in City 17, in which the Resistance did not want to give up ground. We have been firmly and persistently moving towards the center of City-17 for almost a week now – towards the Citadel.
I raised my head to the sky. It was gray, filled with heavy clouds and thick clots of smoke from the fires that had engulfed part of the city. The sun’s rays tried to break through the dense layers.
I remembered the first time I joined the Resistance. Was one of the first people. Only then did civilians of the city who lived by the “rules” of the Alliance begin to join us. To be honest, I didn’t join the Resistance because I was obsessed with defeating an alien dictatorship or anything like that. I didn’t care at all about the outcome of this fight. I just had nothing to do. All that was left was to sit in an apartment with torn walls and jump up in horror every morning at loud knocks on the door. "To die like this. It’s better with music,” I thought, and established myself in the ranks of the Resistance as a sixteen-year-old boy who doesn’t know what cruelty, blood, violence and other things are. In three years I learned what it is. In just two years I learned to fight well. For six years I have become accustomed to the fact that every subsequent day could be my last.
And now I’ve been in the Resistance for ten years. Still alive, and living for his “pleasure”. In the eyes of my friends, I even acquired a certain image of the “selfish type” who does not care about anyone except himself. Even if that’s the case, I don’t care. Moreover, I, in principle, care about the rest. About myself in no case.
When people who had become dear to me died, I did not shed tears, because I knew that I had little time left. Why say goodbye for such a short time?? I’ll see you anyway. I just said, "Wait. I’ll be there soon".
– Hey, Vlad, how are you?? – the radio crackled.
– Kaylee, are you bored?? – I asked, looking around.
– No.
– I would like to smoke..
– You had a pack.
I slapped the chest pocket of my bulletproof vest. Damn, I actually had a treasured pack of cigarettes. And it’s not even empty. Even with a box of matches.
“With these combines you forget about everything,” I said, lighting one cigarette.
– That’s right, I forgot to turn off the kettle. About twenty years ago.
– Great, Kaylee. Looks like your house is on fire. – I took one puff.
“Now it doesn’t even bother me.”.
– Not surprising.
Kayley left the communication channel, and there was silence on the air. Well, it’s the long-awaited time to smoke. Actually, everyone told me that I was just a heavy smoker and that I needed to quit, otherwise I was done. I said, “Guys,” and pointed at the Citadel. Apparently everyone understood the meaning put into my gesture.
My lifestyle, if you could call it that, surprised some people. I got into all sorts of trouble all the time without feeling any sense of danger. "You’re crazy," people told me. But these were people forty years old and older who saw a normal life. They probably had something to survive for. Fight. Win. For your memories. For the most joyful ones, when “the grass was greener and the air was cleaner”. I had nothing to fight for. I didn’t have such joyful memories; I didn’t have any pleasant pictures in my brain. It’s just that this everyday war has become a habit. That’s it.
The radio crackled again.
– Hey, Vlad. I have a question?
– If you’re talking about where I got my cigarettes from, that’s not for me.
– No, another one.
– Well?
I took the second cigarette out of the pack.
-You know how to deal with snipers?
– What?
At that moment, two steps away from me, the asphalt shattered into small fragments. It was a bullet. Shots? A bluish ray walked along the ground from the point of the shot. Coming closer to me. I thanked fate that now I was standing at the very wall of the building. I walked with long strides towards the door. The beam kept following me.
– So what were you saying, Kaylie?? – I asked when I got to the door.
– These bastards sent snipers!
The beam crawled up the door. A shot rang out, and the iron door slammed right in front of me, and I fell with my back on the floor.
— Suki! – I shouted.
“So,” said Kayley, “Rick and I are going downstairs to see you.”.
He said "Rick and I". Lord, Tim..
Two minutes later, the three of us were already standing below and discussing a plan for further action.
– What do we have?? – Rick looked at me and Kaylee.
—Calhoun’s squad should be here. But it looks like snipers blocked his path. Harvesters placed them on almost all sides of the building. The whole square is at gunpoint.
“Damn, no chance…” Rick lowered his head.
– Like none? You can safely take them out..
– Vlad, you’re crazy! Before you have time to get outside, your head will be smeared all over the street.
“Yes, Vlad, we need another plan,” Kayley agreed.
– There can be no other plan. Where is the squad now?? I’ll try to remove some of the snipers so the street can be clearer.
Kaylee and Rick exchanged glances, after which Kaylee handed me his walkie-talkie.
— There is a special transmitter here, tuned to only one frequency. With Calhoun’s squad. I see the task is already clear to you.
I took Kaylee’s radio and gave him mine.
— Hold it. I have three grenades. – Rick gave me grenades.
– Yes. – I hung them on my belt. Total four. One for each sniper. There can be no mistake.
“Wish me something, guys,” I said.
“Good luck,” Kayley smiled. – I’ve never let you down and won’t let you down now.
– Then she was just kind.
I took one last look at Rick and Kaylee and opened the door a crack.
II.
I looked down giantspinscasino.uk the street. The blue beam of a sniper rifle walked along the asphalt, bumping into the corpses of soldiers and rebels. Having stopped at one, the sniper decided to take a shot. The corpse shot up a few centimeters and fell. These slow-witted soldiers just can’t understand that there are no walking corpses. Not counting the zombies.
I felt sorry for the guys from our squad who laid down their lives here. Someone was hit by a stray bullet, someone by a bullet from an Alliance soldier, someone was crushed by a strider with his huge limbs. Just the thought that no one will remember these guys except me makes me feel creepy.
– Try to get Calhoun’s squad here, into the building. There are a lot of weapons and ammunition here,” Rick told me. – To storm the Nexus they will definitely need.
– It’s clear.
I hung the machine gun on my back. I looked around the street again. I came up with a plan of action – I need to run into the store in the building opposite, from there I can contact Calhoun’s squad in a calmer atmosphere. But the shop is far away, by the time I get there, this sniper will have time to blow my head off twice. So, I need some link in my fascinating journey to the store. It was a door in the same building, and it was directly opposite me, and it would not be difficult for me to run across the street, which was five meters wide, in a couple of seconds. The door went into the building and left some kind of angle for cover from the sniper’s sight.
The main thing now is for the beam to move as far away from me as possible.
“If only you could play a nocturne…” I whispered, as if counting down the seconds.
Pushing the door with my hand, I sharply and widely opened it in front of me, at the same moment flying out of the building like a charged bullet. There was only a goal in his eyes – a door and a corner that he needed to quickly run around. Nothing more. I didn’t look back, I didn’t stop. Hoping that the sniper wouldn’t react so quickly to take me out. There were only a few steps left until the coveted corner, and I practically jumped behind it in a roundhouse to find myself with my back to the wall. At the same moment, as soon as I found myself in the shelter, there was a crash, a stream of hot air hit my right cheek, and small pieces of stone flew into my face. That damn sniper almost got me! But he miscalculated, missing the cherished seconds. The wall of the building took my fate.
Well then. I’m alive – and that makes me happy. The rifle’s beam doesn’t lag behind me at all – and this, damn it, is not at all pleasing. The chances that I will reach the shop in this situation, even mortally wounded, but alive, are zero. Crap! I acted, as always, stupidly. I have completed one part of the plan, and now I will wait until Lady Fortune intercedes for me.
— Vlad! – Kaylee shouted to me. – Throw the machine gun so he can see!
– You fell from the oak tree! – I shouted back. The following picture became clear to me: I, picking up the machine gun from the ground, bend over three times, and my head begins to stick out helpfully around the corner. Damn, I still miscalculated a little with the size of the shelter – no freedom of action.
In these seconds, while I was thinking about what to do next, I came to the conclusion that in those first five years in the Resistance, I didn’t learn a damn thing to competently fight. And for the other five too.
So, what to do? I must admit that Kaylee’s plan was at least good – by throwing the machine gun, I would signal to the sniper that I was killed. Elementary logic of harvesters – living rebels don’t just drop their weapons from their hands. This means that the sniper will stop checking this angle, which will give me the opportunity to make my moves before he notices me.
I threw the machine gun on the ground. The sniper seemed to have seen him, because the beam went further down the street. Everything is fine. One thing is done, but another thing remains to be done – take the machine gun and run to the bench. Let’s see how favorable Lady Fortune is to me today. I quickly sat down, grabbed the machine gun and, as they say, from a “low start”, rushed headlong along the building to the bench. And a couple of meters before the shop, I noticed that the display glass had somehow strangely been preserved on it. After a fierce battle with a strider! Okay, there’s still no choice – we’ll have to knock it out. Raising the machine gun, I shot a couple of holes in the window and, jumping up on my left side, to the sound of the glass breaking under my weight, I fell into the shop. Thank God, he escaped with only a couple of cuts on his hands. And so – I was completely fine.
The radio hissed.
– Vlad, are you okay?? – It was Rick’s voice.
“Comrade Rick, I report that everything is fine with me,” I said, getting to my feet.
– OK. Contact Calhoun’s squad and move on!
I walked up to the broken glass and looked to the left. There was an intersection of two streets surrounding our building, and, judging by the running blue beam, there was also another sniper clearing the entire area. I noted to myself that one of the few advantages of these harvester idiots is that they will always be ready for anything. And let the nuclear war begin, they, the creatures, will be waiting for it in full dress.
I went deeper into the shop. He took the radio off his shoulder and turned on the transmitter.
— Vlad Komarov, a member of Rick Full’s squad, is in touch, as heard?
In response – only cod radio interference. I called back. Quiet again. And only the third time did someone answer me, in some unpleasant squeaky voice:
– What a bastard! Shots straight! Who speaks?
What kind of fool is sitting on the other end?? I just told you who I am.
“I repeat for the fourth time,” I said into the microphone as calmly as possible. – I am Vlad Komarov, I must lead your squad through this square.
– What?
Of course, I respect Barney Calhoun, but if I were him, I wouldn’t take such morons into my squads.
– Crap! I am Vlad! Komarov! Member of Rick Full’s squad who holds this square. For Barney Calhoun’s Squad! In which you, moron, are a member! I’ve been ordered to take you to the red building in the center of the square to replenish your ammunition before assaulting the Nexus!
I could have told this guy a bunch of other educational things – about the Seven Hour War, and about the Alliance, and about the Citadel, and about the "Eastern Black Mesa", and God knows what else – but someone took the radio from that guy, which I was undoubtedly very happy about.
— Calhoun on call!
– This is Vlad Komarov, a member of Rick Full’s squad..
“I see, Komarov,” Calhoun drawled. – Where is your commander??
– I’m sorry, I don’t have it with me right now.
-Where is he?? – As if not noticing my spontaneous mockery of my own commander, Calhoun asked.
— He is waiting for you in the red building.
– That is, in fact, the commander at the moment is you?
Stupid question “why”, although everything was already clear to me, I didn’t ask.
– Yes, sir. Actually yes. Sir, tell me where your squad is located.
— On the south side of the square, at the factory.
I knew where this place was. On the street where I was looking recently.
– Clear. I think so, none of your squad has a sniper rifle with them?
– You think correctly, Komarov.
— We need to remove the snipers, otherwise it will be impossible to move an entire squad around the square.
— Your suggestions?
I thought a little. I had a proposal, and only one – knocking out snipers one by one. I quickly replied:
— I’ll contact you later.
Hanging the walkie-talkie on my shoulder, I went back to the broken window and looked left again. Now I need to run out to the street where the factory is located. Clear the street from the sniper and allow the squad to move. There will be more people, which means the square will be freed from snipers faster. Of course, Calhoun will send his people to deal with these infections, but I can do it faster.
Seeing that the rifle’s beam was far from me, I counted five seconds and rushed along the street to the intersection, running from side to side. Snipers’ sight aiming is somewhat lame – they need some time to quickly move the beam from one target to another. The main thing is to gain this time. So I wore the sniper down as best I could. Running out to the intersection, I closed my eyes against the blinding dim rays of the sun, which were still able to break through the dense layers of clouds. A second’s delay could result in certain death, and I instantly ran behind the eastern wall of the red building, disappearing from the sniper’s field of view.
your mother! I forgot that there is also a sniper on this street! Seeing a truck parked right in the middle of the street, I rushed towards it, hearing a bullet crash into the wall behind me. I jumped behind the truck, and the next sniper shot, again at the wrong address, hit the metal lining of the truck body.
I squatted down and caught my breath a little. Looked into the distance of the street. There, at the very end, the terrible structures of the Alliance were approaching the street – special walls that destroy everything in their path. They had already made a couple of passes, almost reaching the factory where Calhoun’s squad was hiding.
Having made a momentary conclusion that Fortune would not let me die at this moment, I carefully looked out from behind the truck. The house at the end, third floor, fourth window, from where the blue beam of a sniper rifle shines. If I run very fast, and I will run very fast, then the sniper will not have time to spot me, and if he does, he will fall into the milk again. I will find myself under the eaves of this house and give the sniper a big greeting in the form of a fragmentation guarantor.
I turned back to the street, noticing how two rebels ran out of the doors of the factory, darting behind the stone porch of the house opposite. Guys, you’re late! The sniper killer is here.
Exhaling for confidence and thus giving myself the sign to start, I jumped up, ran out from behind the truck, jumped over a large pothole in the asphalt, darted to one side, the other..
Crap! It’s a stupid feeling. It seems like this has happened many times already, but each one is like the first, and you still never get used to it. Time stops and you start waiting for something bad to happen. And just wait, because your body feels like it’s filled with lead and can’t budge. All that remains is the terrible anticipation of a complete ass that is ready to fall on you. This usually happened during a battle, when I found myself under enemy gunpoint.
A blue light flashed in my eyes. Everything inside me shrank. The sound of the shot was like thunder. At the first moment I felt nothing except a strong push, then a twist, as if someone grabbed me by the shoulder from behind and sharply turned me towards him. I fell and rolled like a sausage on the asphalt. An unbearable, hellish pain burned through my shoulder! My entire vision was enveloped in a crimson haze, a scream escaped from my lungs. In those split seconds I realized several times that I had missed the headshot!
This bitch shoots painfully!
Instinct, namely my terrible desire to survive, then did everything for me. I got to my feet and, before the sniper was ready to give me a control shot between the eyes, I jumped around the corner of the building. The bullet hit the asphalt. Lady Fortune gave me a little trip up.
My breathing was simply frantic, as was my heartbeat. Each of his knocks was like the blow of a blacksmith’s hammer, and my ribs served as the anvil. I looked at my shoulder. Damn it, you bastard! The pulse charge of the rifle, tearing the shirt and almost reaching the insignia of the Resistance, simply went through the skin. Not deeply, but, so to speak, with feeling and arrangement.
I feel so, my greetings to this sniper will be very big!
Okay, the wound is for later, and now the last forced march – ten meters, no more. Now, babe, let’s see who’s faster!
– Could you play a nocturne?! – I shouted as victoriously as possible and rushed headlong towards the building where the sniper was sitting. While I was running and praying not to become a victim of a sneaky headshot, the walkie-talkie hissed right under my ear:
– Komarov, this is Antonov from Calhoun’s detachment. How are you?
I’ll stop now. I’ll turn around. And on my fingers I’ll explain to this idiot how I. More precisely on one finger. On two hands.
When I ran under the ledge, I answered:
— It’s hard to describe what I feel, Antonov. Take out another sniper.
– Let’s do it!
– Great. Wait until I take mine off and go ahead!
Catching myself thinking that I was making the sniper wait too long, I took a grenade, tore off the pin and with a well-aimed throw sent it out the window.
– Crap!
The soldiers’ speech will never change!
There was an explosion, and a sniper fell out of a cloud of flame that burst out like a dull red bud from the window. He fell right at my feet.
– The shoulder, just so you know, is an invulnerable place for a person, son of a bitch! – I told the soldier.
III.
In the absence of a lighter and a box of matches that had already run out, and also with a terrible desire to smoke, I took a pistol out of the holster, raised the barrel to the end of the cigarette clutched in my lips and pulled the trigger. A shot sounded like a click and the end of the cigarette began to smolder. A boy of about eighteen, standing next to me, twitched and almost ran away.
“Don’t piss, Jack,” I said, putting the gun back in its holster. – I just ran out of matches.
I leaned against the wall of the house and took a short drag. Looked at the boy. After a short shock, he again took up his machine gun and began again to vigilantly observe the street entrusted to me, this very boy and two other rebels, one of whom, Robert, I knew, and the other I did not.
— Vlad, it’s good to scare people! – Robert shouted to me from the end of the street.
I nodded to him.
The walkie-talkie hissed near my ear.
“Vlad, we’ll be moving out soon,” said Kayley. – Like the street?
“Uh-huh,” I answered while exhaling. – Okay, okay.
– Well, well. Wait for the signal, desperado.
Currently, ten men were patrolling the streets around the building where the rest of Calhoun’s squad was stocking up on ammunition before storming the Nexus Patrol. I have already managed to choose another weapon for myself and stock up in case of a nuclear disaster.
“Hey, Jack,” I called the guy, looking at how he was patrolling. – Yes, calm down. The snipers have been removed, and therefore there is no need to monitor the street so seriously. In the next half hour for sure. Although…
At that moment the thought came to my mind that a large concentration of rebels in one square for harvesters would be a tasty morsel for shelling. I don’t think these jackasses will waste their manpower on destroying the Resistance. It’s easier to flood this square with crab shells.
– What is “although”?
I noticed how confused Jack was looking at me.
“Keep up the good work,” I waved my hand and began to finish my cigarette.
About five minutes passed, during which absolutely nothing changed. Everything was quiet. Very quiet. It seems that even the wind has stopped blowing. But I never liked such calms and do not like them. It’s like with a sniper – this stupid feeling of impending ass still haunts me. I’ve already smoked almost half a pack, but my nerves just won’t calm down.
“Vlad, come on, it’s time,” came from the speaker of the walkie-talkie.
– Fine. – I threw the cigarette butt on the ground, picked up the pulse rifle, shouted to Robert and the other rebel that we needed to move towards the gate.
We were about to leave, when suddenly something flew over our heads. And this was far from a transport worker or a hunter. Behind the roar of gunfire and explosions, a strange whistling sound was heard. I realized what it was, and my thought was confirmed by the explosion that thundered above me. We ran away from the wall of the building and a large concrete slab and several more large stones fell onto the place where we had just stood.
I raised my head. The sky, mixed with fumes and smoke, was crossed by several white lines. Krabby shells.
Crap!
– Vlad, are you alive?? – the radio crackled.
– Not yet!
– Everyone into the building. It’s an order from Rick and Calhoun!
– Yes, they all went crazy! – I shouted. – We will become one hundred percent corpses there!
– This is an order, Vlad, I..! – then instead of Kayley’s voice I heard a terrible roar and screams. The radio almost strained to convey all the horror happening on the second floor of the red building. Although, it could already be called a roof.
—Kayley? Kaylee! Crap! “I turned to the others and shouted: “Everyone, get into the building.”!»
“But…” Robert wanted to object, but I quickly cut him off: “Not discussed.”!"Our four headed towards the entrance to the building amid the deafening explosions of crab shells.
– Everyone back! – I shouted, seeing a black cylinder rushing towards us. About five meters from us, a crab shell crashed into the asphalt, releasing a fountain of stones and cobblestones. After a few seconds, the back part opened, and these vile creatures – headcrabs – began to crawl out of the cylinder.
“Hurry up,” I hurried people, deciding not to waste ammo on these pests. Nobody was against it.
After about two minutes, the first floor of the building was occupied by six rebels out of ten. The remaining four died under fire.
– What the hell? Crap! – Robert continued to swear and not in the most pleasant words for the ears.
“Perhaps the Alliance decided that we make better flat rebels,” I answered. – And the dead too.
“Yeah,” Kayley confirmed. His radio suddenly hissed. Rick contacted us.
—Kayley! Now the remaining people must leave the building.
– Where? – I asked. – Out on the street.
– No. This square. You must leave this square.
– For what? And how? – Kayley looked at me.
At that moment, somewhere on the floor, a flying crab shell broke through the ceiling and stuck into the floor.
— Free the next square in front of the Nexus.
– And you? A Calhoun?
– We must wait out the shelling, wait for Freeman and go through the gate.
“Yeah,” I said mockingly. – You as usual, and we – through the ass.
– Vlad, I understand you, but we have no other choice. As far as we know, this building has passages in the basement that lead to another street.
The three of us looked at each other.
“Let’s go,” Robert finished for everyone. – There’s really no choice.
By the end of the communication the shelling had ended. This in-between silence was replaced by the painfully familiar sound of a sniper rifle firing in my shoulder.
– Again, bitch! – I expressed. – They sent snipers, mongrels under the fence!
“Go ahead,” said Kayley. – To the basement.
Strange croaking sounds began to be heard from somewhere on the floor. Headcrabs began to crawl out of the shadows of the corners. And, as far as I know, ordinary. It’s a pity that my knowledge still didn’t make things better.
– Come on, let’s go! – Kayley said again and fired once at the creeping creature.
– Jack, get the fuck out of there! – I shouted to the boy, seeing a four-legged little bitch crawling up to him. Jack still didn’t understand what I meant, and he wouldn’t have had time – the white ball jumped onto the boy’s head. Thick dark blood poured out from under the carcass of this creature.
Now there are five of us.
We quickly reached the descent to the basement.
– Crap! We definitely need to go there? – I asked.
– Do you want to live?? – Robert asked me.
– Yeah, you want to take it “weakly”!
– Let’s get out of here, Vlad! – Kayley pushed me in the back, and I almost fell down the slope. My legs fell into the water up to my knees. Apparently it has accumulated here over time. We’ll survive, although I didn’t really like walking around in wet pants.
I froze. Behind me there were sounds of falling drops, echoing around. I turned around and was greeted by an ominous darkness, illuminated by the dim glow of a lamp installed somewhere in the room. It’s amazing how electricity still works here.
Four more pairs of boots fell into the water behind me.
– Does anyone have a flashlight?? – Robert cocked his shotgun and aimed it at the very center of the darkness. I did the same with the rifle.
“Yes,” responded one of the rebels. I think his name was Roy.
Seeing the thin beam of a hand-held flashlight cutting through a thick layer of darkness, I tutted in disappointment. And although we did not suffer from night blindness, it was difficult to see the outlines of anything in the twilight.
We, step by step, entered the kingdom of stench, darkness and horror. I found the place where the glow was coming from – it was a ledge near the wall, surrounded by a makeshift fence made of rotten planks. This was the only place in the basement that was not flooded.
While we were walking, my foot bumped into something soft. Like it’s alive. Everything went cold inside me. I remember Ravenholm. A terrible place where the devil himself would probably be afraid to go. I was literally praying that what I stumbled upon wasn’t a human corpse.
– Hey, over there! – Roy called out, directing the beam somewhere to the side. – There seems to be a passage! But… It’s boarded up.
And so it happened. The narrow passage in the wall was boarded up with tightly nailed boards. Why did they have to pin him down?? If only the people in the basement wanted to protect themselves from someone. From the depths of the corridor, where the passage led, a terrible, blood-chilling howl was heard.
– Let’s go back? – I asked, looking at everyone. Everyone was silent. They either didn’t want to go, didn’t want to answer, or couldn’t answer. Everyone had a marble face, as if they had just seen a ghost. Hearing the roars and groans around me, I also turned pale, a strong trembling passed through my whole body, a cold wind blew over my insides. I raised my rifle. But I didn’t know where to shoot. There was only darkness all around, it seemed like it was all trying to kill us. We were the perfect target for this.
Somewhere water continued to drip, the growling kept growing. The silence was oppressive. The silence was stifling. I wanted to scream, but my throat seemed to be squeezed tightly, not allowing me to even breathe normally. I wanted to run away from this terrible place, but fear grabbed each of us tenaciously and drove it firmly into the ground. Nobody could move.
Ravenholme. The same horror. You’re afraid to move. You think that any rustle that your step entails will provoke the awakening of a nightmare hiding in the shadows around the corner, behind your back. You think you’re already dead. And you are afraid to admit that you are still alive, because in another second you can become dead. And, even worse, a walking dead man with this crap on his head. You can’t think about anything else but death. How terrible it is, how painful it is. You begin to believe in everything, in predictions, in omens. Any troubles that happened before you now perceive as signs that brought you here. Instead of listening to your head, you listen to fear and follow its lead. Your heart is ready to beat out of your chest every time you hear these terrible howls of creatures throughout the city. This is Ravenholm – the city of death and inhuman horror.
Now, in the basement of this building, I felt the same.
“Lord,” whispered one of the rebels. And suddenly he screamed heart-rendingly.
It’s like I got an electric shock. I turned to the rebel. He just had a mad look, a pale face twisted with fear. It felt like the rebel saw evil itself in me.
– Henry, what’s wrong with you?? – asked Robert, trying in vain to hide the trembling in his voice.
Henry, breathing rapidly, looked at us, practically crying.
– I don’t want. “I don’t want to,” Henry repeated through tears. He jerked up his machine gun, pointed it at Roy, who was standing next to him, and fired a long burst. Our screams could do nothing. Roy’s body, gutted by bullets, flopped into the water.
– Henry, damn you, drop the machine gun! – Robert really roared.
“No,” Henry whispered and put the barrel of the machine gun in his mouth.
– Henry, no! “I rushed to the poor guy, but he managed to fire a shot.”. The bloody fragments left from his head flew into my face.
— Your mother! – Kayley cursed.
– Let’s get out of here, and better live! – said Robert. Not even a couple of seconds had passed before Robert shouted:
– Ah, the bastard creature! – And grabbed his right leg above the knee.
— Zombie! – said Kayley, raising his gun.
Indeed, terrible crooked figures of people who had risen from the dead began to crawl out from under the water.
I saw a former man stand next to Robert, now a victim of a headcrab. Robert, grinning and cursing, wanted to put shot into this creature, he just had to raise the shotgun, but the zombie was faster. He hit Robert in the face with a flourish, turning it into mush. The body went limp and fell into the water.
No, if you die, then only in battle.
– Come on, Kayley, let’s go out! – I shouted, shooting off one bastard’s head.
– Wait, Vlad! Let’s knock out these boards.
– Kaylee, are you crazy?! Did you hear what’s there!
I continued to give out headshots, and Kaylee kept thinking, although if I were him I would have agreed with me a long time ago.
The boards broke on their own. Three squat figures resembling gorillas flew out of the passage into the room. They were fast zombies. If not the worst thing, then the worst thing that could happen. One of the creatures paid attention to me and three jumps ended up next to me.
— Say hello to Cthulhu and other freaks! – I shouted, stopping the impending death with a powerful burst.
Two more creatures rushed at Kaylee. He killed one of them, the second did not have enough cartridges. Long reload time, that’s why I didn’t like machine guns.
—Kayley!
I tried to stop this bitch, but I only had two charges left in the magazine. There was no time to reload the rifle now. I threw it into the water. He grabbed a Glock from his holster and, rushing towards Kaylee, began shooting at the revived corpse.
Kayley managed to reload the machine gun, but the zombie had already swung and hit him in the chest with his powerful hand. Four long claws slashed across Kaylee’s body armor. A bulletproof vest could hardly save from such a blow.
The zombie howled.
Kayley, while he had some strength left, raised his machine gun and fired a burst at this creature. She howled again and was not going to fall. My shots finished off this reptile.
I ran to Kaylee and picked him up.
“Vlad,” Kaylee said hoarsely. Blood came out of his mouth.
“Come on, you have to live,” I said, dragging Kaylee to the ledge. I climbed on top of him and pulled Kaylee, who was ready to die, towards me.
I sat down against the wall, putting his head on his feet.
“Vlad, you…” he wanted to say, but the blood pouring from his mouth cut off his sentences.
– Wait, Kaylee. Oh god..
I looked at the wounds left behind by zombies. Four bloody lines decorated the chest. I’ve seen what happens from such injuries. And I didn’t want to believe that Kaylee was injured now. People with such wounds live no longer than a minute. Nothing can be done about this, no matter how many have already tried, especially in combat conditions. The wound is fatal. And even if I have a first aid kit with antibiotics, I will only prolong Kaylee’s suffering.
“I’m dying,” Kaylee whispered. He knew about it as much as I did.
“No,” tears flowed from my eyes. – No, you’re not dying.
Kaylee was very dear to me. For the first time I felt some kind of loss. I felt that along with the death of a comrade and friend, I would lose something else. I knew Kaylee would die. A minute earlier, a minute later. I felt lousy because I couldn’t do anything.
“Vlad, don’t…” said Kayley. He saw me cry. – No need…
– Kaylee… Kaylee… – I was out of breath. – Sorry. I…” And through clenched teeth he said: “I can’t help.”.
I had a friend dying in my arms right now. Kaylee Backman. He was twenty two years old. He, like all of us, was an orphan. Was in the Resistance for eight years. I taught him some skills, I learned something from him myself. We went through many battles with him, where we pulled each other out of troubles. It seemed like the bullets weren’t stopping us. Fortune has always smiled on us. It turned out that no.
I kept crying. This grief was unbearable. I was losing my best friend. Can’t find anything like this anywhere.
“You have to survive,” Kaylee whispered. After a few seconds he stopped breathing. His eyes froze in the light of the lamp.
– Wait. – I put my fingers on Kaylee’s eyelids. – I’ll come soon. – And closed them.
Silence reigned again with the measured sound of falling drops. And with my quiet cry for my deceased friend.
I don’t remember what happened next. I guess I passed out. I remembered my whole life. I remembered the world that I found before the portal storms. And he was wonderful. There was no daily war, no struggle for survival. The sky was clearer and the grass was greener. The trees were covered with leaves through which the bright sun shone, and the branches swayed beautifully in the wind.
And then they came – the storms. And then – the Alliance. I realized why I risked my life every day – I wanted to see once again this beautiful and wondrous world in which I lived for the first six years of my life. In my heart I longed to return this world.
I remembered many rebel guys who died in battles with combine harvesters. I realized what I lived for every day. I didn’t want these guys to be forgotten. After all, a person lives even after death if he is stored in someone’s memory. I wanted people to know about the sacrifices, about the cost of the world they live in. A restored world, no storms, no creatures, no Alliance.
And even though I’m alone. But I am already something. Although, I’m no one anymore. I’m slowly dying in this damn basement. I was already close to my goal. We were close to the goal, but someone decided everything for us. For me and for Kaylee.
Goodbye I’m dying.
– Hey, where’s the exit from here??
– Doctor, he’s there!
– Wait a minute. There’s someone here.
I heard someone’s voices, steps that splashed on the water. I can’t imagine who it could be.
– Hey, are you alive??
I opened my eyes. Through the fog I saw the outline of a face that was now looking at me. The fog began to gradually disperse, and I realized who was now looking into my face.
Gordon Freeman.
Synopsis for the second part: A couple of hours after the storming of the Citadel, Vlad Komarov and a group of rebels were given an order to get to the City-17 train station as quickly as possible and wait there for a train from the Citadel. As it turned out, Eli Vance and Judith Mossman were on the train to transfer to another train that leads to White Grove. The Resistance Group was assigned to ensure the safety of these individuals during the journey. This is how Vlad Komarov finds himself at the main base of the Resistance, where he finds himself drawn into an unexpected turn of events.