Campfire Tales: Eternal Darkness Without Dawn
Disclaimer! The story contains mentions of death, blood, and a crazy person.
English translations of Russian words will be enclosed in curly brackets and highlighted in orange.
A man in a dirty orange suit, surrounded by mercenary stalkers, walks through the Zone's forests, occasionally glancing at the leader. He differs from the stalkers in both his equipment and clothing. Of course, this story is about you, brave scientist. Your enthusiasm has waned, but just a week ago, you were ready to give everything to find yourself in this otherworldly, mystical place. Why and how did you end up here? The answer to this question is simple and unambiguous: Scientific research on flora and fauna.
A couple of hours ago, you received your pass to the Zone's laboratories and were overjoyed to set foot for the first time on what felt like native, intriguing land. There, you were informed about your new companions. Only for you, skilled mercenaries were hired as protectors and guides through the Zone. You weren't afraid, surrounded by professionals and in your brand-new suit: SSP-99 Ecologist.
You and the mercenaries walked through the dead, blackening forest. Night was approaching; the men could feel it in the backs of their necks. You, meanwhile, wrote down and sketched everything you saw in your journal: from crooked spruce trees to branchless birches, from thorny bushes to strange blue-black branches on the ground, and so on.
You observed every rustle, every leaf, adjusting your uncomfortable suit again and again.
You felt scalding and itching beneath your protective gear. At first, you didn't want to wear it, but your fellow scientists insisted on your safety. You were too important to the team.
*Боже как меня раздражают эти тряпки!* {God, how this rag irritate me!} you fumed in your head.
The mercenaries' sardonic glances really bothered you (they almost laughed when they first saw you), but you still tried to fit in (and at first glance, you'd think you were succeeding).
During breaks, you listened to their stories and tried to tell them something about yourself. They weren't as interested in you as you were in them, but the men still listened attentively to your experiences in the Zone and occasionally laughed at your naivety.
Suddenly, your team stopped. The mercenaries became wary and raised their machine guns. You almost immediately adopted your team's anxiety.
"Что случилось?! Почему мы встали?!” {What happened?! Why did we stop?!} - You spoke nervously, feeling your guts clench with a strange feeling of fear.
«Темнеет что-то быстро.» {It's getting dark fast} - one of the senior stalkers said.
“Через пару километров брошенный посёлок ‘Лисий’. Устроим там место для ночлега. Дальше в такую темень идти не безопасно.» {The abandoned village of 'Лисий' is a couple of kilometers away. We'll set up camp there. It's not safe to go any further in this darkness} - the leader said with a lisp (he was missing a front tooth on his upper jaw).
To your surprise, everyone obediently began picking up brushwood, cutting moss, and marking trees with crosses. You felt uneasy and quickened your pace to keep up with the team.
Your gaze slid over the withered trunks until it settled on… a strange flower.
It seemed to pulse between the dead blades of grass… calling out to passing travelers. None of the stalkers stopped, didn't even glance at the mysterious plant, but you… You reveled in the flower's beauty, absorbing every sway of its petals. Your trance was broken by a gentle push in the back. The unexpected touch of one of your teammates snapped you out of it, and you both hurriedly caught up with the others.
You wanted to stay. To reach for the flower, smell its enticing scent, take a couple of petals for the lab. Instead, out of sheer helplessness, you simply began sketching it in your notebook as you walked, oblivious to the potential dangers around you.
The men emerged into the copse, and a truly terrifying scene unfolded before you: the black, charred walls of the shacks, the overgrown patches where the roofs were visible through the tall grass, the dead trees scratching the remains of windows —all of this evoked a strange surge of emotion in you.
In short dashes, scattering bolts along the perimeter, the mercenaries crossed the open area to the nearest house. This building could hardly be called a living space—one of the walls was almost gone, huge holes gaped in the ceiling, and the floor was just a name.
Your teammates inspected the entire shack and began to carry out the commander's instructions. His stately figure stood out among the other stalkers in your group. You tried to listen to him, not wanting to get lost in the dead forests of the Zone.
It took just a few minutes to set up camp inside the abandoned building. You were placed in a corner, away from the door and the hole, while the mercenaries lay around the fire, in sleeping bags, around the perimeter. The fire was weak. It was unable to cut through the dense, seemingly living darkness of the Zone. It tried to force its way through every crack, consuming the last light from all life around it.
The Zone was pressing on your nerves, causing you to shudder occasionally. You felt as if the goosebumps on your skin were the size of your fists. Even your defenders are on edge.
They recounted the last things heard in the Zone to fill the tense silence.
«Вы слыхали , братаны, о Серёге Бронзе?» {Have you heard of Seryoga Bronze, bros?} - the young, but already bald, stalker began his story, to the nods of his comrades.
«Так вот. Он в зоне пропал пару месяцев назад. Ночью взял и исчез из лагеря. Все его пожитки в мешке спальном оставил. Даже пистолет на шапке бросил.” {So. He disappeared in the zone a couple of months ago. He just vanished from camp one night. He left all his belongings in a sleeping bag. He even forgot the pistol on his hat} - the bald man continued.
One of the older stalkers shook his head in disappointment, and you huddled against the wall, finishing your canned food.
“Короче, его в итоге нашли. Говорят, он был похож на чёртову мумию! Глаза высохли, волосы поседели и клоками отпадали, кожа обтянула кости, а органов как будто не было совсем!» {They finally found him. They say he looked like a damn mummy! His eyes were dry, his hair was gray and falling out in clumps, his skin was stretched over his bones, and it was as if his organs were completely gone!} - The young mercenary thought for a moment and chuckled slightly. - «сморщенный как изюм» {Wrinkled like a raisin.} - After these words, he chuckled softly.
«Попутного ветра горбатому в спину» {Fair winds to the hunchback} - the Lisping Commander muttered.
You winced at your team's indifference. The canned food tasted bland, and a lump formed in your throat.
«Господи! Они ведут себя хуже мутантов!» {My God! They're acting worse than mutants!} - you thought, biting your lip to keep from saying anything too kind to the mercenaries.
After your team's unpleasant exchange, everyone went to bed. The first to be assigned to watch was that same Bald Stalker. His arrogance and crooked grin irritated you, so you turned to face the wall, listening to the rustling sounds of the men getting ready.
Even after complete silence fell over the camp, your brain continued to work, refusing to sleep. Your thoughts kept returning to the incident with 'Sergey Bronze,' to the frightening forest beyond the wall, to the terrifying, hellish creatures that wanted to feast on live game.
To distract yourself, you decided to open your notebook and reread it for the thousandth time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your head jerked, and you woke up.
Your notebook lay open in your hands, and the light from the fire dimmed. You couldn't tell what time it was. Everything was swimming and tripling before your eyes; every shade of color became more red.
You couldn't hear any sounds... except a sweet, unfamiliar voice. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, which was starting to drive you crazy. Your head was bursting at the seams, and the suit was getting hotter and hotter. An unbearable itch was stealing your ability to think.
*I need to take it off. NEED TO TAKE IT OFF NOW* was the only thing on your mind. - *Air! AIR FOR ME!*
You removed your helmet with trembling fingers, and the cold air hit your lungs. You gasped for oxygen, suffocating from the dizzying sensation of life…
Rolling over onto your back, you propped yourself up on your elbows. The abandoned building seemed more unnatural now, and the people around you… They… It was as if they were looking at you! Living dead, laughing at you and your cheap, bright orange clothes! You wanted to rip them off, tear the thick material with your teeth. YOU DON'T WANT TO BE LIKE THEM! LIKE ANIMALS! YOU WANT TO LIVE! YOU WANT FREEDOM! YOU WANT… a flower…
You looked around wildly again. A red haze had already filled the house, and the men... they lay motionless, their chests heaving with deep, languid breaths. The one who hat to guard the entrance lay sprawled facedown on the ground, as if he'd passed out while on duty.
Standing up, swaying as if stung, you leaped over the sleeping stalkers with unnatural agility and ran outside.
The cold hit you in the face, but it didn't wake you, no. It only angered you more.
Breaking into a run, you raced back toward the forest where the bloody fog was coming from.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An insistent voice spoke.
Your suit was restricting your movements. STUPID RAGS!!!
As you ran, you began to peel off your protective suit: first the gloves flew, falling onto the damp ground, then your boots, stuck in the mud, then the fasteners were cut, causing your clothes to fall like a sack from your half-naked body.
~Just a little more! COME TO ME!
She... he... IT called to you, and like a child seeking a sweet treat, you ran headlong, scratching your face on the dry branches.
“Я бегу!» {I'm running!} - your cry echoes through the forest as you hear the voices of your parents. Your father and mother calling to you... And other voices... Friends? Family? Colleagues? A cacophony of sounds filled your mind.
You trip over a root and fall right next to the flower. You're tired and exhausted, but proud that you've reached your cherished goal.
You raise your head, never to look away from the flower again. It's mesmerizing and captivating... euphoria courses through your veins, and you feel a wild surge of energy that makes every muscle in your body tremble.
Subconsciously, you try to regain control of your body, but your limbs, like jelly, refuse to yield.
The more you inhale the sweet scent of the flower, the more your mind becomes clouded. Your body grows cold... Thoughts abandon you... Your head goes blank...
Gradually, the earth began to suck all the nourishing juices from man. Not a single drop of blood was lost by the roots of the man-devouring plant. Organs failed, lungs shrank, and the heart became softer than rotten meat. Even the eyes were sucked out by the greedy roots.
The last vestiges of your strength, like your life, drain from you. Silently, your body transforms into another hideous exhibit in this twisted Kunstkamera...
At dawn, a group of men bent over the withered, rag-clad corpse. It was difficult to understand their reaction to such a pitiful, lonely death of a scientist. With a sudden movement, the scarlet, fragrant flower was crushed into the dirt by the old stalker's black boot.
«Задание провалено. Возвращаемся к периметру» {Mission failed. Return to the perimeter} - lisp man said.
The bald stalker spat on the ground in frustration, stubbed out his cigarette on a tree trunk, and the entire team began slowly moving through the dense forest back toward civilization.
«Вот так и дохнут в зоне любознательные всезнайки» {That's how inquisitive know-it-alls die in the Zone} - said the Zone's favorite, Меченый, sternly.
The young man swallowed the canned meat with difficulty. Again, he sat with Меченый by the fire, as if for the first time.
«…это уже…. Третья история за вечер…. Как много их у вас ещё осталось?» {….that's already... the third story this evening... How many more do you have left?} - the young man settled more comfortably on his sleeping bag.
«Достаточно, чтобы ты учился на ошибках тупоголовых долбоёбов.» {Enough for you to learn from the mistakes of thick-headed fuckers} - the experienced man replied coldly.
«Запомни, я без надобности ничего не рассказываю.» {Remember, I don't tell you anything unless it's necessary} - He finished his thought and looked around, as was his habit of stalker.
The young man nodded and put the empty can of food in his bag.
«Нам далеко до обитаемой местности?» {Are we far from inhabited territory?} - the novice stalker asked.
The Zone's favorite thought for a few seconds, then glanced at his PDA.
«Ещё как минимум день по лесу и пару километров вдоль реки до ближайшей стоянки сталкеров на юге.» {At least another day through the forest and a couple of kilometers along the river to the nearest stalker camp in the south} - said the man, raising the flask of alcohol to his lips.
Gulping down the scorching drink, he winced slightly.
The Starkers had been traveling together for two days now. The elder, like a mentor, was teaching the newcomer the basics, drilling the inexperienced boy for two evenings in a row.
Suddenly, a rustling sound from the bushes made the young stalker suddenly grab his pistol. Меченый, however, remained where he was, unwavering.
Cautiously rising, the young man slowly approached the twitching bushes. Picking up a long stick, he abruptly parted the foliage, and two siskins flew right into his face, cawing discontentedly. The experienced stalker burst out laughing.
"Испугался семейки чижей! Жёлторотик!» {Scared of a family of siskins! Yellow-beaked!} - the man said mockingly.
«Тебе ещё многому нужно научиться…. Коржонок… а что, подходит, а?" {You still have a lot to learn... Korzhonok... sounds suitable, huh?"} - Меченый smiled.
The kid wanted to protest, but stopped himself. Through the lips of the favorite, the Zone had given him a new name. It was too late to change anything.
Welcome to the Zone , Stalker
Hello everyone! I've been away for a while! Sorry for my absence, I had so many problems, first with my exams, and then with getting into university. But everything's fine now! I'll try to delight you with both new campfire stories and my drawings! Until next time!
