DEFEATING THE DUE...THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
I move through the forest heading for Novy, running fast with the Mogilevka/ Novy road about a hundred metres to my left. I quickly look at my map and decide to move North East , skirt across the road between Guglovo and Novy instead so i can scan Novy from above in the Lesnoy Khrebet hills.
The forest clears and once again a heli wreck is before me, i crouch and see movement, infected with lolling heads dragging themselves slowly across the field away from the smoking machine. Scanning the wreck i can see some garbage scattered around but instead i am more impressed when i see movement from the trees to my left. Slowly and majestically the magnificent Berezino Boar snuffles across the field. I jog along the treeline until i am in a good enough position to take the shot, but then decide i have had my fill of killing this day. I share a joyous moment with this beast, knowing how easily he could gore me, i run wild and free beside him, snuffling and laughing together as if we live in times of peace and he is my life long companion. The moment ends abrubtly as he turns on me and i pissbolt back into the forest. An untamed animals demeanour can change in the swish of a tail, a lesson i would be a fool to forget.
The forest clears and once again a heli wreck is before me, i crouch and see movement, infected with lolling heads dragging themselves slowly across the field away from the smoking machine. Scanning the wreck i can see some garbage scattered around but instead i am more impressed when i see movement from the trees to my left. Slowly and majestically the magnificent Berezino Boar snuffles across the field. I jog along the treeline until i am in a good enough position to take the shot, but then decide i have had my fill of killing this day. I share a joyous moment with this beast, knowing how easily he could gore me, i run wild and free beside him, snuffling and laughing together as if we live in times of peace and he is my life long companion. The moment ends abrubtly as he turns on me and i pissbolt back into the forest. An untamed animals demeanour can change in the swish of a tail, a lesson i would be a fool to forget.
Just as i enter the forest i realise i am so thirsty i could lick the sweat of a horse, but there is no horses to lick, which is lucky because i am allergic to all things equine. I leave the heli and my beautiful boar moment behind me, heading briskly towards Novy, discouraging my previous plan of coming in from above. After what seems like more than seventy seconds i spy a barn at the lowest point of Novy, an infected farmer stumbling nearby possibly wondering if it is worth it worrying about this years hay harvest.
I run straight past him with a 'cheerio dear chap !' as he swats at me in return, following me inside and ending up on the wrong end of my gun. He has fallen near a small pile of rubbish and a morphine injector rolls out of his pocket onto the ground. I check his pockets, the wiley old dog has a stashed a can of coke. Mine. The wet fizziness attacks my throat and i cough, covering my hands and face with the hot sticky substance but smile wildly, a hot coke under a midday sun never tasted so refreshing.
I run straight past him with a 'cheerio dear chap !' as he swats at me in return, following me inside and ending up on the wrong end of my gun. He has fallen near a small pile of rubbish and a morphine injector rolls out of his pocket onto the ground. I check his pockets, the wiley old dog has a stashed a can of coke. Mine. The wet fizziness attacks my throat and i cough, covering my hands and face with the hot sticky substance but smile wildly, a hot coke under a midday sun never tasted so refreshing.
I wipe myself down with the farmers hat and take the morphine, literally, straight into my veins. My vision blurs slightly and then it kicks..wooo yeh doggy, lets go. Just as i exit the barn a great crack of thunder shatters the sky above me and the heavens open, i am soaked in seconds and run back inside, my eyes wide in childish fear. Wtf. I wait out the brief storm and spend it burying the farmer and checking out the rest of the barn, nothing else of use, just hay and hatchets. Then as suddenly as it begun the skies are clear again and the rain has passed. Weird.
Once again out, i head up towards the church avoiding the rambling infected in the vicinity. As i near the church walls i see movement inside, i crouch and have my gun up, ready for whatever lurks within...i walk cautiously towards the open door. A black shape is also slowly walking towards me, i wipe the sweat out of my eyes and make out the church priest. If he had a large red circular nose i would put him above fucked up clowns on my list of scary shit that should never be in your cupboard corner at night, but he has a standard nose so the clowns are safe in their position. As we shuffle towards each other i notice the paintings on the wall and start to shake..the story of the Dew is before me.
Once again out, i head up towards the church avoiding the rambling infected in the vicinity. As i near the church walls i see movement inside, i crouch and have my gun up, ready for whatever lurks within...i walk cautiously towards the open door. A black shape is also slowly walking towards me, i wipe the sweat out of my eyes and make out the church priest. If he had a large red circular nose i would put him above fucked up clowns on my list of scary shit that should never be in your cupboard corner at night, but he has a standard nose so the clowns are safe in their position. As we shuffle towards each other i notice the paintings on the wall and start to shake..the story of the Dew is before me.
The paintings depict the first Dew warriors, the handing down of The Dew, the book of Dewness and then the first unholy drinking of the Dew, plucked from the Mighty Dew Tree that was never to be plucked. This priest then could well be one of the protectors, or an evil Dew addict. Judas Priest. Either way i flip my shit, about turn and outrun every infected in town by a large margin, not stopping until i am once again deep in the forest. Here i lay down under some logs and sleep fitfully for a few hours, waking when something crashes through the underbrush near me.
I am coughing again, my body racked by a series of dry hacking noises as soon as i sit up, fuck. I look around and cannot see my weapon, my M4A3 is gone ! I open my pack thinking maybe i jammed it in tightly beside my DMR, but no, my DMR is missing too ! I scan my surroundings but find nothing, i unholster my G17 and find i also have no ammo for it. Someone or something has raped my items while i slept, a terrible thought of the black garbed infected priest, standing over me while i slept, spiriting my weapons and ammo away. My eyes open wildy open in fear as i quickly grab my trusty hatchet, the wood firm in my grasp, heading down to the open fields between Novy and Stary, coughing madly. In the middle of the field my luck changes, i come across a weirdly upright bicycle, it must be wedged in some mud from the previous downpour.
I am coughing again, my body racked by a series of dry hacking noises as soon as i sit up, fuck. I look around and cannot see my weapon, my M4A3 is gone ! I open my pack thinking maybe i jammed it in tightly beside my DMR, but no, my DMR is missing too ! I scan my surroundings but find nothing, i unholster my G17 and find i also have no ammo for it. Someone or something has raped my items while i slept, a terrible thought of the black garbed infected priest, standing over me while i slept, spiriting my weapons and ammo away. My eyes open wildy open in fear as i quickly grab my trusty hatchet, the wood firm in my grasp, heading down to the open fields between Novy and Stary, coughing madly. In the middle of the field my luck changes, i come across a weirdly upright bicycle, it must be wedged in some mud from the previous downpour.
Laying low and looking around thinking it may be some foul trap, a snipers sport, the lowest of the low tricks in this time of apocalypse that one must be wary of. I see nothing so happily mount this fine product of Eastern Bloc engineering. Unfortunately after two minutes of furious pedalling i have managed only one bicycle length, my calves are burning and sweat is blurring my vision.
I get off the bike in disgust and hurl accusations at the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Chzechoslovakian ballerina company and then calm my rage and think. How is it possible that this perfectly good looking bicycle will pedal but have no forward motion. I look and see the paint is mildy chipped and one of the tyres looks mildly deflated. A short run to some old wooden warehouses and animal stalls on the outskirts of Novy and i come across a small pile of scrap metal i can somehow affix to the bike frame, its a long shot but i made a really good rendition of an ashtray in metal shop at school, should be a cinch. One more lucky find, a car wheel, possibly too big, but once again worth a shot.
Back at the bicycle i marvellously attach the scrap metal and the frame is magically gleaming, the car wheel somehow fits perfectly and once it is on i cannot tell the difference from the original, maybe my flu is affecting my vision. I throw a leg over and wonder of wonders..i am off ! An infected has heard my excited childlike bell chime as i pull onto the road and i have to turn back towards Novy to avoid it, pedalling madly and heading past the church and out onto the other side of the village. Monstering up the hill i leave three or for infected behind , dallying around on the edge of Novy, no doubt realising i have pulled a Lance Armstrong on them, the last of the morphine had kicked in and adrenalized me. Then disaster, i somehow overpedal and slide sideways and crash to the ground on my chin, briefly knocking myself out. Road rashed.
Back at the bicycle i marvellously attach the scrap metal and the frame is magically gleaming, the car wheel somehow fits perfectly and once it is on i cannot tell the difference from the original, maybe my flu is affecting my vision. I throw a leg over and wonder of wonders..i am off ! An infected has heard my excited childlike bell chime as i pull onto the road and i have to turn back towards Novy to avoid it, pedalling madly and heading past the church and out onto the other side of the village. Monstering up the hill i leave three or for infected behind , dallying around on the edge of Novy, no doubt realising i have pulled a Lance Armstrong on them, the last of the morphine had kicked in and adrenalized me. Then disaster, i somehow overpedal and slide sideways and crash to the ground on my chin, briefly knocking myself out. Road rashed.
Coming to my senses i thank the Dew i have not broken my legs and scurry over to the bicycle but cannot pick up its mangled frame. It seems i do not have the strength left in me and the weight of the skinny tubular frame is more than i can bench. I can't even lift.
Deciding to put the day behind me and desperately needing another rest i head to the hill above Novy as i was going to many hours before. I am shaking, sick, and thirsty again. Once in the forest i simply slump down against a large pine, eat the last of my goat medallions saving the bull steaks for when i arise. My last thought is to keep my hatchet firmly in my grip while i sleep... lest the priest comes looking for me. I cast a sleepy eye on the dew in the bottom of my pack then and the fall into a blackness.
Deciding to put the day behind me and desperately needing another rest i head to the hill above Novy as i was going to many hours before. I am shaking, sick, and thirsty again. Once in the forest i simply slump down against a large pine, eat the last of my goat medallions saving the bull steaks for when i arise. My last thought is to keep my hatchet firmly in my grip while i sleep... lest the priest comes looking for me. I cast a sleepy eye on the dew in the bottom of my pack then and the fall into a blackness.
The Journey so far. (or most annoying map ever)