My brain kicks me from unconciousness to save me from drowning. I’m soaked. Is it from the water? Or the rain? It doesn’t matter. What matters is that noise I hear. It sounds like the gurgle of a soldier, shot in the neck. I sound I’ve heard one too many times, years ago. But this… it’s not stopping. No sweet release. What ever is making that sound isn’t human. At least not anymore. I need to move.

I try for a second to get my bearings, but there’s only one way to move. Away from the shore. I cross a road, and some railroad tracks. To my left I see some sort of establishment. Looks like a shipyard. There are also more of those…things. They stumble aimlessly. Making horrific noises. No one knows what they are. We saw a few as our chopper flew over Chernarus. We were supposed to be a rescue crew. I don’t think there’s anyone left to rescue….

That’s the last thing I remember. Flying over this forsaken land with my squad. Not knowing what to expect. The next, an alarm went off, and the chopper ripped apart. I have no idea where they ended up, or if they survived the crash. Maybe the…things..down the road used to be one of my squaddies.

It’s dark out. I have no idea where I am going, but staying here isn’t an option. So I move. To my left, certainty. Certain death. Undead horrors walking the coast. To my right, the unknown. A dark forest. There could be things worse than those abominations in the forest, I don’t really know for sure. As I walk, I notice some of the monsters shambling closer. Too close. I work my way deeper into the forest and up a hillside. I find a dirt road, and figure I can follow it for a while. All roads lead to somewhere…

Eventually I come to an intersection, and the forest thins out. I stop to take a look around. Definitely a shipping yard or town to my left. In front of me I see what looks like a power plant. It is hard to be sure in the dark.

Suddenly something catches my eye. Down in the shipyard I see light. A flashlight, bouncing off the walls of some buildings. I don’t think the monsters could hold a flashlight, so they have to be human. Not too smart though, that flashlight is giving away their position. I may have to pay this person a visit. I make a note of where I saw them, and finish surveying. I don’t have time. A rustle in the trees ahead spooks me, and I drop to the ground. Whatever it was must have heard me too. Suddenly, another flashlight. It blinks.

Short. Long. A pause… Long. Another pause… Short. Short. Long. Short.

ATF! I quickly flash the same back, and quietly make my way over. Goddamnit Zao, you lucky bastard. He doesn’t look too beat up, either. We exchange some words, and quickly realize we need some supplies. He mentions he saw a few buildings to the north. We set off immediately.

Movement in the dark is difficult. I can’t see him. But years of touring on duty with Zao means we always know where the other is. I don’t need to see him. We advance on the building as if it were part of a routine exercise. How many buildings had we entered and cleared? I guess that doesn’t matter. We had our rifles then. I could bash something with my light I guess…

We enter the house, but there is nothing. No people. No monsters. No supplies. So again we move. Further north, along the dirt road. My eyes are beginning to adjust to the dark. Up ahead I see what looks like a dam. There should be some sort of building up there. We push onward.

There it is again. That noise. Whatever happened to these things, it sounds painful. I see it up head. Crouched down. Picking at something.

And then it bolts. Straight for us. We scramble up a hill into some trees in an attempt to lose it. I think I hear Zao get hit. I dive under some brush, and wait. The sounds stop. Our pursuer sounds confused and frustrated, and shambles off. I wonder where Zao ended up. I see the light flash “ATF” again, so I move towards it. I find Zao holed up under an evergreen. No serious damage. Minor lacerations. Nothing to waste a bandage on. We move again.

In the confusion, we lost our bearings a bit. Zao hits the light again, just to see where we are.

A shot rings out. Blinding pain. I’ve taken hits in my career, but this one got me good. Right in my abdomen. I stay down, hoping not to draw anymore fire. Where was this guy? Our flashlights gave us away, but I have no idea where he was. Or why he felt threatened. I turn my head to look for Zao, he was right behi–

BANG.

Another shot, another cry of pain. This time from Zao. I call to him, but he doesn’t respond. It’s better for him, I think. Better to not feel the pain. I feel hurt, but I know I have time to live. This won’t be quick. I have time. To think. To write this down.In case somehow humanity survives this plague.

I suppose we were doomed from the start. From the minute we got this assignment, nothing felt quite right. Gunned down by the very survivors we were sent to rescue. I wonder if the flashlight from the shipyard will get out alive. I wonder if he was the shooter. It doesn’t matter now. The pen is getting heavier. I try to stand up, to maybe find some medical supplies at the dam, but without any food or water, I don’t have the energy. I hate to give up. But there’s nothing to do but wait. And wait.