Metro

Alexi frowned at the old man while snapping a cartridge into place quickly checking the bolt for any jams and running up behind the group. It was no secret that Alexi hated being told what to do but he never lashed out. He kept everything in so he could fight better and with a mind more impervious to fear. Following the group into the tunnel he strapped his flashlight to top of his AK-47 and switched it on illuminating his path and the group.
 
As the group walked forward the heat became even more unbearable. Clouds of dust surrounded them like fog. It was hard to see and Kami had to concentrate on her surroundings hard as she tried to watch her footing as well.
 
Ryan was at the front of the little carivan, his Bastard submachine gun at the ready. He seemed on edge due to the heat. "This isn't right... This tunnel should be cold..." He kept watch, alert, eyes flickering hither and yon into the darkness outside their lanterns, his finger on the trigger of the gun.
 
Alexi stopped for a moment and pulled his makeshift gas mask out of his backpack. Slipping on the black apparatus he runs up next to Ryan turn and orders everyone to put their masks on just incase. beads of sweat were pouring off of him "An old pipe may have burst in this tunnel filling it with steam and chemicals" he explains.
The brunette turns to Ryan and says "It takes three days to get to VNDKh from here but we can make it in two if we have no stops other than a couple hours of sleep"
 
"Possibly..." The man didn't seem to accept it but put on his gas mask without complaint. The gas mask was of the armored varioty that the members of that neo-nazi faction, the Fourth Reich, usually used. The armor didn't help the poor bastard when a knife went into his neck and made the blood spray.

"Then again, purgitory may just be a bit warmer this time." The older man's eyes may have just been playing tricks on him but he was sure he saw movement ahead, far in the darkness. "Stay alert." He said it in American English, a language that was rarely, if ever, used in the Metro. He knew Alexi know it well, since he was the one who taught him.
 
[FONT=Tahoma, Calibri, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif]Alexi turned towards the rest and have the order before turning back towards the front pulling his ak-47 close. "You know it's disrespectful to give orders in English," he some to Ryan in English frowning his accent very thick still "Only select people can speak English" his eyes caught something moving in the corner of his eye. He quickly took aim and shot into the thick fog of the tunnel not doubting himself for single moment.[/FONT]
 
Ryan laughed. "No, I believe its respectful enough to speek it in the company of those who refused to learn when I taught it." There was a yelp deeper in and what sounded like clawed feet on the cement ahead, out of the light. "Sounded like a dog. Might be a pack of wild dogs down here. The Red Line isn't what it once was." Ryan's skin started to crawl and itch and a shudder ran through him. "Something else is coming... Not living, thats for sure..." Deeper in the tunnel, there was a gout of lightning. "No one move."
 
Alexi looked deeper into the tunnel his eyes adjusting really quick because of years of being in the tunnels. Another flash of light came along with a clatter and he gulped. Quickly looking around the metro tunnel he quieted his breathing dramatically. As moments dragged on, shapes started to form out of the fog.
 
Ahead there were more flashes of lightning and crys of pain from things that weren't human. A few seconds later, a whole pack of mutants, things that looked like hairless dogs mixed in with short humans, ran on all fours at a breakneck pace. "Steady. Don't fire. Don't move anything." The pack ran by the group, trying hard to get away from something. "If you move, you will die. IF you want to live, stand. Still."

A few seconds later, a strange orb what was pulsing with electricity floated by, not going too fast, more like the pace of a brisk walk. It passed with all the agonizeing slowness of a snail going through molasses, not that the younger ones would know what that was. "Steady." Ryan was like a statue, completely motionless and the orb passed him without incident. As the orb neared the center of the convoy though, a man lost his nerve and started to run, only to be rewarded with instant death from a gout of lightning bursting off from the orb and blackening his skin whole. "Don't move!"
 
"Shit I haven't seen one of those since we took a scavage up on the surface" Alexi commented staying ccompletely still. The orb was three quarters of the way through the group and the rest of the men seemed extremely nervous and frightened. These men haven't ever seen one of the orbs - or Deathbringers is what most bookkeepers called them- before. The orb was almost through the group as Alexi's arms became very sore and uncomfortable. He slightly released tension in them moving slower than the ball of lightning. By the time he got both arms down the ball was ten feet away from the group still "chasing" the group of small time mutants.

"How the hell did it get down here?" he asked watching it disappear in the fog from the corner of his eye.
 
"Its the Metro boy. I thought you knew that when I took that little be-be out of your leg." The time he had spend in Alexi's company also happened to be the same length of time that a slightly younger Ryan had taken a bullet out of a young Alexi's leg on his way to Polus station. "Anolomies like that form anywhere. I heard it once got into a station and that didn't end well." Ryan walked down the cavivan and looked at the body before sighing and closing the man's eyes as far as the blackened skin would allow. "Take his weapon and ammo, especially the military rounds and then roll his body off the tracks."

He turned back to the dead man once that was done and he pulled out a book with an old ratty cover that was hardly holding the book together and muttered a few words over the man. Religon, beautiful stuff. After that was done he stood back up and started to walk. "We need to be in Lubyanka before anything else happens. With the last station down, its only a matter of time before the Neo-Nazis learn of it and send their Panzer carts to attack. Double time it!" He started to jog, easily and freely in command for now. He may not be the leader on paper, but experience was worth more than paper now.
 
Alexi shot him a quick glare as he jogged up beside him. The caravan was now moving faster than ever and they passed another station before they knew it. The group had to be careful because part of the tunnel caved in and the outside world was visible. Huffing one of the soilders asked "Can we please slow down?"

Alexi quickly spun around and gave him a commanding no before turning around and running again fixing his backpack. He was feeling very sore and more fatigue as the days go by. He knew he had to go to see a doctor soon because it was not normal even for a traveler that hardly got rest. He slipped his gasmask off and coughed into his elbow. He ran harder to keep up with Ryan and huffed heavily.

Finally addressing the older male he said "What about VHNDk?" Alexi never wanted to to leave that station alone after what happened years ago. He shuddered at the thought of the monsterous beings that he still had nightmares about. he couldn't believe that the station put up with them for so long before getting help. It was admirable even though most of them started to turn mad because of the fear.
 
"At the next station we will stop!" Ryan announced that as they passed another station, this one extremely quiet, as if no one else was there. He did not like that so the plan was changed. They would stop at Chistye Prudy. He looked at Alexi when he talked. "We're not abandoning them, no. We're heading towards them. The station at Chistye Prudy has a tunnel that leads to the VHND Commonwealth. The last one didn't."
 
Alexi nodded and moved ahead his movements turning slightly sluggish. He was tired and just wanted to stop for a few minutes but it's never safe to stop in a tunnel. Moving along he pushed his gasmask into his backpack. Looking back he counted to make sure they weren't missing anyone.
 
Constant stood up from his little box house seeing other survivors. Quickly he ran towards them doing his best not to make any mutants aware that they were close.
 
Alexi looked up as he saw someone running up to them. He held up his gun in defense incase it was a crazy.
What are you doing in the tunnels sir" he asked looking around "They are not safe to be in alone"
 
He stopped seeing the gun "I don't mean any danger, you are survivors too?" not being completely familiar with English he put his hands up in the air indicating he has no weapons and walks closer "I saw you walking"
 
"Boy you can stop speaking English, speak Russian like a true metro dweller" Alexi ordered lowering his guard a little. "An what do you mean survivors, survivors of what?" he asked, more like demanded.
 
"I-I ... " with no reply to the first comment he looks around and whispers "Ze munstrosities , ze kill anything with ze skin" He points to his arms and pinches his skin slightly to make sure he said what he ment
Constance paused "You are strong? You must be... I am survivor too!"