23.05.202X - 25.05.202X - Seconds late, hours late

00:10 23/05/202X 15C

 

Going to head to Fort Redstone, with a quick detour via Bedford Falls. Izzy's coming along.

The plan so far is we grab the old Humvee I left there and then drive that over to Redstone.

Izzy found herself a FAL that she really seems to like. Happy for her.
I remember finding this little machine like it was yesterday...

07:10

We rolled into Redstone around midnight. Fog came in at 5 AM.
We lost Izzy. Said something about her mask leaking over the radio, finding it hard to breathe.
I tried to look for her, pulled a mask off one of the bodies and checked it real quick, but I couldn't see shit for the fog.

I could hear the gunshots and the gurgling, though.

Fuck. I was SECONDS late.

Fuck this entire goddamn world.
Didn't even manage to say goodbye. There she was, blood pouring from her eyes and ears, dead rotters all around.
I heard her final, raspy breaths.
Tried my best, but no pulse, nothing.

No idea what her nervous system would have been like even if she's survived.

I don't know if I can deal with this.

I'm heading back home to bury Izzy. Tossed her FAL on the roofrack.

I never found out her real name, either. So many questions left unasked, so many mysteries unsolved.

Isobella "Izzy" Tippel
KIA
Time of death 0700 23/05
Nerve gas, died screaming

 

-Sayori Takahashi

13:50 23/05/202X 18°C

 

We buried Izzy with little fanfare.

Rufus and me built a cairn, Harris seemed shook as well.
I left a little note and a flower on her grave, then took as much oxy as I could handle.

The fog cleared up a couple hours ago.

Fuck.


Also, we have a new arrival. "Mishka", she calls herself.
First time I saw her knocking on the door I almost thought Izzy was back.
Same eyes, same stare, just a bit older. Speaks with a noticeable accent. Russian?

Looks like she knows how to handle a horde, though.
I asked her to clear out the north side of Muldraugh for us.

Might as well, considering who she stole that rifle from. I can recognize that keychain a mile away.

Didn't bring it up.

I can't be arsed at the moment, whether it's dealing with a horde or arguing about stealing from the dead.
Probably gonna get drunk and then see how I feel about everything.

Apparently she's ex-military, from before shit hit the fan.

So apparently the US and Russia entered into fairly close defensive ties after the old government in the Kremlin collapsed, and there just happened to be a battalion of Russian troops stationed in Kentucky, training in airborne insertions and the like.

That explains the vast amount of Russian gear we've been finding.

Anyway, her base got overrun by the hordes, and she was the only one who managed to escape (or so she says).

She's been a bit of a wanderer since then, and happened to stumble upon Muldraugh, and by extension, our base by chance.
Seems like there's not many other groups of immunes out there, despite what Rufus said.

Maybe he's just a magnet for trouble.

Mishka seems much more calm and collected, but has the same, dead eyes Harris has.

Dunno what she's been up to before this shit started, and I don't care enough to pry. If she can wield a rifle and build a palisade, we'll take her.

As long as she clears out the hordes first.

-Sayori

 

-INTERMISSION - DIARY OF LT. MISHKA SOKOLOV, RUSSIAN REPUBLIC ARMED FORCES

 1 день

 у меня есть 

Have decided to write in English

Phrasebook given by Caleb - very useful.

Good for keeping the mind moving on the slow days. Don't know how good I keep this log but is worth to try.

 

Dis 

Deserter log

 

I left. 

I had to. 

 

These people and their terrible ideals. It has been two months since I tras transferred here. In two months I have seen horror. 

We were sent to eradicate the infection - we are killing the hoards yes, but we are also survivors from the skies. 

These men shoot anything that moves - survivors do not wobble and sprawl like зомби - it is obvious - they do not scream and shout for mercy as the living do and yet, these men are killing survivors like a boy playing with an ants nest!

They say it is 'not my problem' and they do as their superior commands. 

Not like in my country - we do not do that after the Kremlin fell.

 

I will not be the one shooting a mother and child as they run from the dead.

I want to find my sister. 

 

She told me that her father was taking them to Kentucky on business.

 

Survivor? log 

 

I don't know how many days have gone since I have written down my thoughts. 

I haven't had any paper. 

 

The days are moulding together. I have been drifting.

I ran out of the medication the doctor gave me. 

 

I don't know the English name- I thought that the boxes would have other languages on the back but no - I remember the word started with 'A'. 

I've been looking for a Rus to Eng dictionary but so far no luck - maybe if I can get into a fallen base I can find one. 

I have read this little book back to front now. 

 

It's my little pocket friend.

 

I wonder how people are doing? I wonder how my mother is doing. I hope they don't get there until winter - they should be frozen solid. 

I hope at least.

 

I've seen a few survivors since I have been wandering. The first people gave me some food and a place to stay for the night - they didn't welcome me. 

I should have guessed the military wouldn't be wanted - especially after the helicopter strike a few nights before had killed a neighbouring group.

life is getting hard.

 

Survivor log 2 

 

I fucked up. 

 

I lost the Kalash - I was searching a house and a deadman was in the living room - I didn't hear him.

The thing grabbed on and wouldn't let go so I decided he could keep it.

I haven't seen living people in about a week - to be honest, it could be longer. 

 

I have a three day week at the moment. 

 

Yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

 

Hopefully I can find more food tomorrow. Maybe a weapon.

 

Survivor log 3 

 

I found a dictionary - its well used but it works. 

The problem is, now I have to find a pharmaceutical dictionary. I think I have the medicine I'm looking for but I don't want to take it just in case. 

Food is also becoming a real issue.

 

I feel like people have gotten to things before me - there are no weapons, no tinned food - I would have expected American houses to have at least a pistol - I'm starting to think the statistics of gun ownership in the US was a lie.

 

Survivor log 4 

 

I drifted again. I found myself in a little house in the woods - I might end up taking a chance with this medication - what's the worst that could happen? 

I'm taking a moment to write this down before I leave. 

Found a pickle in the cupboards and nothing else. 

 

It was sweet. I am disgusted, but its food.

 

Survivor log 5 

 

So much has happened.

I found my sister. Or her grave. 

I didn't make it.

 

Apparently she'd literally just passed. 

They were burying her body. 

I couldn't just show up then and there. 

 

At least I got to see her face one last time.

 

 

I thought the FAL I'd found was just a coincidence - on the motorway north. 

The stock had a keychain - same as the one I'd sent Iz for her university acceptance present. 

I still have it - it's in my beret - safe keeping.

 

I feel sick. 

I was so close.  

 

 

I waited a good 3 hours outside before appearing - they let me in. 

Only the basics of questioning. 

I realized my spoken English is way behind my writing. 

The base is STOCKED. 

These guys know what they're doing - this place is fuller than most army supply stores (definitely not as clean but they have definitely had bigger issues). 

Sayori (I don't know if I'm spelling her name right) is the leader by the looks of it - a smallish Japanese high school girl. 

Reminds me of the academy cadets back home. 

She spared no thought in giving me new gear. 

She seemed a bit spooked when she opened the gates though - I know I probably look strange, seeing as they've been used to having Iz around - same face, just on a different person.

Judging by how torn up she is, at least I know Iz was looked after. Sayori seems like she would've gotten along well with her.

Though, I'm hoping its just bereavement but the poor girl is very obviously depressed - she's keeping herself up though. I would take that level medication to feel better given the chance.

 

I might tell them who I am. 

 

I've tried to but I lose the right words - maybe I'll have to wait until they ask me. 

I'm sure it's weird seeing a stranger mourning your friend. 

 

Earlier she asked me if it would be disrespectful to walk on a grave - I didn't even notice she was at the gate until she spoke. 

I wasn't walking on it - just sitting - looking at the green beret on the cairn. 

 

Izzy always liked stealing my cadet hat.

 

I was expecting to be thrown out. 

 

She just turned around and walked back to the trailer and shut the door.

 

I have to tell them.

02:00 24/05/202X 18°C

 

Followed Mishka to the trailer parks further up north, cleared out some rotters.
Found a couple cars in good shape, had Mishka bring the other one back.

Note to self, never put that girl behind the wheel again. The car was pristine when we found it, now it's dented to hell and back.

She seems well trained with her rifle, though.

We stumbled through the forest throughout most of the evening, trying to locate the hordes.
Found some smaller groupings we made short work of, but nothing major.

Going to donate blood and pop a couple Valium, then sleep.

Forget Izzy, as well as I can.

Fuck this stinking world.
Glad I got to cut up a couple rotters, at least.

Mishka seems reliable but I think it's best to keep some kind of distance from her. Maybe kind of pull back from Harris and Rufus, as well.

If the fog gets them or the rotters tear them apart, then...

 

I don't know what I'm going to do.

Don't know how to deal with this.

 

I'd talk to Harris but at the same time I think that would go against everything I just said.

Bottle it up. 

Do drugs. 

Try to forget, day in, day out.

Wish I could have at least given her some morphine before she passed.

I'll be sleeping with my gas mask on, no matter how sticky I get.

I'm not dying like that.
Not with my lungs corroded to shit and blood seeping out of every orifice.
Not kicking and screaming and gurgling and begging for help.

It's late. 

Time to stop thinking.

Mishka is an universal recipient, which means I can't really rely on anyone else for donations right now.

-Sayori Takahashi, hoping for some rest

PS. Just realized something, something bad. Ems and Jenna went out before the fog started rolling in. Neither of them had a gas mask in their kit.

I'll talk to Rufus about it. We'll probably build a couple cairns come noon. Maybe engrave something on one of the walls in the trailer park.

Not like this.

13:50 24/05/202X

Restless night. Nightmares. Toxic fog coming in tomorrow, according to the radio.

Harris and Mishka both want to go raid something.
I don't feel like going back to Fort Redstone, and Bedford Falls feels like it could be a death trap.

Mishka still has a cold, and I'm not sure sitting in the same car with her would be a good idea. Ah well.

I remember we got strafed yesterday morning, me and Izzy. probably a military chopper.

Been hearing lots of scattered military orders on the radio.
Don't know how to feel about it.

Everything's kind of hopeless now. Going to see how the rest of the day turns out.

17:50 25/05/202X 25°C

Me, Mishka and Harris decided to head for Bedford Falls, after all.
Left just after midnight, snuck our way to the military base.
Lost contact at times when walking through the forest, but never really had any further issues.

I had us stick to a strict "no shooting" policy.
Almost got us in trouble once when a rotter pulled off Harris' mask, but thankfully it seems he wasn't badly affected.

Fog rolled in around 3AM, left roughly 12 hours later. The military base is a treasure trove, but the roads there and back are so packed with rotters and car wrecks that getting anything bigger out is pretty much hopeless without a concentrated cleanup effort.

We're back at base now, picked up some cool guns, scouted the place out. Harris found an M60 that Mishka lugged all the way back.
I couldn't fit any more shit into my pack.

Currently I'm just taking it easy, not really feeling up to much and the amphetamine crash is definitely real. Also cleared out probably over two hundred rotters in northern Muldraugh before we left.

"Road work in progress" as Harris said.

Still, the expedition went far better than I expected.

Harris is in excellent shape and takes to his new AK like it's his baby, but Mishka definitely needs to work on her cardio, among other things.

Those two are pretty hopeless when it comes to hand-to-hand.

Wish I could teach them, but the best I can do is just let them loose at a horde and see how they do.
I've cut down my fair share of rotters and know my way around blades and clubs alike, so it's not impossible.   

-Sayori Takahashi

 

 

"Izzy, what's your position? North or south? Izzy? IZZY?!"