METRO 2036
Chapter 1 Riga
‘KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK’
the sound of the metallic beats drew my attention away from my writing as I looked up from my type writer and to the door. “Yes, who is it...and what the hell do want?” I snapped.
“Uh, sorry do disturb you Siberian, but our scouts are saying the storm is coming faster than we thought, so I was just coming to make sure…” The nervous voice of one of Arkady’s scouts replied through the tin sheet I used for a door.
“трахнуть меня” I muttered “ Give me a damn moment I asked, but no, Arkady has to send of his…" I sighed "You out there, go tell the smith to get my gear ready, I will out in a minute” I rubbed my temples with the tip of my hooves.
“Y-yes sir” I waited until I could no longer hear is echoing hoofsteps among the loud chatter of the overcrowded station.
I leaned back in my chair and heaved a slow sigh, going outside was never as thrilling as it was made out to be, it’s a hell hole, a ash covered planet with radiation pooling every were you go, but somepony has to do it, at that unlucky son-of-a-bitch is me.
After a few more curses under my breath, I stood to all fours and pulled out the paper in the type writer, looked it over, then tucked it into a small box that I keep stored under my bed. I took the type writer and set it under the desk, now I was able to reach the small compartment that I carved out of the desk myself. Inside was my revolver, old and covered in grime, it had saved my ass more times than I would like to admit, nor remember. Other than the revolver there was a handy little trench knife I had found a year or two ago in what is left of D6, the damn thing looked older than the metro itself, but with a little care it was a reliable tool. I closed the compartment, and collected my journal and its complimentary lighter that always remain in a drawer to the bottom left of my desk.
I reached over and opened my cabinet that was set so tightly inside of my ‘room’ and pulled out my holster, saddle bags, and coat. I put the holster to my chest and slipped the gun into it along with my knife in its sheath that was tied to the bottom of the holster, then my bags over my back and the coat over the rest of my body.
After a last minute sweep over my room to make sure I was not forgetting anything, I pushed aside my door and slid it back into place before making my way through the station. I had gotten lucky with my room, the pony before me had gotten killed when he wandered to far from his post all alone and was dragged out into the tunnel by a swarm of lurkers and I came just in time to get it.
“Good luck out there, scavenger” Many of the stations inhabitants would tell me as I walked by, in return I would nod with a sly smile, or even go as far to say “thank you”. Many amateurs eat this up but after a little while it gets repetitive, if you live long enough for it to become repetitive that is…
On my travel to the smithy, I crossed over Black Street and took a quick glance at all the ponies literally stacked on top of one another in little slide outs they call home. I shook my head and moved on. Eventually the smithy was in sight, but before I could cross over to it, I was stopped by a light brown pony.
“Ah you must be Siberian, yea?” The moderately aged unicorn stallion looked at me with a wavering smile, I hated him already.
“Yes, what do you want” I looked down at him without moving my head, I was actually fairly tall I stood at 4’9, the stranger only at the average 4’4.
“Ah a stallion who is strait to the point, I like that” He snickered.
“What the hell do you want?” I drove the point home.
“You are a hard pony to impress, fine, if you get the chance I would like you to find some items for me if you can” He hoofed over a short list with about six items scribbled on it. “I’m making my way to the Armory, and the items I need are no were to be found here”
I looked at the list, the merchant wanted guns parts, used filters, gas masks, ammunition, bullet casings, and clothing. “What do plan on doing with all that?” I asked.
“Sell it at the markets in the Armory, if you can bring me at least something from that list, I will pay you very well for your trouble, and if all goes well I might be able to get the traders moving again" He reached out a hoof “An honest merchant’s word!” I looked at him with a bleak expression.
“I’ll see what I can do, I will be back in a hour or less, I will look for you at the bar, if you’re not there I’m selling what I found to somepony else who needs it, like the many starving and poor souls who live back there” I tossed my head to the side back towards The Black Road to underline my point in bold.
“I understand you fully, thank you so much and happy hunting!” He took my hoof and shook it with a wide smile before he ran off deeper into the station.
“Черт купец” I said a little louder than I should have.
I at last rushed my flank to the smithy were the large burly pony Vadim stood looking over his weapons, he smiled through is thick curly beard when I came up to his counter. “привет Siberian, I have your gear ready”
“Thank you, Vadim” I sighed leaning over the counter.
“one of the scouts came running here to tell me that you were coming, you must have done a number on him, he could hardly get the words out of his mouth” He had is back to me when he said this, but turned back around and set the familiar bastard gun before me and ammunition in suit.
“80 rounds is all I can spare, how is your revolver?” He asked
“37, but I will be fine for now, save it for the others”
“You’re a good stallion, my friend” I nodded and took the complement with a smile, I had always liked Vadim, despite is looks he was a good hearted and gentle being, without him I would probably would have bled to death…but that's a story for another time.
I took the gun and slung it over my neck so it was strapped tightly to my back over the coat “When will the new shipment arrive, this is the third one I've gone through this month” I asked
“There has been some damn rumor floating around saying that the tunnels around here are flooded with nosalis and lurkers, they say the overcrowding is drawing them near, it’s all bullshit the Hanza are stirring up, worst part is some of the ponies here are starting to believe it after...after the...seventh barrier was attacked” He sighed before giving me a gas mask and roughly 30-40 minutes worth of filters.
I placed the mask on top of my head to where I could rapidly slide it over my face as it was designed to do. After I gathered my filters into my bag, I started off to leave the station, but I stopped when Vadmin called me back to him.
“Siberian, if you find anything…weapon parts, or supplies it will help us greatly here until we can solve the little ‘problem’ and get the caravans moving again” He looked at me with thatt look lingering his eyes. “If you bring the right parts I could maybe make you that AK or fashion you some modifications for your other weapons” He said leaning over the wood counter.
“I won’t be on the surface for that long Vadim...” His smile wavered and died like a rat with a needle in it's heart “…But I’ll bring you what I can find” The look on his face meant more than a thousand words to me.
I walked away from the smithy and wondered through the crowds, passed the market stalls and empty vendor stations, and under the bar that always had a patron or two still lingering for a drink. By then I was close to the stations exit, but before I could make the last turn, a pitiful sight caught my eye...
There was a younger looking mare leaning against the wall and in her hooves was a even younger foal, both of them covered in dirt grim, and stains from who knows what. They were thin and bony, the mares cheeks were sunken in like creators and the foal...I dared not to look.
When I came next to them, I stopped and set down five military grade ammunitions I keep with me in my bags, she looked at me with a face full of shock and tears building in the edges of her eyes, we said not a word to one another, even when I walked away, she was speechless.
After all that I finally had made my way to the great iron doors that shielded the station’s residence from the outside wasteland. I turned to one of the guard ponies who sat against the makeshift barricade who was running his knife against the floor out of boredom
He was a unicorn, but after the nuclear attacks that had transpired over 20 years ago completely obliterated not only the surface, but magic as well turning unicorns into simple working ponies, pegasi into useless large birds, and earth ponies into mules…as they always have been.
“What did the scouts say the area was like?” I asked, he paused is bored scratching and looked up to me with dim yellow eyes, I knew the stallion, his name was Matvei and we’re old drinking comrades.
“Like shit” That’s what he said every time I asked him…same answer, same question.
I chuckled and shook my head “Open ‘er up, let’s get this over with as soon as possible” I told the watch ponies.
“Ready posts!” The commander shouted “Open it up, and make it fast!”
The sound of metal on metal filled the surrounding room and pinched my ears, I covered my eyes as the door slowly swung open letting in the wind and light flood the room.
“Good luck out there, scavenger!” I heard as I slipped my mask on and looked at my watch.
5:37
“If I am not back by 6:30 assume the worst, and don’t come for me!” I think the commander said something at the moment but I did not hear, nor care enough to listen.
I walked into the light I could barely hear the door close behind me over the wind as I made the slow assent to the surface, the frosty gales burning any exposed fur. I carefully walked up the run down and snow blown escalator, watching my breaths fog up the mask but vaporize as the fresh air filtered into it.
Eventually the escalator stopped and I came to be surrounded by the ruins of the old station that at some point was a tall and mighty place, but now only an echo of its divine glory. As the wind started to howl and whistle through the cracks, windows, and tears in the building, I felt nostalgic. I wondered over to the stations reception and looked into the room beyond the shattered grates and windows, I sighed to myself.
I was checking to see if maybe… just maybe… there would be a young mare to great me asking me where I would be going and If such a thing would happen, I would look right into her the eyes and say ‘home’. I have a hard time remembering home, were I lived, the street it was on, or what I did before all this…all I know now is that Riga is my home and many lives are in my hooves.
I shook my head and left the reception area and walked over the crumbled bits of concrete and skeletal remains, the bones more so than the boulder sized slabs of rock. I had always believed that the unburied bodies of those who passed served as anchors to their spirits. Many called my idea absurd, but that is what o believe in and that is what i stand by. I walked on passed the remains, not wanting to step on them as I finally came to a stop in front of the doorway of the metro and looked at the world that we once called ours.
Ash and snow blew into my mask and the wind toyed with my coat as I stood looking out into the barren tundra like wasteland. Massive cracks broke the roads into miniature canyons, some buildings would be leaning on one another like wounded soldiers, others were just simply massive piles of rubble marking the spots were they once stood. Black skinned trees mangled the ground with roots thicker than a man’s arm that seeped deep into the upturned sediment that I could hardly call earth.
The sky was filled curling and wrenching clouds that moved rapidly over the grey burned sky, and farther to the east was the dreaded storm that fired bolts of light at the ground as if was purging the forsaken earth.
This is what my world…our world is now, and if there is or ever was a god…I don’t think he will give us another chance…