//------------------------------// // (1) Hey bro // Story: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Jumping the Gap // by Senseisteel //------------------------------// (Although we may be free, there are always rules) Twilight's daze was shattered by what sounded like a dozen blasts of thunder one after the other followed by a disgruntled shout "Of course you jam!" The voice bellowed. She looked up to see a large silhouette through a small fire swinging some kind of club at a smaller creature, sending it flying over the edge of wherever they were, the figure seemed to lose grip of the club as it struck the smaller creature causing it to fling off into the darkness that she now saw completely surrounded them. The shape seemed to slump over and began breathing heavily, although the breathing didn't sound natural, it was like its breath was passing through some kind of apparatus. Suddenly a larger shape materialized two hoofs in front of the weaker one and lifted what Twilight assumed to be a him up from the ground by his throat. He began gasping for air as the heaver built beast started making gruesome slivering noises. He began kicking manically as the beast lent forward towards the throat it clutched. ______________________________________________ Sawdust flung a grenade into the stairwell and held the door closed with his shoulder, but the blast launched both him and the door across the open roof. Finding his footing he narrowly missed a pounce from one of the blind dogs, its teeth scraping his left shoulder pad. Sawdust's reaction was to bring his AN-94 to his hip and spray wildly into the prevailing darkness; he could hear several of the rounds hit their targets followed by painful whines as the wounded animals scampered back down the stairwell. One remained however and was readying to pounce from about ten feet away. Sawdust smirked beneath his mask as he squeezed the trigger, only for his smile to dissipate as the weapon let out a disappointing clank signifying that a casing had wedged somewhere within the mechanism, a sound that blind dogs know all too well. "Of course you jam!" Sawdust brought the rifle over his shoulder and swung it like a baseball bat at the mid air dog sending it over the guardrail and into the abyss below. However as he stuck the dog, the sights above the fore-grip cut a gash into his left hand causing him to release the rifle mid swing sending it over the edge as well. Sawdust winced as he grabbed the wrist of his cut arm and began to grunt painfully as he tried to see the extent of the cut in the dim lighting of his campfire. His focus was broken as he saw a pair of legs pop into existence before him. he tried to lunge backwards but the bloodsucker already had him at the throat and was lifting him off the ground. his legs hung lifeless as the bloodsucker began closing its grip around his throat, he knew he could not survive a bloodsucker attack alone. His lungs began to burn as the Bloodsuckers tendrils began to probe his sunrise suit for an opening. A surge of energy forced Sawdust to grip the beasts arm with both hands and he began kicking violently into its ribs. When it broke eye contact to deal with Sawdust's legs he grabbed his knife from its sheath and drove it through the side of the bloodsuckers head, its skull could be heard splitting through the skin as it fell lifeless onto the concrete floor dropping Sawdust flat on his back winding him. Before standing, Sawdust kicked the corpse under the guardrail and off the roof. He made his way over to the fire while trying to regain his breath from the ordeal, his thoughts turning to the teleportation anomaly that now had completely gone only leaving the ground more twisted and deformed than it was earlier. "Bloodsucker kill with knife" he giggled to himself weakly as he tapped the info down onto his PDA with his uninjured hand. Twilight had remained huddled at the edge of the fires light aura shivering because of both the cold and fear. Upon hearing Sawdust's whimper as he poured vodka on his bleeding wound she opened her eyes. Twilight's eyes were reflected brightly in the firelight causing Sawdust to slip over the back of the overturned barrel he was using as a chair, letting out a muffled gasp as he flailed his arms in the air. He scrambled to his feet and took a defensive position behind the barrel with his Kora-919 held wearily in his bleeding hand. "Show yourself!" He barked as he brought the pistol up and rested it in both hands. Twilight nervously brought herself to her hoofs and slowly trotted out into the light. "what...the...fuck?" Sawdust said as his arms went limp and he dropped his handgun on the floor with a small metal clatter. He had seen illusions that the zone would place to distract you tonnes of times, but this wasn't one of them. Before him stood a short horse like creature bathed in all different shades of purple. "Wh... where am I?" Twilight asked trying not to look into the tiny black holes that she assumed where Sawdust's eyes. He pulled the mask up above his hood revealing a weathered face with a big grin "you talk too?" he sat back on the barrel before slapping himself on the forehead "where are my manners, names Sawdust. And you my little Missy are in the zone, Pripyat to be more precise" judging by her confused expression she had no idea what he was talking about. He face-palmed Twilight`s confusion was interrupted by a gust of wind nipping at her flank causing her to shiver. "You cold little one?" Sawdust chuckled as he rummaged through his large backpack revealing an army turtleneck and another gas mask. Twilight nodded as she cantered closer to the fire. Sawdust rolled up the sleeves on the turtleneck and threw it over Twilight's head, pulling it down he placed twilight's forelegs through the arms and the pulled it down past her flanks. Twilight could feel the wool trapping her body heat and warming her, the pair shared a warm hearted smile. "Thanks" Said Twilight as she shook her mane through the collar "I`m guessing you came through the anomaly?" questioned Sawdust as he finished bandaging his hand "If you mean the big swirling ball of white light then yes" Twilight answered, her confidence returning slightly. She then noticed Sawdust fiddling with a mask similar to his and a large set of dual air tanks. "What is that?" she asked sheepishly. "Well I`m heading out in a couple of hours and ill be damned if i leave you here to get your hide torn off so I’m giving you my old mask to protect your lungs from the dangers on the way back". Sawdust explained as he inspected the mask`s filters closely with his hazel eyes before looking Twilight up and down and saying "And I think you're goanna have to ride in my backpack. I don't think you will last long out here barefo- i mean barehoof." Twilight drew her attention to Sawdust's sidearm that still sat on the floor next to the fire, she levitated it up and began examining it. Sawdust saw the aura around the grip and his jaw dropped as the Kora levitated up to twilight. His mouth turned to a sinister smile as he got an idea. "Say miss, you see that little lever on the grip?" "Yea?" "Point it in that direction and pull it towards you" Sawdust requested. Twilight lifted the pistol up and pointed it slightly upwards before pulling the trigger. BLAM! The gun dropped to the floor as twilight let out a little yelp and closed her eyes. Sawdust on the other hand let out a few loud laughs before grabbing the pistol himself and putting it back in his holster. "I think your goanna do just fine out here" Sawdust spent the next hour getting his old respirator working and on Twilight. The respirator itself was not a problem; it fitted on her snout without issue. The air tanks however proved to be an obstacle, they came to the conclusion that they would just sit in the backpack with Twilight until they made their way to Sawdust's home where he said he could work on fixing her up a full suit. Eventually the sun rose through the clouds allowing Twilight to get a good look at her new surroundings. She was standing on the roof of a large grey structure surrounded by identical towers in a formation above a flat plateau of concrete that stretched out into unhealthy woods and planes that seemed to go on for miles besides the odd building shooting through the trees. in one direction a large building with a very distinct red and white chimney surrounded by heavy metalwork loomed over the entire area. She could not help but feel it was at the centre of whatever caused the complete social breakdown of this "zone" she was now stuck in .