Contest #3

As I entered the tunnel leading to Polyanka a strange feeling occurred to me. Was I doing the correct thing? Leaving my home station to search for my missing brother. I have never left my station in my life, and had no experience with weapons. So a dangerous encounter with a mutant, a capture by the feared Nazis, or a radioactive leak was surely going to kill me. But how could I ever leave and abandon my one and only brother? He was the only family I had. And the only friend I had too.
As I began the slow walk through the tunnel I thought about what was going on. My brother left the station north to Polyanka with a caravan to Polis. They were scheduled to return the following day. But it has been over a week. I left a few hours ago with only a revolver and a knife, along with a flashlight and a gasmask that I had no idea how to use. I was planning to scout ahead to Polyanka and through the tunnel to Polis. And if I wouldn’t find them there then I didn’t know what I would do. Return home? Continue living my life as a factory worker? I was only 16. How would I survive? How would I make enough money to make a living? My brother was 20 years old and a guard. He worked enough shifts to keep a small tent and feed us daily. That was about it. I wondered what I would encounter.
I continued walking through the tunnel. 20 minutes past until I walked into sheer darkness. And my thoughts turned blank. All I could think about was my brother, and a way to walk without stumbling across the rails. I slowly ran my hand across the wall so that I would have direction. I kept on walking this way until I reached an opening. I then realized that I had a flashlight with me the whole time. I tried not to laugh at myself yet I realized how stupid I was forgetting that I was carrying such a useful tool.

I turned it on and observed the area. It was Polyanka. Dark. Empty. And not a living soul was present. As I climbed the station platform I saw a few bodies on the granite floor. As I approached them I saw what I feared. My brother. As I tried to hold back any tears I realized that there were neither wounds nor injury marks on him. I examined the other bodies but didn’t find any signs of mutant attacks or bullet wounds. An eerie feeling approached me. And I turned around in paralyzing fear. Nothing. Then I slowly turned around to a strange noise. And I found that the bodies were gone. I leapt around in fear to begin running back to Hansa but I ran into a tall strange being with long arms. As I looked into its eyes. I fell. Darkness encircled me.

 

Would love to compete but in Australia..

 

Beads of sweat secrete from pores on your forehead and chill you as they slowly creep down your face. You have never been in a gunfight before, and you are not eager to start your career now. The group of bandits huddle around a campfire, stuffing their faces with cans of uncooked food and alcohol, cackling at one another as a pack of hyenas would. One cracks a joke at another, everyone laughs, and the center of harassment throws canned food at his counterpart in frustration – with no care in the world for the fact that he just expelled his own rations for what will probably be the next twenty-four hours or so. The fact that you watch them so closely shocks you, and you begin to prowl through the shadows like a predator stalking prey. You study your kill, learning their habits and trying to construct the best strategy as to how you will kill each one of them. A determining factor in how you execute the attack is how many rounds you let the bandits fire. This is not for the fact that you will be fired at and possibly wounded, but more importantly; they will be firing priceless ammunition that may pay for your next meal or a new silencer.

You look down at your weapon and wonder if it will get you through this battle. As you look at the full clip of dirty rounds that barely gleam in the reflection of a nearby gas lamp, you think of the weapon’s title. Although it is one of the only mass-produced weapons in the metro, you think your gun is especially worthy of the name, “Bastard Gun.” The handle wobbles and the silencer barely remains attached to the barrel. With each bullet the weapon coughs from its chamber, every screw and bolt that hold the rattled piece of armament together loosen even further, worrying you that it may not get you through the upcoming event. Hidden beneath a masquerade of shadow, you search through your rucksack and retrieve a pipe grenade. A dangerous option, as there are multiple outcomes to the messily crafted explosive. The last time you had attempted to remove multiple enemies from the equation, the fuse jumped and you almost took off your own arm.

You throw your pack on once more, and skulk to a more advantageous position. They aren’t ready for you.

 

As I walk through the station I sit down pondering and listening to the old talking about when the metro was not filled with monsters or when the air was clean and all of man never needed to live underground. I myself started to think what has happened to man and our 'punishment' for what we did even I still know what little we really did to ourselves besides tuning a once beautiful world into nothing but ashes and death. But I felt a bit of hope thinking about some place in this world that all fire had forsaken in which some beauty had still survived. Or maybe not.... maybe there were others in the world in bunkers or metros like this. We do know there were others for sometime, then the signals stopped. I wondered in those other metros like our own if they had monsters? They might have been spared that hell. I ask old man "Are there others" he replies "Even if there were I would never life to shake their hands or to see their faces". As he said that I felt I would never see that happen in my life either.

 

My story became way too long, so I had to remove a lot of details, scenes, lines etc. from it, which made it turn out pretty shitty, to say it that way.
I shortened it to the minimum of just below 500 words, sorry. I hope that's okay. Here goes:

Adrian woke up. The little roof made out of metal plates and wooden sticks above him wasn't exactly clear to his sight as he still had to blink a few more times before properly waking up. The wollen blanket on top of him was too short; it had to either reveal his neck or his feet to the chill and moisty air. In this case, it was his feet that were ice cold.

"Wake up, you lazy bastards!" a raspy voice yelled several times. It was time to dig once again, like every other day before. Adrian didn't have to dress up, as he had slept with his clothes on to stay warm, though it did not really help. He strapped on his raggy boots and his rusty helmet before he grabbed an old pickaxe and headed for the tunnel.

Adrian was directed to one of the deepest tunnels of them all, where two other men already had begun mining. The smell of stone-dust and cold metal still stung Adrian in his nose despite how he had been there for a few weeks. It was a miserable life, but at least he made enough currency to survive. Adrian was eager and started mining immediately when he arrived. He swung the pickaxe back and forth rapidly, draining his body's strength quickly.

The old man beside him with beard was mining slowly with an intense look on Adrian. "Take it easy there, friend" he said cautiously. Adrian kept mining as fast as he could, sweat running down his forehead. "I don't have time to take it easy, old man. I have to make enough money to buy food and water", Adrian said with an exhausted breath. The old man laughed. "Friend, we get payed by the hour here. Not for how fast we dig", he said. It took some seconds before Adrian realized what the old man had said, which resulted in Adrian slowing down. "Good boy", the old man said. "I have a pregnant wife to keep alive. She eats like an American, for god's sake. Gotta keep the baby fed too, eh. But I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't love her, I'll tell you that. I'm her only hope. If it weren't for me, Olivia and her baby would be dead. It's a shame".

"What's your name, old man?" Adrian asked after pondering over his words. "Kolya. Kolya Dubrovskiy". Adrian replied "Ah, named after the station, eh?". The old man smiled, but just as Adrian struck a point in the stonewall, the whole wall fell out and landed on top of the old man. He definitely died from the huge mass of tons of stone. Adrian stood there in the silence, realizing that he was now sort of murdering a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
He now had to decide to either live a miserable life, or to live an even more miserable life, in order to save two other lives.

 

A nug on the shoulder wakes me with a small shock, "hey wake up. I hear something" whispers Gena. I quickly grab the handle of the machine gun with both hands and bring it level Trying to pierce the thick blackness with my tired droopy eyes. A minute go's by with nothing but the sound of igor fiddling with the belt of bullets in his fingers. "this is such bullsh*t. Why can't we just turn on the spot light instead of sitting here in the dark" I frustratingly whisper aloud. Gena turns to me "are you stupid? If we turn on the spot light every Red in the line will know where we are. This darkness is the only reason were still breathing". I don't reply instead keeping my eyes forward. Igor suddenly breaks his usual silent lifestyle and says "Man, I'm getting sick of this crap. Sitting here day after day and carrying all this heavy shit around. When are the Reds gunna make a break for it!?". Suddenly a man crawls into our 'nest' from behind nearly scaring us to death. I don't recognize him but looking at his uniform he's definitely an officer. "get that gun loaded, scouts say the Reds are amassing" he says before he quickly crawls out and over to the next gun crew. "you guys hear that?! The Reds are coming! And just as I said it. I told you guys I was lucky" whispers Igor. Gena gives Igor a sharp look "this isn't a good thing Igor remember that the next time news like that gives you a smile. F*^king rookie". Igor's smile fades and he goes silent again. Ignoring Igor and Gena I forcefully cock the gun and adjust the sights. "huh, I hate this so much" I moan. "remember why you here Jori. You get threw this war and Sonya's yours. Or at least if her old man can keep his word" whispers Gena.

A few more minutes pass by when suddenly a faint whistle is heard in the distance. My heart sinks. Ive come to know the sound to well. Everybody along our line can be heard loading and cocking guns shouting orders back and forth until every man has his guns facing the enemy.

Shouting is heard getting closer and closer until an order is yelled from a loud speaker. This is the order to turn on all the spot lights. Gena jumps up and flicks the swith on the light. And with a blinding flash the whole world lights up in one swift moment. Dozens of men can be seen running at us screaming and firing from the hip.

"NOW!" yells Gena. I squeeze the trigger and bullets fly across the bridge. Every gun can be heard firing from both sides. I loosely pick my targets as I shift my aim left and right dropping countless men. The sight of a .50cal hitting a man isn't pretty but I've no time to think of that. Igor feeds the belt as Gena points out targets for me. Chaos rules as men fall screaming and flying. Then a sound I've always dreaded. Click. I flip open the receiver as fast as I can and urge Igor to load faster. As he loads to Reds jump up from a nearby hole and toss two grenades. Gena catches one and quickly throws it back but the second hits Igor in the arm and rolls under the gun. We all start screaming as Igor desperately try's to throw back the grenade. I lean over him trying to do the same, at the last second I try to run but its to late. The grenade explodes killing Igor instantly and sending Gena over the wall. The blast sends me to the floor in a heap. A few seconds pass before I regain consciousness. my ears ringing and skin numb. I try to get up but can't, looking down I see my legs peppered with shrapnel and debry. None the less I drag myself with my hands hardly moving at all. After what seemed like an eternity but was surly no more than 30 seconds I heard a small thump beside me I turned to see it. a small tube with end caps and a burning fuze two feet from my face. I could do nothing but watch as the fuze burned down. I close my eyes



I hope that's not to long. I really don't want to count the words