The moment they stepped out of the door they almost got swept off the roof by something that started to fly off the roof. These things were large as a small plane. Carsten grabbed rebarb on a way to the edge and Sebastian got a hold on his leg, while Oliver dodge back into the staircase.
"Holy shit biscuits." Said Sebastian after looking down from the edge of a roof. Some of the roof had collapsed, taking 5 floors of living rooms with it and turned the sixth floor into slide to 64 meter freefall. Carsten helped him back on more solid ground as the concrete edge started to crumble. There isn't enough space to do anything.
"Looks solid. Maybe another building?"
"I agree, this is dump."
"Okay. Another building it is."
They climbed down the stairs again and walked to another building. Dawn started to appear as they turned on another bank of generators and climbed up the stairs again.
"Look, dawns coming."
"Shit. Let's find a shelter for a day, we can reach the roof next night."
"Okay." Said Carsten who watched down from the broken window. Mutant activity started early.
They walk in from one of the doors and checked for unlocked apartment door. Sebastian found one and they walk in. Broken glass is everywhere, flat panel TV is thrown into hallway and the display is broken.
"Let's clean up that place, this is going to be our safepoint."
After brushing off most of the broken glass and debries, they set up the radio communication link with the base.
"Home Base, this is Delta 1, Home Base, this is Delta 1. Do you copy?"
"Affirmative, Delta 1. What's your status?"
"Code Blue. I repeat code blue."
"Eagle is flying 36 hours."
"Affirmative, over."
Carsten puts the microphone back to it's holder on the radio and turns around.
"They are here tomorrow evening, we have to be ready for it."
"Let's eat and rest. It's going to be a long night."
Morning sun is bright, it shines on the jagged edges of the broken window glass. Something big flies across the window, knocking pieces of glass loose. It's followed by other thing.
"That's why we move outside only at night, Carsten."
"Yeah. No shit."
They watch in the shadows how more of these things fly pass the window and eat as little as possible.
"Do they bring food too?"
"Of course. It's all arranged now."
After eating they set the rest area in the one of the windowless rooms, where most of the LED lights were still working.
"Lets switch watch every 4 hours. I'm first." Said Oliver.
"Fine by me."
"I'm second, I know Carsten likes to sleep."
It was 2nd hour of Carsten's watch when he heard a rumble from downstairs, then he saw flashlights flicker in the hallway, he immediately loaded his gun, waked up others and they get ready for anything.
"Who is this? Show yourselves!"
"Calm down, we are on your side. Hey Igor, they are here. Let's move people, we have no time to waste. Two of you come with us, one stay to guard the staircase."
"I'm staying." Said Carsten.
"Alrighty then."
"Let's go then." The transporter leader dropped a large backpack next to the door. "Your supplies and futher instructions. We are taking over this site for now. But now follow us to the roof, we need you for now."
They stood guard as the five strong men built the tower and installed the antennas using compasses and complicated homemade alignement devices. They finished just before the sunrise.
"You can stay here until sunset, then it is advised for you to move to another site. You can keep the backpack."
"Will do."
They eat by the improvised fire pit Grigori built during the day, then they go to sleep after noon to get some shut eye.
"Sleep tight, you're going to have a long night to get there. The other team is moving to there as we speak."
They were waken at the dusk, the sun cast red light on the wall of the room.
"Good evening. Your time is up, my friends."
"Good evening to you too."
"Eat before you go, Vitali made a great rat stew."
"Oh thanks."
They ate from their dented aluminium bowls and started the journey. Sebastian notched Oliver and asked.
"So where are we going exactly?"
"To the retail store at the southern side of the town."
"So what's so bad about it?"
"It was the most devastated area in the city."
Road ahead was blocked by large crater filled with radioactive water, tail of a large bus stands out of the water.
"Let's go around it, it's too deep to go through."
"I agree. Let's move."
They follow the edge of the crater to the large mall, glass doors are smashed and part of the ceiling collapsed into the doorway. They climb through the narrow gap between the door edge and debries, Oliver pushed the backpack through and Sebastian cought it.
"I got it."
"Okay, I'm coming."
As he climbed through the gap he saw something move in the dark.
"Watch out, there's something at the other side of the crater."
Carsten took his gun and turned around to look. Sebastian helped Oliver down and they also look, listening any sounds of movement. Silence is breaked by howling in the distance and the whine of the wind. Carsten spotted another shadow.
"There at the hardware store!"
"Let's move on. Whatever the hell is it, I don't want to meet it."
They started to walk again, this time Sebastian carried the backpack, holding his rifle in his hand, eyes and ears sharpened for any danger. They made it to the other side of the mall and into the parking lot filled with rusty remains of the cars. As they continue on they stumble onto the evacuation camp littered with human skeletons.
"God damn. We are not going through this."
"I agree. Look."
Multiple shadows stand in the dark like smoke pillars.
"Those fuckers were camped like animals."
"What was going on here, take a look at this."
"Why there is a disease containment facility in an evacuation camp?"
They look at the darkness behind the airlock, that is long been broken from the decay.
"I don't like this place. Sebastian, Carsten, let's move."
