The Anomalous Town [A S.T.A.L.K.E.R. x Deltarune Fanfic]

A New Neighbor in Town

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Hometown

2020

It was an early morning for the residents of Hometown. The sun is rising, the birds are singing, and a muscle car cruised down the highway towards the peaceful settlement. Music played out of the vehicle's open window, where an arm holding a cigarette hung out. The hand holding the cigarette taps it lightly, letting the ashes fall off onto the speeding road.

The man within the vehicle looked of Australian descent, with a hint of European mixed into it. His face was rugged, with a few almost unnoticeable scars near his eyebrow. His eyes weren't ones of enjoyment or relaxation, however. They're ones of focus, of determination, of ones that seen true horror and stared right back at it.

Many people back in the Zone called him "Marked One." Others call him by his equally well-known title, Strelok.

"...Gruppa krovi, na rukave..." he muttered, singing along with the song playing on the radio.

Long since the days of mutant killing and artifact hunting have passed for the man, somewhat. Sure, he does go into the Zone from time to time, but only to guide and advice the Ukrainian Government's scientists and researchers pf the Alienated Land.

Nowadays, he helps with the research of the Zone. Sometimes, even as to go far as to take a more hands-on approach. Currently, though, it is different.

The stress from having to work for the Institute nonstop, coupled with the explorations into the Zone, exhausted him entirely to the point of asking the higher-ups of the organization to let him have a vacation. Surprisingly, they agreed full-heartedly. They said that he could take two months' worth of rest somewhere in a small town in the West.

...Of course, that was the official story told through most of the Institute. Only Strelok, a few of the higher-ups, and his trusted allies knew the whole truth.

In actuality, the higher-ups ordered Strelok to investigate the supposed anomalies near the small town. Usually, missions revolving around outside the Zone are given to clandestine groups working with the Institute. However, due to the nature of this mission, the Institute had no other choice than to send Strelok himself.

He couldn't complain, even though he didn't need to. A two-month stay in a secluded, quiet town with friendly people sounds nice to him. And he was glad the organization was kind enough to bring him all the necessities and the gear via moving trucks, including buying a house.

He only hoped that the rumors about anomalies near the town were false. The last thing he needs is for a second Zone to occur.

...But that's a thought for another time. Right now, he needed to focus on reaching the new home, and so he turned up the volume of his radio and sped off.

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Afternoon

Kris walked down the streets of Hometown. A look on their face as they recalled the events that transpired, from being confronted by the school bully, Susie, to saving a literal world from a tyrannical king with said bully and making friends with her.

They felt the uneasy feeling in their chest ever since leaving the school and chatting with the other residents of the small town. Actually, they had that feeling ever since waking up. Weirdly, they had no idea why they were walking to this part of town, especially since the houses near the boundaries of the forest were empty. They just felt the urge to do so.