U-238

FIRST BLOOD

I started making my way towards the opening, the moist dirt and mud squishing under my feet. I began walking up the incline that led to the world outside, squinting my eyes and blocking the bright light above with my hand. I made it to the surface and lowered my arm. It was cloudy and raining, I could see what was left of buildings, which were half-standing walls, broken windows, and collapsed roofs. The streets were torn up and taken over by tall grass and weeds, with puddles of water dotted here and there. I turned to look behind me, and saw a sprawling forest, the trees seemingly clinging to life. They were grey and leafless, depicting this dead world I had just entered. I turned back to towards a nearby building, and started to walk towards it. The moist ground sank under my feet with every step I took. I reached the entrance of the building, and swung open what was left of a door. I walked inside, and was greeted by a dark hallway with a flooded floor. Paint was peeling off the walls and ceiling, the drywall underneath cracking and crumbling. I walked into another room, a kitchen, and started looking around. All the furniture was broken, a table sat in the middle of the kitchen, two of the legs missing. It leaned against the floor, where the tile was cracked and broken. The refrigerator was on its side and open, with nothing inside. The oven was also open with nothing inside, the stove having a lone kettle sitting on it. I didn't think there was anything of interest in the building, so I made my way back outside. I saw a blur of movement to my right as I stepped outside. I quickly turned and raised my rifle, looking at a patch of tall grass. I started to hear a growling noise, and saw the grass part slightly. I wasn't going to take a chance with whatever was in the grass, so I cycled the bolt to my rifle. Suddenly, a grayish creature jumped from the grass towards me, and I found myself on my back in the water. A hairless, dog-like creature faced me square in the eyes, snapping and barking at me. I held it away with my left hand and quickly reached for the knife on my side. I drove it into the neck of the creature, and it yelped, jumping off of me. I got up and turned towards it. I quickly rose my rifle and and pulled the trigger. A loud crack filled the air, and the creature dropped. Some birds overhead called and flew off. Whatever that thing was, it was dead. I looked around to see if there were any more of them around, but couldn't find anything. I turned toward the road and started following it. I soon came across an old supermarket, and decided to enter it. The cashier counters were bare, and so were the shelves. Empty carts were dotted here and there. I started walking down an isle, examining the empty shelves for anything of use. I found nothing, and turned to the left at the end of the isle. I saw a pair of skeletons, one was larger, another was smaller, possibly a child. The larger one was holding the child, both of them wearing rags that used to be clothing. Jesus... I thought, not being able to take my eyes away from them. I suddenly heard footsteps behind me, and I quickly turned. I felt a sharp pain on my forehead and I stumbled to the ground, my vision blurry. A dark figure holding a rifle stood over me as everything started to turn black. "Vadim will be very happy to meet you..." I heard a voice say, barely audible. I slipped into unconsciousness, everything becoming a blur to me.