User:Khorne25/Tales of a Wanderer

Tales of a Wanderer

written by Khorne25

Part of this was inspired by the STALKER series and originated as a description for Rover Squad in the Shades of Malton. Search Shades. Posted on a forum and re-formatted to wiki. This is based around the Urban Dead timings but a bit of creativity with the weapons.

Prologue:

1st of July 2005 Malton, a deserted ravaged city. A viral outbreak of T4 had killed most of the inhabitants but worse still the infected dead rose again in a stable state of 'undeath' displaying agressive behaviour killing civilians. The British government declared emergency order and quarantined the relatively newly designed city.

2nd of July 2005: Military squads were paradropped into the city. They were never heard of. The citizens of Malton in despair turned to looting and scavenging to survive whilst trying to avoid the zombie hordes. They barricaded themselves in. The zombies tore it down. A mysterious corporation named NecroTech designed a revivification serum to return the shambling zombie hordes back to their original beings.

3rd of July 2005: The revived zombies began to ramble about the glorious paradise and true 'barhah'. Puzzled by the abnormality, NecroTech had them taken to a secure rehabilitation facility under armed guards.

4th of July 2005: A day later NecroTech lost contact with the convoy. Reports came in later that day of heavily armed terrorists sacrificing and killing innocents who hid in shelters. The Death Cultists were born.

5th of July 2005: Having failed to restore order the British government resorted to an impregnable border to contain the infestation, leaving the living among the walking dead...

Chapter 1 - Haunting the Streets

10th of July 2005: A single survivor ran through the desolate streets, like a lone wolf amongst a wasteland. He could hear the nearby feeding groans as the grew in noise. He fired a flare. The angle was subtle but noticeable to the trained few and in good timing his phone vibrated with a new message. He whipped it out, briefly read it then chuckled. He increased his speed to a sprint. Suddenly shots rang out from the sides of the street. The wanderer glanced and smiled. He could hear the zombies falling with dull 'thunks' until there was only one last desperate groan behind him. With a rapid turn he brought his shotgun to bear at his last pursuer, unloading both barrels into its already mutiliated body.

'A close one there, Seeker.' A voice behind him.

'About time, Sacrifice. You're early for once.' Seeker turned around to face Sacrifice, with a grin on his face. The sound of a pistol being reloaded behind him.

'And you missed the first time, Goat. Getting rusty?' Goat simply laughed. Seeker turned around again to see Goat snap a full moon clip into his S&W revolver. Seeker knew he was safe and in good company.

Chapter 2 - Contiuning the Hunt

14th of July 2005: Seeker awoke to a clear sky. An ominous heaviness still hung about the air. He pulled out his binoculars to do an early scan. North, clear. West, clear. South, clear. East. Wait back to South. Next to one of the blocks there was a pool of blood from one of the doors and it was expanding. He quickly stirred the others.

Creeping towards the building they took up positions by the door. Seeker on the left of the door with his double barreled shotgun at the ready, Goat on the right with a fire axe and pistol poised to break the bolt on the outside and Sacrifice behind Seeker with another shotgun. Movement. The band froze and made not one sound. The movement was fainter and higher above them. Seeker nodded. The door came tumbling down and within seconds the group was in the building. It was a grizzly sight. A trail of dark red blood led towards another room in front of him. Without warning a dark robed figure appeared from the room, raising a pistol. Seeker fired instinctively and the figure collapsed. They moved quicky up the stairs inside the room.

On the second floor there were two routes, right and left. Seeker went left, Goat and Sacrifice right. Taking a lower stance he snuck through a long corridor that led to the front side of the building. He heard gunfire from the other side. The distinctive sound of Goat's S&W magnum and Sacrifice's shotgun. Seeker and Sacrifice had unusual shotguns, the secondary barrel was underneath the first and thus did not need two hammers but also meant that both barrels could not be fired at the same time.

Seeker moved with greater haste to the front side. Turning into a large room he came to a sinister individual like the others black robbed. Seeker raised his gun and aimed at the head. 'Surrender.' No answer. Again.

'Surrender.' But this time the figure turned, face concealed by a draped hood. Seeker fired. No matter the hideous enemy advanced faster. Frantically he reloaded his shotgun and fired again at the chest twice. To no apparent effect. Taking out his revolved he fired. Blood seeped from the tattered robe but still it moved albeit slower. Seeker retreated but slipped, reloading his pistol. It continued its advance.

Suddenly there was a crack and the figure crumbled, blood squirting from the hood. Behind stood Goat still with his gun raised. Seeker nodded in appreciation. Such was the taint of the death cult that they left quickly not even bothering to loot their fallen enemy. They continued North, the destination was Pashenton. When night fell they hid amongst other survivors in safehouses. Wanderers had a trademark, a strange salute that indicated their fraternity.

Chapter 3 - Fallen Ones

15th of July 2005: They left the safehouse, bidding farewell to their comrades in survival, and headed out again Northwards. Sacrifice's GPS unit indicated that they were only two suburbs away from their destination. Sacrifice had noticed a sudden silence about Seeker. Their destination was Seeker's home. Seeker had been with Sacrifice and Goat in the South Eastern corner of Malton when the outbreak happened. Now that Seeker approached 'home' he became increasingly dark. Goat also noticed the profound change. The three were childhood friends and Seeker although he carried a gravity about him was never as dark as now. The North Eastern section of Malton had fallen prey to solo raving zombies, ferals as the Geratology experts at NecroTech declared. Compared to the hordes turning the city centre into a wasteland, ferals were a piece of cake. Seeker knew this but in his mind he feared the worst.

Night fell upon them too soon. They were 8 blocks away from their next safehouse. Goat became increasingly edgy drawing both his pistols but he was right to be. Sacrifice and Seeker followed suite readying their shotguns. Then there was a growl, that quickly multiplied behind them and in the buildings beside them. Agitated they began running North but alas the previously asleep zombies emerged from their hiding holes and began a swift attack on the group. Sacrifice and Seeker fired crippling shots at the legs of the zombies. But as the front line slowed, the back of the hungry mutants overtook the slowed front. Reloaded they fired again furthering slowing down the new front. This chase and slow game would not hold out. Goat fired a flare at the unique angle of the wanderer hunters.

They hastened to a sprint... 5 blocks left. No they could not go straight to the safehouse it would doom the rest. Seeker prayed. He used to be a devout Anglo-Catholic but since... From the rooftops heavily armed figures draped in brown and hooded with rifles began firing at the ranks of the zombies. A grenade went off, and then another. Turning around the group finished the depleted ranks. Facing their saviours they gave the loner salute, a fist at 45 degrees to the elbow. The hunters responded in kind. They fearfully ran to the safehouse and Seeker much affected managed to buy two grenades from them.

Chapter 4 - Seraphim

16th of July 2005: The hunters they met the night before called themselves the Seraphim. Seeker was impressed by the high quality of their gear and in brotherhood they exchanged phone numbers. They both knew it was essential to keep contacts as loners. The Seraphim leader directed them to a dealer who had military grade equipment in the Northern section of Santlerville just a suburb away from them. They set out once more ever thankful to their hosts, moving swiftly and leaping from building to building. The deprave situation of Malton, the ruined buildings and bloodied streets remind Seeker of Stalingrad whereby snipers would leap from building to building in order to relocate and continue their job. Was it so different from the harsh present?

By late afternoon they had arrived at the dealer and were let in following the salute. Inside the dealer's warehouse were a variety of state police equipment all of which was smuggled in with the aid of the corrupt Internal and External Military. Seeker fascinated by the selection chose a semi-automatic shotgun trading in his old hunting shotgun, a grenade and also body armour and a gas mask. Sacrifice and Goat chose similar things.

Night fell upon Malton and the trio were resting in the warehouse, Sacrifice busy tinkering with the radio. It hissed with static. 'Seeker, what has been troubling you?' inquired Goat unsteadily.

'The loss of my family and my fiancee.' There was an awkward silence. Goat had forgotten that Seeker should have been married two days ago. Then as if by miracle the radio began working. Sacrifice tuned into 26.06 the Pashenton channel:

'Bandits are raiding Pashenton please be advised. They are armed with pistols and crowbars and are killing anyone who doesn't co-operate. Don't let anyone in during the night, let the zombies devour the bandits.'

Chapter 5 - Fate

17th of July 2005: It was once said that 'Fortune favours the brave'. Seeker certainly remembered but he was not feeling lucky nor bold. They entered the suburb of Pashenton from the South in the early hours of the morning and soon enough they found trouble. In front of them bandits lightly armed with revolvers some with shotguns were tearing down the barricades with axes and crowbars. They yelled threats and abuse at the inhabitants. The trio took up positions in Athill Street opposite the Bagheot Police Department. Goat swiftly counted the bandits. 'Eight.'

Seeker replied first 'What? Eight bandits against us.'

'The bandits have barely anything. No armour, pityful hunting shotguns and revolvers.' Sacrifice as always favoured leaps to actions.

Goat, following reason as he does, agreed 'Let's go get 'em.' Emerging from cover they fired volleys of shotgun blasts at the unknowing bandits. Little did they know about them. As soon as the first shots were heard another bandit group emerged from alley between the warehouse and the police department. The wanderers took cover, and Seeker readied the grenade. The recently arrived bandits opened fire, launching a barrage of bullets that peppered the street. Goat, a fearless warrior, remained in a doorway, Seeker cowered behind a concrete road block and Sacrifice in a crater in the street. The bandits laid down an impressive supressive fire but it did not last very long. As soon as the shots stopped and the sound of reloading could be heard, Seeker pulled the pin off the grenade counted to three and hurled it. It was perfectly timed. For Seeker time suddenly slowed down, he was trained in the RAF with Sacrifice and went on to join the private military industry.

2nd of July 2005 (past): He was back in his nightmare. Standing in the control bunker in Fort Creedy. He rushed upstairs to see a wave of zombies be mowed down by soldiers with automatic weapons. Sacrifice and Goat fled alongside him. The screams of the unfortunate victims resonated in his head. Gunfire becoming increasingly louder. The wails of children as blood and guts were spilled. The cries for lost ones as the fire consumed the city. He remembered the horror of a child as his mother was ripped in front of him by a ravenous zombie. And standing in the midst Seeker recalled seeing using his binoculars one particular zombie that stood out. This zombie was larger, more muscular and mutation had effected his capabilities. His head was bloated to about half times more than a standard human head and his eyes... The glaring eyes. Seeker had called this unique zombie The Controller. Seeker was back in the present.

17th of July 2005 (present): The grenade exploded at chest level in the middle of the pack killing most. The following shotgun blasts finished the job. Having declined the offers of the grateful inhabitants they hurried on. Seeker had been increasingly troubled by his visions. It was as if something was constantly probing his mind. He was usually strong willed. Seeker pushed the matter out of his mind and concentrated on the task at hand.

They arrived at Seeker's house by early afternoon. He went alone inside. His fears were neither confirmed or denied. The house was left untouched. The interior was left untouched. Someone had left in a hurry, probably his brother. Seeker checked the basement. The SA80 was gone. So was all the equipment. It was his brother. He went upstairs to his room. Checking his secret stash everything was there. He found his Smith and Wesson P220 amongst them as well. Hurriedly he packed everything into his Eastpak backpack. As he turned to leave he noticed his katana still on its sword rack. He took it without knowing why.

When Seeker came out, Goat and Sacrifice were keeping watch. There was a certain aura about Seeker they could recognise from their experiences. No words were needed.

To be continued...