Chapter Twenty-Six - Fewer Risk, Greater Care

"This next part has fewer risks," Koschei said. "But only if we're careful."

They'd stopped for lunch on a patch of grass between two warehouses earlier, with some discarded cement pipes acting as partial cover around them and a warbling anomaly in one corner for company. Then they'd kept on moving.

Alice was worried that their pace was far slower than they wanted. They were walking across what was essentially a massive city. It might take ages for them to get anywhere, but she continued without complaint.

Now it was nearing noon and they were close to a train depot. It had broken walls all around, and a space reserved for shipping containers that were collecting rust. She felt one presence in the yard, deep within a warehouse. Someone tired sitting in front of a meagre fire.

"Are we going to be stopping for the night soon?" Crystal asked.

Koschei hummed. "We have two options. Three. Three options. First, we need to cross the water filtration plant." He pointed down the road where Alice could just make out a building a kilometre away. A decently large two floor building with some fencing around it. The roof had sandbags stacked along the edge. "That's the plant. There's four large buildings around some water pools. It's a fixed location."

"So the storms don't delete it?" Crystal asked.

He nodded. "There used to only be three buildings. So the storms change it, but it's rare and the changes are usually subtle. The problem is that the plant belongs to a faction. The militant arm of the Greenies."

"The who?" Alice asked.

"Scientists who came to explore the Zone. They took over the plant. They're... peaceful enough. But when they came they did so with mercenaries. European ones, not from the union. They're very territorial. One wrong look and they'll shoot a Stalker. The Greenies keep them on a leash. Do not poke at their base. And don't walk on the grass, it's mined."

"Okay then," Crystal said. "I guess we're not sleeping there, huh?"

He shook his head, then gestured further down. "The Pripyat has a small river that runs by, then there's a long road. Our two options are to turn left into an abandoned old village. It changes shape with every storm, but it's usually there. Food, some old beds. Or we camp in the little woods to the right of the road. There's a mountain there, and some small camping places for tourists."

"We didn't bring tents," Crystal pointed out. Not that it really mattered, they could conjure something up.

"What's that third option you mentioned?" Alice asked.

Koschei pursed his lips. He'd removed his mask earlier, saying that this area's air was safe. "There's a long road that we must follow for a ways. It's between two small mountains." He gestured as he spoke, which did help to visualize things. "Some rich old bastards built their summer homes on one of those. A string of five compounds along the mountain side. Hard to reach."

"Are they safe?" Crystal asked.

"They were designed to be," he said. "One of them isn't. There are always anomalies there. Or so I've heard. The other two should be safe as long as it's not too soon after a storm."

"Why, what happens after a storm?" Alice asked.

"All the fancy goods reappear," he said. "I know one Stalker that almost made it rich lugging gas to one home and stealing the ATVs that appear there after every storm. He was ambushed once. Too predictable. But he's not the only one. A few always make a run for the mansions after every storm and grab what they can."

"Is the stuff that valuable?" Crystal asked. "We're a good day's walk from Pripyat."

"It can be," he said. "Laptops, jewellery." He shrugged as if he didn't really care about the details.

Alice supposed that it would maybe be enough to make someone rich. Grabbing and reselling the same or similar jewellery every time there was a storm would add up, and it wasn't all that deep into the Zone. It was probably relatively low-risk compared to other ways Stalkers could make money.

It made them little more than smugglers, really, but she supposed that was alright too.

"If we want a safe space to sleep, then that might be the best bet for us. The only danger are traps the Stalkers that visit the place leave behind."

"Why would they do that?" Crystal asked.

"Because they have competition," Alice said. "There's more than one Stalker, so it only makes sense to leave a trap or two and hope that you catch the next guy if he comes in after you."

Koschei nodded, proving her right.

"Well, that blows. I still like the idea of sleeping in a nice bed best," Crystal said. "And it's further along, right? So we'll be that much closer tomorrow!"

"Very well, then," Koschei said. He didn't pick up the pace any, however. They continued on past that old train yard, then started to walk in the very centre of the road.

Alice could sense some people ahead, forty nine of them, to be exact, all spread out within the water treatment plant. One on the rooftop noticed them, and they raised a handheld to their mouth, letting others on the rooftops know that they were approaching.

"Stay in the centre," Koschei warned.

"Isn't staying on the road dangerous?" Crystal asked.

"I kept an ear open to when patrols went past today. We'll be safe from the army. Besides, they don't come here often."

"They dislike the... Greenies?" Alice asked.

Koschei made a slight so-so gesture. "There's some old blood that's gone bad. The scientists were from the government. The army pulled back, and they think that they were abandoned. They're right. At the same time, the scientists... whatever they do with what they learn, it isn't shared."

"That's not very scientific of them," Crystal said.

"It is what it is. The army feels like they're owed explanations. Sometimes Stalkers are hired by the Greenies to help with experiments, or to ferry goods to Greenie teams further in the Zone. There's little trust to go around."

They continued to walk. A man slid in behind a belt-fed grenade launcher on the roof and followed their progress, but Koschei didn't flinch at it. Alice was ready to swallow anything that he fired and return the favour tenfold, but the mercenary just watched.

They moved past the area, then crossed a pitted and potholed bridge. "That's the old village," Koschei said, gesturing to the left. There was a small road leading downhill to a village next to the river. It was a collection of old homes, some with caved-in roofs, others with rather nice gardens and with fresh paint, as if they'd been pulled from a cottage-living cover.

That didn't stop them. Alice could tell that there were one or two people lingering around. One of them was... strange, but she didn't let her attention linger overly long. It didn't matter. If they paused to investigate every strange occurrence they'd be here forever.

A bus was idling in the middle of the road, and they moved the long way around it. There was no one in it, but there were shadows within, as if the bus was filled with people who broke the evening light with their presence but whose bodies were just missing.

The sun was truly on its way to setting by the time they were a few kilometres from the water treatment plant. It was made worse by the mountainous hills around them, their height did a good job of obscuring the sun early.

"This way," Koschei said as he started up a winding driveway. It took a while, and by the time they reached a wrought iron gate, Koschei had to pull out a small flashlight to see by. "Sense anyone?" he asked.

It was the first time he'd asked her to use her abilities, she noted. "No, no one's home," she replied easily.

He nodded, then tugged the gate open. "Welcome to the oligarch's hideout," he said. "Or their summer home. Who knows with that type."

The home was rather pretty. A big mansion-like cottage, three floors with large windows overlooking the valley with the road below, a three-car garage, and room for a tennis court in the back.

"Nice place," Crystal said. "Bet they have comfy beds, too!"

"And a kitchen. Is this place on the grid?" Alice asked.

"There's a generator," Koschei said, pointing to a shed. "I saw it started once. It made noise that carried across the valley."

"Ah, so not a great idea," Crystal replied. "Oh well, we can live with less light, right?"

Alice shrugged. It was a non-issue.

***