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Psychic log activated to record the conscious thoughts that I transmit to it, such as this one. Equipment check and preparation now complete, I’m ready to tackle my next challenge – a stationery train about a kilometre ahead...

Spotted the train this morning, don’t know how long its been there, where it came from or where it was going. Don’t know what it was carrying or what’s still on board but I intend to find that out...

Train’s about half a kilometre away now. Okay, I’m going to play this one by the Rules. Concentrate! Rule 10: Remember these Ten Rules in the Zone.

Crawling forward now to a good vantage point that will allow me to scan the surrounding terrain through my binoculars from cover before I move in. Remember Rule 2: Use stealth whenever possible in the Zone.

Zooming binoculars in on trees, bushes, grass, gravel, railway tracks... Got to keep an open mind, see what’s not there and not just what is ... Remember Rule 3: Double check everything in the Zone.

... Train itself in focus now. It’s painted in drab green and brown colours, could be the military. Locomotive’s a standard workhorse model, not built for speed. Two carriages... Can make out some louver type grates on this side where there’d normally be glass windows, also consistent with the military. No military markings though. Second carriage is similar size to the first, perhaps a little shorter in length but taller in height.

Okay, need a different perspective... Reach up, grab that branch and pull myself up slowly, don’t want any movement of the tree to give away my position. Just need to climb high enough to see the top of the train... Solid roofs, no skylights, intact, no sign of damage. Slowly climb down the tree, hang and drop, roll into deeper cover...

Out of sight of the train now. Need to work my way down the line until I can cross over without being seen and work my way back up until I can check out the train from the other side...

Mirror image. Reassess situation: everything checks out; no sign of danger; some clouds but they’re not rain clouds so weather’s okay; it’s early afternoon so there’s enough time to do this before it gets dark...

Flick the AK47’s noisy safety off while I’m still too far away for the sound to reach the train. Deep breath and GO!!!

Running in low and fast across the open ground, jink from side-to-side to make it as hard for anyone to draw a bead... Eyes scanning train, scanning ground... Remember Rule 4: Be ready for anything in the Zone.

Make myself as small a target as possible crouching by the locomotive... Wait for breathing to calm down... Gives me time to check Geiger counter, rad level’s okay. Detector hasn’t located any anomalies.

Hmmm this is not the place for the AK47 – longer barrel makes it harder to line up on a close target than a pistol, and it would be dangerous to use its automatic fire in a space confined by metal because of ricochets. Drawing my PMM pistol instead, safety off ... Remember Rule 5: Using the right equipment is everything in the Zone.

Deep breath, GO!!!

Up ladder, roll through door, pistol aimed everywhere I’m looking... Remember Rule 6: Kill or be killed in the Zone.

Nothing... No sign of life, no sign of damage, everything appears to be in working order. So much for that, calm breathing down again.

Stepping down from the locomotive now and moving on to inspect the carriages, trying to make as little noise as possible ...

Going to poke head round the back of the first carriage and duck back before anything that’s there has a chance to react, hopefully! Nobody there. Saw a door in the back, shut. Calm breathing, stretch fingers, been griping pistol too tightly, can’t let them cramp up.

Place foot right by corner of carriage and pivot round... Slowly stepping towards the door, leading with pistol... Examining door, metal, hinges on inside, therefore opens inwards. Locked, need a key to open it from the outside. Not good. No sign of anybody having tried to force it. Time to try the second carriage.

Same procedure... Same result – a locked door.

Hmmm well there aren’t any anomalies on board and whatever’s in there isn’t radioactive but that’s all I know. Nothing for it, don’t have a key, don’t have any tools to get those doors open, will have to trying blowing them with grenades. Risky, risky, risky. There shouldn’t be any rats round here but the explosion will likely attract any packs of blind dogs in the vicinity. Hope the risk is worth it. Still remember Rule 7: Nothing ventured, nothing gained in the Zone.

Taping a grenade to door of the first carriage, right over the latch bolt. Hopefully the explosion will destroy it and blow the door inwards to allow me to enter... Now taping a second grenade over the latch of the door on the second carriage... Running a cord from pin of the second grenade forward along the carriage and tie it off there. Anybody in the second carriage who opens the door to investigate is going to get a nasty surprise!

Back to the first carriage, attach some more cord to the grenade, work my way round front until reach end of cord... Yank! Turn, crouch, hands over ears and wait for the bang ...

Head up, advance cautiously, AK47 aimed up at smoky outline of the doorless first carriage. No time to waste now, draw PMM, sling AK47, pull fluroglow lamp from leg pocket and activate it, stepping up, over and through twisted metal, can’t see much. Move over to side of carriage, find louver lever, won’t budge, more pressure, rasping sound, sunlight seeping through...

Looks like a crew carriage, grenade’s taken out most of kitchen area, ahead is a splintered table, bunks and lockers. Gear scattered around, some bunks made, some not, suggests the crew worked in watches and made a hasty departure.

Checking under bunks and in lockers at point of pistol – fatigues, boots, cigarettes, couple of AK47’s, boxes of ammo, some books, two frag grenades, and real treasure – four biological warfare suits and night vision unit for my binoculars. Excellent! Remember Rule 8: Take Whatever’s there is there for the taking in the Zone.

Stuffing two sets of the chemwear into backpack with upgraded binoculars and some ammo. Clip grenades to front of belt, tempting to take more to trade but remember Rule 9: Stay light for flight in the Zone.

Now for the second carriage with time being of the essence. Jumping out of the first carriage... Running round the side of the second... Stop, yank trip cord for the second grenade, duck for cover, hands over ears... Advancing round the back of the second carriage now, climbing up, pistol at the ready...

Dark and smoky inside, there’s a partition blocking light coming through from the blown open rear. Found louver lever, pull, won’t open all the way but some sunlight seeping in from the sides...

Looks to be some kind of mobile laboratory, scientific equipment on benches. That looks like a more sophisticated detector unit! Ahhhh PAIN!!! Abdomen, there’s a knife sticking into my abdomen and its moving, cutting across my stomach! One hand grasping for the blade the other firing the pistol at where my invisible attacker must be... Has to be behind me that’s why I can’t see... Twist round, PAIN, blade, I’m being disembowelled! There’s no one behind me! Seven rounds fired, five left. Turn forward, slumping to knees, pulling knife out, such AGONY, trying to gather intestines. PAIN!!! Perhaps if I lie on my back I can stuff them back in and tape myself up.

Lying back... PAIN!!! Ah there’s something up above! What? Pistol just flew out of my hand as I tried to aim it, glove too slippery with blood to stop it ... PAIN!!! I can see what is coming for me now... Long muscle bound arms outstretched, stumpy body covered in sickly yellow blotched skin, open mouth lined with pointed teeth, milky unblinking eyes, a dwarf! So many questions to distract from the PAIN, how did it get here, so near the fringe? Had it used its telekinesis to open the door from the outside one dark night or had it been taken prisoner to be studied as some lab experiment in this carriage? No time for answers, torturous PAIN!!! It’s going to eat me alive and there’s nothing I can do to stop it! Wait, it can’t see the grenades, they’re obscured by my bloody entrails! Curl fingers round grenade pins; pull them as I convulse and scream to mask my actions. AGONY!!! Seconds ticking by as the dwarf lurches closer, drooling with raw hunger... Oh blast me out of this nightmare and into sweet oblivion!!! You might think examining this black box recording that I deserved this by breaking a Rule but you’re wrong, I remembered the Rules! Besides it doesn’t matter how good or how well equipped you are there’s always Rule 1: Always be prepared to die in the

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