“Sons of bitches,” a voice echoes in the back of Johann’s head, “all deserve to die.” He pulls the bolt of his sniper rifle cycling a shell into the chamber.

About seventy-five yards in front of Johann, unable to be seen behind the cover of a dilapidated houses garage a lone mutant sits.

*****

“Damn it, what have I gotten myself into this time?” that same voice whispers.

“Something’s going on I know it,” he said out loud to himself knowing that no-one, or anything for that matter, could hear him. He puts his eye back to the scope, waiting, just waiting...

*****

A scream echoes in the background. “What the fu-” Johann murmurs to himself, “look now’s not the time to loose your train of thought, I will kill you, you son of a bi-” A masonry brick flew right by his head. “Damn telekinetic bastards.” He looks back in his scope. For a split second a elongated humanoid head looks over the dilapidated building it’s using for cover, that split second cost it its life. Johann fires a shot. Through the scope, that things a controller, what the heck is going on?” The controllers head explodes in gore.

“Well, I cant do anything with that now” he says walking back to the Zone border........

*****

“’They say the only thing to fear is fear itself’ - that’s a damn lie. My name is Johann Isomov I am a Stalker, a bounty hunter if you will, a hunter of the zone.

Back when Chernobyl blew it contaminated a huge area spreading its contaminants everywhere. That space steadily grew killing many. Radiation caused multiple mutations in humans and animals, some gained psychogenetic abilities like telepathy and telekinesis.

Until 2008 the “Zone”, the space surrounding Chernobyl which is now thirty kilometers, stayed unexplored. When the U.S. Military got involved with it they sent a lot of troops into it. Few came back. That’s when the Stalker factions evolved. The bounty hunters of the zone, we hunted all the mutated creatures, killing and trying to capture as many as possible to sell to scientists for money.

I used to have a partner, my brother, those damn mutants killed him. Ripped him apart in front of my face. All I saw was the shadow of the behemoth that killed him. That’s when I swore by my brother that I wouldn’t stop until I found ‘what’ killed him.

Right now I’m stalking this thing, I’m back to where that beast killed my brother. I promised him that I would kill this thing, for him.....

*****

Now I realize this, no matter how hard I try to forget my past - no, my brother - my hatred will only grow. This once great world has been plunged into discord

This mission, my final mission into this damnable place I know this, I can feel it, as the prophecy says ’Our world will be tainted with chaos, plunged into darkness and discord, the true evil shall arrive.’ I believe this true evil has become man.

We think we can play God! Cloning and genetics. only God knows what those scientists do to what we bring back from the zone. Like everything they do it will probably go to more death , in turn that will only bring more plague and destruction! We believe we are the ultimate creatures in the food chain. That will change, I am sure of this. Everything is made to change it’s called adaptation. These things have not adapted they have mutated beyond comprehension. They and their damned psychogenetic abilities. Like everything else in the world......Things are changing.”

*****

A dark shroud covers Johanns advancements into the darkening Zone “Know this my brother I will find your murderer. This thing, it... it will pay. I.... I will avenge you,” Johann thinks to himself, “I will die to kill it if I have to.”

*****

As he reaches that same garage where he killed that controller he realizes that there is no evidence that there was anything there to begin with, no body, no blood, and no gore.

“Damn it, what is going on?” A light scratching sound is being emitted through the garage. “I know something is going on.” Johann pulls out his AK-74 opens up the garage door and waits.

“God save me from this thing,” he whispers to himself. taking a flare he walks in.......

*****

Silence, absolute silence. The only thing making any noise is the oxygen regulator. “What the hell?!” his radioactivity sensor starts going hay wire. “There’s something here.”

The walls start vibrating slightly, the ground starts to shake. Johann throws the flare down the hall. The flair casting eerie shadows across the walls like a huge shadow. A growl echoes from beyond Johann’s sight, claws racking metal, not a nice sound.

“Come and get me, you-” Johann yells, “killed my brother, now....it’s time for repayment!” pulling the bolt of the gun he readies himself for death.

Two great claws appear out of the nether beyond the light. A great screeching roar pierces the silence. “What the hell are you?” Johann says under his breath, “whatever you are will pay for killing my brother.”

He lets loose firing into the creature. It screams its piercing war-cry and charges. The darkness, illuminated by the red boiling eves of the hell-beast’s face. More shots fired, blood covers the walls from where Johann shot the “thing” the beast raises its blood stained claws in a powerful downward slash, ripping a gash in Johann’s arm tearing bio-suit and flesh alike. “you’ll pay!” he yells running toward the enemies firing until his clip runs dry. Pulling out his knife he jumps on the monsters back stabbing gashes and great holes in its shoulder.

“It’s now or never.” He says to himself trying to get his rifle from off his back. “Got it.” While the creature struggles he pulls the barrel of the rifle up to the back of the things head trying to keep hold of the knife.

“This is for you brother.” he screams pulling the trigger blowing a hole through the back of its head slaughtering its brain, spraying gore everywhere. Gore stains his suit and blood stains his hands.

*****

“Take me to my brother, my time on this hellish world is up” Johann raises his head to his acceptance out of this world as the light engulfs him. His last words: “I pity this world and what it has gone through, remember........ Things are changing................