There he was, left alone in this hell, searching for survivors and treasure.

He walked trough the corpse's. Dark and rotten faces looked at him in a scary way. Their lifeless bodies were lying all around the corner.

He prevented himself from looking at them because his eyes couldn't stand all this dead laughing faces looking at him. Women, Men and Children "Death doesn't know any mercy "he thought.

He sat down putting his head in his hands; heavy tears were rolling down his sad face. He was here for such a long time in this dark rotten place, had seen so many sadness that he had nearly forgotten his own name. Was it Michel? He doesn't remember and maybe this was not really important.

Suddenly he heard a sound... TUMP TUMP, heavy footsteps nearby.

He felt scared and stood up, reloading his weapon and ready for action. There it was again TUMP TUMP coming closer and closer. He knew that sound, he knew what it was and his heart felt like a hard cube of ice. TUMP TUMP TUMP. He looked at his weapon, he had only one magazine left and his hands were shaking. A sad deep voice was heard in the wind. SILENCE. Only the wind dared to sing his sad song. Michel went to the place where the voice came from. HEEEELP HEEELP he heard someone crying. Michel was quite awake and watchful. Too often he heard that and then it was only a trick and a new mutant lying dead before him, another bullet wasted. But he never gave up hope and suddenly he saw a dark, cloaked figure sitting on the floor with his back leaning against a wall. "Are you here to kill me master?" - a sad voice asked. "Put down your rope! I want to see what you are! The figure laughed and put down his rope. Michel was scared, he never expected him to be a... ordinary old man. The man coughed and answered "What did you expect? A mutant?" he laughed.

Michel was surprised but also happy that he had found a survivor. "I'm sorry sir but I don't expected to find any human survivor here".

"Yes… Yes hard times for us. Yesterday my wife died because she was at the wrong place at the wrong time. She was searching for something to eat when suddenly a zombie came and bit her. I heard her cries from afar.

I ran to her smashing the Zombie's brain with a shotgun but it was already too late. The Zombie had eaten almost her whole face. For a few minutes she was still alive. I sat down holding her hand telling her how much I love her. Then she fell asleep. I buried her under that big stone under the hill that surely know."

"I'm sorry" Michel answered with a sad voice. "Oh dear master it's not your fault, I don't make you Stalkers responsible for It." the old man said.

Michel listened a long time to the old man and to his stories. Michel thought of the good times before he had become a Stalker and for the first time of this day he smiled. Finally he dared to ask how he is named, but there was no answer. "Old man?" he asked. "Old man?" he started shaking the Old man's body but there was no reaction. Finally he saw his eyes and he recognized that the old man had died. Michel took a long breathe and finally closed the eyes of the old man with his hand. "Farewell dear friend" he said and then he went on.

It was almost too much for Michel he wanted to get out of this hell of this lifeless planet.

But he was a Stalker like many others, and he had to finish a mission, his destiny called and he followed...