Rhodes, day 0:

I had already spent countless hours trying to make peace, and link up with others. After thirty six or thirty seven deaths I had enough. The next time I logged in, it would be different.

I awoke in my house just outside Chernogorsk. A small cabin in, what some would call, a very pathetic peninsula. It was still morning, but quite bright. Though the rampant gunfire clued me in to the fact that something wasn't quite right this day. I grabbed a few supplies from my room and head towards town. Surely someone would know what all the fuss was about. As I approached I noticed charred, hollow shells of what used to be not so great automobiles. I saw the grocery store I usually got my baked beans from. Just then a man went sprinting by, without a word. I tried to stop him, but he was too far gone. Quickly I ran into the store to fill up my bag with whatever I could. It had already been ransacked, however I saw my favorite baked beans. Still on the floor like usual. I could hear screams as I zipped up my bag. As I stepped outside I saw another man, though it may have been the same one, running back the other direction. It looked like he was leading a marathon. Seemed like half the town was behind him. It was like when the Beatles came to America and all the teenage girls were after them. Anyway, as he ran past the rest of the sprinters looked my direction and started for me. I darted back inside and noticed the foul, wretched stench and rotten, bloody faces and contorted bodies coming towards me. I hesitantly pulled out my revolver and took aim. As they slowly trickled in I began dropping them one by one until I had made an orderly pile. It would serve as a sign to all who entered S-Mart. Shop smart, then gtfo. Now the only thing to do was to find my friend at his apartment building. As I made my way I noticed a man shooting wildly at others. Dead or not, this guy was on a rampage regardless of circumstance. By the time I got to the apartment building I was already desensitized to the grisly nature of our new lives. My friend was long gone, but I happened to find an akm and a map. Knowing my initial home was in utter chaos I decided it was best to spend as little time there as necessary. I packed up and took off. As I ran north, I heard cracks and whistles whilst the dirt kicked up on either side of me. I was being fired at! I desperately tried to zig zag my way out of there and eventually made it out of range into the trees. I had started a very long and arduous journey that would take me many miles to many places.

Once I felt safe enough to rest, I stopped and had a lukewarm coke. I checked the map and saw a fairly large town called Zelenogorsk. I decided that would be my "homebase" as it were. I followed the roads that would lead me there. I came across a couple towns that were completely devoid of life. Well...living life I guess I should say. After digging around a few of the houses I found a new backpack, and some useful supplies. A tent, a knife, and some matches would be my new prized possessions. Most importantly, I found a pair of binoculars. By the time I got to Zelenogorsk, it was becoming dark. In the distance I noticed a live person with a live gun! Quickly I ducked into some bushes and peeked through my binoculars. I watched carefully as he ran around town. After a few minutes, he had the whole city chasing him. I thought to myself "maybe I should help this guy" but I was hesitant. He ran inside a building and the shambling mass struggled to get to him. Just then I saw someone else run out of a barn nearby the trapped man. I saw his nametag, don't ask me how...I could just see who he was. He ran towards the trapped man and just then the undead horde began dropping to their knees. Some of them turned towards arka. I assumed the worse for the man in the building and watched arka as he ran back to the barn. Slowly he picked off each of the zombie, slobs. I called out to him to see what his response would be. "arka, are you friendly?" I asked as I watched him through my binoculars. He responds with a solid yes. I am still hesitant to approach him. I try to dig a little more info out of him. Eventually we agree to meet. We loaded up on some supplies and he said he wanted to show me something. It's always a little weird when someone you just met says "hey, let me show you something". I was apprehensive initially, but he had to lead the way, so worst case I could shoot him before he swung around. He led me to a tent he had setup. He said anything inside I could take. Naturally I grabbed a compass and an extra box of .45 ammo. He said he'd been camping out here awhile and was trying to help out other survivors that came by. I thought it was a very nice gesture. Also, a very dangerous one. I had learned by this time to be very cautious when dealing with others. Trust was a fading commodity. If there's one thing I learned from horror movies, it's be vague when talking to others. About anything. Trust is earned in this world. The sun was starting to set, and it was getting quite dark by this point. So we shook hands and set about our ways. I ran off into the forest near the big city of Zelenogorsk and setup my camp for the night. I built a fire and cooked some meat I had taken from a cow that...well screw the cow, I was hungry for more than beans. Drank a very warm coke and hit the hay.

This is the end of day one. Well, day zero I suppose. I will add more to this tomorrow. All of this occurred a couple days ago already, so I have a few good parts coming ;).

— Rhodes, Jul 20th, 2012