{"sf1_id":1142711,"sf2_id":"7ejjl9Ze","title":"Through Darkness - Chapter 1, What Remains (A Metro 2033 inspired book.)","author":"Roman Powers","words":3723,"posted_at":"2017-02-13T00:10:00.000Z","tags":["Action","Adult","Adventure","Alcohol","Alternate Reality","Anthro","Assimilation","Conquest","Dark","Death","Destruction","Disaster","Drama","Dread","Drugs","Emotion","Emotional","Fanfiction","Friendship","Gay","Gay Relationships","Gore","Hansa","Horror","Humans","Idinahui","Intro","Love","Marijuana","Mate","Metro 2033","Mild Romance","Military","New World","Plot Development","Polis","Realistic","Relationships","Romance","Story","Story Progression","Suspense","Third Person","Video Games","Violence","War","Winter","Wolf","Wolves","Yiff","apocalypse","bandits","bloody","furries","gritty","injuries","loss","nuclear","russia","werewolves"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1142711-through-darkness-chapter-1-what-remains-a-metro-2033-inspired-book","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/7ejjl9Ze","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/74/84/7484d11e-202e-4895-b476-eb779889cd1f","description":"#1 of Through Darkness\n\nA book based around the setting of the Metro series, but it takes place just four short years after World War Three, please go ahead and view this on Wattpad.https://www.wattpad.com/278509580-through-darkness-what-remains\nI'm sorry, but if you want to view this, you're going to have to click on that link and view it on Wattpad. Sorry if that's enough to get you to stop reading this story.\nThis is a Metro 2033 fan fiction set just four years after the final nuclear culmination of World War Three. The Reich and the Reds aren't around yet, neither are the Spartan order of Rangers, nor the dark ones. Despite their differences, some humans and anthros are still managing to live in peace, others aren't. New factions are forming and being destroyed, some formed on ideological beliefs, some are formed on moral standpoints, and others have been formed in the hopes of uniting for safety. The protagonist of the book, Jessie O'Riley, is a 19 year old wolf who had traveled to Moscow on a class trip, he was using the Metro to travel all the way to the Kremlin when the war broke out. He's had it rough ever since, doing whatever he can to scrape by, but four years of hard work have finally granted him a secure home and a job as a guard at Alexseyevskaya, he travels out into the tunnels to look for scrap whenever he needs extra money. When a dark secret about his home station is uncovered, his small world is turned upside down as he's thrown headlong into a power struggle for territory, and a quest for revenge. He'll face off against atrocities born of radiation, necessity, greed, and evil. He'll meet people from all backgrounds and walks of life, and maybe, he might just find a love interest.","content":"(Before you go ahead and read this, I'd ask that you'd please go ahead and view this on Wattpad. And while you're at it, please vote for it on there too.)\n\nThe dull\u0026nbsp;yellow\u0026nbsp;light\u0026nbsp;of the\u0026nbsp;handheld\u0026nbsp;torch cut\u0026nbsp;through\u0026nbsp;inky blackness\u0026nbsp;like\u0026nbsp;a broken, rusty\u0026nbsp;knife\u0026nbsp;through a\u0026nbsp;stick of moldy butter, the weak beam\u0026nbsp;barely\u0026nbsp;even did anything to illuminate the cobweb\u0026nbsp;ridden\u0026nbsp;walls of the\u0026nbsp;metro tunnel. The owner of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;flashlight\u0026nbsp;stepped\u0026nbsp;around\u0026nbsp;the bend of the metro\u0026nbsp;tunnel\u0026nbsp;not a few\u0026nbsp;moments\u0026nbsp;later. The man\u0026nbsp;behind\u0026nbsp;the weak light\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;a young\u0026nbsp;looking\u0026nbsp;anthro wolf, no older than nineteen or twenty. He was tall, lanky, he\u0026nbsp;almost\u0026nbsp;looked\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;be\u0026nbsp;starved. The slate\u0026nbsp;grey\u0026nbsp;hoodie he\u0026nbsp;wore just\u0026nbsp;barely\u0026nbsp;managed\u0026nbsp;to hide his\u0026nbsp;starved\u0026nbsp;frame, the\u0026nbsp;dirty\u0026nbsp;black jeans\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;wore just about blended in with the usual\u0026nbsp;darkness\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;tunnels. There was a Glock\u0026nbsp;holstered\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;the scavenger's hip, and a worn H\u0026K 416 holstered at the\u0026nbsp;side\u0026nbsp;of his big green backpack, along with a makeshift pneumatic\u0026nbsp;rifle that fired 15mm ball bearings.\u0026nbsp;Ammo\u0026nbsp;for the rifle was\u0026nbsp;expensive, but ammo\u0026nbsp;for his\u0026nbsp;pistol and pneumatic rifle was much cheaper.\u0026nbsp;Even\u0026nbsp;though he was\u0026nbsp;using\u0026nbsp;poorly made, reloaded ammunition in his pistol, he\u0026nbsp;managed\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;take out four\u0026nbsp;mutants\u0026nbsp;he'd\u0026nbsp;encountered in the tunnel with just 10 bullets. Their fleshy, irradiated bodies were no match for a 9mm round to the head. He let out a soft sigh as he tugged at the\u0026nbsp;straps\u0026nbsp;of his backpack,\u0026nbsp;hearing all\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;junk and scrap\u0026nbsp;he'd\u0026nbsp;collected shift\u0026nbsp;around\u0026nbsp;in his\u0026nbsp;pack.\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;wolf felt\u0026nbsp;exhausted,\u0026nbsp;but he\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;press on, he began to let his mind drift as he\u0026nbsp;slowly\u0026nbsp;trudged\u0026nbsp;on down the tunnel.\n\nThe darkness that\u0026nbsp;inhabits\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;broken\u0026nbsp;metro\u0026nbsp;system under\u0026nbsp;Moscow\u0026nbsp;smothers\u0026nbsp;all that it touches, like the black blanket of death\u0026nbsp;being laid\u0026nbsp;down over\u0026nbsp;an\u0026nbsp;old man as he takes\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;final\u0026nbsp;breath. For\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;people\u0026nbsp;who were lucky\u0026nbsp;enough\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;escape\u0026nbsp;the nuclear fires that\u0026nbsp;engulfed\u0026nbsp;the once great metropolis of Moscow,\u0026nbsp;every\u0026nbsp;day\u0026nbsp;is a struggle to get by. They cower\u0026nbsp;down in the\u0026nbsp;bowels of\u0026nbsp;the city,\u0026nbsp;throwing\u0026nbsp;together\u0026nbsp;ramshackle\u0026nbsp;abodes and doing their best\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;cultivate crops in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;horrid conditions underground. Creatures that shattered the laws of nature had been spawned from the radiation on the surface undoubtedly\u0026nbsp;controlled it now, but sometimes, they lurk in the darkness just\u0026nbsp;beyond the\u0026nbsp;light\u0026nbsp;of fires down in the tunnels.\u0026nbsp;Men\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;women\u0026nbsp;keep\u0026nbsp;their\u0026nbsp;backs\u0026nbsp;to their bonfires\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;grip onto their firearms tightly as they gaze off\u0026nbsp;into\u0026nbsp;the smothering blackness,\u0026nbsp;ready\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;shoot at the slightest\u0026nbsp;movement in\u0026nbsp;the inky, palpable blackness.\u0026nbsp;In the\u0026nbsp;four\u0026nbsp;years\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;have passed since the war,\u0026nbsp;some have\u0026nbsp;turned\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;an\u0026nbsp;honest life of toiling\u0026nbsp;away\u0026nbsp;at the mushroom\u0026nbsp;farms\u0026nbsp;for a pittance, others have\u0026nbsp;taken\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;scurrying\u0026nbsp;up\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;surface to\u0026nbsp;grab\u0026nbsp;essential supplies from\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;city\u0026nbsp;they\u0026nbsp;used to rule, the ones who come back are seen as gods in the eyes of their fellow survivors. Some\u0026nbsp;have become hired guns,\u0026nbsp;drifting from\u0026nbsp;station\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;station\u0026nbsp;to solve\u0026nbsp;people's\u0026nbsp;problems for a hefty price. Worst of all,\u0026nbsp;some\u0026nbsp;have taken to slaughtering and robbing others\u0026nbsp;to keep\u0026nbsp;themselves\u0026nbsp;going\u0026nbsp;for another\u0026nbsp;day. As far as the\u0026nbsp;Muscovites knew, their beautiful old world was dead, and\u0026nbsp;they\u0026nbsp;were\u0026nbsp;it's\u0026nbsp;survivors.\u0026nbsp;Whatever\u0026nbsp;god may or may not have\u0026nbsp;existed\u0026nbsp;beforehand\u0026nbsp;either\u0026nbsp;grew\u0026nbsp;tired of\u0026nbsp;trying\u0026nbsp;to wipe them out of existence, or\u0026nbsp;simply\u0026nbsp;laid\u0026nbsp;down\u0026nbsp;and died.\u0026nbsp;Against\u0026nbsp;all odds, the former occupants of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;great\u0026nbsp;Moscow\u0026nbsp;lived on in the Lenin V Metro system,\u0026nbsp;saved\u0026nbsp;from\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;toxic\u0026nbsp;air\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;frozen\u0026nbsp;world\u0026nbsp;above\u0026nbsp;by the airlock doors that\u0026nbsp;hermetically\u0026nbsp;sealed every metro station away from\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;harsh world above.\n\nA good fifteen minutes passed before\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;wolf made it to his home, and with a loud sigh of relief, he opened the weathered door to the maintenance room he called home and\u0026nbsp;walked\u0026nbsp;inside. He quickly closed the door behind him, locking and barring\u0026nbsp;it,\u0026nbsp;he'd\u0026nbsp;grown quite paranoid about\u0026nbsp;mutants\u0026nbsp;breaking in during the night as a\u0026nbsp;result\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;witnessing\u0026nbsp;the gruesome\u0026nbsp;aftermath\u0026nbsp;of their attacks. The wolf sat down on the freshly made bed by one of the cold concrete walls of the room, rubbing his eyes and taking off his beanie, pushing his long hair out of his eyes as he let out a loud yawn\u0026nbsp;\"I'm gonna have to use up some of that canned food this week if that bitch lowballs me on this scrap again...\"\u0026nbsp;The wolf sighed\u0026nbsp;and flopped down on the\u0026nbsp;bottom\u0026nbsp;bunk\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;bunk\u0026nbsp;bed that he\u0026nbsp;slept\u0026nbsp;on, he just\u0026nbsp;kept\u0026nbsp;boxes\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;supplies\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;clothes on\u0026nbsp;the top\u0026nbsp;bunk, along\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;an\u0026nbsp;FAL he'd\u0026nbsp;stolen\u0026nbsp;from\u0026nbsp;Rizhskaya\u0026nbsp;last\u0026nbsp;time he\u0026nbsp;took a trip\u0026nbsp;into\u0026nbsp;the rest of Moscow's\u0026nbsp;expansive\u0026nbsp;metro system. He tossed his beanie\u0026nbsp;up\u0026nbsp;on the\u0026nbsp;top\u0026nbsp;bunk\u0026nbsp;and sighed,\u0026nbsp;closing his\u0026nbsp;eyes\u0026nbsp;\"You really have screwed yourself over, Jessie...\"\u0026nbsp;He muttered to himself quietly, thinking about how\u0026nbsp;he'd\u0026nbsp;managed to survive for the past four years,\u0026nbsp;begging\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;stealing\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;trying\u0026nbsp;to scrape out a\u0026nbsp;some\u0026nbsp;kind of\u0026nbsp;living\u0026nbsp;in this harsh new reality. On the day that the world\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;plunged back into the\u0026nbsp;dark\u0026nbsp;ages, he and tens of thousands of other people had found shelter from the nuclear holocaust outside down in the Moscow Metropolitan Metro. As the wolf laid there in his bed, he wondered about what had become of his home country, England. He quickly shook his head and closed his\u0026nbsp;eyes, as, he\u0026nbsp;didn't\u0026nbsp;want to\u0026nbsp;imagine\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;decomposing\u0026nbsp;corpses of\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;family\u0026nbsp;members\u0026nbsp;as\u0026nbsp;they were\u0026nbsp;stuck\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;whatever\u0026nbsp;action\u0026nbsp;they were\u0026nbsp;doing\u0026nbsp;when\u0026nbsp;they\u0026nbsp;died. He\u0026nbsp;wasn't\u0026nbsp;even sure that\u0026nbsp;Liverpool had\u0026nbsp;been\u0026nbsp;hit\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;any bombs, or the UK entirely. He\u0026nbsp;groaned\u0026nbsp;quietly,\u0026nbsp;rubbing\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;head\u0026nbsp;as if\u0026nbsp;he was\u0026nbsp;trying\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;coax\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;thoughts\u0026nbsp;out of his mind. He soon felt his\u0026nbsp;fatigue wracked body yearn for rest, and he\u0026nbsp;couldn't\u0026nbsp;help\u0026nbsp;but sigh\u0026nbsp;as he\u0026nbsp;gave\u0026nbsp;into\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;body's\u0026nbsp;demands. He closed his eyes, and he\u0026nbsp;found\u0026nbsp;himself\u0026nbsp;fall\u0026nbsp;into\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;deep, dreamless sleep.\n\nJessie\u0026nbsp;woke up sometime later, letting out a loud sigh as he threw the warm bed sheets off of his body and got out of bed. He walked over to the couch\u0026nbsp;in his home\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;plopped down\u0026nbsp;onto\u0026nbsp;it. The wolf\u0026nbsp;pulled\u0026nbsp;his backpack up onto\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;lap\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;opened\u0026nbsp;it\u0026nbsp;up,\u0026nbsp;taking\u0026nbsp;a look\u0026nbsp;inside to\u0026nbsp;see what he would\u0026nbsp;try\u0026nbsp;to sell at\u0026nbsp;Alekseyevskaya\u0026nbsp;station. He took out some of the scrap and other useful items that he found on his trip through the tunnels, and he quickly got geared up for the expedition out to the neighboring station. He got a few magazines for\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;civilian\u0026nbsp;grade HK416 that\u0026nbsp;he'd\u0026nbsp;found in the\u0026nbsp;hands\u0026nbsp;of a\u0026nbsp;dead\u0026nbsp;survivor, and he walked towards the exit of his cozy little home. He stopped as he held his rifle, remembering that\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;only ammo he\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;left for it were the three magazines in his pockets. He sighed softly as he looked at the double barreled hunting shotgun in the corner of the maintenance room, he begrudgingly stowed his rifle in the gun cabinet and put the\u0026nbsp;ammo\u0026nbsp;up\u0026nbsp;as well. He grabbed the shotgun out of the corner and got out a half empty box of twelve gauge ammo. He unlocked his door and walked back out into the familiar darkness of the\u0026nbsp;tunnels,\u0026nbsp;intent\u0026nbsp;on making it to his\u0026nbsp;day\u0026nbsp;job.\n\nHe arrived at the\u0026nbsp;station\u0026nbsp;about 10 minutes later,\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;guards at the entrance to\u0026nbsp;the station\u0026nbsp;let\u0026nbsp;him\u0026nbsp;through\u0026nbsp;without\u0026nbsp;question, as, they recognized him as another guard that\u0026nbsp;chose\u0026nbsp;to live\u0026nbsp;outside\u0026nbsp;of the station\u0026nbsp;The marketplace had just opened up in the station, but most people were still asleep. Jessie\u0026nbsp;walked\u0026nbsp;up\u0026nbsp;to the scrap shop\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;been set up in the\u0026nbsp;station's\u0026nbsp;old ticket booth, and he knocked on the\u0026nbsp;metal\u0026nbsp;shutter a few times. He heard the female wolf who ran the shop\u0026nbsp;groan\u0026nbsp;quietly, so\u0026nbsp;he just\u0026nbsp;sighed and\u0026nbsp;waited\u0026nbsp;for her\u0026nbsp;to open up the shutter. He heard her\u0026nbsp;yell\u0026nbsp;something\u0026nbsp;in Russian,\u0026nbsp;but\u0026nbsp;he assumed that she\u0026nbsp;wanted\u0026nbsp;him\u0026nbsp;to wait.\u0026nbsp;When she finally\u0026nbsp;did\u0026nbsp;open the\u0026nbsp;metal\u0026nbsp;shutter of the\u0026nbsp;ticket\u0026nbsp;booth, it\u0026nbsp;looked like\u0026nbsp;she had just rolled\u0026nbsp;out of\u0026nbsp;bed a few minutes\u0026nbsp;ago. She was about to ask him something,\u0026nbsp;but\u0026nbsp;Jessie took his backpack off and\u0026nbsp;emptied\u0026nbsp;it's\u0026nbsp;contents\u0026nbsp;down\u0026nbsp;onto\u0026nbsp;the counter,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;she simply sighed\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;shifted\u0026nbsp;around\u0026nbsp;behind the booth.\u0026nbsp;\"What are you going to try to gouge me for this time?\"\u0026nbsp;She\u0026nbsp;asked in an\u0026nbsp;annoyed\u0026nbsp;tone\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;her thickly\u0026nbsp;accented\u0026nbsp;voice.\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;just let a wry smile spread across his face, before he shook head\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;chuckled\u0026nbsp;softly.\u0026nbsp;\"Oh, I'm sorry, so now I'm suddenly the one overcharging people? Didn't I see you marking what you bought from me up by at least three times the original price?\"\u0026nbsp;The wolf let\u0026nbsp;out a\u0026nbsp;low\u0026nbsp;growl, Jessie\u0026nbsp;could\u0026nbsp;tell\u0026nbsp;she\u0026nbsp;didn't\u0026nbsp;want to\u0026nbsp;deal with this while\u0026nbsp;it\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;still\u0026nbsp;this early in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;morning,\u0026nbsp;but\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;wasn't\u0026nbsp;about\u0026nbsp;to get\u0026nbsp;swindled\u0026nbsp;by her again.\u0026nbsp;\"And I have a little sister to take care of, do you want to see her go hungry because I can't earn enough to keep up both alive?\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie rolled his eyes,\u0026nbsp;sighing\u0026nbsp;quietly\u0026nbsp;as he\u0026nbsp;looked\u0026nbsp;down\u0026nbsp;at the shop owner.\u0026nbsp;\"I've seen all that furniture you've been buying, and warm blankets, and canned food... Compared to most people, you're living in comfort, and I'm still your biggest supplier.\"\u0026nbsp;She scoffed,\u0026nbsp;taking a\u0026nbsp;step or two back before she leaned up\u0026nbsp;against\u0026nbsp;the counter. \"Yeah? You're probably the biggest prick in this station too.\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;grumbled\u0026nbsp;quietly as he\u0026nbsp;looked\u0026nbsp;down at the wolf.\u0026nbsp;\"You know, a traveler from the VDNKh told me that you were almost out of copper wiring this morning. I think you can cough up sixty rounds for a days supply of merchandise, you're gonna make it back in an hour or two anyways.\"\u0026nbsp;The shop owner growled in protest, before she sighed and let her shoulders slump down\u0026nbsp;\"Fine... But don't expect me to let you strong-arm me into paying you more every time...\"\u0026nbsp;She said with a loud huff, before she walked back into the room for a brief second to collect the ammunition. She walked back out with a small pouch and handed it to him. Jessie took the pouch and checked inside,\u0026nbsp;two\u0026nbsp;thirty round magazines of military grade, 7.62 rounds. He\u0026nbsp;smiled as he\u0026nbsp;put\u0026nbsp;the pouch back in his jacket pocket, he\u0026nbsp;couldn't\u0026nbsp;wait\u0026nbsp;to get back home and add these to\u0026nbsp;weathered\u0026nbsp;metal\u0026nbsp;box that\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;kept\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;valuables\u0026nbsp;like Rubles\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;military\u0026nbsp;grade\u0026nbsp;rounds\u0026nbsp;in,\u0026nbsp;along\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;his stash of weed. Jessie\u0026nbsp;promptly turned\u0026nbsp;around as\u0026nbsp;the shop\u0026nbsp;owner sorted the scrap Jessie\u0026nbsp;dumped out\u0026nbsp;into various bins and boxes. He walked out into the rest of the market to see if he couldn't find anything he needed or wanted.\n\nHe watched the other guards closely as they wearily trudged on through the station, they were probably wishing they just could've slept instead of working the night shift. Being a guard at the station himself, Jessie knew when the shift changes occurred, and he knew that these guys probably wouldn't be too vigilant towards the ends of their shifts. He proceeded to help himself to whatever was left out in the open. There were a few cans of food, a small box of green tea packets, a few loose batteries that might have still had some life left in them, along with an assortment of loose rounds, but he couldn't find any weapons this time, not that he\u0026nbsp;would be\u0026nbsp;taken\u0026nbsp;anything\u0026nbsp;else. He made his way over to his usual drop-off point, a drain pipe in one of the disused shower rooms that was always filled up with water. He lifted the grate of the drain up and shoved his small dry bag full of stolen items inside, making sure it was submerged before he closed the grate and walked out of the shower room. Since that was taken care of, Jessie let out a sigh of relief as started walked back down the Southern tunnel, where a few of the guards at Lubyenka station lived in old\u0026nbsp;maintenance\u0026nbsp;rooms that lined\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;tunnel. He stopped at the second door he passed and knocked on it, sighing softly as he waited for it to open or to at least get a response, but the door was pushed open a few seconds later. Jessie was greeted by the sight of a massive ten foot tall wolf with brown colored fur, he raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the much smaller wolf below him.\u0026nbsp;\"Jessie? What are you doing here so early in the morning?..\"\u0026nbsp;The wolf asked in a deep, but soft voice as he\u0026nbsp;yawned\u0026nbsp;and rubbed his eyes with both hands.\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;just\u0026nbsp;shrugged sheepishly and slipped his\u0026nbsp;hands into\u0026nbsp;the pockets\u0026nbsp;of his jeans,\u0026nbsp;trying\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;ignore\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;fact\u0026nbsp;that Taras was\u0026nbsp;only\u0026nbsp;wearing\u0026nbsp;a pair of boxer briefs.\u0026nbsp;\"Oh, not much really, just wanted to stop by and maybe chat a bit before our shift.\"\u0026nbsp;Taras nodded, stepping\u0026nbsp;aside to\u0026nbsp;let his friend through. Jessie slipped in and stretched\u0026nbsp;his back out\u0026nbsp;as his\u0026nbsp;friend closed\u0026nbsp;the door behind\u0026nbsp;him.\u0026nbsp;\"Mhm, but really, why drop by so early in the morning instead of sleeping for a while longer?\"\u0026nbsp;Taras asked, since Jessie would\u0026nbsp;only\u0026nbsp;drop by\u0026nbsp;his place\u0026nbsp;maybe\u0026nbsp;once\u0026nbsp;or\u0026nbsp;twice a\u0026nbsp;week.\u0026nbsp;Jessie sighed and shook his head as he looked\u0026nbsp;up at Taras.\u0026nbsp;\"I stayed up all last night searching for odds and ends to sell to Larisa, but... I guess I was just getting pretty lonely, but that's my fault for not putting enough effort into learning Russian...\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie finished\u0026nbsp;his statement\u0026nbsp;with a soft sigh as he walked\u0026nbsp;inside and looked around at the place he'd become quite familiar with ever since he'd befriended the rather remarkable wolf. Jessie sat down on the creaky old\u0026nbsp;couch\u0026nbsp;in the bottom right corner of\u0026nbsp;the larger room in Taras's two room.\u0026nbsp;He put\u0026nbsp;his feet\u0026nbsp;up on the coffee table and\u0026nbsp;brushed\u0026nbsp;a few papers away\u0026nbsp;gingerly.\u0026nbsp;Taras had taken\u0026nbsp;a while\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;think\u0026nbsp;about what to say,\u0026nbsp;but\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;instead\u0026nbsp;just\u0026nbsp;walked\u0026nbsp;off\u0026nbsp;into his\u0026nbsp;bedroom.\u0026nbsp;\"I'm always willing to help you get better at it, Jessie. You're one of the few people that I can count on to watch my back.\u0026nbsp;He heard Taras call\u0026nbsp;out from\u0026nbsp;the other room, Jessie let out a quiet sigh as he\u0026nbsp;laid down\u0026nbsp;on the couch near the kitchen.\u0026nbsp;\"I know, I know, but it's just so damn hard trying to find the time with everything else that's been going on...\"\u0026nbsp;Thump, thump, thump, thump. Jessie opened\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;eyes\u0026nbsp;after\u0026nbsp;hearing\u0026nbsp;Taras's\u0026nbsp;heavy\u0026nbsp;footfalls\u0026nbsp;approaching\u0026nbsp;him, the\u0026nbsp;massive\u0026nbsp;wolf was\u0026nbsp;looking down\u0026nbsp;at him, he gestured for Jessie\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;move over.\n\n\"Come on, scoot.\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie sat up and\u0026nbsp;moved\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;the other\u0026nbsp;side of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;couch, he\u0026nbsp;cringed\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;creaky squeal it\u0026nbsp;made\u0026nbsp;as Taras sat down next\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;him. He\u0026nbsp;sighed softly\u0026nbsp;as he\u0026nbsp;leaned\u0026nbsp;up\u0026nbsp;against\u0026nbsp;the wolf, who\u0026nbsp;was now\u0026nbsp;wearing a\u0026nbsp;warm,\u0026nbsp;but\u0026nbsp;small\u0026nbsp;gray hoodie\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;pair of\u0026nbsp;athletic shorts.\u0026nbsp;\"Have you tried bolstering this couch up with strips of sheet metal or something? Because I'm gonna laugh my ass off you break it while I'm here.\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;said\u0026nbsp;quietly, giving Taras an\u0026nbsp;innocent smile\u0026nbsp;as he looked up at him.\u0026nbsp;Taras chuckled\u0026nbsp;softly\u0026nbsp;and leaned\u0026nbsp;back\u0026nbsp;on\u0026nbsp;the couch, he\u0026nbsp;yawned\u0026nbsp;once more as he\u0026nbsp;stretched\u0026nbsp;his arms\u0026nbsp;out.\u0026nbsp;\"Mhm, that'd take too much work to get another year of use out of that couch. And it's not like I've had too much spare time between work, scavenging, helping you move stuff around, and tending to my own personal needs...\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie laughed nervously, he\u0026nbsp;scratched\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;the back\u0026nbsp;of his\u0026nbsp;neck\u0026nbsp;as he\u0026nbsp;looked\u0026nbsp;away\u0026nbsp;from\u0026nbsp;the wolf.\u0026nbsp;\"Yeah, sorry about that... But hey! I'm only gonna need you to help me carry out a few more heavy things before I can finally settle into the other rooms in my place.\"\u0026nbsp;Taras\u0026nbsp;just\u0026nbsp;gave\u0026nbsp;him\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;dismissive, but\u0026nbsp;reassuring\u0026nbsp;wave as he\u0026nbsp;glanced\u0026nbsp;down at him.\u0026nbsp;\"I'm not mad, I just can't find the time in my day to try and fix up an old couch.\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;nodded\u0026nbsp;slowly, leaning back into the couch and looking down at the\u0026nbsp;papers on\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;coffee\u0026nbsp;table. He\u0026nbsp;sighed\u0026nbsp;quietly as he picked one up and examined it,\u0026nbsp;trying\u0026nbsp;to decipher it with\u0026nbsp;what\u0026nbsp;Russian\u0026nbsp;he knew.\n\n\"So... What're you writing?\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie asked,\u0026nbsp;giving\u0026nbsp;Taras a\u0026nbsp;soft poke\u0026nbsp;in his\u0026nbsp;side\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;his elbow. Taras looked down at\u0026nbsp;his smaller companion, his\u0026nbsp;eyes\u0026nbsp;seemed to light up as he noticed the paper.\u0026nbsp;\"Ah, those are just some notes on a few schematics I tend to think up when I'm trying to fall asleep.\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie grinned,\u0026nbsp;giving\u0026nbsp;him another poke in the side to try\u0026nbsp;and get\u0026nbsp;some more\u0026nbsp;information\u0026nbsp;out of him.\u0026nbsp;\"What are they about?\"\u0026nbsp;Taras\u0026nbsp;couldn't\u0026nbsp;resist\u0026nbsp;but\u0026nbsp;to let a\u0026nbsp;small\u0026nbsp;smile\u0026nbsp;spread\u0026nbsp;across\u0026nbsp;his face,\u0026nbsp;it was\u0026nbsp;like a ray of sunshine\u0026nbsp;poking\u0026nbsp;down\u0026nbsp;through\u0026nbsp;the cloudy\u0026nbsp;English\u0026nbsp;skies\u0026nbsp;for Jessie.\u0026nbsp;\"Well, since there's plenty of metal piping that isn't really being used anymore, I thought that I could try to make a water heating system..\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie shrugged,\u0026nbsp;smiling\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;himself\u0026nbsp;at idea of a hot shower, that\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;wouldn't\u0026nbsp;have to\u0026nbsp;start a fire under a\u0026nbsp;bathtub\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;wait for\u0026nbsp;an hour\u0026nbsp;before\u0026nbsp;the water\u0026nbsp;had cooled to a\u0026nbsp;bearable\u0026nbsp;temperature.\u0026nbsp;\"That's actually actually a really good idea, Taras...\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;said\u0026nbsp;softly, Taras's smile\u0026nbsp;only turned to\u0026nbsp;a grin\u0026nbsp;as he noticed the goofy expression on\u0026nbsp;Jessie's\u0026nbsp;face, and that\u0026nbsp;beaming\u0026nbsp;smile\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;foreign friend\u0026nbsp;would\u0026nbsp;occasionally flash his way.\u0026nbsp;\"Yeah, I thought you'd like that.\"\u0026nbsp;His work partner laughed\u0026nbsp;softly,\u0026nbsp;but it still sounded fairly loud and deep. Taras\u0026nbsp;picked\u0026nbsp;up\u0026nbsp;another\u0026nbsp;paper\u0026nbsp;and placed\u0026nbsp;it\u0026nbsp;down\u0026nbsp;into\u0026nbsp;his lap. \"And I was thinking that I could make a reloading bench for the station, so those idiots under the weapon manufacturing plant don't have a monopoly on reloaded ammunition.\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;nodded\u0026nbsp;quickly,\u0026nbsp;smiling\u0026nbsp;up at the big brown wolf. He\u0026nbsp;smiled sweetly\u0026nbsp;as he\u0026nbsp;looked at\u0026nbsp;the moisture glistening off of the canine's wet nose in the candlelight. Jessie\u0026nbsp;let\u0026nbsp;out\u0026nbsp;a soft yawn and shifted around to his back, he laid\u0026nbsp;down\u0026nbsp;on\u0026nbsp;the armrest of the couch and put his legs up on Taras's lap.\u0026nbsp;\"So.. other than being extremely busy, how have you been lately?\"\u0026nbsp;Taras\u0026nbsp;shrugged,\u0026nbsp;leaning\u0026nbsp;back\u0026nbsp;into\u0026nbsp;the couch as\u0026nbsp;his friend\u0026nbsp;put\u0026nbsp;his legs up\u0026nbsp;in his\u0026nbsp;lap.\u0026nbsp;\"Well, I'm finally starting to make enough money to give myself a proper three meals every day. So that's a big improvement..\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie smiled, nodding as he\u0026nbsp;laid\u0026nbsp;his head back on the armrest of the couch. Taras could easily eat twice the\u0026nbsp;amount\u0026nbsp;of food that Jessie would in a single meal,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;even then, he still\u0026nbsp;might\u0026nbsp;be hungry for more. But this was to be\u0026nbsp;expected\u0026nbsp;from someone as large as Taras.\u0026nbsp;\"Hey, I'm glad to hear that...\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;murmured\u0026nbsp;under\u0026nbsp;his breath\u0026nbsp;softly, but he\u0026nbsp;already\u0026nbsp;felt\u0026nbsp;like he already\u0026nbsp;wanted\u0026nbsp;to doze off for a while. He\u0026nbsp;didn't\u0026nbsp;get that\u0026nbsp;much\u0026nbsp;sleep last\u0026nbsp;night.\u0026nbsp;\"Hey, you look like you might aswell get some rest. I think I'll just cook breakfast this time and wake you up when it's ready...\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie let\u0026nbsp;out a\u0026nbsp;grumble\u0026nbsp;of protest,\u0026nbsp;and he\u0026nbsp;took a slow swat at Taras with his paw.\u0026nbsp;\"Nnnnooo... I need to help youuu...\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie mumbled\u0026nbsp;under\u0026nbsp;his breath softly,\u0026nbsp;shifting\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;wriggling\u0026nbsp;around\u0026nbsp;on the\u0026nbsp;couch\u0026nbsp;to try\u0026nbsp;and get\u0026nbsp;comfortable. Taras\u0026nbsp;just\u0026nbsp;smiled\u0026nbsp;and shook\u0026nbsp;his head, he\u0026nbsp;brushed\u0026nbsp;Jessie's\u0026nbsp;legs\u0026nbsp;away\u0026nbsp;gently\u0026nbsp;and stood up with\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;Brit. Jessie\u0026nbsp;groaned\u0026nbsp;in protest, but he\u0026nbsp;didn't really\u0026nbsp;feel\u0026nbsp;like opening\u0026nbsp;his eyes\u0026nbsp;or\u0026nbsp;doing\u0026nbsp;much\u0026nbsp;of anything. With a soft whine, he let his body relax, and he felt\u0026nbsp;himself\u0026nbsp;slip into a light sleep.\n\nJessie awoke\u0026nbsp;to the\u0026nbsp;sound of\u0026nbsp;something metal\u0026nbsp;clanging\u0026nbsp;against the floor, he\u0026nbsp;quickly\u0026nbsp;sat\u0026nbsp;up\u0026nbsp;and looked around for the\u0026nbsp;source\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;the noise. The room\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;was in was pitch black, so Jessie blindly fumbled around in the darkness to try to\u0026nbsp;get an\u0026nbsp;idea of\u0026nbsp;where he\u0026nbsp;was. Between the\u0026nbsp;beating\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;his own\u0026nbsp;heart and\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;heavy\u0026nbsp;breathing,\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;could\u0026nbsp;hear loud\u0026nbsp;footsteps\u0026nbsp;coming from\u0026nbsp;somewhere\u0026nbsp;ahead of him. His hand\u0026nbsp;bumped\u0026nbsp;into\u0026nbsp;something\u0026nbsp;that felt like a lamp, and he\u0026nbsp;hurriedly\u0026nbsp;flicked\u0026nbsp;it\u0026nbsp;on.\u0026nbsp;Light\u0026nbsp;flooded the room, Jessie\u0026nbsp;cringed\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;squeezed\u0026nbsp;his eyes\u0026nbsp;shut,\u0026nbsp;they\u0026nbsp;hadn't\u0026nbsp;been able to adjust to the light quickly enough. He covered\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;face\u0026nbsp;with his hands,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;he just barely cracked them open\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;see what room he was in. He\u0026nbsp;let\u0026nbsp;out\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;loud\u0026nbsp;sigh\u0026nbsp;of relief when he realized he was\u0026nbsp;just\u0026nbsp;in Taras's bedroom, he\u0026nbsp;groaned\u0026nbsp;quietly\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;laid\u0026nbsp;back\u0026nbsp;on\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;bed, mentally\u0026nbsp;scolding\u0026nbsp;himself\u0026nbsp;for overreacting at what could have\u0026nbsp;been\u0026nbsp;a pot falling. Taras must\u0026nbsp;have\u0026nbsp;picked him up\u0026nbsp;and moved\u0026nbsp;him in\u0026nbsp;here\u0026nbsp;while\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;was sleeping.\n\nJessie\u0026nbsp;sighed\u0026nbsp;softly\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;laid down\u0026nbsp;on\u0026nbsp;his side, looking\u0026nbsp;around\u0026nbsp;the room\u0026nbsp;rather\u0026nbsp;slowly.\u0026nbsp;Right\u0026nbsp;across\u0026nbsp;from him, there\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;a weathered wood dresser with some various knick-knacks\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;few\u0026nbsp;pairs\u0026nbsp;other\u0026nbsp;personal items\u0026nbsp;on top of it.\u0026nbsp;There was\u0026nbsp;a dirty\u0026nbsp;white\u0026nbsp;clothes hamper\u0026nbsp;next to dresser,\u0026nbsp;but\u0026nbsp;Jessie was\u0026nbsp;mostly\u0026nbsp;paying attention\u0026nbsp;to Taras's\u0026nbsp;plate\u0026nbsp;metal suit of armor that was\u0026nbsp;set\u0026nbsp;up\u0026nbsp;on display next\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;his bed. Jessie\u0026nbsp;blinked\u0026nbsp;a few\u0026nbsp;times as\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;noticed\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;picture\u0026nbsp;frame on the nightstand beside\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;bed. He sat\u0026nbsp;up\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;picked\u0026nbsp;up the picture frame,\u0026nbsp;pulling the\u0026nbsp;lamp a bit closer\u0026nbsp;so he\u0026nbsp;could actually\u0026nbsp;see it. It\u0026nbsp;seemed\u0026nbsp;like a\u0026nbsp;picture of\u0026nbsp;Taras\u0026nbsp;from\u0026nbsp;when he was\u0026nbsp;much\u0026nbsp;younger,\u0026nbsp;because\u0026nbsp;a massive man who must have\u0026nbsp;been\u0026nbsp;his father was\u0026nbsp;holding\u0026nbsp;him. Taras, who couldn't have\u0026nbsp;been\u0026nbsp;more than a\u0026nbsp;year\u0026nbsp;old when the picture was taken, looked tiny in his arms. He was almost too busy gawking at how massive his father looked that he didn't\u0026nbsp;notice\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;mother standing\u0026nbsp;next\u0026nbsp;to huge wolf,\u0026nbsp;her\u0026nbsp;arm\u0026nbsp;around\u0026nbsp;his side as they both smiled at the camera. Jessie just sat\u0026nbsp;there\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;minute or two,\u0026nbsp;letting\u0026nbsp;his mind drift, before\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;seemingly\u0026nbsp;random\u0026nbsp;thought\u0026nbsp;entered\u0026nbsp;his mind. If their\u0026nbsp;family\u0026nbsp;would've\u0026nbsp;had a\u0026nbsp;daughter, and not a son,\u0026nbsp;she\u0026nbsp;probably\u0026nbsp;never\u0026nbsp;would've\u0026nbsp;been\u0026nbsp;able to get a boyfriend. Hell,\u0026nbsp;when\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;had hooked up with his first and only girlfriend at the age of 15, he was\u0026nbsp;nervous\u0026nbsp;as hell\u0026nbsp;when\u0026nbsp;her\u0026nbsp;father\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;watching\u0026nbsp;him\u0026nbsp;like a hawk\u0026nbsp;the dinner at their house, and\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;wasn't\u0026nbsp;even that big of a guy. Most people would be\u0026nbsp;shitting\u0026nbsp;their\u0026nbsp;pants\u0026nbsp;if they\u0026nbsp;had this\u0026nbsp;guy\u0026nbsp;glaring\u0026nbsp;daggers\u0026nbsp;at them. Jessie shook his head, and\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;put the\u0026nbsp;picture\u0026nbsp;frame back down. He\u0026nbsp;groaned\u0026nbsp;as he stood up\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;cracked\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;back,\u0026nbsp;letting\u0026nbsp;out a\u0026nbsp;soft huff of relief\u0026nbsp;as\u0026nbsp;his vertebrae popped and cracked. He\u0026nbsp;walked\u0026nbsp;towards the bedroom door and\u0026nbsp;slowly\u0026nbsp;pushed\u0026nbsp;it\u0026nbsp;open,\u0026nbsp;trying\u0026nbsp;to ignore the\u0026nbsp;small\u0026nbsp;armory\u0026nbsp;Taras had amassed at the other corner of his room in a\u0026nbsp;few\u0026nbsp;old lockers. He\u0026nbsp;poked\u0026nbsp;his head\u0026nbsp;out\u0026nbsp;of the door and\u0026nbsp;glanced\u0026nbsp;over\u0026nbsp;to the kitchen,\u0026nbsp;Taras\u0026nbsp;had just taken three steaks off of his\u0026nbsp;stove\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;pushed them\u0026nbsp;onto two plates.\u0026nbsp;His ears\u0026nbsp;twitched when\u0026nbsp;the door\u0026nbsp;creaked open,\u0026nbsp;and he\u0026nbsp;looked\u0026nbsp;over\u0026nbsp;at the door.\u0026nbsp;\"Good, you're awake.\"\n\nJessie\u0026nbsp;smiled\u0026nbsp;upon hearing this,\u0026nbsp;stepping\u0026nbsp;out of Taras's bedroom and\u0026nbsp;closing\u0026nbsp;the door\u0026nbsp;behind him. \"Yeah... You didn't have to put me back in your bedroom, y'know.\"\u0026nbsp;Taras shrugged, walking\u0026nbsp;around\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;worn\u0026nbsp;dining\u0026nbsp;room table\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;sitting\u0026nbsp;down on\u0026nbsp;an\u0026nbsp;old wooden chair.\u0026nbsp;\"You weren't going to get any sleep while I was cooking and moving around.\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie was going to\u0026nbsp;tell\u0026nbsp;him otherwise, but he\u0026nbsp;just\u0026nbsp;closed\u0026nbsp;his mouth\u0026nbsp;and smiled.\u0026nbsp;No matter\u0026nbsp;how\u0026nbsp;many\u0026nbsp;times\u0026nbsp;Jessie told him not to, Taras was\u0026nbsp;going\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;prioritize\u0026nbsp;Jessie over himself.\u0026nbsp;\"Yeah... Thanks, Taras..\"\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;brown\u0026nbsp;wolf\u0026nbsp;smiled\u0026nbsp;and nodded, before\u0026nbsp;he turned\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;meal and started to\u0026nbsp;hungrily\u0026nbsp;gobble it down. Jessie wasted no\u0026nbsp;time in\u0026nbsp;trotting\u0026nbsp;up\u0026nbsp;to the table and\u0026nbsp;sitting\u0026nbsp;down\u0026nbsp;next\u0026nbsp;to him.\u0026nbsp;Jessie stabbed into the cooked\u0026nbsp;slab\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;meat\u0026nbsp;with his fork and\u0026nbsp;ripped\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;chunk\u0026nbsp;of it off, Taras just picked one of his steaks up and took a\u0026nbsp;huge\u0026nbsp;chomp\u0026nbsp;out of it. Jessie just\u0026nbsp;laughed softly\u0026nbsp;as he ate his own steak, he\u0026nbsp;took\u0026nbsp;his time to savor the taste of\u0026nbsp;something\u0026nbsp;other than canned food. He\u0026nbsp;didn't\u0026nbsp;mind\u0026nbsp;that it was a\u0026nbsp;little\u0026nbsp;burnt.\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;two\u0026nbsp;didn't\u0026nbsp;say much\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;anything\u0026nbsp;during\u0026nbsp;their meal, but that\u0026nbsp;didn't\u0026nbsp;mean that\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;wasn't\u0026nbsp;thinking\u0026nbsp;about\u0026nbsp;Taras. After the two got\u0026nbsp;finished\u0026nbsp;with their meal, they both\u0026nbsp;made\u0026nbsp;idle small talk as they got\u0026nbsp;ready\u0026nbsp;for work.\u0026nbsp;When\u0026nbsp;the time came for\u0026nbsp;them\u0026nbsp;to leave, Jessie walked\u0026nbsp;outside of\u0026nbsp;his work partner's home and set out on the\u0026nbsp;short\u0026nbsp;walk\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;Alekseyevskaya\u0026nbsp;station,\u0026nbsp;trying\u0026nbsp;to ignore the clanking noise the metal plates on Taras's armor made.\n\nThe\u0026nbsp;pair both\u0026nbsp;arrived at\u0026nbsp;Alekseyevskaya\u0026nbsp;station\u0026nbsp;a few minutes later,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;after\u0026nbsp;logging\u0026nbsp;their\u0026nbsp;names on the board in the guard shack,\u0026nbsp;they\u0026nbsp;made\u0026nbsp;their\u0026nbsp;way\u0026nbsp;over\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;their\u0026nbsp;respective\u0026nbsp;posts\u0026nbsp;at the entrance\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;the Southern Tunnels, the\u0026nbsp;pathway\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;rest of the metro.\u0026nbsp;Jessie and\u0026nbsp;Taras\u0026nbsp;both\u0026nbsp;sat\u0026nbsp;down\u0026nbsp;at their\u0026nbsp;respective\u0026nbsp;posts\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;another\u0026nbsp;guard, who was\u0026nbsp;stoking\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;fire\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;keeping\u0026nbsp;it\u0026nbsp;fed with\u0026nbsp;enough\u0026nbsp;fuel to burn.\u0026nbsp;Taras\u0026nbsp;immediately\u0026nbsp;started\u0026nbsp;up a\u0026nbsp;conversation\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;other\u0026nbsp;guard,\u0026nbsp;but Jessie\u0026nbsp;didn't\u0026nbsp;bother\u0026nbsp;partaking\u0026nbsp;in it,\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;had no idea what they\u0026nbsp;were\u0026nbsp;saying. Time just\u0026nbsp;seemed\u0026nbsp;to crawl along\u0026nbsp;during\u0026nbsp;his shift, and he\u0026nbsp;just\u0026nbsp;couldn't\u0026nbsp;wait for it to end. If\u0026nbsp;it\u0026nbsp;hadn't\u0026nbsp;been\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;fact\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;this job gave him a few hours to be with\u0026nbsp;Taras\u0026nbsp;a day,\u0026nbsp;he'd\u0026nbsp;probably\u0026nbsp;go mad\u0026nbsp;from\u0026nbsp;staring\u0026nbsp;off\u0026nbsp;into the darkness\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;tunnels\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;nobody\u0026nbsp;else to talk to.\u0026nbsp;Alekseyevskaya\u0026nbsp;station had never been\u0026nbsp;attacked\u0026nbsp;anyways, the only\u0026nbsp;disputes\u0026nbsp;Jessie had to settle were drunken brawls and\u0026nbsp;tracking\u0026nbsp;down sweet roll thieves.\u0026nbsp;Traders\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;travellers\u0026nbsp;came and went\u0026nbsp;all throughout\u0026nbsp;the day, mainly people\u0026nbsp;from\u0026nbsp;VDNKh,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;a few\u0026nbsp;people\u0026nbsp;from\u0026nbsp;Rizhskaya. When it was\u0026nbsp;finally\u0026nbsp;time\u0026nbsp;for the next\u0026nbsp;shift\u0026nbsp;of guards to take their places,\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;got\u0026nbsp;up from the bench\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;sitting\u0026nbsp;on and\u0026nbsp;walked into\u0026nbsp;the market with Taras,\u0026nbsp;hoping\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;get\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;decent\u0026nbsp;deal on 9mm ammo, maybe some 5.56 ammo if he was lucky. It took a\u0026nbsp;long\u0026nbsp;time, and a lot of\u0026nbsp;bickering\u0026nbsp;between\u0026nbsp;him\u0026nbsp;and the shop\u0026nbsp;owner, with Taras translating. But in the end, Jessie\u0026nbsp;managed\u0026nbsp;to get a\u0026nbsp;weathered\u0026nbsp;box of 9mm ammo and a full STANAG magazine of 5.56 ammo\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;twenty six cartridges. Jessie was happy to have\u0026nbsp;gotten\u0026nbsp;such a good deal, he gave Taras 4 cartridges\u0026nbsp;for the trouble\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;went\u0026nbsp;through\u0026nbsp;translating\u0026nbsp;for him.\n\nAs the two made\u0026nbsp;their\u0026nbsp;way\u0026nbsp;through\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;barricade\u0026nbsp;to the entrance of the\u0026nbsp;Southern\u0026nbsp;Tunnels, Jessie jabbed Taras in the\u0026nbsp;side with\u0026nbsp;his elbow gently.\u0026nbsp;\"So, I guess we're gonna to be scavenging down south today?\"\u0026nbsp;His work buddy chuckled softly, looking down at him.\u0026nbsp;\"Yeah, I thought you'd like the extra protection.\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie smiled, rolling his eyes, before he flicked on his flashlight to illuminate the path ahead of them.\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;two\u0026nbsp;didn't\u0026nbsp;say\u0026nbsp;much\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;anything\u0026nbsp;as they walked down the tunnels, but\u0026nbsp;they\u0026nbsp;did stop to check a few of the\u0026nbsp;rotting\u0026nbsp;bodies\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;hadn't\u0026nbsp;been\u0026nbsp;given\u0026nbsp;a proper burial. The\u0026nbsp;two\u0026nbsp;stopped dead in their\u0026nbsp;tracks\u0026nbsp;as stumbled upon a caravan\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;come\u0026nbsp;to a stop\u0026nbsp;on the\u0026nbsp;tracks, this must\u0026nbsp;have\u0026nbsp;been the caravan that\u0026nbsp;hadn't\u0026nbsp;arrived\u0026nbsp;on time today. Jessie raised his shotgun up to a low ready position, and\u0026nbsp;Taras\u0026nbsp;turned\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;shutoff\u0026nbsp;valve of his\u0026nbsp;makeshift\u0026nbsp;flamethrower\u0026nbsp;to the side. The two slowly approached\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;stopped caravan, freezing at the\u0026nbsp;sight\u0026nbsp;of blood\u0026nbsp;leaking\u0026nbsp;out onto the\u0026nbsp;ground\u0026nbsp;from the floorboards\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;the caravan.\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;looked into the carriage to see several bodies piled up at the bottom,\u0026nbsp;their\u0026nbsp;clothes\u0026nbsp;stained red with blood.\u0026nbsp;Jessie\u0026nbsp;looked\u0026nbsp;up at Taras with wide eyes, the wolf standing across from him met his gaze with a\u0026nbsp;rather\u0026nbsp;calm\u0026nbsp;expression on his face.\u0026nbsp;\"Fucking bandits...\"\n\nJessie nodded slowly, taking\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;step\u0026nbsp;away from the bodies. Taras sighed\u0026nbsp;quietly\u0026nbsp;as he\u0026nbsp;looked\u0026nbsp;further\u0026nbsp;down\u0026nbsp;into\u0026nbsp;the tunnel.\u0026nbsp;\"If the bandits managed to ransack this entire caravan, they might still be around. I heard this one was supposed to be carrying a bunch of building materials, for whatever reason.\"\u0026nbsp;Jessie sighed, and he nodded slowly. He let\u0026nbsp;out a\u0026nbsp;soft sigh as Taras led\u0026nbsp;him\u0026nbsp;down the metro tunnel, he still had a tight grip on\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;shotgun. As they were walking, Jessie heard a\u0026nbsp;quiet\u0026nbsp;whispering\u0026nbsp;coming from a half opened door to his right. He\u0026nbsp;glanced\u0026nbsp;over at Taras, who was still walking\u0026nbsp;along\u0026nbsp;like\u0026nbsp;he'd\u0026nbsp;heard nothing. Jessie quietly\u0026nbsp;slipped\u0026nbsp;through the door and turned his flashlight off. There was just a bit of\u0026nbsp;light\u0026nbsp;coming through the door at the end of the small passage. Jessie poked his head\u0026nbsp;through\u0026nbsp;the door and looked around. He\u0026nbsp;tensed\u0026nbsp;up\u0026nbsp;as he\u0026nbsp;saw\u0026nbsp;a bandit just a few inches away from him, the man had his back\u0026nbsp;facing\u0026nbsp;towards\u0026nbsp;him. Jessie\u0026nbsp;quietly\u0026nbsp;unsheathed\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;hunting\u0026nbsp;knife, he\u0026nbsp;pulled his arm back as far as he could before\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;plunged\u0026nbsp;the serrated blade into the back of his neck. It killed the man instantly, and he dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Jessie pushed the door open and slipped through, he yanked\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;knife out of the back of his neck, he\u0026nbsp;sheathed\u0026nbsp;it again and\u0026nbsp;rolled\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;man's\u0026nbsp;body over to see what he had.\n\nThe man was\u0026nbsp;clutching\u0026nbsp;some\u0026nbsp;kind\u0026nbsp;of makeshift shotgun, Jessie\u0026nbsp;grumbled\u0026nbsp;quietly\u0026nbsp;when\u0026nbsp;he saw that the man only had 20\u0026nbsp;gauge\u0026nbsp;shotgun rounds on him. Other than a small bag of potato crisps and a\u0026nbsp;silver\u0026nbsp;pocket watch, the man had nothing on him. Jessie\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;about to stand back up, but he\u0026nbsp;nearly\u0026nbsp;jumped out of his skin as a group of people\u0026nbsp;who\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;appeared\u0026nbsp;seemingly\u0026nbsp;out of\u0026nbsp;nowhere\u0026nbsp;began to scream at him in furious Russian. The three\u0026nbsp;people\u0026nbsp;were all aiming AK's at him, and Jessie\u0026nbsp;could\u0026nbsp;do nothing but\u0026nbsp;watch\u0026nbsp;as\u0026nbsp;they\u0026nbsp;slowly\u0026nbsp;approached him.\u0026nbsp;They\u0026nbsp;must have known the man Jessie had just killed,\u0026nbsp;because\u0026nbsp;they\u0026nbsp;all\u0026nbsp;looked\u0026nbsp;furious and mournful. Just as Jessie was about to\u0026nbsp;lose\u0026nbsp;all hope of survival, he was knocked to\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;ground\u0026nbsp;as the door\u0026nbsp;behind\u0026nbsp;him swung open. Jessie hit the\u0026nbsp;ground\u0026nbsp;hard,\u0026nbsp;banging\u0026nbsp;his head\u0026nbsp;against\u0026nbsp;one\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;metal rails\u0026nbsp;on\u0026nbsp;the train tracks. As Jessie slowly slipped into unconsciousness, he could feel an immense burst of heat that flew over his body. The last things\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;heard\u0026nbsp;were\u0026nbsp;gunshots\u0026nbsp;and screaming\u0026nbsp;as he drifted off\u0026nbsp;into\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;blackness...\n\n(If I managed to hold your attention throughout this chapter, I'd ask you to please go ahead and vote on it, press the little star button before you head onto the next. If you're feeling\u0026nbsp;_really\u0026nbsp;_generous, go ahead and tell me what you feel I did right or wrong on this chapter, if a particular scene made you feel something, or if you just wanna say that you like the story. I appreciate every comment and vote and read, and I'm suprised that this story has gathered a small following since I started. Anyways, thank you for giving this chapter a read, and I hope you'll stick with me as I continue to write and update this.)\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Through Darkness","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1143035-through-darkness-chapter-2-the-firefight-a-metro-2033-inspired-book.json"}}