A Shephard- ZoC Main Story Vol 1 Chapter 15

You wake up, a bit groggily, as you shuffle around a bit. Sun coming in through the dilapidated roof, you are suddenly jolted awake with the sound of empty cans crashing.

“What in the-”

You look to your right, and see your rifle now lying in a pile of empty, shot out cans.

Wait.

You’re back here again?

Ah dammit. At least you were feeling a bit better this time around. The calm, familiar setting, your rifle at your side, all giving you a personal area of pleasantness. Not time to dwell on these feeling, you decide, you reach over to Lucy, you pick her up and dust her off a bit.

“Sorry Lucy, didn’t realize you were so close. Didn’t mean to knock you over in my waking.”

A moment later, she materializes in front of you, rubbing her head a bit.

“I’m okay.” she says. You're a bit surprised, usually it would take more to get her out here. Maybe yesterday had really worked?

“How are you feeling today?” you ask.

Any answer that would have come is interrupted by a heavy growling from your stomach. After passing out from exhaustion yesterday, you missed dinner. And breakfast, judging by the time on your PDA.

“Damn it, “ you exclaim as you ruffle through your backpack. Maybe that’s why it was lighter yesterday; you forgot the food you had left out for Lucy back in that building.

You begin to think out loud. “Let's see, if I take the northern route out, I should get to the Rookie Village in 3, maybe four days? I’d gone longer without food sleeping in my car. Oh, I could hunt boar in the meantime, but maybe not here; these swamp boars are really aggressive. I have plenty of water purification tablets left, so I’m fine there. Although swamp water…”
During all this you barely register Lucy looking around, and then up. What takes you completely out of your thoughts is how she quickly climbs up a broken part of the wall, into the “attic” of this small house.

“Lucy?” you ask, a bit worried as you see dust filter down from the ceiling and dull thumps of her crawling.

A moment later and you jump back in surprise as her head pokes out, giving an unusual grin.

“Found one.” she responds to your implied question.

A moment later a rather large pack, wrapped in a blue and white sheet, comes down at you and you struggle to stop its momentum with a catch.

A heavy load you quickly drop as Lucy herself jumps back down, right into your arms. She gives a sheepish grin as she quickly hops out and walks over to the bag.

“How did you-”

“Someone I- used to know.” she answers, a bit more solemnly now. “He was considered clumsy, awkward, even useless. Couldn’t shoot. Yelled at for losing these. But- he was kind.” She finishes, smiling a bit more. “I miss him.”

“We can always-” but she interrupts your attempt to comfort her as she finishes opening up the bag.

“Food.” she says, pointing the opening at you.

Damn, there was a lot of cans in there. And other supplies.
You spend the next couple of minutes getting food ready for Lucy and yourself. She was just as eager to eat as you. Still didn’t understand quite where it all went, but you’ll just chuck that into the pile of unsolvable mysteries about the Zone.

After finishing, you proceed to examine the rest of the contents. Enough food to last for a long excursion into the zone, some medkits, anitrad, other supplies. What really surprised you was a box of 7.62×54mm. Lucky you.

All the while Lucy would walk around, examine some of the rusted, shot out cans fondly, look out of the building, and generally satisfying whatever whims came over her.

You think back to the other day and agree. She’s a fine rifle, but also a really good Stalker to explore The Zone with.

A full belly, a restored spirit, and your now curious rifle walking around, you felt you were ready to go.

“No, wait. Boars. This morning, they’re still around.”she interrupts.

Boars? You’re sure you could sneak out around them, but Lucy continues.

“Stay. For a while longer.”

She’s even making decisions now? You want to get going, but at the same time you’d like to show you respect her opinion. Her having secured plenty of food, there wasn’t a huge rush to get moving now, so you agree.

You laid out your tarp again and sat down, making sure there was more than enough room for Lucy.

She takes a seat by you and stares off into the same space you are, occasionally looking back at you.

“Did you have fun yesterday?” you ask.

“Mmmm.” she responds, slowly nodding in the affirmative.

“Hey, I know I ask you a lot of things, so how about I tell you a little about me?” you ask.

Her eager eyes seem to consent to the story.
You start by explaining you and your brother. How he would seemingly taunt you by doing everything better and then denying you the opportunity. Your parents that fought a lot but still stuck together. The time you moved together to America, but moved back to Ukraine with your parents years later. The time sneaking out on Uncle Peter’s farm, mosin in hand. Your brother rating you out, and then up and leaving your life. Your drop out of university as you thought you knew better, with your brother out of the picture. The years afterward, drifting from job to job, always fucking up the relationships along the way. The cold winters you spent in your beat up car, cursing at everyone and everything. Recognizing that maybe your brother wasn’t so bad after all.And finally why you were here, holding the bullet out for her to look as you explain that you were looking for your brother, and opportunity if it came your way.

The bullet necklace, now in her hand, is turned over and examined by her. The last part of the story probably went over her head as she now plays with the artifact. Tossing it up and catching it after it’s slow descent. It’s nice, to just sit here and watch this.

“My first memory was of blood, and screams.” she says, as she continued to toss the bullet and watch it’s slow descent. Your stomach knots up, not even wanting to imagine the horrors that made her like this. But you wait patiently to continue.

“I didn’t know what I was, then. I still am not sure now. But I was promptly made to understand. The man in white made me understand. That I was a rifle. His rifle. “ you notice her tensing up at this, making her words come out more sharply. “I was a thief, when I was like this.” she gestures to her current human form, bullet glistening in the sun shaft that came through the broken wall. Tossing it up once more, she continues ”I stole the weapon, denying it like this. Pain. Regret? Things new to me I learned. But it wasn’t untill you that I understood more. That I was broken.”

“You weren’t broken, just needed-”

“Fixing, yes. I couldn’t see well, without a scope. I was horribly disfigured. Part of why I didn’t like being like this. But I was also a rifle. My “body” was steel, my function of bullets. This blood and flesh was not good.. The man in white made sure I understood. I always functioned, then, as a rifle. I was proud of that fact. The only thing I had. Until I couldn’t be, anymore. The man in white, I couldn’t see him destroy anymore. And so I did something that made me broken. I didn’t fire.”

Back in the tunnel? That was her?

“Yes. I didn’t understand then, though. But you took me then. In my brief existence, you treated me with kindness. To come here to find my scope. I felt like I should break that taboo, if only for a moment, and show you the way.”

“You saved my life,” you respond.

“...yes. But you saved mine. The scope, I could see. The grip, I could feel. Even this-” she takes out what looks like a small machined clip, and pulls her hair back into a long ponytail. Using the metal clip, she binds her hair like that. “-this new scope mount. You cared for me as a rifle.”
“And- “ she says, looking down now and blushing “you were my first. No one had ever handled me that way, especially that gently.”

You raise an eyebrow.

“You cleaned me methodically, even when you were in great pain, back when we were last here.”

Oh. “Well of course. You were the first gift The Zone ever gave me, and I needed something to keep me alive. I’m glad it turned out to be you,” you respond.

She beams at that statement, and continues on “I am a bit clumsy like this. I have feeling, but don’t understand. I can breathe, walk, talk. Just as I can sight, reciprocate my action, and eject casings. The later three I understand, it is who I am. The former I do not understand. You say I can be useful like this, and I can see from the last two days that may be true.”

“But-” she begins to scold, pointing at you now “don’t forget I am also a rifle. That is who I really am. Do not hesitate to use me, like you hesitated to yesterday.”

“Okay, okay. But there really was no shooting out of that one, trust me. “
“Fine.” she says, crossing her arms and pouting, a little. These new expressions of hers are too cute, and you can’t resist moving your hand to her head. Before reason can stop you, or Lucy from recoiling, you make contact; starting to ruffle the hairs between her ears.

Oh no. You forgot the no head touching policy. But all she does is just twitch for a bit, continuing her fake pout. Seeing this as consent you continue.

A long silence is spent, just the two of you like that.

You plan the next steps. Back up north, through the Cordon and Garbage, to the bar. Sell the extra artifact you have, and see what the information broker turned up. And maybe why those men were after you. And you’ll just go from there.

You still have questions for Lucy, but you’re happy to let them lie for a while. It was an effort for her to even talk that much, you can tell. You’re confident with time she’ll open more up to you, and you two can find the answers you seek together.

For now, you’re happy just the two of you. The morning air streaking in, Lucy leaning on your shoulder as you continue to run your fingers through her soft chestnut hair.

Right now is only pleasant and warm.

And you’ll continue on to protect this.

This small zone of comfort