King of the World!

I've been running these hills for a couple of days.  Stopping off in little towns and farms to find food and drink and the occassional prize.  I think I've become pretty stealthy - I haven't killed many Zeds and I haven't killed any survivors.  I sneak into the towns, grab the goods and get out.  I'm not affraid of the night anymore - actually I somewhat embrace it.  With a good moon overhead I can run without any additional lighting pretty well.  When it clouds over I use the chemlights (glow sticks).  I've become pretty good at avoiding the areas of high survivor / bandit / Zed populations - the big cities, the military bases and the airfields.  I have enough gear now that I am ready to hit one of these areas up and see what I can get away with.

I'm making my way up hills, through ponds, across farmers fields towards the North West airfield.  Rumors of high powered military weapons and advanced survival gear including such things as Night Vision goggles are what draw me to the air field.  I talked to guy in the last town I saw (many hours ago) who let me know that the Air Field is hot with Bandits and Zeds.....no a friendly place.

I've got a compass which is helping me a great deal.  I've got binoculars, medical supplies, a Lee Enfeild rifle and hunting knife and I found a much larger backpack that allows me to carry all my survival gear.  I'm feeling pretty bold - I've been deciding how things go.  I decide if a Zed lives or dies.  I decide if I'm seen or not.  I feel like the King of the World and now I'm going to the airfield to improve my position in this harsh world.

I'm coming down a slope into Kybor a little town just a few clicks south of the Air Field.  I stop just above the little town and take out my binoculars to see the lay of the land in Kybor.  Pretty typical so far - abonden buildings and zombies patrolling the streets and fields around the town as the sun goes down.  What isn't typical is the survivor in the field behind the town - down on one knee....with a scoped hunting rifle up to his eye looking around.  He's not wearing a bandit skin (neither am I) so he hasn't successfully hunted survivors yet but he's carrying a scoped rifle.  A scoped rifle would really make my assualt on the airfield easier.  I've been betrayed by survivors a couple of times, shot at by bandits, and helped green survivors only to have their dumb actions cost me.  I've become a little more harsh - the world does that to you.  I'm going to take the rifle from him.

He hasn't seen me yet.  He's moving well - move, crouch, scan his surroundings with his scope etc. but for whatever reason - he is right in the open.  He sits on a flat dirt farms field - obvious as can be.  I need to get through the town to get close enough to him.  I have to pass the line of Zeds that patrol the streets.   With that I crouch and move slowly down the slope towards the town - all the while keeping an eye on my soon to be prize.

At this point I'm belly crawling through streets.  Sometimes Zeds are in spitting distance of me - but I'm calm - I know what I can get away with.  I can't really see the survivor in the field anymore - I'm on my belly and surrounded by houses and broken down cars but the town isn't big - it won't take me long to come out the other side.  I scoot and shuffle on my stomach, pausing when a Zombie gets too close.  They growl and snarl and sometimes it sounds like they are ready to pounce but they never do. 

I'm shuffling along the side of fence when I see a Zed heading right for me.  A hopper - he bounces up and down like a frog.  The hoppers always seem to follow me.  I'm not sure if it's bad luck or something in my head but I always think they can track me even when they haven't seen me.   I hug the fence tight hoping the hopper passes me by.  Hop Growl Snarl Hop.  He's so close I begin breathing heavy and panicked - I can't move anywhere - I'm pinned against this fence.  Hop Growl Snarl Hop.  He goes by me without causing a stir.  I relax and prepare to move forward and as I do another hopper from on the other side of the fence roars and screams and grabs at me through the fence immediatley tearing my flesh.  His screams and roars cause a stir.  Great.

I jump to my feet and I run towards the field where the survivor was.  I see him further down the field and as he sees me and the 7 or 8 zombies that are now chasing me, he dives into the wooded area behind the farmers field.  I'm pretty far from him but I do the same thing and dive into the wooded area with 7 or 8 zombies in tow.  I want to get them away from the town so that when I do shoot I don't attract more Zeds from the highly populated Zombie town.

Not soon after entering the forest it drops down into a ravine.  I race down one side of the ravine and back up the other side.  I'm losing blood - I've got to make my stand so that I can bandage myself.  I turn around at the top of the other side of the ravine and start taking shots.  For the most part I do pretty well taking the Zeds out with headshots from my Makarov pistol.  One or two of the Zeds get a swipe in on me and I lose more blood but I manage to finish them all off and I take a knee and heal myself. 

That didn't go as planned.  The incident brings me back down to earth.  I'm not the king of anything - maybe the king of a couple lucky days.  But my boldness almost cost me my life and all the great gear I've acquired.  I should probably rethink assualting the airfield.....especially if I can't make it through this little town with causing a riot.

I take a drink from my canteen and as I do bullets whiz past my head and knock leaves off the trees around me.  Somone is shooting at me.  Has the hunter become the hunted?

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These are my stories in the amazing Arma 2 DayZ mod  http://www.dayzmod.com