It was dark, and I was cold and had nothing to my name. I knew that something bad had happened and people were really sick. I walked up off the beach towards the small train station and I was able to get my bearings. The train station said Balota and I remember when I was here as a kid. I grew up in the small town of Bor and once in a blue moon I would accompany my folks down to the town because Dad worked at a security outpost near the airfield, while Mother and my sister and myself tended to the farm.

I found out that things were much worse than I ever could imagine. As I walked towards the train station, I saw a man walking where folks normally wouldn't. I said 'Hello.' to him and he turned and lunged towards me, working up to a full sprint. I was bewildered, wondering what could be the matter. I quickly looked behind me to see if there was some sort of catastrophe going on behind me that I wasn't privy to, but I saw nothing. I snapped back to the gentleman and was startled to see that he had covered a lot of ground and was making some very strange noises. I sprinted to the train station and was able to crouch down and get my wits about me. I realized that something had happened here that was beyond my understanding. All I knew was that something was terribly wrong and that I would need to take care of myself.

I knew where Pop's outpost was so I started carefully heading through town. It was bizarre to me that there were no lights on in town or that there was no sign of folks going about their business. I found some bandages, a hatchet, a couple cans of pop, a revolver, and a couple cans of food. I could see those same people walking around, aimlessly. The hairs would stand up on my arms every time I saw one, so I stayed as low and moved as slowly as I could.

It took me several hours before I slowly made my way out of town towards Dad's Depot. The strange folk were walking out in the fields and not staying to roads like anyone walking around in the evening would.

I approached his shack and saw one of them walking towards the first of two large hangers and no one else around, so I ducked in the booth. I found an automatic rifle and two clips for it and a clipboard noting the comings and goings of various personnel. Disturbingly, I also saw several soldiers strewn about, obviously ravaged by some hideous beast.

I didn't know what to do. I felt at once lost and abandoned.

I figured I would follow the road to the North-East toward Chernogorsk. I turned to leave and they were there.

I don't really remember what happened next. I remember feeling sheer panic and desperation. I remember gunfire and the sounds of things hitting the ground. I remember searing pain in my extremeties, particularly my forearms and hands. Every now and then I would feel my legs get pierced. I'm not sure how long it lasted, but I remember that I kept moving North East. I knew the road went that way.

By the time I reached some woods, the stars had come out. The reason I knew they were out was because the world looked like it was an old, blurry black and white movie. I was safe, but I was in bad shape. I wouldn't last long.

I crawled up the hill and found I was able to stand in a crouch. I began to move through the woods. I had lost a lot of blood. I ate a little, but it didn't seem to help much. I only had one more can of food. I wasn't thirsty, so that was good.

I knew I couldn't go back to Balota, or anywhere really... but I knew I had to do something, or something bad might happen to me.
I decided to follow the valley up to where I knew a small town was, and then up towards my Cousin's house, just North of Cherno.

It took me more than a day walking through the woods before I saw those graceful power lines that provide us with so many amenities.

I was getting very hungry at this point and I had already drank two cans of soda. I was feeling pretty guilty about that, but I was shocked at how quickly my thirst would return to me after I thought I had already quenched it.

I saw Vysota peak to the South East and knew exactly where I was. The old dairy was just up the hill a bit so I headed up towards it.

Just as I was about to enter one of the out-buildings, I was ambushed by six of the crazed people. I'm not sure how I stopped them, but I knew I was in big trouble. I scampered into a small building and was able to bandage myself, because I was bleeding very much and was really feeling light headed.

I passed out.

I'm not sure how much time had passed, but it still looked about as light out as it had been earlier, when I could last remember when and where I was.

Over the hill to the East, I saw those power lines and what looked like a barn. Since there weren't much of anything here in this shack other than protection from raindrops, I figured I should try to see if there was something over there. I began to make my way over, crawling on elbow to the next. I would pass out four more times before I reached the entrance of the great barn, which had three stories on either side of it, on the inside.

I crawled into the barn and made my way around a hay bale and passed out again.

<to be cont.>

Looking forward to the rest of this one since I was in for the end of it.

The world would not come in to focus for me, everything was awash in blurry, muted gray tones. It was dark, but I couldn't tell if it was night or day.

I slowly looked through the barn, making sure to be as quiet as possible and noticed a small shed directly to the South. There weren't many wanderers so I crawled down to it. The door was open and something was leaning up against the back wall. I made my way over it, seeing more with my hands than with my eyesight. I could tell it was a pretty good sized backpack, and it was making intermittent clicking noises!

I grabbed the pack and crawled back into the barn and I only passed out briefly on my way back. I needed food so bad. I didn't think it would be like this.

Getting safely into the barn, I opened the pack and found an old walkie talkie. I hesitantly pushed the transmit button and weakly asked, 'Hello? Is there anyone there?'. I heard a series of clicks and stuttered voices. Were the batteries going dead? Would this be just some final joke?

Suddenly, a clear voice came over the radio asking who I was. I replied and there was another pause. Suddenly, the airwaves erupted with many voices talking all at once. After a few seconds, a lone voice came over the radio. Unbelievable. It was my Cousin Reschke. He was alive! I'm sure he was just as stunned to learn I was alive, as well. He told me that he and his crew were up near Gorka, probably a good 5 or 6 clicks away. He could tell my situation was dire as my voice was weak and trailed off. I had no energy.

He quickly got his group ready for an extraction mission. The target was me! I gave him my general location, as I knew his job took him all over the country and he particularly knew the foothills here like the back of his hand. We would occasionally hunt together here many years ago.

I knew a large farm was across the road and I told him I would try my best to get there and sit tight. They began heading Southeast towards my location, moving at a quick, yet cautious pace.

I crawled across the road under the powerlines and could make out the road to the farm. I kept briefly passing out, collapsing into the grass before I could gather the strength again to move forward maybe another 20 to 50 yards before it would happen again.

I could hear the grunts and snarls of the strange people. They were nearest to the two long barns. I managed to tuck into the first building where I collapsed again. I just had to wait. I had to make it. I couldn't let that door open for any reason, and I figured if I just lay down and didn't move too much, I could try my hardest to make it.

Periodically, Reschke, Shadow and Kludger would check in on me, giving me encouragement and letting me know they were close, always telling me to try to hang in there. I had to do it, just for them, just to see them maybe one last time.

I'm not sure how long I had been in that small building. Shadows moved in and out, the groans of the afflicted and the shuffling sounds of them aimlessly walking around me seemed ever-present. I couldn't see anything clearly, my world seemingly covered in clouds of ash.

The radio crackled. They were moving down the ridge towards the farm! I painfully rose to one knee to try to peek out from a window. It was no use. I couldn't see anything, but my adrenaline gave me the boost to sit up. That didn't last long. I had to lay down again.

I heard a few cracks come from the hill and then silence.

Moments later, the front door was starting to open. My tortured heart raced as fast as it could.

I felt a hand on my boot and I tried to look up but just saw three shapes shifting about me.

Then, a hand on my shoulder, and the voice of dear Reschke saying 'You're going to make it. Hold tight while we get you fixed up.'

I'm not sure how, but they were able to give me some blood that they had with them. Amazing. My world started to get brighter, clearer and more vivid. My shirt and pants were darkened from dried blood. My hair was a sticky mess.

The whole ordeal lasted a couple days and it ended up with me reuniting with family and friends. I had much to learn and stories to tell and listen to.

Once I was sure I had enough strength, I ate the delicious food they brought me and drank a pop for some quick energy, and we decided to take respite near lake Ozerko, site of many family gatherings during those Summer days long ago.

I was invigorated. It turns out that it was actually daytime. I am a survivor. We now survive, together.

OMGZ you and Reschke are cousins?!!

Nice read!

No, but thought it would help the story.

Yeah good stuff Snapdad!

Bravo, great way to tell the story.

Nice read there Snapdad...just wait till you read my DayZ continuation I am putting on the After Action section.

I've been reading that and it's great! Keep it up!


Sadly, I tried getting onto the server we were on last night, running 997, and I got a bad version message. It says it's still running 997, so I'm not sure what's up with that.

Tried joining up on 8, which is running 876, and it crashes arma.

I haven't changed anything since we logged out last night.

Looks like something happened and my copy is bricked.

Any insights?

I uninstalled the game and am redownloading my sons system now. I have mine up and running but guess what they released a new beta patch today and are pushing to have that as the newest version for all servers. They did notice that BattleEye was creating the problems for most people.