The jeep flew along the deserted road. Kira saw, heard, and understood nothing. But she was a good driver, and she didn't go off the highway even in that state. "What the hell is going on here?" - Kira began to come to her senses. Her foot, choking the gas pedal, let go of its victim. The Jeep gradually slowed down. "CALM DOWN! You didn't kill anyone. That creature was standing at full height on the road when you yanked away from there." - Kira told herself. The paved road ended at the supermarket. The narrow country road went on, across the river. Gravel rustled under the wheels. After passing a wooden bridge, Kira stopped to catch her breath and collect her thoughts. It was quiet and calm here, as if nothing strange was going on. Maybe she was imagining things, maybe the nervous tension was playing tricks on her. What had happened did not fit into her mind and did not reconcile with the calmness of the nature surrounding her. The leaves were rustling in the forest, bushes covered with juicy lingonberries, clustered along the road. A quiet river of a strange greenish hue flowed under the bridge. Some fish skeletons could be seen on the bank, among the stones. A sour smell began to penetrate through the closed window. The chirping of birds was replaced by the buzzing of flies. The tranquility of the landscape reeked of danger. "I need to take pictures of the river and make notes in the notebook," thought Kira - "The notebook and camera are in my backpack, but the backpack was left on the road. Far behind. Next to the monster. Great! So... The important thing now is to get to the camp. I'm sure I'll find a notebook there. I just need to go through the woods, then the gorge, cross the canyon, and then it's just a stone's throw away. In any case, it would be foolish to go back for the backpack alone. Ill have to figure it out and gather material later. Kira started the car and drove on. But no sooner had she picked up speed that the car started to lurch, there was a rumble, then a rattle, something rattled and collapsed, the ground was gone from under the wheels, the car was thrown around. Kira suddenly felt a frightening lightness, then a sharp shock, a white veil covered her eyes, and she lost consciousness. "Here we are" she thought when she woke up. The car, which had crashed into a guardrail, refused to start. Steam was rising from under the hood. Kira was saved by her seat belt and airbag, and she didn't have time to accelerate. She got out of the car and examined herself carefully. Luckily, she was in one piece. She was dizzy and her throat felt awfully dry. She had to decide what to do next. Not far from the car dropped the box Rainer had packed for her, just in case of emergency like this one. The impact on the guardrail threw the box out of the car. Kira went over to it and opened the lid. The box was full of supplies. On top, in the most prominent place, was a flask. Under the flask there was a map of the area and a note written in familiar handwriting. Water! How fantastic!
After draining the flask in a few gulps, Kira picked up the note. "Kira, if you're reading this, it means something didn't go according to your plan. Otherwise, you wouldn't have even looked in here. I don't know exactly what happened. That's why I packed a little bit of everything. Get out in the open and fire the rocket. I'll make sure they pick you up. Now I'm going to have to explain something to you. The area around the road you're on has been cleared recently. But the longer you stay out of camp, the more chance you'll run into the rotten ones. Kira, remember, these aren't people anymore. They'll rip you to shreds any chance they get and eat you while you're still warm. Don't let them do that. I packed you a gun, your first aid kit and your supplies. You know how to use it all. Don't drink the water from the river. It's poisoned. You know how to make a water catchpot. You can still catch fish in the lakes. Study a map of the area. A lot's changed in the last six months. Where the bunkers came from doesn't matter. I've marked the less dangerous areas and the ones where it's best not to go. I also marked the places where we dump supplies for our guys. Under no circumstances go to the cordons by yourself. You can't go back through the cordons alone. I'm waiting for your signal. I hope you didn't manage to lose the flare gun on the way. Don't spare the rotten ones. They don't spare anyone. And most importantly, survive." "Rainer, you bloody seer! Why didn't you pack me a second flare gun then? I dont have anything to signal you with. Now I understand why you didn't want to let me in here. I'll have to get to the camp on my own. So I wasn't imagining things. They're not people. And they really are dangerous. I have to protect myself. So, I've got a rifle, a bat, sturdy clothes, enough food for a couple of days. There are lingonberry bushes all around. I know sooner or later I'm gonna have to switch to those, too. It's time to shake off my old ways and use what I know. I will survive and get out of here!"