森林

He drank his last sip of water with his head held high, and the deformed plastic bottle was thrown into the hill of waste piled up beside him. Sam finally stood up from the ground and tied back his light blonde hair.

Maybe it's because he hasn't recovered from the operation just now, and the thinness makes his face more angular.

The appearance of a typical mixed ethnicity, the Soviets have a high and three-dimensional nose bridge, slightly sunken eyelids, and dense long eyelashes under the eyelids.

The stolen car had already been parked in the ruins of an unknown town because it ran out of gasoline.The rest of the way has to be walked on two legs.

Of course he knew that there would be no refueling here.

In fact, I also planned to go on foot, and I have already walked about ten kilometers.

The uneven road and the weeds grow into one.Only the frame of the building is left, and the rust is corroding what it used to be.

Although I have never been here before, I heard that there is a playground in the surrounding grass, the building with broken glass is a hospital, and there seems to be a park in front of it...

"Really, why did you become like a sentimental weak chicken after an operation." He held his forehead, turned his sore ankle a few times, and finally picked up the heavy bag on the ground, planning to continue on his way.

Indeed, it is time to admit that since waking up, my body has not been as good as before.The intensity of training in the past is much more than the road I walk today.But now he was already feeling tired, Sam pouted.

Fifteen kilometers further to the northwest is the key quarantine area.

As for why this isolation area exists, his attending doctor said it was because of a major accident.A 30-kilometer area around the original nuclear power plant was designated as an isolation zone. Residents nearby were evacuated, all crops were buried, and trees within 7 kilometers around were gradually dying.And those dying trees, perhaps because of the radiation, the leaves all turned orange.

"Red Forest." That's what the bearded doctor said.And as far as he knew, because of that accident, the whole of Europe was in chaos.

And he himself was carried back from that quarantine area.According to his girlfriend, when he was rescued, a bear's paw made a big hole in his chest.

He was rescued for several hours and was in a coma for two days.As soon as I woke up, I asked, "Why was my military uniform taken off?"

Anastasya said she was very proud of him at the time, she said he was a good fighter.

In fact, he didn't remember all this himself.I also forgot why I would ask such a stupid thing.

The bearded doctor told him not to rush to recall.Because of the accident, it is very likely that he

Suffered from amnesia.

"Oh, amnesia..." Sam laughed, "What the hell amnesia! Hahahaha..." If you want to forget it, forget it! He is not proud of his good memory at all.

Looking up to the northwest sky, the pale pink clouds slowly turned orange.

"Orange..." He stopped.The dream he had the night he escaped from the nursing home flashed back and forth in his mind.

What is it?The dream that urges him to wake up in the night smashing the glass windows, fleeing the hospital and his girlfriend and then bent on returning to the fallout zone.

What is it?

Snippets flash by:

An orange forest.

Man with a gas mask.

All around her ears were the sound of her own heavy breathing and orders from the microphone.

and then?

Why did you wake up?he remembers.But I don't want to recall that blurred face very much.It's like the tongue-twister sentence you reviewed before the exam, except that the only blank space on the paper is forgotten.

Sam clicked his lips.Indeed, this taste is not very pleasant.

But he can still remember recent events.

Like two days ago, he remembered when he drove Anastasya's car out of the gate of the nursing home.

Anastasya just came out of the duty room at the corner. She ran over, completely not taking care of her ladylike image as before, and slammed on the car window anxiously, shouting, "What are you doing?! Sam?!"

"Looking for something." Well, that's the answer.

After waking up from the dream, he was sure that he had lost something since he was rescued.He guessed it might be something more important than heirlooms and medals.

The sky has turned crimson.Night is coming soon.But there is still a short way to go to the red forest.There are no maps and no one to ask directions.

After thinking about it, it is better not to exhaust myself on the road, but just find a place to rest.

So I walked deep into the town and found a former monastery.In front of the monastery is a tall sculpture of Father Kirill with one hand missing, surrounded by deserted vineyards.

"Wait! That sculpture..." Someone on it

The night had already closed, and Sam frowned and looked carefully for a while before he could see clearly.It turned out that the left hand should be holding the crown (unfortunately the left hand is gone), and the right hand is holding a huge cross.But there is an extra shadow on the cross?Not a bird, not even a beast.

At this moment, the figure stood up on the cross. Sam realized more clearly that that slender figure was a person!

How could anyone? !

In the dark night, the man jumped from the top of the tall cross sculpture.

"It's still the height of the second floor..." Sam spat, thinking that he could do it before he was injured.

"Uh...I said..." Sam found something was wrong, how did this look like an ordinary returned aborigine?

"Hey! Dude..." He stretched out his left hand and shook weakly, "Good evening..." His right hand reached for the TT pistol on his waist.

It's a pity that the man was less than five meters away from him, and the two of them just stood still, inexplicably deadlocked.

"Follow me." It turned out that the person opposite spoke first.

Sam smiled wryly, "So it's a friendly army." He could only follow the man into the cathedral of the monastery while keeping a distance.But on a journey of tens of meters, his eyes were vigilant and did not dare to leave the person in front.Oddly enough, he was wearing a thick black face scarf, like a creepy cultist.

The church door creaked shut. Sam turned and kicked a shard of shattered stained glass against the crack of the door.

After leaving a way out for his escape, he turned his face away.Unexpectedly, the person facing him was standing in front of him holding a lit candle.

The light of the candle flickered on and off, and maybe at the brightest moment of the candle, Sam saw his only leaking eyes.

These deep, slightly tired eyes are blue, like the sea.

After telling this strange masked man about his intention to come.After expressing that he had no interest in his family heirlooms, he said, "It turns out there are really fools looking for things..."

Sam didn't know how to answer, so he asked along the line, "Is there anyone else looking for something?"

The veiled man nodded.

"Maybe...it's also his family heirloom. Haha, don't you think so?" Sam smiled with faux ease.

The masked man didn't find it ridiculous, so he just stared at him, unable to see the expression under the mask.

"Uh..." I was a little embarrassed. Sam sat on the pew of the church, tapping the wooden railing with his fingers quickly a few times.

"How about you, buddy? Why are you staying here?" He asked to relieve the atmosphere and because of his own doubts.Although it is not within the scope of the quarantine area, it is not far away, so the residents of the small town near the quarantine area have all relocated.

The Masked Man is lighting another candle.After hearing the voice, the hand holding the match suddenly trembled.

Sam could see clearly.

"you……"

He thought of the masked man's answer.

He asked cautiously, "Are you looking for something?"

The man lit the candle and left the room without saying a word.

Sam thinks he might be right, but it's generally rude.So, after hesitating for a few minutes, he moved lightly to the door of the masked man's room.

The door was open and the candles flickered.

Sam saw the man sitting cross-legged on the broken floor, holding a torn white paper in his hand.And he was taking advantage of the candlelight, staring at the blank paper less than half a palm in size.

"Could it be because of the radiation, it's not working well there?" Sam murmured in his head, thankful that he was not so serious.

"Poor guy. Ugh—" Sam didn't want to bother him anymore.So obediently go back to sleep.