Escaping - Arma 3: AAR

Jogging down the path less traveled, myself and my two companions continue our journey through the darkened forest. Our path illuminated only by the full moon which loomed above us and only dared to peek through the trees. With over a year spent together as comrades in arms, I trusted my companions to see me through to the other side of the forest and I knew they trusted me to ensure that they left alive as well.

Our combat boots pressed into the mud covered path, our heads constantly on a swivel as we watched for any sort of movement or any hint of something else nearby. Ethan, always a fan of the American styled weapons, was at the front of our little party, using a heavily modified M4A1. It was unlikely that our foes would be able to get close to him. In the middle was Snow, favouring his standard DMR, always the one to use “overkill” as his standard procedure. Bringing up the rear was myself, outfitted in heavy armour and holding my AK12 to my chest, like an overprotective mother with her child. My weapon had seen me through countless firefights and no doubt it would need to see me through more if I wished to leave the forest alive.

At first, silence is our only companion, but before long groans and footsteps start to emerge from the darkness to our rear. We instantly pivot, three gleaming metal rifles staring down the path behind us. No words are spoken as we drop to our knees as a group. My aim trained towards the noise and the others swiveling around to ensure that we aren’t followed. Like something out of a horror movie, they emerged from the shroud of darkness offered by the night. Row upon row of zombies, sprinting towards us and in our gear we knew we wouldn’t be able to outrun them. Without hesitation, I screamed into my radio. “Contact, to our rear! Multiple contacts!” With that I turn and sprint towards the others, in our staggered position it was easy to breeze past the pair of them as they let flood fire carefully the encroaching horde. Nothing but the ping-ping-ping of Ethan’s silenced weapon in my ear as I make my way to the front of the group and away from the zeds.

We don’t communicate to each other and instead run off of pure instinct. Having fought alongside each other, we were attuned to one another. After moving a few more meters away from Ethan, I turn and crouch. Opening fire upon the zombies that are drawing near, as soon as the steady rat-a-tat-tat of my AK12 reaches the ears of Snow he follows suit. Passing us by and dropping to the back of the group. Crouching after a few moments and opening fire with his DMR, after a few moments he too opened fire. Ethan moved next, followed by me. We rained death upon the creatures that were shambling, sprinting and crawling towards us. Knowing we can’t outrun them, our only hope was to keep them at bay long enough for us to mow their large horde down to a manageable size. In the event of them drawing too close we could splinter away and focus on them separately

Before long the thud of our own guns watched by the sounds of their twisted forms smacking into the ground. As the last of the bullet casings bounced off the ground, the stench hit us. Turning away we decided not to linger. We approached the edge of the forest and in the distance could see the soft glow of our next target. A warm, inviting light spreading across the horizon. The CSAT airbase.