Metro 2034

the shining goal… He had been a mystery, old Serov. Homer had never asked the soccer fan if he had already shot his goal. But he had been reassured that he, Nikolay Ivanovitsch Nikolayev was still able to settle his score. And from Serov he had been convinced that nobody was in the metro out of pure coincidence.

But it was completely impossible to write about all of them! Was it even worth a try? In this moment Homer saw one face in the thousands of unknown ones. Exactly the one he had expected the least.

Leonid threw away his coat, pulled his pullover over his head and finally his white t-shirt. He moved the shirt like a flag from one side to the other; not caring for the bullets that rushed through the air all around them. Something strange had happened: The diesel powered railcar started to fall behind and the fortress in front of them didn’t open fire like they had thought.

“My father would kill me now!” Said Leonid after he had stopped the railcar in front of the tank stoppers. The brakes were howling.

“What are you doing? What are we doing?” Asked Sasha, still out of breath. She didn’t know how they had been able to stay out of harm’s way at this race.

“We surrender!” He laughed. “That is the tunnel to the Bibliotek imeni Lenina, it’s the border to polis. We are now deserters.”

Guards ran to them and ordered them to get down from the railcar. Then when they opened Leonid’s passport they exchanged a few looks, put the handcuffs back and lead them to the station.

There they brought them to the hall of the guards. The soldiers were whispering to each other and looked at them respectful, they left the room to inform the leaders of the station.

Leonid got comfortable in one of the scratched armchairs. Soon after he jumped up, looked through the open door and waved at Sasha. “They are even sloppier then at the red line.” He said.

“Nobody is guarding us”

They slipped out of the guard room, walked slowly along the corridor but got faster and faster until they finally started running. Hand in hand, so they wouldn’t get lost in the crowd of people. A little bit later they heard the first whistles in behind their backs but to disappear in this giant station was easy, here even more people were around them than at the Pavelezkaya. Not even in her visions off the surface she could have imagines such a crowd! And it was so bright here. Just like on the surface. Sasha put her hand in front of her eyes and looked only through a small gap between her fingers.

Wherever she looked, she saw wonderful things, faces of stone, pillars and if not for Leonid she would have let go of his fingers, stumbled and got lost. Some day she would return to here she promised herself. Some day…

“Sasha?”

She turned around and looked at Homer, he was looking at her afraid, angry and surprised. She smiled: Yes, she had missed the old man!

“What are you doing here?” He didn’t have to ask the two young people that stupidest question out of all.

“We want to the Dobryninskaya!” She answered out of breath. They now ran slower so the old man could keep up with them.

“That’s madness! You can’t go there… I won’t allow it!”

But none of Homer’s arguments he told them while he was gasping for air could convince them.

When they had reached the entrance of the defense line at the Borovizkaya it seemed that nobody had informed the border guards of their escape.

“I am here on orders of Melnik. Let me through immediately.” Said Homer to the officer on duty.

He wanted to open his mouth but found no words, saluted the old man and moved out of the way.

When the post had sunken into darkness, Leonid asked politely: “You did lie, or not?”

“And?” growled Homer.

“The important part is that you do it convincingly” said Leonid. “Then only pros realize it”

“Stay away with your teachings!” Homer’s forehead got wrinkles and he switched his lamp on and off a few times because its rays had gotten weaker.

“We’re going to the Serpuchovskaya, but I won’t let you go any further!”

“That’s not the important thing.” Said Sasha.

“There is a cure!”

“What?” Homer stopped, had to cough and looked at Sasha almost afraid. “Really?”

“Yes! Radiation!”

“The virus can be neutralized through radiaton.” Said Leonid.

“But a virus is like a hundredth, no a thousand times more resistant to radiation than a human!

And you’re immune system is weakened by radiation too.” Homer lost his control and turned to Leonid:

“What did you tell her? Why did you drag her here? Don’t you know what is going to happen there! Nobody, not I or you can stop it! Take her with you and hide at a secure place! And you…” He turned to Sasha. “How could you believe him… That pro!” He spat out his last words full of contempt.

“Don’t fear for me.” Answered the girl silently. “I know how I can stop Hunter. He has two sides… And I’ve witnessed both of them. The one wants to see blood and the other wants to save lives.”

Homer put his hands over his head. “What are you talking about? There are no more sides, just one single monster in human form. Maybe a year ago…”

Hastily the old man told him off the conversation between Melnik and Hunter but Sasha couldn’t be convinced.

The longer she listened to Homer the surer she got that she had been right. She searched for words to explain it to the others: “It’s like that. The killer inside of him betrays the other. He tells the other one that he doesn’t have a choice.

The other on is thirsty for blood and the other one by his longing to save people… That’s why Hunter wants to get to the Tulskaya so badly, because both of his half’s drag him there! And I have to separate them from each other. As soon as he has the choice to safe without killing…”

“My god! He won’t even listen to you! What is it that still drives you?”

“Your book” Sasha smiled at him. “I know that it’s not over yet. The end isn’t written yet”

“Have you lost your mind? What foolish talk”

Mumbled Homer desperately. “Just why did I tell you of it?”

He grabbed Leonid’s arm. “Young man, at least you… I beg of you, I know that you’re not a bad man and you didn’t lie with bad intentions. Take her with you. That’s what you want isn’t it? You’re both young and beautiful. You should live! She can’t go there, you understand? And you too. There… Is going to be a terrible massacre. And none of your lies are going to stop anyone from…”

“It wasn’t a lie.” Answered the musician polite.

“Should I give you my word?”

Homer stopped. “Well I would like to believe you.

But Hunter… You’ve only seen him for a short time.

Leonid cleared his throat. “But heard more than enough about him.”

“But with what do you want to stop him? With your flute? Or do you think that he’s going to listen to the girl? Something controls him… Something that no longer listens to anything else”

Leonid turned to Hunter and said: “Actually I fully agree with you. But she asked me for it. And as a gentleman…” He winked to Sasha.

“Don’t you understand? this isn’t a game!” Homer looked at the girl pleading, and then at Leonid.

“I know.” said Sasha, seriously.

And the musician added calmly: “Everything is a game.”

If Leonid was really Moskwin’s offspring it was possible that he knew something about the epidemic that Hunter didn’t know, or didn’t want to tell them. Homer thought Leonid was a liar, but what if the fever could be fought with radiation? Against his strong will and common sense the old man tried to find proof tor this theory. Hadn’t he wished exactly for this a few days ago? Was at the end of the day the blood in his mouth and nausea just the symptoms of radiation sickness? The dose which he had gotten from the march over the