Chernobyl. |
Daniel, Nici, Roy and Elaine were good friends. They always played together, worked together, and even slept together. They were studying journalism in Donetsk National University, Ukraine.
Daniel has short hair, single-edged eyelid sunny boy. He is 185cm, the tallest in them. He was the team leader of basketball in the university because he is talented in playing basketball. This made his character even further self aloof and sometimes the people around him had a hard time getting along with him. Besides, he was pursuing his classmate, Nici. He fell for her when he first meets her at a basketball court.
Nici has long pretty hair with big eyes and she is a little chubby girl with a well developed shape. She was kind. As she passed the basketball court on the first day in the university, she saw Daniel had injured on his foot so she quickly took him to the clinic. This was how they met and became friends. But, she was a neural sensitive person. When someone calls her for an adventure, she will reject them for certain. She thinks and worries too much to go for adventure; she does not take risks. There was once, during the last Halloween, she was being bullied by a bunch of her classmate. But luckily that night Daniel was there to save her from them. Yet, she never accepts Daniel’s pursue because of his overexposed confidence. But this did not affect their friendship in between the gang. Nici has a god brother in the class, Roy.
Roy was bareheaded, short, small eyes and wearing a thick-framed glass with a well-bred look. He was the only good in theory studies but not in practical studies. He was introvert, not sociable and he was coward. Last few weeks, Daniel just simply craps that there was a pneumatic waver in toilet at every 12am and he was afraid for almost a week. Elaine was his secret love, which was his god sister, Nici best buddy. He never tells anyone, including Nici.
Elaine knew Nici since they were 10 years old. Elaine, she was brave girl. She dared to say and do anything. She never once cared about what others will think of her. She was tall, slim, and she had a long and silky brown hair. She treated everyone good, especially Roy. She accompanied him for that whole week due to what Daniel had mentioned about the pneumatic waver story. Everyone was saying that Roy is her secret love. But then they just remain friends. Roy did not believe that such a pretty girl will fall for him.
In class, Nici sat with Elaine while Daniel sat with Roy. Nici and Elaine were just both sitting in front of them. They used to turn around and joke about a lot of stuff. But Roy will just sit there and read books.
“Good morning to everyone!” said Ms.Kailee. “Today I will give a project to the journalism students to do a survey report for me on some disaster places. I already picked out some places for you guys.”
Everyone started getting scared. Nici turned around and looked at Roy with a helpless look. They started to pray for God's bless. While Daniel and Elaine still looked fine if Ms.Kailee really distributed them to the place where they will be just fine with it.
“Nici.” called Ms.Kailee. Nici was so scared and slowly put up her shaky hands and said: “Yes.” “You've been distributed to Chernobyl Disaster in Ukraine to do the project. Please get me the correct information of the past 25 years of Chernobyl. And please go and find your partners. Four in a group.” said Ms. Kailee.
At the moment, Nici was shocked and stunned at there. “Crap! Dammit! How could it be?! Oh my god!” Nici grumbled silently.
Everyone knew that Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plan had been considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and is one of only two classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale. In Chernobyl, its population had been around 50,000 prior to the accident. Most of them been killed. The rest of residents all became seriously ill from the radiation. They were mutants, they born deformed baby. They did not look like normal people anymore. According to rumors, this place had been considered as a death city, some even mentioned it as ghost town. The point is that the place had been left uncultivated for 25 years after the accident had happened. No development, no people in and out from the city. Chernobyl is totally freaking them out. The government had sealed the town for 25 years!
Nici was trying to ask for another place. But seemed Ms.Kailee did not want to bother her much. “Try your best to build a good team and give me a good report of the place. You and your team are our future journalist.” said Ms.Kailee.
Nici looked so upset and felt so helpless. She then gave out eye signal to Daniel, Elaine and Roy asking them to be with her in a team.
Ring~ It’s 1 o’clock. Ms.Kailee class had dismissed. Daniel is the first one who say yes to Nici because he knows that she needs him. Elaine was in because they are best buddy, doing anything together. While Roy he opposed to join them in the beginning. Actually they always do projects in the same team but this time the odds made Roy hesitated. But in the end, luckily Elaine successfully persuaded him to join.
They started to discuss about the project. They said it will take 4 hours to do the survey in Chernobyl town, Nici started to oppose.
“I feel that 4 hours is too long and too dangerous to stay in a dead city or even ghost town. Don’t you all remember that everyone said that is a dead city? Many of the workers there died or attained serious defects from the radiation. ” said Nici.
Roy then kept nodded his head and indicated that he agreed with Nici.
Elaine looked at Daniel. They both opposed what Nici said.
Daniel started to analyze the time to the plan and told them that it is not enough for surveying a town.
“Chernobyl is big. It consists of kindergartens, schools, gyms, buildings, hospitals and even an abandoned amusement park. We decided to spend only 4 hours for the survey is already a limitation. We are in a rush. This was 25 years ago, it doesn't affect us, this generation anymore.” said Daniel.
Nici and Roy started to agree with them.
“It takes time to do a survey on a school, needless to say a city? If the place is in danger, do you think that Ms.Kailee will even put this place into consideration?” said Elaine comforting Nici and Roy.
They both then nodded and agreed with what had Daniel and Elaine said.
On the next day, they prepared their things such as voice recorder, camcorder, water and some food. They departed later that morning. They drove a Daniel’s Ford F150, setting off to Chernobyl. After some time, they reached. The sun was on top on their head. It was noon. The first impression for them of the place was the sign on the road to Pripyat, the town where the workers of the nuclear plant lived. Prypiat used to be proud for being home to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers. But, after the violent explosion those good times were history.
They looked around and tried to find anyone who is still living there. But, so far they did not see anyone along the way. The city looked like a dead city resembling the movie Resident Evil. They went to one of the deserted secondary school in Chernobyl to start collecting information. They set off everything, camcorder and voice recorder. Daniel was the head of the team. Since Nici was too anxious, so Daniel took over and led them. Nici then took turns of the voice recorder while Roy was the cameraman. Elaine was the host for the project.
“The schools have remained relatively intact considering the problems with looters eight years ago. I guess books don’t hold much value to the poor.” said Elaine. She started her speech with what she had seen. “Children will never run here again.” said Elaine continued with what she thought.
“Cut. Good take.” said Daniel. They then moved to another place – gym class. Everyone looked around and felt that the atmosphere in there was extremely horrible and uncomfortable. Nici started to ask them to make haste and finished everything fast. She felt something was wrong with the building. And suddenly Roy stunned there and pointed at the corner of the gym class. Everyone was afraid and slowly turned around and see what happened.
There was a man crouched there. He was deformed, bald, wearing worn clothing and he looked so ill. Nici and Roy started to stay backward while Elaine move forward and took a clear look for the old man. She then asked them to take action for shooting this as they can make an interview for information. Initially, Daniel, Nici and Roy were refused to do that because they felt that something wrong with the man crouched there. But, Elaine shouted at them once again to start recording. They had to follow the instructions.
Elaine stepped forward to the old man. This time she can clearly see that an old man tooth was sharp and long. Suddenly, Elaine stunned. She seemed seeing something fleeting from his mouth. The old man was eating a living rabbit.
“Run!” screamed Elaine. Everyone was shocked because they did not know what happened that had made Elaine felt so terrible. Also, the scream had gotten the old man's attention. He started to put away the dead rabbit.
Elaine was so afraid, she can't even move from there. The old man stood up and walked close to Elaine. Nici intended to go and save her. She never want to lose her best friend. But, Daniel did not let her go.
“This is too late, Nici.” said Daniel.
Nici cried and shouted to Elaine, wishes to wake her up from trapped in afraid. The old man pulled out his hand and straight away grabbed Elaine and bite. They quickly run and stopped the project. When they wanted to escape, they only realized that Roy already gone. He escaped himself silently and not even intended to save Elaine. He was willing to let his beloved die. Nici was so sad that her god brother had treated a friend like piece of garbage. Elaine’s body was poorly bitten by that old man. There was blood everywhere.
“Why the hell are we here for our project? What’s wrong with Ms.Kailee?” cried Nici complaining to Daniel. “I had told you this is not good. There is definitely something wrong with this place! No grandpa has sharp teeth, especially one that bites!”
Daniel stayed silent. Kept running with Nici to a safer place. Nici was in a totally panic and she just wants to go back home. She did not want to stay there any longer. They ran off from the deserted secondary school. Initially, Nici still want to find Roy. But, Elaine death recalled her back and she gave up for him.
The Sun is setting as they walked out from the building. Shadows from the trees and buildings around them grew longer. Nightfall is getting close. Both of them got shocked, they had finally understood why there was no one in the daytime but during the night when the sun goes down, everyone starts coming out. There were old men, old ladies crouched aside. Some with no cloths on. With bloody mouth due to eating living creatures. Affected by the radiation, these monsters cannot see but they can feel their breathing. The monsters stopped eating and tried to feel their breathing because they heard the sound when they stepped out from the school. They had to hold their breath and ran quickly and silently to avoid alerting them. As they seen, there was no plantation at all. A place that had left uncultivated for 25 years grows nothing but fear.
When Daniel and Nici walked half way to another building which was hospital, Roy suddenly ran out from the school. He never knew that the monsters were blind. As long as he holds his breath and walked away, he could escape himself. But, he was too scared and breathed so hardly because he saw many of them outside. He could not stay calm and pretended nothing was out there. He looked around and he saw some lignum wood. He lighted it up. Thinking the fire could save him from them. But it backfired, instead of scaring them away it attracted more monsters to him. He died struggling. His body was torn into pieces of minced meat for the monsters to consume. Every hungry monster fought wildly, just to get a piece of his body.
Daniel and Nici felt so sad to see the tragedy happened on their buddies. They continued ran through the hospital and finally they saw there was an exit just next to the hospital. But there were too many of the monsters out there and they could not get to the exit. They only can hide inside the hospital until the next morning. They walked in and stayed closely to each other so that they can mutual support each other. Once they stepped in to the hospital, the atmosphere was so damn creepy. Feelings like many eyes around looking at them. But, they cannot see anything because there was no electric current inside the dead town.
“Daniel, can we go out? We just don’t stepped further. Is too dark inside and I can’t see anything else.” said Nici with trembling voice.
“Are you sure out there is safer than here? There is monsters everywhere.” said Daniel.
Nici be at a loss. She did not know what decision to make is the best. But she knew that as long as Daniel is with her then everything will be fine.
She continued follow where Daniel goes. She started to hold his hand tight because she cannot see anything. When they walked into the hospital corridor, suddenly Nici stepped a pool of water. They stunned.
“Grrrr… ...” They heard some voice. They wanted to know where was the voice comes from. But, they scared. They knew that not only from one but many of them.
“Grr… …” The voice came more nearer to them. They hold their breath and kept move backward. There was a rock on the floor and Nici never notice. She fell down. She screamed out loud. This makes them easier to find them.
Daniel quickly put his hand to cover her mouth and hold breathing.
The monster started to find them. They move slowly and carefully to find the sound. They smelled every corner to detect their breath. When the monsters passed through them, they finally can loosen their tension. They thought the monsters were gone. But was actually one turning back and looked at them. They never know.
Daniel the first one stood up and carried Nici. The monster straight away flapped on Nici. Daniel tried to rescue Nici. He tried to pull away the monster. Kicked it away and punch it. Nici succeed in escaping while Daniel involved himself to the monster. The monster was alerting more monsters to come over for Daniel. Daniel knew that he could not escape himself away from them. So, he was willing to sacrifice himself for saving Nici.
“Run! Run as fast as you can.” shouted Daniel to Nici. “Don’t bother me!” He left the last word.
Nici was be at a loss and be forced to listen what Daniel said. She cried while running away from the building.
She came to the second floor. She saw Medical Store Room. She was moving a step followed a step silently go inside the room. She scared she saw a monster again. She saw a cupboard. When she opened the cupboard, she saw many medical scalpels dropped out. She fit herself and hid into the cupboard.
She kept crying silently. She cannot accept what had just happened in a day. She had been distributed in a group with her good friends for journalism project.
They came to the the worst nuclear power plant in history. They thought the residents were deformed in physical appearance only. The place had been uncultivated for 25 years ago. Never of them think was the place end up like a total resident evil.
They never knew. They never knew. This was Ms.Kailee mistake. Nici came in 4 people to Chernobyl. And now just left her.
She felt asleep. Staying in the cupboard for almost 4 hours.
She knew that she could not stay like this anymore. She cannot just be a coward anymore. She knew that no one could save her away from the hell place. Only herself.
She wiped away the tears on her face. She told herself she had to be strong, very strong only she could escape from here. Save herself away from here could be worthy of Daniel.
She came out from the cupboard. She picked up the medical scalpels as something that could protects herself. The night was gone. She looked at the window just next to the cupboard. The monsters activities finally came to an end. Suddenly, there was a monster standing behind her.
“Grr… …” she felt the voice again. But, this time she calmed. She turned around and poked its right eye.
The monster screamed painfully. Nici quickly jump out from the window and kept running to the big fence which they first came from. The sun rise up. She saw there was the sign on the road to Pripyat and Daniel’s car.
She smiled. She knew she was saved.
