Dmitry Glukhovsky - Metro 2034 English fan translation (v1.0) (docx)

by Dmitry Glukhovsky

  Sasha counted forty feet and indeed: She saw the white markings on the wet and at the same parts sweating wall out of the darkness. She found the the bell immediately. She searched with her hands for the button and put another look at the watch that Leonid had given her. She had made it!

  She had gotten there in time! She just had to wait another few moments and she closed her eyes …

  Three times short

  Three times long.

  Three times short.

  Who’s talking? (Chapter 17)

  Artyom lowered his glowing barrel. Sweat and tears burnt in his eyes. But the back of his hand only hit his gasmask. Should he just rip it off? What difference did it make now?

  What difference did it make now …

  The screams of the infected had apparently been louder than the salves of the rifles. How else was could he explain it to himself that more and more had streamed out of the wagon and stormed into the hail of led? Hadn’t they heard the thunder, hadn’t they not understood that they were executed in their close area? For what had they hoped? Or hadn’t they cared at all?

  In front of the entrance to the train platform was covered for meters with bloated corpses. Some were still twitching; yes even some of them were moaning on this terrible graveyard like hill. The pest had spilled out. Those who were still in the wagon had cowered down in fear and hid from the bullets.

  Artyom looked at the other marksmen. Was he the only one whose hands and knees were shivering? Nobody said a word and even the commander was silent. You could only here the sighing of the humans who were still in the overcrowded train, like they were cramped trying to suppress bloody coughing. Out of the morgue the last dying man cursed them: “You monsters … Pigs … I’m still alive …

  Can’t stand it”

  The commander looked for the unlucky until he found him, went to his knees and fired the rest of his clip of his magazine into the man until you could only hear an empty clicking sound and even then he pulled the trigger a few more times.

  Then he rose up again, looked at his pistol and strangely cleaned it on his pants. “The rest of you: Stay calm!”

  He screamed huskily. “Everybody who tries to leave the hospital without permission will get the same treatment”

  “What are we supposed to do with the bodies.”

  Asked someone.

  “Back into the train. Ivanenko, Aksyonov you do it!”

  The stability had been renewed. Artyom could return to his seat again and try to find some sleep: Until the wake-up call there were still a few hours so he could make it till tomorrow …

  But it came differently.

  Ivanenko made a step back, shook his head and said he refused to touch the in pus covered, half fallen apart bodies. Without hesitation the commander put his pistol at him, but he seemed to have forgotten that he was out of bullets, hissed hatefully and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened but a clicking sound. Ivanenko screamed and ran away.

  Suddenly one of the soldiers raised his assault rifle coughing and rammed the bayonet with an oblique movement into the commander’s back. The commander didn’t drop down but turned his head slowly over his shoulder and looked at the attacker behind him.

  “What are you doing you damn son of a whore?”

  He asked him silently and surprised.

  The other one screamed at him: “Soon you’ll get rid of us like as well! There are no more healthy here! Today we kill them and tomorrow you throw us to them into the wagon!” The man moved the gun from one side to the other and tried to pull it out of the commander put didn’t pull the trigger.

  Nobody dared to intervene. Even Artyom who had made one step into the other direction had stopped. Finally the bayonet got out of his back. The commander tried to touch the wound, in vain. He fell to his knees, leaned on his hand and shook his head. It looked like he was fighting against sleep.

  Nobody dared to shot at the commander. Even the provocateur who had stabbed him stepped back afraid. Then he ripped his gasmask from his face and screamed over the entire station pass: “Brothers! Stop this torture! Let them go!

  They are going to die anyways! And we too! Aren’t we humans?”

  “Don’t you dare …” Hissed the commander still on his knees.

  The marksmen started to discuss loudly. Suddenly one of the soldier fired the provocateur straight in his face so that he fell onto his back. He was laying right next to the other bodies. But it was too late: With a triumphal howling the infected streamed out of the train, ran stumbling on their thick legs, ripped the rifles out of the hands of the undecided guards and disappeared into all directions. Even the guards started to move: Some of them shot at the sick; others had already joined them and ran into the tunnels leading to the north. To the Serpuchovskaya and to the Nagatinskaya.

  Artyom was still standing as if he was made out of stone and stared at the commander confused. He just refused to die. At first he was crawling on his hands and feet, then he stood up and started to stumble. It seemed that he had a certain goal.

  “You’ll be surprised.” He mumbled. “It’s not that easy to … Me …”

  His glassy look stopped at Artyom. He looked at him as if he didn’t recognize who he was and then he barked with the same tone as always: “Popov! Get me to the room of the radio operator!

  The guards at northern post have to close the door at all costs …”

  The commander leaned on Artyom’s shoulder and both stumbled past the empty train, past the fighting humans and the mountains of trash until they finally reached the of the radio operator. The wound of the commander seemed to not have been fatal but he had lost a lot of blood. So his strength left him and he passed out.

  Artyom put the chair in front of the door, took the microphone and dialed the number of the northern guard. The apparatus clicked, there was a rasping sound as if somebody was breathing exhausted and finally silence. It was too late.

  He could no longer cut them off. But the Dobryinskaya, he had to warn them at least! He rushed to the telephone, pressed both buttons and waited a few seconds …

  Thank god, the apparatus was still working! At first he could only hear the whispering echo and then the ringing.

  One … Two … Three … Four … Five … Six

  Please god, let them answer! If they are still alive, if they aren’t infected yet, let them answer, so that they could have a chance. Let somebody pick up the receiver before the infected reach the station … Artyom would’ve sold his soul for it, if somebody would just pick up the receiver at the other end …

  Then the unimaginable happened. The seventh calling broke the silence; a croaking sound was to be heard, in the background a few shreds of words and then a breathless, broken voice cut through the static.

  “Dobryninskaya here!”

  The cell was plunged into half darkness but even the bit of light was enough to notice: The silhouette of this prisoner was to small and lifeless to be the brigadier. It looked like there was a puppet made out of hay behind the bars. The person had collapsed. Probably it was one of the guards, dead. But where was Hunter …

  “I almost thought you wouldn’t come.” It sounded the hollow from behind them. “In there it was to … Narrow”

  Melnik turned around so fast that Homer couldn’t keep up. In the middle of the passage way to the station was the brigadier. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, as if he mistrusted them and feared to let them go.

  Melnik’s cheek twitched. “Is that you?”

  “Still.” Hunter cleared his throat strangely. If Homer wouldn’t have know better he could’ve interpreted the sound as some kind of laugh.

  “What’s with you? With your face?” Probably Melnik wanted to ask something else entirely. With one gesture of his hand the guards distanced themselves.

  Homer was allowed to stay.

  “You’re not in the best condition either.” The brigadier cleared his throat again.

  “Nothing special.” Melnik made a gri
mace. “Just too bad that I can’t hug you. The devil take ... How long we’ve searched for you!”

  “I know. I had to … Be alone for some time.” Said Hunter in his typical way. “I …didn’t want to go back to the people. Wanted to disappear forever. But then I was afraid …”

  “What happened back then, with the dark ones? Is that from them?” Melnik pointed with his head at the violet scars on Hunters face.

  “Nothing happened. I wasn’t able to destroy them.”

  He touched his scar. “I couldn’t. They … Broke me”

  “Then you had been right back then.” Said Melnik with unexpected intensity. “Forgive me! At the beginning I didn’t think it was important and didn’t believe you. Back then we … You know it yourself. We found them and burnt them down. We thought you were no longer alive. And that they … That’s why I … Them … For you … To the last!”

  “I know.” Said Hunter huskily. It must be hard for him to talk about it “They knew it would come to it. Because of me. They knew everything. The fate of every single one of us. If you knew against whom we had raised our hand back then! Back then he had smiled on us one more time. And we … And I’ve judged them and you carried out the sentence.

  That’s how we are. The true monsters …”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “When I got to them … They showed my myself.

  Back then it was like I was looking into a mirror and I saw everything for what it was. I understood everything about me. About humanity. Why everything had happened to us …”

  “What are you talking about?” Melnik stared at his comrade worried and looked hastily to the door. Did he regret that he had sent the guards away?

  “I tell you, I have seen myself with my own eyes, like in a mirror. Not from the outside, but from the inside, what was behind the armor … They brought it to the light.

  The monster. I didn’t see a man back then. And I had been afraid of myself. I had lied to myself … Told myself that I am here to protect the people, to save them … All lies!

  Like a hungry animal a went for their throat. Even worse … The mirror disappeared but this here … This … Remained. It awoke and didn’t let me in peace. They thought I would kill myself after that. And yes: For what should I still live? But I didn’t do it. I had to fight. At first alone so that no one could see it. Far away from the people. I thought I could punish myself so they didn’t have to. I thought I could chase it away through pain …” The brigadier touched his scars.

  “But then I realized that I couldn’t defeat it on my own. Again and again I forgot myself … So I returned”

  “Brainwashing.” Said Melnik. “That’s what they did to you”

  “It doesn’t matter! It is already over.” Hunter took his hand from his face and his voice changed: Now it was again dump and lifeless.

  “At least almost. The story is old. What happened, happened. No we’re alone. We have to fight through … But I’m not here because of that. At the Tulskaya there has been an outbreak of an epidemic. It could spread to the Sevastopolskaya and the ring. The air fever. The same as back then. Deadly”

  Melnik gave him a distrusting look. “Nobody has told me anything about that”

  “Nobody told anybody anything. They’re cowards.

  That’s why they lie. And keep it to themselves.

  They don’t understand what they doing.

  Melnik rolled closer to the brigadier. “What do you want from me?”

  “You know that as good as I do. The threat has to be eliminated. Give me my tags. Give me men. Flamethrowers. We have to lock down the Tulskaya and clean it. If needed, the Serpuchovskaya and the Sevastopolskaya as well. I hope that it didn’t get any further.

  “To just cut out three stations, just in case?”

  “To save the rest”

  “After a massacre like that they will hate the order”

  “Nobody is going to know about it. Because there won’t be anybody left that could infect others … Or have seen something”

  “For such a heavy price?”

  “Don’t you understand? If we hesitate longer we won’t be able to save anybody anymore. We heard of the epidemic too late. There is no other possibility to stop it. In two weeks the entire metro is a pest barrack and after one month a graveyard”

  “I have to see for myself …”

  “You don’t believe me, don’t you? You think I’ve gone mad? Well believe what you want, I don’t care. I go alone. Like always. But at least I go with a clear conscience”

  Hunter turned away, without taking a single look at the frozen Homer and moved to the exit. His last words had hit Melnik like a harpoon and it was dragging him behind the brigadier.

  “Wait! Take your tags!” Hastily Melnik took them out of the pocket of his uniform and gave hunter the simple disks. “I … Approve”

  The brigadier took the tags out of his bony hand, put them into his pocket, nodded his head silent and took a long look without closing his eyes.

  He mumbled. “Come back. I am tired”

  Hunter cleared his throat again in that strange way and said: “I on the other hand have never felt better”

  Then he disappeared.

  A long time Sasha didn’t dare to ring again so that she wouldn’t make the watchers of the emerald city angry.

  They had probably heard her but needed more time to study here thoroughly. They hadn’t opened the door which seemed to be rooted in the ground, but that must have meant that they were still discussing if they should let this stranger in who apparently had guessed the secret code on her first try.

  What should she say when they opened the door?

  Should she tell them of the epidemic at the Tulskaya? Would they risk influencing the story? What if they guessed her intentions right away like Leonid had done?

  Should she admit to them what she hadn’t even admitted to herself? Would Sasha even be able to melt their cold hearts? When they had already cured that terrible disease before why hadn’t they sent a currier with the medicine to the Tulskaya?

  Just because they were afraid of ordinary people?

  Or did they hope that the disease would kill all the people in the metro?

  Or in the end they were the ones who had created the disease …

  No! How could she even think about that? Leonid had said that the people of the emerald city were righteous and humane. That they didn’t use the death sentence and didn’t even imprison you. That in the midst of all their beauty there wasn’t even one criminal.

  Then why didn’t they save these death candidates?

  And why didn’t they open the door?

  She rang again. And again.

  Behind the steel door it was as silent as if it was fake and a thousand tons of rock were behind it.

  “They won’t open”

  Sasha turned around. About ten steps behind her was Leonid, crouched down, with tousled hair and a depressed face.

  Sasha looked at him unbelieving. “Then you try it!

  Maybe they have forgiven you? That’s why you came with me or not?”

  “There is nothing to forgive. There is nothing”

  “But you’ve said …”

  “I lied. That isn’t the entrance to the emerald city.”

  “Then where is it?”

  “I don’t know.” He raised his arms. “Nobody knows”

  “And why did they let you through all the posts?

  So you’re no watcher? You did … At the ring and the reds … You’re playing games again, yes? You told me about the city and you didn’t want to!” She tried to get a look at his face, to get confirmation of her assumption.

  Leonid was looking at the ground. “Back then I’ve dreamed about it myself. Have gathered rumors, read old books. I’ve been a hundredth times at this place. And there was the bell … And I rang it for days. In vain”

  “Why did you lie to me?” She approached him, her right hand reaching for her knife. “
What have I done to you?

  Why have you done this?”

  “I wanted to take you away from them.” The knife confused the musician but instead of running away he sat onto the tracks. “I thought when you were alone with me …”

  “And why are you here now?”

  “Hard to say.” He looked up at her. “Probably I’ve realized that I’ve gone too far. After I sent you here … I started thinking. The soul isn’t born black. In the beginning it’s clear and light shines through. It only gets darker over time. Spot after spot, every time when you forgave evil, tried to justify it and tell yourself that it’s just a game. Then one day darkness has the upper hand. You only notice it rarely, it’s hard to notice from the inside. But I knew that right here I am crossing a line from which on I’m going to be a different person. Forever. And that’s why I’m here, telling you everything. Because you’ve earned it”

  “Why are they all afraid of you? Why are they bowing down to you?”

  “Not to me.” Sighed Leonid. “To my father”

  “What?”

  “Does the name Moskwin tell you anything?”

  Sasha shook her head. “No”

  The musician made a sad smile. “You’re probably the only one in the entire metro. Well my father is the big boss. The big boss of the red line. He gave me a diplomat passport so they would let me through everywhere. The name isn’t that common and nobody wants to get into trouble. Only when somebody doesn’t know it …”

  Sasha had stepped back and looked at him.

  “And what are you watching? Did they send you because of that?”

  “They threw me out. When daddy realized that no real man is going to become of me he no longer cared about me.

  And now I’m bringing shame to his name.” Leonid made a grimace.

  “Did you two argue?”

  “How can you argue with the great comrade Moskwin?

  He is a monument! They banished and cursed me.

  You know I’ve been a fool in Christi since I was a child. I only liked beautiful paintings, playing the piano and reading books. That was my mother’s fault because she had wanted a girl. When my father had realized that he had tried to get me interested in firearms and the party but it was already too late. Mother taught me how to play the flute and father drove it out of me again with his belt. He banished the professor who had taught me and put a Politruk at my side.