https://www.vgr.com/metro-exodus-train-recreated-papercraft/

The dawning realization that the shotgun had been empty, causing a string of curses to fall out of lips as you glowered down at the trap door. Not that you were keen to be an uninvited guest down there alone with a man and his family, but you had hoped for some type of help. Perhaps a minigun he had lying around, or a couple bags of ammunition wouldn’t go astray.

Glancing over towards Gwen who blinked her blue eyes open, she managed to look up at you in surprise. “Where am I?” Her voice soft as a whisper and head tilted from side to side as she tried to gather her thoughts and sit up against the master bed.

Your reply in a hushed tone. “We’re in Broken Dream, but it looks like raiders and wildmen have taken over the place. I think there may also be of few of them inside here with us.” The loud footfalls you heard inside of the kitchen drawing their attention towards the open doorway that led out into the hallway.

Basic survival instincts told you that you should have run, should have found someplace to hide, but what then would happen to Wren? You couldn’t just leave her here, not after all the effort you had gone through to save her life, besides that, you had come to accept the risks of being in this world, of being a sole survivor. Had even felt yourself beginning to change each time you leveled up, and sometimes there really wasn’t any other choice but to face your demons.

(Surprise assault. Stealth Skill 40% or Agility 5.)

Breath released in a heavy wave of tension at that thought, you pressed a finger to your lips to quieten Gwen from any further questions, and knew what you had to do as you silently padded out towards the hallway.

Head peeked out around the corner, you saw six large bearded men with hatchets and machetes standing around the kitchen table, the group fighting over some raw meat left out on the counter, when you heard gunfire come outside. The thunderous cacophony of sound which appeared to be close, drawing two of them to investigate, when you exploded into action, knifing two of them from behind, before firing bullets into them as you. Their startled gurgles of surprise turned to blood-fuelled rage as they hacked and slashed at you with deranged expressions, before they too were dead, bullets plucking them backwards. The last two that had been drawn away, spinning around to rush back towards you with maniacal screams, when bullets struck them from behind.

-8 bullets.

(Draw them into a trap. Traps Skill 40%.)

Breath released in a heavy wave of tension at that thought, you pressed a finger to your lips to quieten Gwen from any further questions, and knew what you had to do as you silently padded out towards the hallway, then slipped into the laundry room. There, searching for the chemicals needed to make a bomb, you collected what you needed, then made your way back out into the narrow hallway where you set up your trap.

Smiling grimly at this devilish plan of yours, you let out a loud scream, heard the heavy sound of footfalls as the wildmen burst in through the kitchen doorway, when the explosion turned them into a blood-red mist that coated the ceiling, walls, and floorboards. The blackened charred hole left behind, dropping away to concrete as you leaped across the gap, saw the last two spin away from the front door, when bullets struck them from behind.

(Charge in.)

Breath released in a heavy wave of tension at that thought, you pressed a finger to your lips to quieten Gwen from any further questions, and knew what you had to do as you silently padded out towards the hallway

Head peeked out around the corner, you saw six large bearded men with hatchets and machetes standing around the kitchen table, the group fighting over some raw meat left out on the counter, when you heard gunfire come outside. The thunderous cacophony of sound which appeared to be close, drawing two of them to investigate, when you exploded into action, stabbing and firing bullets in a rampage of blood, before they turned on you. Their startled gurgles of surprise turned to blood-fuelled rage as they hacked and slashed at your arms with deranged expressions, before they were all dead, bullets plucking them backwards. The last two that had been drawn away, spinning around to rush back at you with maniacal screams, when bullets struck at them from behind.

-4 HP.

-8 bullets.

Cassidy barrelling into the house along with Demarco, Bull, Tessa, Loraq, and lastly Jernald. All of them staring at you aghast before Tessa let out a loud bark of laughter. “And here I was worrying that you’d be dead, child, but I see you made it here before us.”

Too stunned to believe they had found you, you sputtered, “how?”

Jernald’s grim expression grinning warmly at you as he slammed the door shut behind him, and with the help of Bull hauled bookshelves to block the way inside. “We saw the train, and heard a scuffle in this direction, and thought we would check it out. To be honest, we had no idea you were even still alive, although Tessa here kept telling us that you were. How’s Gwen? Is she with you?” (You’ve earned the achievement. ‘No One Left Behind’.)

Flooded by waves of undeniable relief at the sight of them, you nodded your head in mute reply, saw the pipboy that was strapped to Cassidy’s belt, and gazed at it longingly. The need to upgrade your skills and see which quest you were on, causing a deep ache within you.

Cassidy who stood staring at you like you were a ghost, still shaking her head in disbelief as she unclipped the pipboy from her belt and handed it back to you. “I suppose this belongs back in your hands,” when a wiry figure charged into your midriff, squeezing your ribs hard. Loraq’s dark eyes filled with unshed tears as he crushed you tight in an unbelievably strong grip, before you grinned, and thrust him away. “It’s good to see you too.”

Gwen, her face wan with exhaustion, choosing that moment to make her appearance in the doorway on shaky feet as she smiled. “Guess we are all back together again.”

(You’ve leveled up. You have 2 Stat Points, and 5 Skill points available to spend.)

The awkward exchange of glances between Gwen and Cassidy creating a drawn-out silence, when Cassidy finally coughed, her cheeks red with embarrassment. “It’s good to see you on your feet, Gwendolyn. Now enough of this sappy bullshit, we've brought down quite a few friends with us, and it looks like the fighting has just begun.”

Unable to help but feel a dark tingle of premonition at her words, you had only moments to appreciate being reunited with your friends and see the quest, survive, when a roar of gunfire hammered the airwaves, followed by hundreds of guttural cries as feral ghouls swarmed through the streets. Wildmen and raiders caught up in the frenzy of battle in between the houses, buildings, and railroad tracks as explosions of fire erupted all around you.

Head ringing from the constant sound, you had seconds to comprehend what was happening, when Cassidy thrust a magazine and stimpak into your hands, and roared, "get ready!"

Inventory Items Added.

+Stimpak.

+10 Bullets.

(Take up position by the backdoor.)

Worried what might happen if the backdoor was left unguarded, you raced back down the hallway just as feral ghouls burst through the door, splintering the wood apart.

(Hold the doorway. Melee Skill 40% or Unarmed Skill 40% or Strength 5.)

Their milky white eyes filmed over with rage, fingers sharp as talons, and wrinkled skin covered in rags as they charged forward on all fours, your boot knocking them back with a powerful kick as you knifed through the gullet of a second. Blood drenching your arms and clothes as you fought them like a savage animal, hacking, slashing, and punching them to death. Their bodies, building up a pile of corpses that slowed down their passage inside as you fought tooth and nail to hold the doorway, keep them from pushing further inside, when a voice cried out, “stop them! They're getting in through the front door!”

-4 HP.

Terrified at what might happen if the front door fell, you quickly dove forward, knife dripping red with blood to headbutt a ghoul attempting to lock its jaws onto your arm, before you toppled the nearest shelves over, and built a defensive barricade that you hoped would hold as you rushed back.

Then let out a gasp of surprise as you saw a tidal of flesh pour through the open doorway.

-5 HP.

(Block the doorway. Small Guns Skill 40% or Perception 5.)

Their milky white eyes filmed over with rage, fingers sharp as talons, and wrinkled skin covered in rags as they charged forward on all four towards you, when you began your slaughter, precise gunshots aimed at their kneecaps, a well known weak point that would incapacitate them as you stacked them high on top of each other, each of them clawing at the air, unable to drag their feet forward as you systematically butchered them. Blood drenching your arms and clothes as you fired again and again, hacking, slashing at those that got too close, when a voice cried out, “stop them! They're getting in through the front door!”

-18 Bullets.

Terrified at what might happen if the front door fell, you quickly dove forward, knife dripping red with blood to headbutt a ghoul attempting to lock its jaws onto your arm, before you toppled the nearest shelves over, and built a defensive barricade that you hoped would hold as you rushed back.

Then let out a gasp of surprise as you saw a tidal of flesh pour through the open doorway.

-5 HP.

(No Applicable Skills.)

Their milky white eyes filmed over with rage, fingers sharp as talons, and wrinkled skin covered in rags as they charged forward on all four towards you, when you began your slaughter, gunshots aimed at their kneecaps, a well known weak point that would incapacitate them as you stacked them high on top of each other, each of them clawing at the air, unable to drag their feet forward as you systematically butchered them apart. Blood drenching your arms and clothes as you fired again and again, hacking, slashing at those that got too close, when a voice cried out, “stop them! They're getting in through the front door!”

-28 Bullets.

Terrified at what might happen if the front door fell, you quickly dove forward, knife dripping red with blood to headbutt a ghoul attempting to lock its jaws onto your arm, before you toppled the nearest shelves over, and built a defensive barricade that you hoped would hold as you rushed back.

Then let out a gasp of surprise as you saw a tidal of flesh pour through the open doorway.

-5 HP.

(Take up position by the window.)

Worried what might happen if you left the front window unguarded, you focused your attention on the glass pane, when feral ghouls shattered it apart, uncaring of the wounds they took as chaos erupted all around you.

(Block the doorway. Small Guns Skill 40% or Perception 5.)

Their milky white eyes filmed over with rage, fingers sharp as talons, and wrinkled skin covered in rags as they charged forward on all fours. Each gunshot, precise and aimed for their heads as Jernald rushed to help you. Dozens dying quickly by your hands, when Cassidy cried out, “They're getting in through the front door!”

-18 Bullets.

The makeshift barricade that Bull and Jernald had erected, battered aside by a tidewave of flesh.

(No Applicable Skills.)

Their milky white eyes filmed over with rage, fingers sharp as talons, and wrinkled skin covered in rags as they charged forward on all fours. Each gunshot, aimed for their heads as Jernald rushed to help you. Dozens dying quickly by your hands, when Cassidy cried out, “They're getting in through the front door!”

-28 Bullets.

The makeshift barricade that Bull and Jernald had erected, battered aside by a tidewave of flesh.

Forced into a defensive line in the center of the living room with the couch used as an obstacle between them, you took up a position beside Tessa and Jernald, the experienced duo to either side of you keeping most of the feral ghouls off of you as they fired bursts from their assault rifles, when you realized something. Jernald wasn’t wearing his power armor. He also didn’t have his minigun with him. Two rarities you had never expected to see from the paladin. The shock revelation unnerving you a little, considering he wouldn’t be able to slaughter a path of destruction clear through this mess, but what other choice did you have but to continue fighting.

Heart pounding like a drumline about to reach the climax of its song, you took your time with each shot, making sure it counted as you kept shooting and praying for a miracle. Their company slowly forced back over blood-drenched carpets as they were continuously forced backwards by clawing hands that swiped at them, and teeth biting into your thighs as you tried hard to not let panic flood through you. The certainty they would all die here as they were bottled up from either side, forcing you, Loraq and Bull to cover one side as they were gradually surrounded.

-6 Hp.

-23 Bullets.

The big hairy man that had never needed to speak much, caked head to toe in blood, and using the axe he had to found to chop them with savage glee, while Loraq moved with all the speed and agility of a dancer, knives stabbing outward to find eyes, whereas all you did was try to mop up after them and keep their right flank from falling apart as you kept firing and kicking until you had run out of bullets.

The desperate glance over your shoulder, revealing that the others weren’t doing any better, when a sound, a sound unlike anything you had ever heard, rumbled through the Earth, causing the very air to vibrate, and send shockwaves all around you. Ferals seemingly terrified, turning away on their heels to flee in droves that left you staring at them gobsmacked. Bull dropping to his knees to pant for air beside you, while Loraq exchanged worried looks with you as you wondered what could possibly terrify feral ghouls, creatures that had fallen so far into their most primal instincts that all they did was hunt and feed.

But there was simply no time to think about that.

-6 Hp.

-36 Bullets.

Stumbling over the mounds of corpses they had created, feet drenched in blood and guts, you bent down to search the bodies of the wildmen you had killed earlier, desperate for supplies. The stench from their carcasses like rotten eggs mixed with piss and shit as you rifled through their fur pockets to find bullets, stimpaks, and other drugs.

Inventory Items Added.

x2 Hatchets.

x4 Machetes.

x16 Bullets.

x2 Stimpaks.

1 Med-x.

1 Jet.

x4 Strange Meat. (+2 Hp Each. Eat all four and gain the Achievement. ‘Cannibal’.)

You also found some strange meat that you almost threw away, but there was a chance you might need it later so pocketed it.

Too tired to do anything else, you sat down on the kitchen tiles with your back resting up against the stovetop, and pulled out the bottle of water to swallow a few sips, trying to get rid yourself of the taste of blood from your mouth as you watched Cassidy bark out fresh orders. Tessa and Loraq sent to see what could be done about their train situation as you sat there and pondered if you would ever reach this vault alive, when the wiry figure of Loraq reappeared, his eyes wide with distress.

Not needing to guess that there would be more trouble on the way, you hauled yourself back up, and saw Demarco watching you. His golden features for once empty of all hate as he walked over to stand beside you, his voice to your surprise warm and grateful, “you’ve done fucking good, rookie. I honestly don’t know if we can still trust you yet, but you managed to keep both Wren and yourself alive, and for that we fucking owe you.” Then as if he had said too much the short man with the ill-temper slouched away, leaving you there shaking your head, wondering if you had imagined it. Perhaps there was more to this Demarco than his need to hurt things.

But again that was a thought best left for another time as Cassidy chivvied them out of the house and under the bright lights of the street lamps, Big Bastard’s impressive bulk invitingly drawing onward as you stared out towards the sparkling city that glowed in the darkness with still more gunfire and explosions that looked like distant fireworks that broke the shadows, wildmen, raiders, and ghouls still moving through the streets in hunting packs. The rumble beneath your feet, shook your heart as the second train was moved off to the side.

Eyeing the strangely beautiful dome that shimmered over their heads and the glistening towers that appeared like stalagmites shooting out of the ground, you couldn't help but wonder how many people could have taken shelter underground, and what had happened to them, when you thought you saw something big move in between the buildings, it’s large hulking form hunched over as they all began to clamber aboard. One last glance over your shoulder, showing two large globes of red light staring toward them.