The fog embraced me as I entered the zones influence. The zone’s effect was quickly felt and close behind came the cold. I was ready and pushed on into the unknown. Nothing new here. I walked down the Rue de Wormhout towards the town. This was going to be a straight route to the centre of town and the breach. Everything was damp with moister and soon was the outside of my suit as well.

The road is clear at the moment and I can see the two different sides in the fog. The fog quickly hides any other details from sight beyond this. I move down the centre of the road using the open space provided to protect myself from ambush. I have never operated in an urban environment comprising this mount of builds. The after-action reports and train sessions I have had all tell the same story. Urban environments are horrific places to clear. The number of angles of attack or ambush makes them even more like meat grinders to us Operatives and our support teams.

I walk in a steady space scanning for movement or threats. The road is for now clear and I keep going. I am awaiting an attack with my shield and axe ready. The fog suppresses everything around me as normal. The map had shown me that I would be passing several turns offs to different properties with farmland between the buildings until I reach the town proper. No signs of trouble yet.

As this is a recon mission rather than a clearance, I decide not to check each property as I advance towards the town. Due to the size of the area, it would take several days to check everywhere safely. Risky yes but the time is my main concern. This could make a fast exit difficult.

Eventually, I reach the first building that I am using as a waypoint. Deman Carton Nicole Maria is the building name listed on my map. This means that I am now close to the town’s more built-up areas. Still nothing in the shape of a hostile creature.

This is where I encounter my first signs of human life was here emerging from the fog. Two abandoned cars are on the road with multiple doors open. This forces me to make a decision. So far, I had not encountered anything even resembling a threat but here could be one. I realise I cannot walk past and will need to check them. I wait for a minute to see if my presence causes anything to move. All remains quiet.

I take a deep breath in before I approach the cars. Thank God for the anti-misting coating on my faceplate. My breath fogs as it leaves my mouth. This may lead to a fight or me discovering something nasty. The cars are the standard electric ones that dominate the roads of the world. If they were caught as the zone expanded, they would have failed as the zone kills all electricity. They were back-to-back heading away from Herzeele towards the base camp.

The first was a red small car. Both front doors were open as well as the boot. Looking in I saw different items scattered about. No blood or damage to the car. All good signs that it had been abandoned and those inside had gotten out. A damp sheen of moisture covers both the inside and out. The boot had one interesting thing an extensive survival kit. It had many road flares, a first aid kit and a flare gun like mine. I take the road flares. Storing them in my torso webbing. I leave the rest.

I moved to the second a black people carrier. Again, the boot and multiple doors were open. No blood or damage to this one either. From what is left behind it was a family with young children travelling out of Herzeele. I take another deep breath and let it out with some of the stress that has been building in me. This is a good sign that the people travelling in these cars got out ok which makes me happy.

I look around the area I could see that was not limited by the fog for anything that would attract my attention. It was quiet too quiet. Such an expansion in a zone size should have had me engaging something by now. As a recorded Grave Zone, I should have seen a Skeleton or Zombie at least. Their numbers increase with the zone size. All other such expansions all support this.

Again, I decide not to investigate the building identified as Deman Carton Nicole Maria. A winery from the signs outside I think but carry on into Herzeele. My knowledge of the French langue is limited to what I studied in secondary school and quickly forgotten. It is not far until I reach the beginnings of a more urbanised area. At first, the homes are to my left as I carry on and are shrouded in the fog and hedgerows. I can just make out their outline.

I reach the first junction and second waypoint I was looking for on my map. At a T shaped road junction with the Lotissement Les Aubepines to my left, several homes were located near the road with more following the road heading away. Many were more recent constructions with the new environmental building laws and construction materials clear to see to the right. The doors and windows on several of these houses had been smashed in and out. Debris was scattered around with several more abandoned vehicles. Signs of combat were clear. Bloodstains were identifiable in different locations but no bodies. The moisture in the air was slowly washing them away. As the water vapour in the air was saturating everything and everywhere.

This was more than what I was expecting with the local population being taken by surprise by the zone’s rapid expansion. Several homes were boarded up indicating that they were abandoned. It was a hardy or foolish person who lived next to a zone. Anyone who could afford it got out as fast as possible most were not that lucky.

I have to move at a slower pace now as I will need to keep checking the abandoned vehicles. I know I should be checking the buildings but time would become an issue as I do not want to still be here when night fell. Hostiles in zones get a lot more active after the sun goes down.

I find evidence of violence often but still no bodies. I continue to the next junction and I am in the built-up part of Herzeele now. Continuing slowly down Rue de Wormhout I see more builds boarded up and scattered signs of violence. I stop regularly to check my surroundings. The lack of threats is taxing my nerves and not helping my stress level. It would be far better to have been killing the undead and dealing with Grave Chill than this quiet. I think back to my recent closing of the breach in Arbroath and how there was nothing in that zone. Something weird was happening here too and it was freaking me out.

Walking slowly in this fog-bound world with the clear signs of sudden violence is a surreal experience. There was a flick of movement in the fog? Several times I stopped because I thought I saw something it turned out after investigation it was my mind playing tricks on me. I had lost track of how long I had been here in this zone. God! This place was fucking with my mind worst than normal.

All was quiet. All was still.

Onwards I went until I reached Place d’Herzeele. A car park and several roads meet up here. The barriers that showed the original zone perimeter was on the other side of the Place d’Herzeele. They came into a “clearer” view as I entered the area. The vague outline of the barriers was just visible from the fog.

To the left of me was the gate at the entry point to Ruelle du Chateau that would lead to the cathedral. I spend a few minutes looking around the area. The car park and roads were empty the houses that I could see were abandoned. This close to the original zone boundary it seems that the population had chosen not to stay.

I decided to walk the perimeter of the Place d’Herzeele. Still no hostiles. I am getting worried about the quiet. I should have seen at least one enemy by now. My nerves are causing me to jump at shadows dancing in the fog. I have to constantly force myself to keep my focus. People think that fighting the horrors in a zone is the worst but to me, it’s the unknown found here that is the true horror.

I slowly continue walking until I reached the first building that is not boarded up. It appears to be a post office. Closed and locked up. I look in. I remember it was early in the morning when the zone began expanding. I continue past a few more boarded-up homes.

I arrive at a bakery with a large red, white and black sign running the length of the building above the door and windows. Other signs jut out of the walls further up. The door was open and it seems that the bakery was open or opening when the zone expanded. The interior was dark and covered with a layer of moister like everything else exposed to the fog. The goods inside will have rotten faster exposed to the damp air. I do not go past the doorway but continue on.

Another shuttered and abandoned house next to the road. Across the road, however, was the first odd thing I had seen since entering the zone. A house with a white painted ground floor and orange on the second caught my attention. The reason why was that the door had a security gate on it and all the windows had bars on them. The thing that got my attention was the face looking at me from the upper right window. It ducked away as soon as it realised, I had seen it.

The face was of a young girl and could mean that there were still people trapped in the zone. I quickly look around the area again to make sure I was alone. I did not want to draw the attention of something nasty.

Before I approached the house a thought came to me. Could this be a new type of threat in this zone? Was I about to walk into a trap? Thoughts and questions quickly spiralled through my mind. I had to decide to continue or investigate. I couldn’t just stand here twiddling my thumbs.

In the end, I chose to investigate.

My conscious would not have it any other way. I approached the hose crossing the road. Towards the security gate.

Before I could reach it, the door opened slightly and I found myself facing the barrel of a shotgun through the gate. I was not able to see who was aiming it due to the darkness in the house. I was stunned for a few seconds.

I gathered myself lifting my hands in a peaceful gesture as best I could holding an axe and shield. Hoping not to get shot.

“Hello, I am a Zone Operative with the Euro Corps. I am here to help.” I keep my voice as calm and level as possible. I am trying not to let my voice carry further than needed.

In the house a can hear some voices arguing in whispers. I used the Euro Corps name to tell them to know that I am friendly. I cannot speak French so communication was going to be a problem.

The discussion died down inside and the door opened further allowing me to see the wielder of the shotgun. A man in his mid-fifties opened the gate and motioned me to enter. From his face, it was clear he was not happy with this situation and was ready with his gun.

Taking a deep breath, I entered the house.