It was a dark night, moonless and starless.  It was a cold one at that, according to the thermometers the temperature had dropped to minus 32 Celsius.  But of course, it could always drop even further, at least if the Russian winter was to be taken into account.  It was January, and no one could tell how the weather would shift, even in the next couple of days. 

Large flakes of snow fell slowly, almost as if dancing, towards the ground, adding to the masses that had already coated everything under open sky.  If it not for the intense cold biting every bit of exposed skin, the night would have been beautiful.  There was no storm or wind howling through the streets or rumbling in pipes.  It was just silence, everything muffled by the snowfall.    

Alexei brushed the snow from the binoculars and watched it fall to the ground between his feet.  When he moved to get into a more comfortable position on the iron hatch the powder creaked beneath his heavy boots.  He realized that he was already getting covered with snow.  He raised the tip of the hood and put the binoculars to his eyes.  The world of green, white and dark shadows filled his sight, as well as the quiet buzzing from the batteries inside the device.  His gaze slowly swept over the streets below, up over the grey concrete facades of the buildings and then over the roofs.  Their ten storey structure rose high above the surrounding blocks, giving a perfect overview over the area.  Although the reach of the binocular at night was limited, he could still see a good portion of the western parts of the city.

Darkness ruled below and everywhere, only parted thanks to the technology in his hands.  Instead he saw shadows in different shades of dark and green.  The broad street going at the foot of the building was long and straight, one of the major roads cutting though the city, it seemed.  But no streetlights burned, they only stood there as rusty pipes, sticking out as masts from sunken ships out of the white sea.  The rows of old, soviet-era concrete apartment cubes gave no light either.  The windows were black against the grey facades, empty eye sockets in a skull.  Alexei could even see the glass missing on many of them and the rust on the small iron balconies.  Below them at ground level there was no light or movement either.  There was no late cars speeding to get home, no night wanderers or even drunk tramps.  Even from the roof of the tenth floor Alexei could make out the cars and trucks, standing in long congested lines.  They were almost completely covered with snow, but they appeared as small hills above the level of the asphalt, not that you could see it.  In some places the jam was so bad that vehicles were standing at the sidewalks, pressing against the walls of the surrounding buildings.  Some had even crashed.  Alexei raised his binoculars and pointed them into the distance, where the range of them was ending.  He could see the tall silhouettes of factory chimneys, rising up somewhere on the outskirts of the city. 

Alexei put down the binoculars.  The snowfall still showed no signs of stopping, on the contrary - it had already begun covering him with a layer of it.  He brushed of the hood and his shoulders, shook his feet to get rid of what lay on his boots.  The cold was slowly but surely seeping into him - through the white camouflage coat covering his body, the thick winter uniform under and through the synthetic textile of his boots.  The winter had the world in a sure grip, and he could feel it.  He pulled at the balaclava to adjust it over his face.  It protected the face from the worst of the cold, but he could still feel its icy fingers.  Alexei pulled down the hood deeper over his face and then took to the binoculars again.  He searched in the distance for movement, signs of life or just anything uncommon.  But the city was dead and silent before him.

"See anything?" asked the lieutenant from a few metres away.  Dressed in the same fashion as Alexei, he appeared as a white shadow sitting next to the ledge of the roof, staring down into the darkness through his own set of sights. 

"No, nothing." Alexei replied, the same message being heard from the other two in the group, muffled through the densely falling snow.      

"Alright." The lieutenant let the binoculars fall from the strap around his neck, pulled out the radio transceiver out of a pocket on his chest and put it to his mouth.  A second of scratching static and then he spoke. "Captain, Kovalevsky speaking.  The skyline is clear, the ground as well.  We see nothing."

The static returned and everyone listened for the answer.  It came soon enough.

"Understood.  Return to base, we will be leaving soon.  Over."

"Yes captain. Kovalevsky out."

He put back  into the pocket and rose to his feet, picking up his assault rifle in the process.

"Alright guys." the lieutenant hung the rifles strap over his shoulder and looked around. "We are done here, let's move out."

"Roger that."

The group gathered quickly.  They travelled light, carrying little more than their rifles and a few magazines of ammunition.  Alexei put on the night vision goggles and fastened them at his head.  He pulled down the hood again, hanged the AK on his back and joined the others.  They had reached the top of the house by climbing the fire staircase, going along the side of the building.  The rusty iron creaked and banged beneath their feet, and the sound was unpleasantly loud in the otherwise silent night.  But there was no one to hear it, and if there were any birds in the area they would probably not care. 

They reached the ground and stepped out into the snow.  The large yard in the centre of the cluster of buildings was covered by pristine snow, only broken by the metal racks of an old playground in the middle.  They almost looked like the remains of a skeleton, sticking out of the desert.  But Alexei pushed those thoughts away, they were entirely pointless.  The deep tracks they had made had been covered during the hour they had spent on the roof and now they had to push a new way through it.  Small ice crystals whirled around them, the snow creaking with every step.  They walked in silence.  The mission was over and they were going back.  There was nothing important to say, and therefore they did not. 

They walked in a line - lieutenant Kovalevsky first, after him came Vladimir and then Egor.  Alexei was acting rearguard, walking in the others footsteps.  From time to time he looked back to make sure that the it was clear, but it seemed almost superfluous.  They had not seen any signs of humans on the way to the vantage point or from it.  It seemed like the city was since long abandoned.  It had been three years after all, and any survivors would probably have escaped into the countryside or wilderness.  Of course, there could be some people scavenging through abandoned houses and shops, but in that case they knew what was best for them and kept out of the way. 

They walked on the sidewalk, close to the side of the building.  Cars, trucks and busses were everywhere, covered by snow but still blocking the way.  The group had to dodge and cross between them, often haviing to scale the roofs or jump from hood to hood.  The congestion had been bad when the vehicles were abandoned, with almost no room to move between them.  People had been in a hurry to flee, but unless you were at the edges of the city, using a car was futile.  Russians roads - especially in industrial and post-soviet cities like this one - were seldom easy to navigate.  Especially when buildings, cars and people were being crushed left and right.

Lieutenant Kovalevsky took his rifle in one hand and started scaling the pile of debris that blocked the street from side to side.  A building on the corner of a crossing had collapsed, spreading concrete and steel over the street, crushing anything caught beneath it .  You could still see iron support beams sticking out of the heaps.  The metaphor with a broken skeleton came to Alexei's mind once again.  The snow covering the sharp points and pieces made the climb treacherous, but everyone managed to climb it without any accidents.  On the other side the street continued, just as empty, dark and congested as before. 

The lieutenants radio crackled to life, a red light blinking from it.  Kovalevsky pulled it out and put it to his face.

"Kovalevsky listening."

They kept walking.  Alexei tried to hear what was said, but the signal and the distance to the lieutenant was too bad to make anything out.

"How long?" Kovalevsky looked backed at the others, the goggles and balaclava covering his entire face and making it impossible to make out any emotions.

A few more words were said and the lieutenant nodded.

"Roger that.  We are on our way.  Kovalevsky out."

He once again turned to his team, still without stopping. 

"One scout team spotted a big one.  Still far away but it might get closer.  If you don't want to get left behind, then let's put some move on.  Quickly."

There was no need for further explanations and no one asked.  They obeyed and changed their fast paced walk into a slow run, as much as the snow allowed it.  Alexei made sure his rifle hung comfortably from his shoulder and joined in.  His breath became quicker, white steam coming through his balaclava and quickly rising up through the air.  They slowly picked up pace, forcing their way through the snowdrifts and leaving a cloud of ice crystals and snow dust in their wake.  

It was not too far to the station.  They had ventured just a few blocks to set up an outlook, moving further away would be dangerous.  Scout teams were armed and more than able to defend themselves, but not against everything.  And getting cut off from ones only escape because you had ventured too far away would be stupid. 

They passed buildings and houses, many destroyed and in ruins.  In the gaping holes in their sides you could still see traces of floors and the support beams still sticking out.  Sometimes you could even see into a room that had lost its wall. But they paid it no attention, having seen familiar sights many times before.  The lieutenant did not even have to look at his map, the way to the railway station was almost completely straight from the building they had scaled.  Soon enough the station came into sight, on the other side of a long street that led to it from the centre of the city. 

Alexei was panting now, his steps becoming heavier.  The textile in front of his mouth was becoming wet and uncomfortable from his breath.  But he did not slow down and neither did the others.  The lieutenants radio came to life again and this time Alexei could hear what the voice on the other side was saying.

"Team, what is your position?  How long until you arrive?"

"Soon there.  Maybe three hundred metres until the station." Said Kovalevsky between his breaths.

"Good." That was the only answer and the radio fell silent again. 

"Almost there guys, just a little more." The lieutenant waved with his hand in the direction they were running, as if to prove his words true. "Almost there."

"Please, stop!"

Alexei acted on instinct, took the rifle from his shoulder and grabbed it with both hands.  They stopped, their weapons ready and pointed at the direction from where the voice came. 

A man came running towards them from an adjacent street, waving his hands at them.  Alexei looked down the iron sights, aiming for the middle of the man's chest.  His finger was ready on the trigger.

"Stop!" barked the lieutenant and held up his hand to deter the stranger, still holding his weapon pointed at him. "Stand down!"

The man slowed down and stopped, threw his hands up into the air.

"Please, wait!" he yelled, and instantly his arms dropped down.  Four set of hands clenched their assault rifles, ready to fire, but the man was only stretching his hands forward towards them, as if begging. 

"Stand down!" snarled Kovalevsky, waving at the stranger. "Stay back and don't come closer.  You hear me?"

The man stayed where he was.  Alexei studied him through the night goggles, waiting for what was coming next.  He has still the sights set on the man's heart, his own pumping strong and fast after running.  The man carried a thick winter jacket over what seemed to be a jumpsuit, on his feet a pair of boots and on his head a fur hat with side flaps and a screen.  He could not make out the faces, only the eyes which seemed to gleam through the optics of night vision. 

"Please!" said the man again, holding up his palms to show that they were empty. "Take us with you.  I have a family, wife and children..  We can't stay here.  Please take us with you, we saw the train and..."

"Silence!" the lieutenant threw a quick look around and pulled out his radio with his free hand.  Alexei and the others stood still, aiming and ready.

Alexei swallowed a lump of saliva and moved his feet to get better footing.  Two figures emerged out of the house on the corner of the street and came running towards them. 

"Stop right there!  Hands up and stay there!" Alexei shifted his aim at them.

"Don't shoot, we're all people!"

This time it was a female voice, high pitched and worked up.  The two figures slowed down but did not stop before they reached the man in the fur hat.  A short woman and a tall man, both under a thick layer of clothing.  He clenched his teeth together and looked nervously at the lieutenant who held the transceiver up to his ear.  The strangers had started to yell, talk, beg and interrupt each other, making gestures at them. 

"Shut up!" shouted Kovalevsky and pressed the radio to his head. "Yes, captain, this is Kovalevsky!  We encountered a group of civilians, they want to come with us.  Orders?"

He fell silent, trying to hear what was being said over the sound of the begging voices. 

"Shut your mouth, suka!*" barked Egor angrily and made a movement with his rifle as he was going to attack them with it. "If not, I will shoot you like dogs!"

The threat did not help, instead it made matters worse.  The woman started sobbing and crying, the men kept yelling.

"We are just normal people, don't shoot.  There are many of us, we need to get away from here.  Are you not a human being?" asked the tall man, shaking his hands at the lieutenant.  When he took a step forward Egor threateningly raised his weapon  

"I said, stay back!"

Alexei felt his heart pumping faster and faster, even sweat breaking out under his clothes.  He looked from person to person, moving his aim from one to another.  This was bad, really bad.  So much for hoping that any survivors would stay out of their way.

"Are you sure captain?" Kovalevsky made a grunting sound, pulled the radio away from his ear and shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.  Then he turned to the civilians, holding the transceiver away from his mouth. "How many are you?  And quickly, for god's sake!"

"There are nine of us." Said the man in the fur hat and nodded eagerly. "They are in the building."

Kovalevsky pressed the radio to his face again.

"Nine, captain.  What?" he made a slight pause, listening. "Oh, blyat.*  Yes, roger that."

He looked at Alexei and the two other soldiers and then swore.

"You can come if you can keep up with us." He said, turning to the three civilians. "And do it fast, or else you are getting left behind.  Now move!" the last words he yelled at them, raising his hand as if to throw the radio at them.

The three turned around and ran for the building from which they had appeared.  Vladimir turned lowered his rifle and turned to the lieutenant, his voice low but agitated.

"Are we taking them with us?" he asked, looking from Kovalevsky to the building into which the civilians had disappeared.

"Seriously?" said Egor, disbelief in his voice. "Just like fucking that?"

"If there are only nine of them, then yes." The lieutenant sounded as if he was talking through clenched teeth. "And if they can run.  Otherwise we leave them behind.  Hurry up!" he added, seeing that people had started coming out of the building.

"But lieutenant, isn't there a giant coming for us?  It is still three hundred metres to the station..."

"I know." Kovalevsky cut him off. "But it's alright, we can easily make it.  But we better keep pace."

A group of people were coming towards them, huddling together as scared cattle.  Alexei caught himself realizing that in one way, they were.  Dressed in thick winter clothes and with scarf's around their faces,  carrying bags and backpacks, but still frightened and dumb cattle.   The lieutenant counted them and nodded.

"Alright people." He said, turning around and hanging his rifle on his back. "Follow us and move fast.  That who can't keep up is left behind.  Go!"

"But we can't run that fast.."

Kovalevsky did not wait to hear the rest.  He started running, his men close after him.  The civilians hurried the best they could, yelling for the them to slow down and calling to each other to pick up pace.  The soldiers were much quicker - they were grown men and carried nothing more than rifles on their backs.  The others were slower and carried more.  They instantly started to fall behind, their shouting becoming fainter as they left them behind.  Alex looked over his shoulder, trying to get a good look of them.  What he saw did not make him feel better.  The small figures running besides the adults seemed like teens or children, some others had the gait and movements of elderly.  This was bad.   He turned around and kept running, trying to ignore their cries.  Alexei had his orders and he did not want to fall behind.  Missing the train would mean the end. 

"Captain, we are on our way.  The civi's are coming after us, but we are not waiting." The lieutenant spoke into the radio again. "We will be there in a few minutes. Over."

They ran along the sidewalk, lucky due to there being a long stretch that was not blocked by any abandoned vehicles.  In the distance, steadily coming closer was the view of the station building; large and square like a mansion, the white stone still visible under the snow.  It was made in the old soviet style, with a high spire in the middle which was crowned by a red star. 

But then their luck ended and the congestion on the street got worse.  In the middle of the road were the wrecked remains of a large truck.  It had been smashed into the ground, blocking of half of the lanes with is long hull.  The cars around it were pressed up against the buildings where the drivers had left them, huddled together as if they were trying to keep warm.  Kovalevsky climbed on top of the first one - a large foreign SUV.  His feet banged against the metal, the sudden sound very loud in the dark street.  From the roof he jumped to another car, then took a step to the next one.  He did not seem concerned with staying silent anymore.  Vladimir climbed after, then Egor.  Alexei jumped on top of the hood and felt the metal buckling under his boot.  There he stopped and turned around, his muscles urging him on to continue running.  But he did not, he wanted to see. 

The group had actually managed to keep up with, even though they had fallen a good bit behind in the beginning.  They were pulsing through the tracks the soldiers had made, steam rising from their mouths.  They were not longer yelling or calling for them slow down, instead trying to just breathe.  The man in the fur hat ran in front of them, carrying a massive bag on his back and dragging a smaller figure along.  A child, thought Alexei and the thought made him curse.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Egor had stopped on the next car and was looking back at him. "We gotta go before the damned giant shows up."

"They have children, look, even a fucking grandma!" Alexei pointed at the silhouette that, even though it was covered by a coat, still had the walk that so many old ladies had. "They won't get over this."

"To the devil with them and their grandma!  Come, don't lag behind."

Alexei knew that Egor was right.  But despite his heart racing and every nerve screaming that he should go, he could not.  He stayed. 

"We need to help them." He said, barley comprehending what words were coming from his lips. "At least over the cars."

"Are you crazy?" Egor grabbed a hold of Alexei's sleeve and tugged at it. "They are civi's, just leave them."

"Get off." Alexei jerked and pulled himself free, leaving Egor standing at his car.

The man in the fur hat had come up to the car.  Alexei stretched out his hand, still not really realizing what he was doing.  Strong fingers grabbed a hold of his wrist and he helped the man pull himself up.  The child reached out and Alexei grabbed it's tiny gloved hand as well.  With a powerful yank he lifted it up and almost threw it to the man.

"Go." he said, finding balance to help the next person

"You are fucking crazy!" that was Egor's voice, furious but with a tone of resignation in it. "Fuck!"

He took a step over to the car Alexei was standing one, perching on the roof.  Together they helped up the woman that had come running out into the street earlier.  They pulled at her so hard that she gave a little yelp and almost fell when her feet bounced against the metal hood, but Egor grabbed her by her waist and held her in place.

"Move your ass." He grunted and gave her a slap in the back.  She did not need another hint and jumped to the next car, trying to keep out with the man and the child. 

They helped the next person and then the next.  Alexei did not have the time to see their faces, he only new that there was both men and women, young and old and dressed as warmly as they could.  He briefly saw a pair of large and scared eyes in the face of a young woman, staring at his covered face from under a hood.  He almost pushed her to get her moving.  At the end there indeed was a grandma, an old lady with a noticeable limp, supported by an elderly man with moustaches and beard.  The later managed to get up on the hood almost by himself, but the woman did not even attempt it.  Her heavy, whistling breathing made it clear that she would was more likely to fall over dead than scale the car. 

"Just lift her up!" snarled Egor and grabbed the woman under her one arm.  Alexei grabbed her as well, and together they lifted her up.  She was heavy, but together they managed to carry her with her arms slumped over their shoulders.

"Now go!"

It was hard to move from car to car with a body between them, but they managed.  Egor was swearing between his breaths.  Their boots thundered against the metal, at one point Alexei almost slipped.  He managed to regain his balance and kept moving, ignoring his aching muscles.  After about ten metres the congestion eased and they jumped down into the snow.  They put down the woman, but either she was too tired to stand up she had lost her consciousness.  She started to fall over as soon as her feet hit the ground.  Wildly swearing, Egor pulled of the rifle from is back and threw it to Alexei.

"Take it." He murmured, crouching down and putting his shoulder against the woman's stomach.

Alexei hung the rifle over his shoulder and helped Egor to lift her up at his shoulder.  He grunted from the weight, stumbling when he tried to take a few steps.  Then he grabbed the woman by the waist with both hands and got into a slow run, carrying her as if she was a wooden log.  Alexei ran next to him, ready to support him if he lost his balance again.  Kovalevsky was waiting for them a few metres away, the rest of the group had already continued past him.

"What the hell is your problem!?" the lieutenant grabbed Alexei's upper arm and pulled it with such force that it felt like he would fall. "You disobeyed orders!  Mudak!*"

Alexei was breathing heavily, but he still managed to get an answer out. 

"I had to help them." He said, greedily breathing in mouthfuls of icy air. "They have children and old people.  I could not leave them"

"I am going to break your face.  You idiot." Kovalevsky tugged at him again. "And if not me, then the commanders will.  Disobeying orders like a bloody child!  Let's hope that we get on the train, otherwise I will break it right here!"

At that moment Alexei did not really care if his face would be broken.  He concentrated on letting air seep in and out of his lungs, keeping his pace even and quick.  For now everything else did not matter.  The lieutenant had let go of him and was now just running beside him.  That fitted Alexei well. 

They reached the station building, ran up the stairs leading to the broken wooden gates.  The large waiting hall was filled with snow, chunks of snow and support beams.  Two large holes were gaping in ceiling, showing the black sky above.  Through some wonder the roof had avoided to collapse and the spire that rested upon it could be seen through the openings.  Waiting benches were spread over the floor together with the metal frames from shop booths that had once stood along the walls.  At the open doors leading out on the platforms stood Vladimir, jumping from foot to foot.

"Finally!" he yelled. "You better hurry up, the train is leaving in a few minutes."

"Yeah yeah, shut up." Egor groaned and put down the old woman on the ground, violently rubbing his shoulder. "Vladik, help me with the starukha* here, she is heavy as fuck."

The woman was breathing but her body was still limp and unable to stand or walk on its own.  Vladimir took her by the arm and together with Egor they started carrying her, her feet dragging along the ground as those of a dummy.    

They came out of the doors and found themselves on the first platform, next to the hulk of a tipped over wagon.  The area belonging to the station was massive, stretching far out into the darkness.  Once the city's industries had made many railroad lines intertwine in this place, bringing goods and oil from the depths of Siberia to western parts of the country.  Once large bridges had stretched above the many lines of track, to allow passengers from platform to platform.  Now most of them were destroyed, some even missing completely, with only the foundations visible.  Several locomotives and an even larger number of wagons and railway carriages had remained at the station.  Their hulks lay in piles, thrown on top of each other.  Some had crashed into the side of the station building, others were laying on the far side of the railways territory, out in an open field.  It was as if a titanic storm once had gone through the area.

But they were almost at their goal.  Two platforms away loomed the shadowy silhouette of the train.  Alexei could hear the deep rumbling of from the front locomotives motors, they were slowly rising in strength.  The train was engulfed in darkness, no light came from the its headlights or the small windows.  Instead Alexei could see the beams of many flashlights dancing over the ground and then gathering at them.

A trio of men in snowsuits approached them when they got onto the right platform.  Together with Egor and Vladimir they picked up the woman and carried her towards the short ladder leading up the door into the second ladder. 

"You took your time." said the man who stood in the door, ready to grab her. "Oh, the commanders are pissed, Kovalevsky."

"I can guess." Answered the lieutenant, drawing for breath and resting his hands against his knees, waiting for the others to get into the door.  "Are we too late?"

"Nah, not yet." Said the soldier and disappeared into the warmly lit corridor. "But we better not wait."

Alexei felt someone pushing him in the back, and when he turned his head he saw the sullen yes of the lieutenant looking back at through the gap in the.  He too removed his night sights and climbed the steps into the wagon.  Kovalevsky looked around one last time before climbing after him.  The train had already started moving, the thumping sound of wheels against the rails growing louder and more frequent as they gained speed.  Alexei saw Kovalevsky closing the iron door behind him and ripping off his balaclava.

"The devil take you." He said, shaking the piece of cloth in Alexei's face. "Do you think they are going to like you running off and playing hero?"

"No, lieutenant."

Kovalevsky shook his head in resignation.  His face was red and glistening from sweat in the warm electric light.  He was a man in his early thirties, with a sharp nose and hard features.  The grey eyes looked at Alexei from under heavy eyelids.  He stuffed the balaclava in under his jacket and passed by Alexei into the thin corridor that connected the wagon to the next one.  Before entering it he turned around and looked at him again.

"Seriously" He said calmly, handing over his rifle to Alexei. "If you try to pull this shit at me again, I will crush your nose.  Do you understand?"

Alexei pulled of his own balaclava and nodded, but without lowering his eyes. 

"Yes, lieutenant."

Kovalevsky gave him one final, tired look and closed the door behind him.  Alexei looked down on the metal grid floor beneath his feet and tried to collect his thoughts.  Then he took a deep breath, hanged the assault rifle on his shoulder next to his own and made his way deeper into the wagon, heading for the sound of voices.  The others were already waiting for him.