Metro 2033 - Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Chapter 4 - Lost Tunnel

Bourbon: Great, we broke free! Now keep your eyes peeled, the handcar ride is over. Lots of tough guys died in these tunnels. But if we watch each others’ backs… we’ll get there.

[He kills a mutant in the distance.]

Bourbon: Ah, that’s just a single lurker… They rarely attack groups of people… but if you’re alone, watch your ass.

[Artyom looks around and collects ammunition from the corpses. Many of the corpses are infected with some kind of fungus and glow a poisonous green in the dark.]

Bourbon: Strange sounds… Either the ground is making that noise, or the wind… I also heard tales of singing pipes. They say if you listen long enough, you can hear the voices of the dead… What bullshit. Be extra-quiet here! There should be a roadblock in the second tunnel, we don’t want to draw their attention.

[Artyom and Bourbon walk through a derailed and long corroded train car. Bourbon notices several fresh bodies.]

Bourbon: Shit! Caravaners… They’re all dead. I know that style! Bandits! And Hanza boasted that they’d wiped them out. Ha-ha! Now keep your eyes peeled--they won’t let us pass freely. Alarm system. Ancient, but quite efficient. If you want to arrive unexpected, try not to disturb the cans. Watch your step--any crunch or crackle will give you away!

[They go further into the room. Artyom picks up the knife stuck in the table and collects ammo.]

Bourbon: O-ooop!… A trip wire! An excellent way to get rid of the blind and daredevils. You get what to do? They barricaded themselves. Dammit! (Чёрт!) We need to get closer. Can you take down the patrol?

[Artyom and Bourbon are hiding behind crates. One of the patrolmen sings a very famous song "Gop Stop" in perfect Russian. Carefully hiding in the shadows, Artyom quietly kills all the patrolmen with the knife he found.]

Bourbon: The bridge is a nasty place, so here’s the plan: I'll keep you covered, and you watch my back. If we work together, we'll make it. But don’t play the hero, boy--I’m in no mood to get killed today!

[Note 1]
Bourbon is definitely not as simple as he tries to seem. Yes, he is rude, and his sense of humor is rough at best. But the things he tells about his exploits and, even more, the things he prefers not to tell, prove he is way too sharp for a regular smuggler, and his knowledge of the situation not just at the nearest stations, but even the Ring as a whole, is mind-boggling. All the passages and tunnels, even the long abandoned ones, are well known to him, he is quite at home in combat, which means he saw his share of dangerous encounters… He's definitely much more than a regular smuggler, of that I am sure.

[Artyom and Bourbon continue traveling through the tunnels. There are some eerie sounds coming from far away.]

Bourbon: Gasmasks! Quick!

[Without wasting a second, Artyom puts on the mask.]

Bourbon: Come on, I’m here!!! Bitches!

[They are attacked by a mob of mutants. Artyom pulls out a shotgun and starts killing them one by one, covering Bourbon's back. The mutants' soft bodies explode in bloody chunks, staining Artyom's mask with blood. He wipes it off with his hand. He and Bourbon continue down the tunnel.]

Bourbon: Artyom! Hush… That’s Hanza’s military trolley! They are looking for the bandits.

[They hide and wait for the car to leave.]

Bourbon: OK, they’re gone now… we can go.

[They step into a rusty railroad car...]

Bourbon: Shit! We’re gonna fall! Run!

[The car falls into the abyss. Artyom and Bourbon barely manage to jump out of it!]

Bourbon: Wow, that was some ride! A cave-in, shit! And a staircase, how convenient seems to me we’re being lured in. Fuck it--let’s go!

[They are attacked by several mutants, which they easily kill and go on, reaching a certain sewage system, in which there are many corpses overgrown with glowing mushrooms. Artyom and Bourbon jump over the railing.]

Bourbon: Damn! (Сука!) As if nosalises behind us were not enough tow we’re stuck in a fucking graveyard. Artyom, search the bodies, and I’ll try to get our asses out of here.

[While Artyom is collecting ammunition, he has a new vision. He sees a man trying to open a gate at the end of a long corridor.]

Bourbon: Rusty piece of shit! Come on, open! Artyom, my gut tells me something is very wrong with this place! Remember our agreement--I’m counting on you, kid!

[After he finishes collecting ammo, Artyom goes to Bourbon.]

Bourbon: Come on! Nice little grille! I promise you, dear, - I will come back and lubricate you, also get you new paint. Oh, the great door! I hear you are calling me!

[Artyom is again plunged into a vision where he walks down a long corridor to a gate that a man has opened. A strong gust of wind pulls Artyom towards the gate. He approaches the man and realizes that he is dead. Artyom grabs the gate to keep from flying and at that moment he is grabbed by the Dark One's hand.]

Bourbon: Yes, my mistress! I hear you! Yes, yes, yes! Always, always! Oh, yes! Now I’m happy! Your songs are magnificent! Sing more! Sing only to me!

[The vision ends and Artyom and Bourbon find themselves on the other side of a closed door.]

Bourbon: Aaaa!!! What the hell just happened to me?! Artyom, did you hear those songs? Brrr! I wouldn’t wish it on an enemy.

[Without much adventures Artyom and Bourbon go further along the narrow tunnels and come out a massive iron door above which is written "РЫНОК" (MARKET).]

[Note 2]
These tunnels definitely are cursed… Something really is happening there. Those voices… Perhaps, they are just illusions - but I am sure that if we didn't get dragged out of there then, we would have stayed there forever. It happened so that I saved Bourbon, a stranger to me, while somebody else, who I was a stranger to, saved me. We are used to not trusting others implicitly, but if each of us fights on his own, we're going to be nothing more than a free meal for the mutants. And still… I'm not sure whom am I afraid more of.

Bourbon: And here is the Market. Stay calm--Uncle Bourbon will get us in. Hey, people! Open up! Don’t let your two legged brethren die a foolish death! Are you deaf in there?! We’re going to be eaten!!

[Eerie sounds come from the tunnels. A guard standing behind an iron grille comes out to Artyom.]

Guard: Motherfuckers! Who the hell did you drag with you?… Damn nosalises!
Semyon, start the trolley, we’ll save their asses!

Bourbon: Artyom, hang on! Fate’s on our side!

[For a while they have to fight off mutants.]

Bourbon: Let’s kick some snout butts!

Guard: Hey you! Show yourselves!

Bourbon: Do as he says--these guys have no sense of humor.

Mikhalych: Are my eyes playing tricks? Bourbon, old friend, is that you?! And I’d given up hope of ever seeing you alive again! Simon, look who the Snouts scared up!

Bourbon: God damn! We stepped in the shit now! Hey, Mikhalych, what a coincidence, I was just coming to visit you!

Mikhalych: You hear that, boys? Set out the good dishes--Bourbon’s come to visit! Now, don’t go running off, Bourbon. We’ve got a little job to finish, then we’ll get back to you. Remember where you should wait for me?

Bourbon: I do, I do…

Mikhalych: You sure? I can help you remember. You get me, right?

Bourbon: Absolutely.

[The iron door opens and Artyom and Bourbon step inside.]