Faded Lights - Survivor's Log

[Ghurcb]

Following is a story in the form of a collection of log entries based on my current survival run. It closely resembles the events of the run, although sometimes I do change certain aspects in favor of a more interesting or realistic plot.

This playthrough includes the content from Tales From the Far Territory expansion, and, if my character survives long enough, there will be spoilers for the Tales. The difficulty is custom, most of the settings are taken from Stalker, but the weather and wolf spawn frequency are from Interloper, also, condition recovery is set to low and can only occur when sleeping. No feats were used.

Here's the code: 8lnc-mmpa-KBor-C8eG-N2MC

[Ghurcb]

DAY 1 - Nighttime

My fingers are numb and shaking with cold as I'm writing this down sitting in an abandoned lookout tower. It’s snowing outside. I couldn’t start a fire, but the interior seems warm enough to provide some safety.
I was on an airplane that fell in the mountains nearby. I’m wounded and my jacket is burnt to the point of being useless, which proved quite inconvenient on my trek to safety.
The reason I’m writing this down is that I can’t remember how I got here. I must have hit my head too hard or something. So I should keep a log in case I continue losing my memories.

[Ghurcb]

DAY 1 – Morning

There’s a bed in here. I hid under the blanket for warmth and fell asleep. I don’t think a lot of time passed while I was out, but the cloudy sky is getting brighter.
I should go out, look for help.

I went further down the trail that led me to the lookout tower, but about 15 minutes later I saw a wolf. I know they usually don’t attack people, but I chose not to tempt fate. I turned around and went in the opposite direction.
My clothes aren’t doing anything in this weather. It took a lot of determination to keep going as I was passing by the tower again. I can’t just live in there.
Almost an hour later, moving down this hill, I saw a few cabins. It was about time, as my fingers started turning blue. I cried for help, but no one answered. I entered one of the cabins, found no one inside. What I did find, however, was a pair of mittens. They will serve me well.

[Bearimpaler101]

14 hours ago, Ghurcb said:

DAY 1 – Morning

There’s a bed in here. I hid under the blanket for warmth and fell asleep. I don’t think a lot of time passed while I was out, but the cloudy sky is getting brighter.
I should go out, look for help.

I went further down the trail that led me to the lookout tower, but about 15 minutes later I saw a wolf. I know they usually don’t attack people, but I chose not to tempt fate. I turned around and went in the opposite direction.
My clothes aren’t doing anything in this weather. It took a lot of determination to keep going as I was passing by the tower again. I can’t just live in there.
Almost an hour later, moving down this hill, I saw a few cabins. It was about time, as my fingers started turning blue. I cried for help, but no one answered. I entered one of the cabins, found no one inside. What I did find, however, was a pair of mittens. They will serve me well.

Hey @Ghurcb haven't seen you in in a while.

[Ghurcb]

8 hours ago, Bearimpaler101 said:

Hey @Ghurcb haven't seen you in in a while.

Hey

[Ghurcb]

DAY 1 – Daytime

I went through all of the three cabins. My first priority was finding warm clothes, but all I found was a scarf. Better than nothing. I also took some food, since I was getting hungry, and a couple of books to read or burn if need be.
Stealing is wrong, but it’s a survival situation I find myself in. Hopefully, I won’t have to get used to it.

It’s warm in here. I have food and a couple sodas. I could spend the night in this cabin, but I’d be wasting time. Whoever lived here must have had a job, or a place they go to to buy food. There must be more civilization around. I’m not spending another night in this cold if there’s a town nearby.
I must keep going.

[Ghurcb]

DAY 1 – Evening

I was going downhill for a couple hours. The cold was horrible. I tried adjusting the scarf to cover as much of my face as possible. Laughably desperate, completely useless. The cold wind was going through my sweatshirt like it was nothing.
When it felt like too much to take, I noticed a shore and a powerline to the south. And an actual road. One more hour downhill following the wire and I saw a small townsite. Upon getting closer I called out to people. This time a got a response.
A wolf howl. It sounded very close to me. So I rushed away to the biggest building around, some sort of a gas station, or a hangar. Luckily, it was open and surprisingly warm. Inside I found some more chips and candy bars. There’s a lot of repair equipment here.
There’s also a rifle.
This is silly, I don’t need a gun. I need clothes, food and water. Where would I even put it? Not to mention that if the owner notices me walking around with their weapon, this is going to be a very awkward conversation.
For now, I’m going to sleep.

[Ghurcb]

DAY 2 – Morning

I was terribly parched when I woke up. My soda reserves ended yesterday, and the tomato soup I found in one of the cabins was safely locked inside a can that I couldn’t open. I went to the bathroom and tried turning the tap on, but there was no water.
Then, a thought occurred to me, and I was both delighted and disappointed at being right. The toilet cistern had some water at the bottom. It seemed clean.
And it tasted clean too.
If I wasn’t a survivor before, I am now.

Plans for the day:
- Search every house in this town
- Find a jacket
- Cook some proper food (if the cold doesn’t kill me, the diet of crackers and chocolate will)
- Find any communication device
- Contact emergency services

Edited December 28, 2023 by Ghurcb

[Ghurcb]

DAY 2 – Daytime

I still can’t remember anything from my past, but I can say for certain that I never enjoyed a breakfast more than I enjoyed the one I had this morning. One of the houses had some meat in the fridge and a can of oats. The stove was out of gas, but there was a fireplace.
The experience of lighting a fire, putting a pot next to it, and cooking some porridge with meat was so cozy… For the first time here I felt safe.

When it comes to clothing, I found two sweaters better suited for this weather than the one that was on me yesterday, another pair of pants and a parka. There was also a backpack. A couple cans of peaches that I found later fit nicely inside it.
I probably shouldn’t be so happy about stealing people’s stuff. But I don’t think anyone would miss their oats that would probably go bad by the time they return in spring.
If they even return…
There was a cup of coffee left in a microwave. Whoever made it, had to leave in a hurry.

Edited December 28, 2023 by Ghurcb

[Ghurcb]

DAY 2 – Daytime

Unfortunately, I saw no mobile phones or landlines while I was ravaging this town. Or people, although I didn't have my hopes up when it came to that.
When I came back to the gas station, though, I noticed that the room I had spent the last night in, had computer in it this whole time. It wasn't plugged in, and there was no power cable. I looked around, searched all the drawers, and collected quite the assortment of various wires. At the end of the day, when the monitor and keyboard were connected to the computer, and the computer itself was plugged to the socket and LAN, I pressed the power button and...
...Nothing happened
Of course, the power's off, no one lives here!

[Ghurcb]

DAY 3 – Morning

Tonight I dreamt of the crash two days ago. The dream felt so real and it matched the reality perfectly. The fire in the cockpit, the pain, me in a daze trying climb out through the windshield, slipping and falling down the mountain. My left arm still hurts, although I should be glad I got out alive, not even any broken bones.
I remember the last two days very clearly. There might not be a need to keep a diary. But I really got into writing, it helps me put my thoughts in order. Was I a writer before?
Anyway, this garage is getting colder every day. The only way to warm it up is the fire barrel in the backroom, but I don't have to be an expert survivalist to understand that the smoke would make this place uninhabitable.
This place is death trap, I have to get going.

[Ghurcb]

DAY 3 – Daytime

I exited the garage and followed the highway west. It was warm outside for a winter morning, and I had pants on my pants, so the cold wasn't that big of an issue.
There was, however, a thick fog. So thick that I couldn't see more than 30 meters away. I heard wolves howling on the frozen sea, but couldn't see them. Maybe I should have taken that rifle.
Two hours later, I noticed some sort of a mine entrance to the left. Upon going in to investigate, I was creeped out of my mind, so I left
immediately. But I did pick up a flashlight. Its battery was dead, though.
A little south-west of the mine there was a log sort with a trailer. The trailer was mostly empty, so I continued going.
Three more hours and I approached a fishing village. Just as abandoned as every other trace of civilization I came across. The fog is still heavy.
I should stay here until tomorrow.

[Ghurcb]

DAY 3 – Evening

Inventory check:

Clothes
- Cotton Toque
- Wool Scarf
- Wool Mittens
- Wool Socks (two pairs)
- Boots (weren't made for this climate)
- Jeans
- Cargo Pants
- Wool sweater
- Hockey Jersey
- Sports West
- Parka

Food
- Chocolate bar x2
- Energy Bar x2
- Granola Bar
- Chips
- Pork and Beans (Canned)
- Oats
- Sardines
- Orange Soda
- Half a Bottle of Water

First Aid
- Bandage x2
- Painkillers x12 pills (my arm keeps hurting, I'll have to start taking them if it gets worse)

Other
- Cooking Pot
- Sleeping Bag
- Oil lamp
- Flashlight (need a battery)
- Matches x20
- Books x3

[Ghurcb]

DAY 4 – Evening

I messed up.
When I woke up the fog still hasn't cleared, but I decided to keep going along the highway. An hour or two later, I reached its end.
A rock fall was blocking the road.
There was an abandoned car, inside I found a note. The author's name is Heather, it said that she was going to some place called "Mystery Lake".

I couldn't go over the rock fall. It was big, as if a mountain fell on this highway. So I tried going around it. I went uphill, away from the shore. Knee-deep in snow I kept trudging away. The slope to the west was too steep, so I was getting further and further away from the road. I think, at some point, I got turned around. It's hard to say because of the fog.
I got lost. And no one would come looking for me.
I chose a direction and tried following it. Three hours later I stumbled into a lonely cabin. I have no idea where I am, but at least I won't die of hypothermia.
...Today