Day 8 - Goat Gate

Today will be forever remembered as Goat Gate!  Once again, we count ourselves lucky to be alive and must accept that some plans simply don’t come together.  We have arrived back in Pusta, though not unscathed and with fewer rations than we’d hoped.  I’m beginning to wonder if Matt is carrying a curse of some kind and I’m sure he’s questioning our vetting process with regards to our new companion, Mackie.  While collecting road snacks from one of the farm houses near the barn, our young friend managed to accidentally discharge his crossbow…directly into Matt’s left arm.  It could have been quite a bit worse, in fact the damage was mostly superficial; but it brings to light our commonly held concern for safety in such close quarters.

Mackie, horribly embarrassed and very apologetic, was relegated to being on point for today’s hike, just to be safe.  We decided to put some distance between ourselves and the airborne bandits by returning to our alternate safe haven, the mansion in Pusta.  We made remarkably good time, despite remaining under the cover of the forest, by avoiding contact with major Zed population areas.  Only a few hours had passed by the time we were rounding the southern side of Vysoky Kamen and within sight of Pusta.

We were headed directly towards the mansion when I spotted two mountain goats on the side of the hill.  Unfortunately there were also more than a dozen Zeds in the general area.  We all agreed to save the canned goods for emergencies and began figuring out how to take down the goats without bringing the surrounding horde down on top of us.  My plan, initially, was for me to climb the hillside away from the Zeds, since my AKS had the best long-range capability, and drop the two goats.  The other three would remain nearby to haul off the meat quickly and quietly before the Zeds could detect the kills.  Once we got into the vicinity, though, impatience and the agitation of the natives got the best of Mitch.  He shot both goats, at point-blank range, apparently hoping we could escape with the carcasses like hyenas stealing a gazelle.  Suffice it to say, that Mitch’s “Gun-n-Run” plan failed miserably.  The nearest Zed contingent was upon us almost instantly.  Mackie managed to shish-kabob one’s cranium, but the excruciatingly long reload process prevented him from taking any more shots before departing in haste.  Mitch and Matt were likewise scrambling across the small field and emptying the magazines of their pistols into as many snarling abominations as they could line up.  

I opted to run towards the next pasture to the east to escape both the fracas and a possible crossfire situation.  When I turned back to face the running battle I found Mackie barreling straight towards me with a pair of Zeds close on his heels.  Mackie swerved abruptly as I raised my rifle; giving me a perfect sight picture with the chevron centered on the nearest Zed’s brain bucket, a split second before it disappeared in a claret shower.  The monster’s headless body crumpled and slid to a stop near my feet, just as my second shot missed the trailing beast still focused on Mackie.  I spun to reacquire my target when it was masterfully dispatched by Matt, trotting down the hill with his black powder rifle still shouldered and smoking.  Mitch joined us in our corner of the pasture a short time later as we helplessly watched the remains of the Zed clan devour our goats.

We still have plenty of canned goods; and Pusta, as a whole, seems to be well stocked with provisions.  Matt and Mackie are planning a side trip to Topolka Dam tomorrow while Mitch and I will see what can be scavenged from the rest of the town.  We haven’t seen or heard the bandit helicopter since leaving our last base camp; so, barring any of our usual luck, the next couple days should be fairly uneventful.