The Tale of the Broken Leg

[AshleyP 121]

I do a fair amount of hiking in real life, and I was drawn to DayZ because it's basically an orienteering simulator that has zombies in it, and also snipers. It's great fun to cross large areas of countryside and emerge from the woods in just the right place to dive into a barn. It's also fun to swing a hatchet and kill somebody, or hold a distant figure in the sights of a rifle and blow his brains out. And not just in real life - these things are fun in DayZ as well. So I'm going to share with you my tale of crawling for a long time with a broken leg, which I did yesterday and earlier today.

See, I like the east, north-east chunk of the map. It's much less of a meat grinder than the south, but there's still a fair amount to do, and there's occasionally a vehicle spawn at the north end of Berezino. Also, if you go exploring the other side of the small gulf in the extreme north-east you occasionally find interesting things. I've got all the survival gear except for a pair of binoculars, so I went off to the supermarket in Krasnostav to see if I could find some. There's nothing much in Krasnostav except for the supermarket, but it's an interesting trip - the top of the mountain just to the south has a nice view of the ruined mansion to the west, and there are a couple of ATV spawns, and sometimes heli crashes.

So I traipse off to Krasnostav. If you approach from the south-east, the supermarket's right on the edge of the woods, so it's relatively safe. There's a concrete wall in front of the supermarket's back entrance, and you can go around it to the left - which leaves you exposed to the valley that leads south - or to the right, which brings you onto the road but keeps you covered by the buildings.

So I took out my hatchet and went right. You have to crawl through a break in the wall, and just as I dropped to the ground a zombie spotted me and decided that my leg looked tasty. Dunno if it was because I was crawling, but for the first time in a month, SNAP, my leg went. I killed the zombie easy enough and patched myself up, but I couldn't walk. The last time I broke my leg a glitch un-broke it - I think I equipped binoculars whilst kneeling, and then did something with my backpack, and for some reason my leg magically healed. But not this time. No amount of fiddling with my gear, equipping my rifle and then my binoculars etc did the trick. I was stuffed.

On the positive side, the supermarket had some binoculars and lots of food, which is important when you're crawling because it takes ages to get anywhere. No morphine though. Didn't expect any. So I took stock. According to the Wiki, morphine has a tiny chance of appearing in residential spawns, so I half-heartedly had a look around the nearest houses, which was fraught because crawling through doorways is potentially lethal. Nothing, wasn't very hopeful. There's the airfield to the north-east, which I dismissed. The server had about thirty people on it and a constant stream of kill messages and "how could you just kill me, I only just spawned" moaning. How could they kill you? They aimed for the chest, that's how.

I check the map, and the nearest hospital is in... where is it? Yeah, Berezino, but there must be another one. There couldn't be such a huge area without a hospital. Berezino, Berezino... that's a fair old hike. The next-closest is Elektro. Elektro. Don't fancy crawling through Elektro towards a tall building with a flat open roof. So Berezino it is. which is on the other side of the mountain, across open fields. Contemplate this map:

In theory I should have let the zombies eat me and just respawn. All I had was a Lee Enfield, ten bullets, a Colt 45, a hatchet, lots of bandages, food. Two AKM magazines just in case I find an AKM. Better get rid of those, never gonna use 'em. But I have all the survival stuff - hatchet, knife, matches, toolkit, etc - and dammit I can't give up. That would be weak. Let's get cracking. Have a Pepsi first, it'll pep me up.

I crawl south, up the mountain. On the positive side, the server has third-person view, and with a mixture of ALT-looking and third person I can basically scan the whole area around me. If anybody hoves into view, I'm already prone, and my Lee Enfield and its ten bullets will quiet them. Assuming they stand still, and there's only one of them and they're idiots, and they're not in a car. On I go, reaching the top of the mountain and wearing down the W key at the same time. As usual, there's a broken ATV at the spawn with nothing in the trunk. I sit on it and make brum-brum noises. I should really skirt around the edge of the mountain's bald patch, but screw it, I can't be bothered. I cross the field and move on, looking left and right in case someone comes in with a helicopter. The top of the mountain south of Krasnostav is where I would land my helicopter, if I had a helicopter. It's flat, you can see all around, the trees are below the level of the peak and so no-one can look down on you.

Descending south, I spot a boar. For a moment I wonder if I could gut it, crawl inside the boar's body, and use it as a kind of boarmobile. I would put my arms and legs into its arms and legs and just hobble around like a boar, or I could roll. No-one would suspect anything. But the only problem is that a hunter might shoot and gut *me*. On the off chance that eating lots of food will heal broken bones - it doesn't, but it doesn't hurt to try - I shoot and gut the thing and cook the food and eat well. In my experience the water meter runs down first, so I'm not going to die hungry. Log off for the evening. Log on the next evening.

South of the mountain the woods break up a bit, so I skirt west. My navigation's sketchy at this point because there aren't any landmarks and I don't know how fast you crawl in the game. No camping tents, surprised. I have no idea how many people go off to the north-east - I assume the geared-up players just fly over it en route to their camps, everybody else ignores it. As it turns out I spot nobody. It would be trivially easy for a sniper to hide behind a tree, lean out, and plug me, but it must have been my lucky day. About half-way down the mountain a chopper flies overhead going south, but again I'm under cover so they either didn't spot me, or didn't care. Moving on I skirt the edge of the forest until I hit a road, and then I notice a brightly-coloured chalk track leading north-west, at which point I realised I'm approaching the outskirts of Berezino.

At this point I've got two options. There's a spit of forest that leads east-south-east, direct to Berezino's northern suburbs and its military camp, which sounds too dangerous. So I back up, head west again. Gonna cross the road next to a little house where I almost died the very time I played, a couple of months ago. I've been there before in another life. With the addition of zombies in the fields I'm in a worrisome predicament. They seem to head straight for me, and I can't outrun them. If they spot me I can hack 'em with my hatchet, but I have to fiddle around with my backpack, swapping the hatchet for the rifle which takes time. Luckily they turn away, but I cross the road fully expecting to be jumped, or shot, or run over by a passing motorist.

By this time there are only nine or so people on the server, so sod it, let's go to that hospital. Never going to get a better chance. The deer stand west of Berezino has a smoke grenade and some bandages, but I have plenty of bandages already. Imagine if you could use bandages and firewood to make a splint, eh? And then perhaps after an hour - this is a game - your bone heals and you can run again. Imagine that. I used to play Op Flashpoint so I binocularise Berezino and then evaluate my approach. Entering from the west you go downhill slightly. There's a warehouse to your left, but the zombies are just wandering so let's assume there's no-one there. No-one on top of the hospital, which is dead ahead. To the right I'm totally exposed to the treeline south-west of Berezino, but there's only so much I can do to minimise the risk.

Luckily there's a run of trees and a low stone wall that provide cover from the north, and also from the roof of the hospital, so I crawl straight in. The zombies are useless at spotting you when you're crawling, so despite coming really close a few times they just ignore me. By this time I've switched to my hatchet, 'cause in the city there's no point using my Lee Enfield. I don't have the mobility for an urban gunfight, and the noise will just attract the walking dead, who will swamp me before I get a chance to pull out the hatchet again. A gunman on top of the hospital will be able to kill me at his leisure, but again, I can't account for everything.

Crawl crawl crawl. Perhaps it's a server thing, but the streets of Berezino are generally free of zombies. It's an odd city - lots of dead soldiers, broken-down military equipment, but only a very few military tents. It's split into three zones and has two supermarkets but it's not really on the way to anywhere, so people ignore it. Still, the hospital beckons. I contemplate going round the back, because I've been here before I know that the east side of the hospital has a little maze of walls. But victory is in sight, so I crawl crawl crawl up to the window and whack it with my hatchet. Doesn't break. Whack it again, doesn't break. Fully expecting to be eaten or shot. Whack, it breaks, and luckily there's a medical box right in front of me. I gulp down morphine like that chap from Alice in Chains, but instead of making me die - again, just like that chap from Alice in Chains - it heals me. And I can walk again. It's great, walking. Basically just like falling, but you put your foot out and balance on it.

Layne Staley. I always felt sorry for him. He had a lonely childhood without a dad, who ran off to do lots of drugs. No-one took him or his band as seriously as Nirvana and Kurt Cobain. He was partial to the old smack, and so was his fiancee - who was far more attractive than Courtney Love - but they drifted apart and eventually she died. He was devastated but managed to track down his dad, who unfortunately was a drug fiend and total waster, so basically Staley was screws. Him and his dad ended up doing a lot of drugs together until they drifted apart again, at which point Staley became a recluse. They found his body two weeks after he passed away. The last person who saw him alive was Mike Starr, the band's bassist, who died of a heroin overdose in 2011. The lesson here, kids, is that if you're crawling on your belly into Berezino from the west, keep to the trees as long as you can and try not to aggro the zombies and above all don't take any heroin, it interferes with your judgement.

After taking the morphine I fully expected some sadistic git to shoot me in the head just for fun. But no, I did not die. Instead I filled my backpack with morphine (perhaps I can sell it on the open market, or combine it with something and make crack or something) and run basically south-west into the trees, until the zombies stop chasing me, and then I log out. Still alive, and I can walk. Phew.

[Food 309]

The greatest story ever told! I admire your caution and how you assess every situation, I just run in like a maniac and hope for the best. It works though I'm on day 9 and have only died once on the server I play on, which was due to a glitch.

Another thing, I personally love Berezino, it's usually empty and has everything. 2 supermarkets, a hospital, military tents, and tons of industrial spawns for car parts. Me and my group usually go there first if we ever need supplies.

[Welch (DayZ) 756]

Not to be a doucher, but tl;dr? That's the longest post I've ever seen!

But really, what kinda map is that? It's like a real satellite image.

[GotBeanZ 45]

Fantastic tale, chap! Beans to ye! :thumbsup: :beans:

tl;dr? That's the longest post I've ever seen!

Really, bro?

Edited March 6, 2013 by GotBeanZ

[iegle 117]

Nice story!

I crawled from Bor to Berezhino with a broken leg once. There is a thread here somewhere about that crawl too.

I had the exact same dread about getting shot as you once I got my morphine. It took me days (literally) to complete the journey, I was shaking for quite some time after healing myself. I actually forgot what it was like to walk and run, and getting used to being upright again took a while too. :) This character broke his leg on day 1 of his life, and lived for over 60 days. I was glad I made the effort rather than giving up, and beans to you too. This is what DayZ is all about: surviving.

Oh, and morphine (an opiate) and crack (i.e. cocaine, a monoamine reuptake inhibitor) are structurally unrelated, you can not convert one into the other. Morphine and heroin, that is another story....

[Raged 187]

This is one of the most well thought out/ interesting stories I've read here. Beans for you, sir. :beans:

[taco241 393]

Great story. Good for not logging/suiciding. I applaud your grit.

I once crawled 13 hours on a broken leg, Never did find a morphine. Just a bullet in the cold wet darkness.

[Zypha 7]

This is what I love about DayZ. The players that just don't give up, they just stick in there through thick and thin.

An amazing read and I applaud your determination sir!

[Concise 13]

Classic DayZ well written story telling, keep up the great work.

[bloodtrozorx 145]

First, damn you. Now I have an incredible urge to listen to Alice in Chains. Second, awesome story. Take my beans.

[Naike 28]

Good good story!

You deserve dem BEAANS! :beans:

[iegle 117]

There was probably all sorts of morphine at the NEAF. ;)

DayZ is like that.

[Pandema 352]

Descending south, I spot a boar. For a moment I wonder if I could gut it, crawl inside the boar's body, and use it as a kind of boarmobile. I would put my arms and legs into its arms and legs and just hobble around like a boar, or I could roll. No-one would suspect anything. But the only problem is that a hunter might shoot and gut *me*. On the off chance that eating lots of food will heal broken bones - it doesn't, but it doesn't hurt to try - I shoot and gut the thing and cook the food and eat well. In my experience the water meter runs down first, so I'm not going to die hungry. Log off for the evening. Log on the next evening.

And this is where I lost it.

Bravo good sir, bravo.

[Django-x 9]

Great story sir, you certainly lasted longer than I ever have with a broken leg, I usually crawl around for a bit, plan an epic journey like yours and just end up shooting off rounds till the horde arrives.

[VisionTwelve 24]

Jtry crashing a heli and getting the bugged knockout timer that won't let you wake up....

[dblxross@yahoo.com 103]

Nice job. Good way to use the monologue for humor, and the abstract, round-about way of the narrator's thought process is intriguing and different. Kudos.