A tale of two emotions

[Lennsik 176]

So, last night for me went radically different than I had expected. In fact, it's a two parter to lead up to what is so far, the most riveting and vivid emotional experience this game has given me yet so far. If you want form of tl;dr, there isn't one. I was never an advocate of shortening my stories.

To start, I'm a pretty modest survivor. I use a Lee Enfield or Winchester over other guns. I stealth most of the time. I hit small towns and like to give out medical supplies to fresh spawns. Sometimes I'll favor a Military Weapon for an hour or two, but ultimately be relieved to find another residential weapon. I've never owned a vehicle, or for that matter, seen one used in any games I've played up until now.

Part 1: The Ride

So my play was starting pretty normal as usual. My buddy, who we will call Chris, was to meet me up in Gorka as we planned to finally sit down and begin a group if we find a vehicle. We had attempted multiple times before in our plays to do this with no such luck. We could find nothing to use and usually, the server would be an infestation for clans. Our policy, to avoid server hopping tendencies, is give a server 2 days, and then switch if we're unlucky and have died at least once. This server, however, took a sudden turn.

As we reached Gorka, we had our usual Zombie run, hunting spree, and all around shits 'n giggles fun as there was barely anyone on. We looted food and water and made way east. That's when we reached the Krasnostav that everything changed. Hooray! Klen had TWO ATV's that needed a tire each and we were good to go! Sadly, loot tables were not on our side and Krasno was barely supplies for anything. No wheels for us it seemed. Chris then suggested we hit the Military Tower and scope out our surroundings. Reaching the top, we heard strange noises, but didn't bother it. The game was full of it. Then game the first shot, it was from our left at that time, heading into the air strip when the smoke settled before Chris' sight. He made us duck down and look around. We see one lone man and his sniper running off into the distance. I was busy shooting at him and making him play chicken dance to notcie Christopher's sighting. Far off, on the other side of the strip, was a bus.

A bus and two other survivors guarding it should I add. Now this made Chris and I drop our jaws. This lucky SoBs were able to actually get a working vehicle as a group. They had achieved our goal before we did. The current emotions I felt could be jealousy and pure desire to have that bus. As it drove off, the feelings faded as I realized they probably were gone for good. That was until Chris, with his amazing binocular powers, spotted the bus sitting in a dense portion of forest on the other side of Kransostav. They had stopped and gotten out. We identified out enemies as a sniper in a ghillie, one other unknown sniper, and...a man in a hatchet. Must've been a fresh spawn pick up. Our plan wasn't exactly formulated nor was it organized. I was already running down the stair well and crouch running across town before Chris could spot our attackers. It was there he agreed to keep track on them while I would do the most ballsy thing I had tried yet in DayZ. Which would be taking out two snipers and a man with a hatched on only 4 mags of Winchester ammo and a Makarov.

The prone crawl there wasn't exactly action-y or exciting. For me, it was suspenseful. I was breathing heavily, muttering to myself in fear, and all around watching all around me for even the slightest movements that could signal an attacker. At about 100 meters away from the bus, a shot rang out and Chris was dead. A clean head shot through and through from the ghillie suit attacker. How did I know this? I watched the bastard crouch up and move to another position as he was no more than 10 feet from me! He ran around a tree that was to my left and proned again. Waiting for me. Now was my chance to shoot, I had to make the most precise shot or be risked being seen by his cohorts. This was it. The moment of truth, I took the shot...and he was gone. The bastard had Alt+F4'd! He knew my position and was gone! No time to lose, I stood up and ran. Not entirely sure what was happening, I head to the bus, get to the other side, and press enter. I was inside the driver's seat and I was slamming the W key as hard as bloody could. I could hear pistol shots firing from behind and one even hit me, but no bleeding, that's good. It took about 4 minutes to finally maneuver our of the city and onto the road. After that, it was quick pick up on a wheel in a neighboring city, fixing the fuel line, and refueling. All conveniently set in Berezino. I pick up Chris from Cherno and we explore the world, free of running from now on.

My emotion after all that? Pure, unrestrained delight.

Part 2: The Murder

Now we all know DayZ has no rules on killing. We kill or be killed as we please. And as I've established, I don't kill. I contently help others with hope I won't be shot int he back. Or worse, shot on sight. I've had my hits or misses, but this night changed me entirely in playstyle.

After picking Chris up, we hit the apartment complex outside of Cherno, getting medical supplies from the hospital first, and then rummaging the apartments themselves. We had amazing loot, actually. A Czech Backpack for chris, two Camo suits for us, Winchester Ammo, rifle and pistol for Chris, and a 1911 for me. Along with all the other generic loot of food and water, we were pretty set. Chris was in a building to the left of me, so I told him meet me at the bus and we'll plan where to head next. It had been about an hour since we collected out new found goody and it was treating us like a charm. The engine needed fixing, but all else was good to go. Whistling in joy that things were working out, I never thought I would have the sudden feeling of fear strike into my chest as I hit the first floor.

There he was, sitting at the first floor, crouched. He was wearing a blue shirt and tan vest. He donned aviators and a handlebar mustache, just like me. His gun was a basic Ak-47 model and he was looking outside. Staring into the distance. Maybe waiting for something? There had to be something he was eyeing. And then, without warning, a thought struck me. He was staring right at the bus. My bus, the bus I was cherishing to no end. I had to act fast, my usual instinct to ask if he was friendly failed me as he slowly turned around. I raised my gun and aimed it at him, waiting, trying to get a grasp on something. Too late, he saw me, I had to do it. I shot him. Then I shot him again, and again, and again until he fell. Even then I shot a few more times.

The body lay there now, the sound of flies buzzing, and the squirts of blood squirting. I was hightailing it. I called out to Chris and told him to run into the bus. No questions, no stopping, we had to go now. Chris was asking what the shots were for, and in between hushed demands to get him in the bus, I slipped I shot a Survivor and that was that. All he could say was "Wow."

Now we are nestled far north as we can be, waiting until tonight to play some more. I don't know how to exactly describe what to feel about killing someone in a game, but I know currently it's strong and vivid and I still have those short few moments of shooting him burned into my head. I think I know what it feels not to get the true spectrum of emotion out of this game. I'm thrilled by it, I'm immersed in its world and regardless of what state it is right now, I feel strengthened in my resolve that I have to do what I have to do to survive in this game's universe. Even if that means stealing a group's bus and killing a man for it.