Alice in the Zone: Meeting the Locals

More about Alice in the Zone: Meeting the Locals

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When she heard some indistinct voices coming from behind the factory, Alice went to investigate. If nothing else she could at least ask for directions, she thought. Yet something told her not to immediatly draw attention to herself but instead take a careful look through the window first. When she did, she realized with terror that this decision had probably just saved her life: What she saw was a bunch of ragged, mangy stalkers, many with open wounds and rashes all over their faces, drooling and muttering incomprehensible nonsense. Sluggishly they stumbled along, their gazes devoid of all but the faintest glimpse of humanity.

From the notes of the famous stalker Стрелок: "Poor souls subjected to prolonged exposure in Yantar and a few other heavily radiated sectors. Careless stalkers gone mad and turned into walking corpses. Many such corpses wander the Zone, some wander as far as the perimeter. They are beyond help because the destructive process is irreversible. Zombified stalkers are still able to use their weapons, but they are quite dumb and can be heard mumbling meaningless, fragmented sentences to themselves. They gradually lose all their skills and turn into zombies. They are usually very aggressive and can present a serious threat in large numbers." (Source: "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. : Shadow of Chernobyl")