From The Zones: Images From An Abandoned Camera (4)

Designation: Driftwood
Status: Active, Mobile, Malevolent

The so-called 'dead' trees surrounding various bodies of water in the ruins and Contested Areas of the old Metro Area may not be quite as defunct as they ought to be--multiple reports have come in concerning huge old trees that have begun to migrate away from their original locations. Drone surveillance and teams of Observers are monitoring the situation...

Designation: Weirdpool
Status: Active, Static, Malevolent

Weirdpools are apex-level hazards and should be avoided at all costs. They may be radioactive, in addition to being highly toxic and there is a growing body of evidence to support the theory that these things might somehow be possessed of some form of animal-level awareness...

Designation: Cross-Cut Glare
Status: Active, Spontaneous, Short-Duration

Cross-Cut Glare is a condition predominantly occurring in wooded areas, though at least two instances have been reported taking place within alleys deep within the old Metro Zone near the river. This phenomena is preceded by a distinct crackling sound reminiscent of a short-circuiting comms unit. This sound fluctuates and can persist for up to fifteen minutes, during which time all electronics within a roughly 60' radius crash, lose all charge, drop all signals, lose all memory, or even in some cases have the internal systems completely melt. Then the Glare erupts like an anti-personnel mine at the center of the effect. The Cross-Cut Glare is over in an instant, leaving behind an area devastated by over a dozen spiraling horizontal cuts that slice through trees, posts, cement, rebar, and most other things but not affecting living flesh in any recognizable manner.

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From the Zones is a community project hosted by John Till over at the FATEsf blog. This community project is inspired by the novel Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, which was the basis for the movie Stalker.

There is a handy index of the current Field Reports from the Zones that features posts from across the Blog-o-sphere, as well as a nifty guide explaining how you can participate in this ongoing Community Project.