Stalkers

Stalker is the general term in the Moscow Metro for anyone who ventures onto the irradiated surface for valuable supplies, risking their lives to keep the stations alive. Stalkers hunt for fuel, ammunition and other salvage to sell in the Metro or keep, sometimes stashing their finds in hideouts built into ruined apartment or office blocks, though most live in the stations. They usually work alone or in small teams but help one another, leaving supply drops on the surface, coloured markers as guideposts in the swamps and flashlight signals to communicate. Many have pre-war military backgrounds and are well armed, wearing armoured vests, hazmat suits and long trench coats. A stalker's life expectancy is low, and other Metro dwellers tend to think them insane, Bourbon calling them 'crazy devils' in the game, while depending on them for almost everything.