No idea what's going on here.... 
 
I keep dying just after Bourbon opens that rusty gate right at the start of the level. Just wheeze a few times and collapse. There doesn't seem to be any indication as to why, so.... What the hell?

Are you wearing your gasmask?
I don't know which level you are, but if you die mysteriously it's usually 3 things
1) You walked into a trapwire
2) You are not wearing your gasmask
3) Your flashlight is off and you just walked into something that I won't spoil for you.

Thanks, but I tried all that. At least the save point is close by.
 
Fuck it. I'm gonna go play something else.

Haha, I was stuck at the exact same place. I had no idea what was going on. But it's not a cutscene... you're supposed to walk towards the gate.

Ugh. I see. Thanks. 
 
It didn't help that on a couple of my efforts the game told me that I died from touching a ghost. And then it told me that I died from amoeba. So confusing. 
 
The lack of user-friendly devices in this game really makes me feel like I'm playing a foreign PC game on my 360. It brings back memories of wandering around Chernobyl without a clue in Stalker.