Mykal's Return to Towbar's World

by Dave Hazel

  “How? What is your plan?” William asked.

  Mykal looked at William and knew William would be a thorn in his side during the return to the Pass. “We’ll figure it out. Do you guys remember when we first got lost in Towbar’s world?” He looked to Boris and Jake. “We were so lost and it was so impossible that we didn’t know up from down,” he said. “We were facing an impossible situation and we didn’t give up. We didn’t give up and we eventually found our way home. We weren’t prepared and we went through some harsh stuff. This isn’t any worse,” he said for the sake of those listening. “We know there could be trouble, and we’re better prepared and better armed. We are not alone because we have each other. I don’t know how long it’s gonna take, but we’re gonna make it back,” he declared. He pumped his fist with excitement in an attempt to convince the men under him. “We can’t give up. I believe what Captain Diaz said earlier. We’re gonna get outta here.”

  “What about food?” William spoke again and his voice just seemed to carry a weight of negativism. “What are we going to do when our rations run out?” For most of the men, William’s voice became annoying.

  “From everything I’ve seen,” Lieutenant Kim spoke up and stepped into the circle. “There seems to be plenty of wild game. Food should not be an issue. We will be able to live off the land.” He folded his arms across his chest.

  “Until we are forced to live off the land, I would suggest we conserve what we have,” Lieutenant Finley offered.

  “Great idea,” Mykal replied and then turned to Jake. “Could you and Gunny Sergeant Ratner make sure all the men understand that?” Marine Gunnery Sergeant Ratner was the only enlisted person who actually outranked Jake. He turned back to Captain Diaz and then looked to Lieutenant Finley and Lieutenant Kim. “I’m ready to go unless you have anything,”

  “Get the men ready,” Diaz said. Finley and Kim departed.

  Mykal stared off into the beautiful landscape surrounding them. This would be the kind of place he would love to bring Pam. The trees were tall and full. Some had yellow and orange leaves. The trees of the forest seemed to grow taller and denser. The hills bore areas of rocky terrain that did remind Mykal of the North Dakota Badlands as Jake mentioned the day before. Across the open plains and across the rocky terrain were mountains in the distance. Mountains farther away were capped with white. It had to be snow. Towbar said his people never saw snow in the land of Labins. That clearly ruled out Towbar’s land and it ruled out North Dakota. The plains, the forest, the rocky terrain and the mountains all painted a beautiful sense of peaceful calm.

  Though the surroundings were beautiful, it felt like a lonely beauty. There seemed to be no signs of human existence. It seemed all the places in Towbar’s world where he’d been lost, were visually stunning and amazing to gaze upon, but turned out to be deadly and dangerous. A sudden burst of fear encompassed him within his mind. ‘I might never be able to go home,’ he thought. ‘I can’t let the men know I’m scared.’ Not only had there been a menacing voice that threatened them or him specifically, but now they were to travel upon uncharted land.

  They traveled just inside the edge of the forest. Mykal wanted to avoid the open plains for fear of encountering peoples or things that would be hostile to them. Everyone remained silent and on high alert walking in single file. Anything out of the ordinary would be brought to everyone’s attention.

  Suddenly Mykal felt a sense of dread. Something seemed to be wrong. Could it be back at the Pass? What if it was something wrong at home? He felt so miniscule and helpless if it turned out to be something wrong with Pam or one of his boys. He couldn’t do anything about it. His thoughts spiraled out of control with wild imagined fears of home. Since his fame there had been a number of odd people who tried to contact him and that gave him greater concern for the safety of his family.

  “What’s the matter Myk?” Boris asked when Mykal couldn’t mask the concerned confusion.

  “Nothing,” he lied. Talking about it wouldn’t help.

  They marched in single file and stayed close to the edge of the trees. They tried to remain quiet, but creatures in the forest heard them coming and scattered in all directions. Birds squawked in protest at their presence and flew away as if angered and made fluttering noises.

  “If bad guys are around here,” Boris whispered. “We’re setting ourselves up to get ambushed. We might as well be a marching band coming through here.”

  2.

  William moaned and whimpered like a spoiled child. “Hey Mykal, do you think we should take a rest yet?” He wiped his brow. When he removed his helmet his bald head dripped.

  Mykal couldn’t understand the man. William’s body revealed a great specimen of health and physical fitness, but he complained the most about being tired and needing a rest. “Yeah, now would be a good time I guess. Hey Finley,” he quietly called to the nearest officer. “Tell everyone to take thirty minutes, but I want a full security perimeter.”

  “Got it.” Finley winked and quickly took command.

  Mykal tried not to show it but he too felt beat physically. He sat against a tree and enjoyed the pleasure of relaxing for a few moments. He barely slept the night before with the three false alarms. Despite giving the men a few extra hours of sleep, he couldn’t make use of the time to rest. He leaned lifelessly against the tree and wished this would all be over. The evil voice that threatened him while in the fog worried him. He had no idea how to combat such a foe. ‘Is this what Ski was trying to get at?’ he wondered and watched William plop down beside him. ‘Did God try to warn Ski that we were going to be lost?’

  “My sentiments exactly Myk,” William sighed and smiled.

  “Me too,” Jake said while slowly lowering his skinny body to the ground as if instantaneously he became a very old man. “I can’t take too much more of this stuff,” he complained while rubbing some of the parts of his body that ached.

  “What’s the matter Sarge?” Boris gave a teasing smile. “Are you getting old on us? Whadda you gonna do if we get stuck here for the rest of our lives and we just roam around exploring the country side? What if we just run through the wilderness until we all die of old age?”

  “That ain’t gonna happen with me,” Jake laughed at him. “I’m either gonna settle down in this nowhere land or I’m gonna do myself in. I ain’t the traveling and exploring type.”

  Mykal observed the light hearted conversing between Jake and Boris. It reminded Mykal of how they were a half a year ago before they stumbled into Towbar’s world. So many things had changed in just a short time. They became men. They became warriors. They would never be the same. They had killed and watched many close friends die. They witnessed so much brutality and cruel suffering at the hands of the Sosos that regular people couldn’t possibly comprehend. Boris became one of the most hated people in the world and was now thought to be dead. All in just six short months. Killing and cruelty became a way of life and an important necessity for survival. Reflecting for a moment Mykal felt as if he had aged at least twenty years during the last six months. He wished someone could wave a magic wand and send them back in time six months prior to the old boring routine of the missile field job that they all complained so much about. Mykal would gladly return to the boring dead end job of a missile security guard. He would like nothing more than to have life return to some normalcy.

  He knew nothing could ever be the same again and wondered if he would turn out to be like some old war vets from Vietnam who seemed to go crazy or became drug addicts to escape their mental and emotional torment. Even William seemed to be changed by his short visit to Towbar’s world. Mykal just wanted to go home and have “all this” end so he could be with his family. It suddenly struck him and brought him back to reality, they were lost, really lost. He might never see his family again. They were lost with no idea of how or when they would ever return. He had completed his impossible mission with such ease and timeliness, but now he was lost and separated from his prized ta
sk. If only he would have gotten onto the first helicopters with Towbar and…

  “Damn,” he sighed. Part of him wanted to yell out and vent his frustration but he caught sight of Lieutenant Finley and two other Green Berets, Sergeant Bentley and Sergeant Thompson, rushing quietly back into the make shift rest area. The three were crouched low and used their hands to quietly get everyone’s attention, warning everyone to remain silent.

  “Shhhh,” Mykal interrupted Jake and Boris from their joking. He picked up his rifle and pointed to the three Green Berets. He didn’t have to say anything more. Danger seemed to loom beyond the trees.

  Finley rushed to Mykal’s group with Captain Diaz and Lieutenant Kim following. Finley’s expression showed great concern. “We could have trouble,” he whispered. “Come with me and have a look.”

  Finley quickly turned and rushed back the way he came. They all followed in single file and crouched low though they were behind trees. They rushed down the side of a hill and maneuvered through trees to work their way near the edge of the forest that over looked wide open flat land. They copied every move Finley made. When Finley stopped they stopped. When he went prone and crawled they went prone and crawled. They crawled to the edge of the trees that opened to flatland. All of them got stuck by twigs and dead branches littering the ground. The minor discomforts didn’t matter. They wanted to see the threat that concerned Finley.

  “Look over there Myk,” Finley whispered and pointed out into the flat grass lands. “It’s good we got out of the plains.”

  Mykal didn’t need to have Finley point out the army before them. Traveling toward their location were several thousand well-armed and well equipped, foot soldiers. Unlike Sosos these soldiers were organized, dressed uniformly and they marched in formation. The Sosos always appeared in rags and attacked like wild unorganized savages.

  These soldiers held their weapons ready. Their armor shined brightly in the sun drawing attention to them. They looked similar to Roman soldiers of the old Roman Empire. Their colors were bright red and gold. They moved at a rapid pace and appeared ready for war.

  “They look like they’re on a mission,” Diaz whispered.

  “I’ll betcha they’re looking for us,” Mykal whispered to Diaz. “Damn, we woulda walked right into them.”

  “There’s gotta be ten thousand of them out there,” Boris guessed, though they were unable to see their full size from their position.

  “Finley and Kim,” Diaz whispered. “I want the M-60s and the 203s on this side of the hill. I don’t need to tell you, but they can’t make one sound. If we’re detected we may never get out of here. The disparity in numbers is overwhelming.”

  “I’ve already taken care of that,” Finley said with a wink. “I figured you would have wanted that.”

  “Thanks. Finley’s a good right hand,” Diaz said to Mykal.

  “Do you really think they are looking for us?” William asked. “Maybe they’re good people,” he offered. “They sure don’t look like Sosos. Maybe they can help us.”

  “Just cuz they have good looking uniforms and look like trained soldiers doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good people who will help us,” Mykal disagreed. “We don’t--”

  “The Nazi’s had pretty sharp uniforms,” Boris scoffed. “They were very well trained too.”

  “We don’t know where we are and after that threat in the green fog, I’m not taking any chances,” Mykal whispered as if he didn’t hear Boris. He anticipated William’s next question. “You wanted to make contact with them, right?”

  “Well, well yes.” William looked down and looked like he felt foolish. “They might be able to help us.”

  “No. As big as that force is, we’re not taking any chances right now,” Mykal shook his head. “I don’t care if they’re all carrying flowers and wearing peace signs. They look like they’re on the hunt for someone and that someone is probably us.”

  “I have to concur,” Diaz whispered as the army drew near.

  They all ducked lower and tried to remain perfectly still keeping complete silence as the army began to pass in front of their position. The only person unable to keep completely still was William. The Marines, Army and the Koreans have all had extensive training in keeping still in the most uncomfortable, most adverse situations. From training they all knew one little movement could make a noise that could give their position away. It came down to discipline, and William had never been subjected to such physical and mental training in his Air Force career.

  “If he gives us away,” Boris mouthed his words slowly to Mykal so Mykal could read his lips. “I swear I will kill him dead,” he added while slowly running his finger over his throat.

  William reached to scratch something itching on his neck. Lieutenant Kim grabbed his wrist and William looked at him as if to ask ‘how dare you?’ Kim slowly shook his head with his finger to his lips implying there must be complete stillness and silence.

  Mykal worried they might be detected by the army. If they remained quiet their camouflage uniforms and face paint should keep them from being noticed. He knew they couldn’t defeat them just by their sheer numbers. They might be able to scare them away with their advanced weapons but then they would have to flee farther into the forest and then they’d be running blind.

  3.

  They moved from their stationary positions only after the parade was over. The closest the army came to the tree line was about fifty yards, but the disproportion in size became clear.

  “What do you think we should do now?” William asked Mykal. “I think we may have passed up on an opportunity to receive some help and guidance.”

  Mykal ignored the thorn sticking in his side again. “Well I don’t think we should travel in that direction,” Mykal said to Captain Diaz and pointed to where the army came from. “And I don’t think we should follow them. I don’t like the idea of going out into the flatlands cuz we’ll be seen for miles. What do you think?” He asked Diaz but he looked to all of them.

  “Well I agree. It doesn’t leave us much of a choice,” Diaz acknowledge and rolled his head to loosen stiff muscles in his neck and shoulders.

  “We’ll just have to go over the other side of this hill and go through the forest then,” Boris spoke up.

  “Mykal, I don’t think that would be prudent,” William moaned. “If we stay out in the open we will be able to see them when they’re a good distance away. If we’re lost wandering in the forest we’ll be blind and naive to the things that lurk in there. We’ve already demonstrated that we can’t move in complete silence. We’d be easily detected. I’m afraid we’d be setting ourselves up for a big fall.”

  “William,” Mykal sighed. “That’s the first friggin time you’ve said anything that has made any damn sense to me. I agree with everything you said one hundred percent. But,” he paused to emphasize his point to follow. “I have this bad gut feeling about wandering out in the open with that army out there looking like they’re ready to make war on someone.”

  “Are you saying that we’re all to put our lives into your hands based on a gut feeling?” William scoffed.

  Suddenly Mykal seethed with rage. He felt William always tried to put obstacles before him or to belittle him. He waited a moment so he wouldn’t say anything to William he would regret. Aware the others watched and listened for his response, he carefully chose his words so it wouldn’t come across as an attack. “I’m gonna tell you something William,” his glare burned hatred to the man. “These gut feelings--”

  “Myk, I didn’t mean that as an affront,” William quickly apologized. He looked like he regretted his denunciation. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I know that. Please accept my humble apologies,” he offered and slightly lowered his head.

  “What I was going to say is these gut feelings have saved my life many times. These gut feelings let me know when things were going to happen. I don’t care what you think about that. As a matter of fact William,” Mykal tried not to sound hostile
but it didn’t work. “You’re a Captain in the Air Force. You’re a grown-ass man. You’re not some little kid that needs to be led by the hand. You always seem to think you know what’s best, so go. Go do whatever the hell you wanna do. Cuz I don’t care what you do, but you’re not going to disrupt us anymore. You wanna go see if maybe that army can help you? Then go,” Mykal pointed in the direction the army traveled. “You’ve been a pain in the ass since we’ve been in Towbar’s world. Just go,” he raised his voice. “Cuz I’m friggin tired of your arguing and complaining.”

  “Myk, please. Can I have a word with you?” Diaz stepped in and pulled Mykal aside. “We don’t need to fight among ourselves.”

  “No, I’m tired of this. And for the rest of you if there is anyone who thinks like William, then go with him. I don’t wanna have to worry about the bad guys out there and people stirring shit in here,” he said. It became clear the pressure, the fear and the unknown got the best of him.

  “I’m with you Myk,” Boris said and stepped to Mykal’s side giving William a look of disgust.

  “I’m with you Myk,” Corporal Adkins said enthusiastically.

  “We’re all with you Myk,” Staff Sergeant Hayes, an Army Ranger said. He nodded his head and looked around to see if anyone disagreed with him. “We’re lost together and we’re going to get out of this pickle together.” Hayes pointed to a large tattoo on his right bicep. The bright colorful tattoo of a screaming skull with a dagger stuck into the top of the skull. A large snake wrapped around the dagger and the fangs of the snake looked ready to strike. Above the skull read “Death Before Dishonor” and under the skull read “Rangers All The Way”.

  “Myk, I’m sure I speak for Lieutenants Finley and Kim,” Diaz said and looked to them. “We are a unit and we will work together through this. There will be no sedition, no revolt, no rebellion and no mutiny. This is a military operation and I am the commanding officer. The only people I will not order what to do are Captain Roberts and yourself. We’re under your leadership Myk. That’s all that’ll be said on this as far as the loyalty of the men,” Captain Diaz said to finalize the discussion.