by Dave Hazel
“I know what you mean. Good friends who are really good friends,” Mathis added with an exaggerated teasing wink and a nod to imply a sexual relationship.
“To be honest, if I wasn’t happily married I would fall for that girl,” Mykal admitted with a serious tone. “But I’m not gonna allow anyone to screw up what I have with my wife.”
“I know Myk, I’m just kidding you.”
“Where are Towbar and Doninka?”
“They are out there with everyone else. The last I saw they were sitting with Captain Diaz and the other leaders eating breakfast.”
“I’ll be out there in a minute.”
Mykal stepped out of the vehicle and walked toward the group that had Towbar, Doninka, Captain Diaz, Ratner, Finley and the Dosch brothers. He felt odd and knew some of the men were looking at him. He could only imagine what they were thinking about.
“Watch out everyone,” Roy Jr. yelled out. “Here comes Evil Knievel,” he shouted which caused a roar of laughter and applause to erupt.
“Good one,” Mykal laughed and couldn’t help but laugh at himself. “That’s a good one. I deserved it,” Mykal added and waved to all the men who were watching him and applauding his arrival. Mykal was glad that he could laugh at himself or he would have had a difficult time knowing all the men were laughing at his foolish, ‘crazy’, actions. “Yes, I’m the idiot who tried to dive into the green grass of the land around us from a moving vehicle. I have to admit, it was the MRE that I ate,” he joked to shift the blame of his crazy actions which received another rowdy round of applause and shouts of other saying they understood or they could relate.
“Are you doing okay Mykal?” Captain Diaz said and greeted him with a warm smile when Mykal sat down between Towbar and Doninka.
“Yeah. I’m doing fine,” Mykal replied and still gave a shy, embarrassed, smile. “I really did have a bad dream that I thought was real and I responded like someone who was sleep walking. I had never done that before. I honestly think I’m still dealing with the lingering effects of those worm things that were in my neck. From what I understand they cause hallucinations and it all seems to make sense to me. It makes sense to me now, that is,” he chuckled. “I wish I would have realized that before I did my swan dive out the back of a moving vehicle,” he added and they laughed with him.
“But you’re sure you’re doing okay?” Finley asked while he ate his MRE.
“Yeah, but just to be safe I’d like to have a couple of the medics to check me over and make sure there’s nothing still stuck inside my neck.”
“Just say the word Myk,” Ratner said. “And we’ll have the medics examine you thoroughly. I’ll have them boys start at the back end and they’ll go so far inside you that they will be able to shake hands with your tonsils,” Ratner said with such a serious expression but those who caught what he said burst out with laughter including Mykal.
“I do not understand why they laugh so hard,” Doninka said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Mykal replied and continued to laugh wildly at the joke Ratner made. “Yeah Gunney, I may wanna have them check me out a little later cuz at times I still feel a little loopy.”
“And Mykal, if you need some,” Diaz paused to find the right words, “some individual one on one time I would gladly like to speak to you. I’m always available.”
“Thanks Captain Diaz,” Mykal nodded and shut his eyes. He knew Diaz wanted to talk to him about God and a religious experience or rather a relationship with Jesus Christ as his LORD and Savior. Mentally Mykal started to mock the idea, but then he realized Diaz and Ski had taught him a great deal and his life had been spared when he should have most certainly died on several occasions. ‘No, I’m not gonna mock what he’s got to say. Diaz and Ski both know their God stuff, and maybe I need to hear it.’ “Yeah, we’ll talk a little later. Cuz I really need to get the shit in my head straight. I mean the crap in my head.”
“So Mykal, what happened?” Roy Jr. asked and he looked more serious than he had looked in a long time.
“I honestly don’t know. I had this strange ass dream, but it seemed so real, and it scared the daylights outta me. I can’t remember ever being that scared before. I felt like I was arguing with Mathis, but it was my head on Mathis’s body, so I was arguing with myself.”
“Damn, that is strange,” Randy added.
“I know, but he was threatening me and talking to me like I’m an idiot. But it wasn’t Mathis, it was me,” Mykal said and tried to remember highlights of the bizarre dream that sent him flying from a moving vehicle. “But when he, or I, threatened to kill me, that’s when I really got scared and tried to get outside of the vehicle. I didn’t even think about it moving. I just had to get outta there. And in my dream he kept flashing a smile to me that showed he had the teeth of those Crymontox creatures.”
“Dude, those was some crazy looking monster things,” Roy Jr. said and raised his canteen as if to toast Mykal.
“We’re glad for you that it was only a dream and that you didn’t really get hurt,” Randy added.
“Believe me, when I hit the ground, I realized, ‘hey, I just did something stupid here’ as I was flopping around behind the vehicle,” he said and laughed and the others laughed with him.
“I think I kinda know what you were feelin’ there bro,” Randy said and gave a wink and a nod. “When I wasn’t as smart as I am now,” he added with a broad smile. “I use to do the rodeo circuit and I used to ride them big ass bulls. I’ve had my ass handed to me a few times and I had my booty thrown to the ground a few more times,” he said and laughed.
“That’s no lie Myk,” Roy Jr. interjected himself. “We were at this one rodeo and they got my brother on the worst bull ever. From the angle I was at I honestly thought Randy had his head stomped into the ground. I really thank God that the bull never touched his head, though it really looked like Randy would have ended up as a vegetable.”
“That bull was named ‘Lights Out’ and I don’t know if anyone ever did eight on that thing,” he said referring to the eight seconds that were needed to ride the dangerous animal. “When I flew off it kicked me in the chest and cracked a couple of my ribs, and when I went down it stomped its hind legs right near my head. I felt the hairs of its legs right against my face,” Randy laughed and exaggerated how close the leg was to his face. “I can understand how my family thought my head had been crushed and when you looked at the video tape it did look like I had been killed by Lights Out.”
“Now that’s friggin crazy,” Mykal laughed in a complementary way. “I could never knowingly get on one of those monsters. I tip my hat to you Randy. I couldn’t do that. I’d be too afraid to even think of such a thing.”
“Mykal, you would never be afraid of anything,” Doninka replied as if she was trying to defend Mykal at his own self-deprecating humor. “I have seen you battle much greater beasts.”
Mykal started to laugh that Doninka would defend him. “Yeah, but I’d be too afraid to get on one of those things.”
“I disagree,” Doninka argued and didn’t understand he was playfully admitting to being afraid. “You are a very brave man,” she added and they could all see her devotion to her personal ‘hero’.
“Miss Doninka,” Roy Jr. cut in. “Mykal wouldn’t be afraid to ride a bull. He’s just being polite and trying in a nice way to tell my brother he wouldn’t be stupid enough to get on a bull like my dumb ass brother did all those years ago,” he added and everyone burst out with laughter.
“No, Myk, you wouldn’t say that to me, would you?” Randy asked with faux disappointment.
“I didn’t say that,” Mykal laughed and held his hands up in surrender. “I can’t afford to be thumped in the head again anytime soon,” he continued to laugh with them. “I wouldn’t be stupid enough to get on an animal that weighs more than a ton. Ooops, did I say that out loud?” Mykal laughed and placed his hand to his mouth as if he made a mistake.
Captain Diaz looked at his wat
ch and broke up the jocular atmosphere. “Well gentlemen, and lady,” he said and nodded his head to the princess. “I think we should continue moving to keep our distance from the enemy that is in pursuit of us.”
“Agreed,” Ratner yelled. He looked to his squad leaders and those with any rank. “Let’s get our rear in gear and get a move on. “There will be no lollygagging while I’m top dog,” he barked and men suddenly began to move at a quickened pace.
“Yeah, let’s see if we can avoid the bad guys for a little while,” Mykal chuckled while he finished the MRE that had been handed to him. “I would like to see if I can go a whole day without getting my ass kicked,” he snickered. “I really feel like I hurt all over. And yes, I know a lot of it is my fault.”
“Is there anything I can do to ease your pain Mykal?” Doninka asked and she looked priceless to Mykal. Her face was bruised, her head was bandaged from receiving twenty-nine stitches, but she was truly concerned for his well-being.
Is there anything I can do to ease your pain my friend?” Towbar asked while men scrambled around him to get everything ready to depart.
Mykal tried not to laugh. “I appreciate it from both of you, but if I’m being honest big guy, I’d rather have the pretty girl taking care of me than a big ol’ giant of a man,” he laughed and they both didn’t seem to understand what he was saying. “I’m joking, I’m joking. It just seems like she would have softer hands he said when they both stood there as if waiting for an explanation.
2.
Later in the day while still driving along, Mykal sat back and was deep in thought wondering what Pam and the boys were doing. He missed them dearly and wanted to be home at that very moment. He tried to think of future days and tried to imagine how everything would be when the wars were finally over. What would it look like? If his people won the war for Towbar and the people of King Loankore III by defeating the Sosos and Zizmon-Tarl by stopping his twisted desire of world domination, or maybe just the domination of the land of Labins, then Towbar’s people would have to be concerned for the people from his world. People like Colonel Fisher, Percy and the President of the United States, John J Edmonds.
Mykal knew his people wouldn’t want to control Towbar’s people like Hitler did to Poland and others in the beginning of World War Two, but they would want to control them to gather everything they could take from this world to pump it into our country in the real world. Sure Towbar’s people would be well compensated for the things taken from this world but…
‘And that’s if we win this war,’ Mykal thought and frowned. ‘What if we don’t win this war? What if Ziggy and all his strange forces kick us outta here and we have to run away with our tails between our legs like scared dogs because we didn’t build big enough and fast enough?’ He wondered and feared for the people of Towbar’s world that he had come to know and like. ‘People like Towbar, Doninka, the King and Queen, all the warriors and any who would pose a threat would surely be killed.’
‘Damn, that’s scary,’ he moaned mentally in thought. ‘But our people wouldn’t let that happen. They want this place too bad,’ he added in wonder. ‘I just gotta make sure dip shits like Colonel Fisher don’t screw everything up. If I have to, I’ll take that stupid selfish bastard out myself,’ he threatened inside his mind. ‘Not to kill him,’ he quickly added as if someone heard his thoughts. ‘I’ll just drag his ass back to the real world and I will do that forcibly if I have to,’ he thought as if making a threat to someone who could be listening.
‘But first, we gotta get back to the Pass and we gotta get out from under the evil eye of Ziggy and all his band of merry henchmen freaks. I really want to give some serious consideration to going back inside the mountain and capturing some of the zombies created by the AFAs, Area Fifty-one Aliens, or UBAHs, Ugly Big Ass Head monsters,’ he added and laughed as he pictured Mathis saying those names. ‘If we could release some of the zombies into Ziggy’s back yard he would have a full scale zombie movie type threat to his kingdom, thus he would seriously have to stop trying to take over the world. Or at least until he could stop the plague that would cripple his power,’ he chuckled at the thought of such a simple weapon being so devastating against the ‘World’s Greatest Evil Bad Guy’. “That would be great,” he whispered silently and then looked to make sure no one heard him or at least wasn’t paying attention.
‘But we gotta get out from under the evil eye of Ziggy Stardust,’ he continued his thoughts. ‘How do we do that? He’s got his sights on us and he’s sending forces against us. I wonder if we could get back to the city we were at and capture a female that we could allow to fall into the hands of the bad guys and let them think that she is Princess Doninka? If they had possession of what they thought was the Princess Doninka, they could take the girl to the Sosos and present her on the High Holy Day as a trade for King Loankore and we just won’t present him to be traded for the fake princess,’ he wondered and nodded enthusiastically because it all sounded great in his head. ‘The next time we stop I’ll bring it up to Diaz, Towbar and the others. I’ll also bring up the zombie option one more time,’ he chuckled quietly at the idea of Mathis saying ‘UBAH, Ugly Big Ass Head’.
Mykal looked at the watch on his left wrist to gauge the time for the next meal. 11:37 A.M., but that was based on the time they guessed due to the day light hours on this side of the world. The time at the Pass was different but Mykal couldn’t remember how much they adjusted the time so they could be familiar with normal daylight and darkness hours. That time was different from the time in which they left the real world, which was based on the time in Minot, North Dakota from where they departed, so that was the central time zone back in his world. ‘Thinkin’ about this time stuff is making my head hurt,’ he joked because he couldn’t keep it all straight.
‘Oh damn,’ Mykal gasped in frightful thought when his right hand and arm up to his elbow turned green and began to tremble. His limb trembled mildly which signified the green fog wasn’t in the immediate area. Mykal knew others were experiencing the same strange feelings he was depending on whether their flesh was exposed to the green fog the very first time they went through the green transporter. He knew Towbar’s upper body had been affected, Doninka’s hands, Hidtotim and his men, Nordad and his men, the Elves, Towbar’s soldiers, but he wasn’t sure if the Dwarves were impacted by the magical reaction. He remembered someone saying the green fog didn’t cause a reaction to their flesh.
‘What the hell does this mean? Is Ziggy sending more forces our way? If so that means they really wanna try to get their hands on Doninka or they really wanna try to wipe us out. It’s gotta be more forces to come and try to kill us,’ he contemplated and felt the vehicle begin to slow.
After all the vehicles stopped everyone exited and met in the center for a brief meeting. Guards were posted and two men were left in the turrets of the vehicles to watch for any potential threats or attacks. All the men were talking and trying to understand what was taking place. The men from Mykal’s world had no knowledge of trembling green flesh because they were all inside vehicles the very first time they entered the green fog. Those whose flesh had been exposed to the green fog during their first travel experienced what was called the ‘the alarm’, the notification so to speak, that the green fog was being used. Mykal just happened to stick his arm into the green fog while inside the vehicle back on June 23rd.
Mykal looked at the men who had been affected by the yellow smoke that all seemed to go insane and danced wildly to the music played by Lil Bit Bennett. They appeared to be normal and were no longer bound, but he saw they still were not given their weapons. Mykal hoped this wouldn’t be something they would have to worry about springing up on them at random times. He really wished there were no lingering, lasting, side effects that would burst out when they least expect it. From what Mykal had been told, all of the men who had inhaled the yellow smoke that caused them to be overcome with ‘dance fever’ were all suffering from the same effects one would e
xperience with a terrible hangover.
The medical personnel had never seen anything like it and those from this side of the world; Hidtotim and his men, Nordad and his men or the Elves, had never heard of such a weapon being used on people so they couldn’t draw from their own experience to help with answers. They would have to wait and see what would take place later to see if they could be trusted with their weapons.
The men who had been affected by the yellow smoke all seemed to be confused and concerned since they didn’t really understand what had happened during the few hours that followed the yellow smoke attack. They couldn’t comprehend why they were being treated in such a restrictive manner. Basically they didn’t know what they did or why ‘they were being punished’ even after the events had been explained to them.
“Alright, settle down and shut the hell up,” Gunnery Sergeant Ratner barked through the public address speaker atop of one of the vehicles. “Captain Diaz is trying to say something.”
“Listen up men,” Diaz said while using his hands to tamp down any distracting chit chat. “We stopped because several people in our group have experienced the green fog being used in this area. From what has been told to me it hasn’t appeared in our immediate area, but it is in the area none the less. Our guess and the key word there is ‘guess’. But our guess is that Ziggy Stardust is bringing more of his soldiers and forces into the area to put the squeeze on us. We know for sure there is a large army behind us, but I have to accept as true that another has been put in front of us to close in on us.”
Diaz stopped and there was complete silence. Lieutenant Finley took over. “We just have to be ever vigilant men. We will be able to get around them if not confront them and defeat them. We believe their goal is to take the princess from us, or to destroy us. Either way, that is not happening,” he declared defiantly which caused a roar among the men.
