37 Days In A Strange World

by Dave Hazel

  His mind seemed to drift off to another time and place as he spoke of the attack. “There were twelve of us and them slanty eyed little--” he stopped himself from cursing and continued in a much calmer tone. “Excuse me. I don’t normally talk like that.” He gave an abashed smile. “But them people--”

  “That’s okay.” Larry laughed. “You should hear us.”

  “There were twelve of us, and the dinks caught us bad in this ambush,” he continued and his eyes glazed, fixed in the past. “I really have to hand it to them sneaky little buggers because we were doing our damnedest to be careful, but they surprised us, they did. When I got hit, I honestly thought I wouldn’t make it. I laid there bleeding and it seemed like the shooting would never end.

  “You can’t imagine the feeling of being shot up, bleeding everywhere and bullets zinging all around you. It’s terrible not being able to defend yourself and the enemy keeps trying to kill you even though you’re down and out of the fight.

  “I’m not sure how many of them there were but it sounded like they had us out gunned a hundred to one,” Roy exaggerated. “It was all over in a matter of minutes, but it felt like years. In a split second,” he snapped his fingers, “the shooting stopped and they were gone like they had never been there. They left in a hurry and I was glad. We were lucky that only four of us had been killed. Those four guys were real close buddies of mine,” he said and his eyes welled up. “Every time I think of those wonderful Marines, my eyes fill with tears.

  “Me and four others were wounded. Two of them are crippled for life, and this is what I got to remember that ambush by,” he said while un-doing the straps of his overalls. He lifted his shirt exposing a fist size scar in his lower abdomen.

  “Oh man, that looks like it--” Larry gawked and couldn’t think of a word to describe the scar.

  “What the hell did they get you with?” Mykal asked.

  “Actually it was two AK-47 bullets in the same spot,” he replied and beamed at the anticipated response he received. “It was my ticket home.” Roy’s smile turned sad. “I din’ wanna go home. You know what really hurt me more than this?” He touched the ugly scar. “Finding out those four buddies of mine were killed. And later, back at home, I found out I lost a couple other friends in that damn war. When you get put into a strange situation like that, you’d be surprised at how close you and your buddies become,” he said slowly, prophetically. “There’s a certain bond that occurs, a special brotherhood forms. It only happens in those stressful situations of combat, knowing you can be killed at any moment, but you’re there for each other.”

  Both Boris and Larry pestered Roy with questions about the Vietnam War. They wanted to know about all the firefights he had been in. They wanted to know anything Roy could remember.

  Roy Jr. approached Mykal. “Hey, Sgt Graves.”

  Mykal turned, wondering if this hot head wanted to start some trouble. Mykal thought Roy Jr. looked like the type of tough cowboy to go into bars just to start fights and get into trouble.

  “I would just like to tell you that I’m sorry for the way I acted down there,” Roy Jr. said, humbly looking at his feet. “It’s just that when I saw them rifles pointed at us it scared me and I got a little excited. I really am sorry.”

  “There’s no need to apologize.” Mykal accepted Roy Jr.’s extended hand. “I woulda felt the same. And hey, call me Myk.”

  6.

  They agreed to move on together to find help. Roy suggested putting Newell in the bed of the station wagon. It would give the young airman more room to lie down.

  “Which way do you think we should travel?” Larry asked.

  “We came from around these hills,” Roy answered, using his finger to point. “We followed the base of the hills and they wind around for a few miles. That’s where we ended up on the back side of these hills to the south. We thought we would find a town or homestead set up at the base of the hills somewhere.”

  “To the west the hills just get bigger and bigger,” Denny explained ruling out that direction. “We had gone about twenty miles and it didn’t get any better so we turned to travel to the east. As you can see it flattens out and is wide open so it would make it easier to see something or someone, and it would be easier for them to spot us from the air.”

  “That’s fine with us,” Roy agreed. “I’m going to let you run the show. Like I said, there is more of a chance for people to be looking for you than for us.”

  Mykal had been struck odd by what Roy said. It just didn’t make any sense. The more he thought over Roy’s words, the more perplexed he became. Mykal tried to analyze the words Roy spoke while the older man and Denny continued putting a plan together. It just didn’t add up for Mykal.

  “Roy, I need to ask you something, cuz I’m really baffled,” Mykal said. “You guys said you had turned onto Highway 23 and you traveled some distance before you ran into that green fog and then got lost. How far did you go?”

  “Oh, I’d say we went about thirty miles. Why?”

  “Let me get this straight so I don’t make a fool of myself. First of all, I know that green fog had something to do with us all being lost. You guys were traveling west on Highway 23, like us, but you guys went at least thirty miles, you ran into the green stuff, went off the road and found yourself lost. Now we had only gone about two miles on 23 when we hit the green fog.”

  “What’s your point Myk?” Denny questioned when he paused.

  “Well they were about thirty miles farther west than us but ended up being east and south of us, on the other side of the hills over there,” Mykal pointed southeast. “We’re not talking just a few feet, but many, many miles. It doesn’t make any sense unless that green fog sent us far away from North Dakota,” he said quietly, embarrassed to suggest something so impossible.

  “You mean like transported to another country?” Denny asked and nervously pushed his tongue through the gap in his teeth.

  “How else do you explain that we can’t find the damn road?” Mykal replied. “How do you explain that our tire tracks just stopped when we tried to back track? We were set down in the middle of nowhere,” he added to refresh Denny’s memory.

  Roy whistled. “That is strange. We didn’t back track. We shoulda. I’m sure we’d a done found the same thing. Is it possible? That sounds like something from a sci-fi movie.”

  “Or maybe the government is doing some kind of experiment and we’re just the guinea pigs,” Boris offered again.

  “Experiment on what Boris?” Denny asked.

  “Maybe it’s some sort of secret weapon, I don’t know.”

  Larry joined the conversation. “Well if that’s the case then they’ll be looking for us,”

  “No matter what it is, we’re not in North Dakota anymore,” Mykal added. “Let’s be prepared for that.”

  “Ah damn it!” Kurt yelled. “Newell died.” Kurt stormed off away from the body.

  7.

  They traveled east and in less than twenty minutes they were away from the hills in wide open flat land. They traveled slowly so the bumpy ride wouldn’t be too hard on the vehicles. They were glad to be out in the open, easy to spot from the air.

  Mykal saw the wind had picked up and blew harder than it had earlier. The fairly long grass swayed in unison making it look like the waves of a green ocean. Sight had been limited to the slight rise and fall of the ground, preventing long distant visibility. Their view had been limited to the next incline.

  Every time they topped a rise in the land they were hopeful they would find some signs of life. If not a city or a town, maybe a farm house or farm land. They would be happy to see even a farm animal. Every ascension brought disappointment. But they encouraged each other that it wouldn’t be much longer.

  Fifteen minutes later they saw another range of hills. The hills were just like the ones they left behind. Not too high and not too steep, but no signs of life either.

  “Kurt, let’s stop,” Denny spoke up as they neared a
rock formation in the hills. “It’s going to start getting dark and I don’t want to be wandering around in the dark. Those rocks could serve as a wall to one side of us.”

  Under other circumstances the hills, the rock wall, the swaying grass would look beautiful, but none of them appreciated the beauty in anything around them. They grew tired from driving into “who knows where” and longed to be home. They were hot and sticky with sweat. Hunger mounted for all. They all wanted to be “found” so they could have a decent meal and all their little miseries could end. They all promised never to complain about work again if they could only find their way back.

  The station wagon pulled to a stop beside them. “What are we doing?” Randy asked, hanging out the window behind the driver’s seat. His face was red and moist from the heat as well. He pulled his cowboy hat off to wipe his forehead, showing his hair soaked with sweat. His father and Baby Ray slept against the doors on the passenger side.

  “I think we should stop and set up camp for the night,” Denny said as he stretched with a yawn.

  “Sounds good to me,” Roy Jr. agreed and got out from behind the wheel of the yellow sweatbox. They kept the air conditioner off to conserve fuel. “…Yeah, I’m glad daddy decided to bring along three, five gallon, cans of gas for the trip,” Roy Jr. humbly admitted his father had been right about extra fuel.

  “How far have we gone Kurt?” Boris asked while lighting up a cigarette and wiping beads of sweat from under his glasses.

  “A little more than seventy miles.”

  “Is that all?” Larry grumbled. “I woulda thought we went at least a couple of hundred.”

  “I didn’t wanna drive too fast. We gotta be easy on the gas. Anyways Sarge, this tub a junk might fall apart if I ride her too hard. And sleeping on the door, you coulda fell out.”

  After stretching, Mykal walked a few feet from the vehicles. He looked in the direction they would drive in the morning. Flowing green waves stretched out before them. The land inclined in the distance blocking his view. The air blew warm.

  “Whadda ya doing Myk?” Larry asked while approaching from behind.

  “Just thinking,” Mykal answered without looking at him. “We’re lost and this just doesn’t make any friggin sense. I’m worried what Pam might be thinking. I know she’s worried now.”

  “Me too,” Larry raised his hands and then slapped his sides. “I’m just as confused and pissed off about this as you are.”

  “This better not be some government thing,” Mykal said.

  “I agree, cuz I’ll kick some one’s ass big time,” Larry threatened and punched his fist into his hand.

  “You’d have to get in line,” Mykal said and laughed.

  “Someone’s gotta find us tomorrow,” Larry sighed.

  “What’s going on guys?” Denny asked as he joined them.

  “Nothin', we’re just talking about our families.”

  “Yeah, mine’s probably gonna kill me for not calling her. Whether I was at fault or not,” Denny joked. “She probably thinks we all said to hell with it and skipped town for Vegas.”

  “Something strange is definitely going on,” Mykal replied in all seriousness.

  “I think Boris could be right when he said the government is probably behind this,” Larry said. “Maybe they invented some kind of transporter like they have on Star Trek. And maybe we’re the first experiment.”

  After discussing their concern for their families, they set up a security detail. Roy volunteered himself and his sons to help and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He wanted his family to do their share of the work while they stayed together.

  “Kurt, I better not hear any weapons discharge tonight. I mean it. No screwing around,” Denny ordered.

  “Gee Sarge, what if bad guys come after us?”

  “The only time you’re allowed to shoot is if the bad guy has his hand around your throat and he’s ready to kill you.”

  “Gee Sarge, by then it’s too late,” he played along. “How about once I see the whites of their eyes I shoot?”

  “Wouldn’t it be great if the LT happened to pull up on us tonight?” Boris snickered.

  “Oh, I’d see the whites of his eyes a mile away,” Kurt retorted with a wink.

  They all split up in twos and threes and agreed to work different shifts. When most of them decided to call it a night and get some sleep Mykal looked at his watch. It read 11:17. He knew Pam would be worried. He wondered how many times she tried to call the missile site to see if they arrived yet. He believed the military would try to keep quiet about their disappearance. Mykal’s main concern was to assure her he was safe.

  Baby Ray didn’t go to sleep with his family. He joined Mykal, Larry and Boris at the front of the vehicles. Baby Ray wanted to know what military life was like. Being the youngest and the “oddball” kept him shy and quiet. After they started talking, Baby Ray wouldn’t stop. He told them he had no desire to be a farmer, but rather wanted to get into rock music. His family wouldn’t allow a guitar or drum set in the house. Too much work needed to be done on the farm.

  They were surprised to find Baby Ray hated country music with a passion. “It’s my way to be rebellious,” he whispered. “That’s all my whole family ever listens to. They never want to listen to my music. I can’t even play it around them. For the past four years since my thirteenth birthday I’ve been doing my quiet rebellion. That’s why I grew my hair long, and wear my clothes different. The rest of the family just humors me. They think I’m just going through a phase.”

  “You have great taste in music,” Mykal affirmed after discussing similar likes. “I hate country music too. You’re alright kid, for a country boy,” he laughed.

  CHAPTER THREE – Day 2

  1. Friday, June 24th 1983

  0835 hours, Location Unknown

  Mykal woke up to the sound of movement near him. His body ached due to the uncomfortable position he slept in. He slept in the second seat of the Suburban. He felt a nasty gritty taste in his mouth and noticed dampness of sweat where his body connected with the vinyl of the seat.

  Distracting noises stirred him, but he didn’t want to lift his jacket from his head. ‘Wait a minute,’ he thought with delight. ‘Maybe it’s all been a dream. Maybe we’re not really lost.’ The reality however, if he slept inside the vehicle, then all the events from the previous day did happen.

  Suddenly the jacket yanked from his head, and the daylight shocked him like a slap in the face. The rays of the sun were shooting into his eyes, blinding him with a bright heat. Kurt’s large unappealing face stared at him with a big toothy grin. “Hey Sarge, I know that was rude, but you gonna get up or what?” Kurt laughed, keeping the door between them. “Don’t jump up swinging Sarge.”

  “I oughta pound your head in, dumb ass,” Mykal threatened and covered his eyes with his hands.

  “What? What’s the matter?” Kurt laughed at him.

  “There’s always tomorrow and payback is a mother.”

  “Well, come on. It’s time to get up.”

  “You mean I ain’t dreaming?” Mykal feigned surprise.

  “‘Fraid not.” Kurt’s smile disappeared. “But the sooner you get off that lazy tush of yours, the sooner we can go looking for help. You’re the last one to get up.”

  “Oh man,” Mykal moaned as he stretched his body while making his way to the group.

  “What have we decided about eating?” Boris asked Denny.

  “Hey Boris, you don’t have to eat for a long time. A very long time,” Kurt said while patting Boris’s well-padded belly.

  “Eat me Kurt,” Boris fired back. “You Alice the Goon goof.”

  “Children, children, do I have to take my belt off?” Mykal cut in and stopped them. “Not so damn early in the morning. I have a splitting headache. Has anyone been listening to the radio?” He asked, changing to a more important subject.

  “No, we didn’t turn it on cuz you and Larry were sleeping,” Denny answered. “As
for the food, we’re just going to have to eat as little as possible the least amount of times possible.”

  “Since we don’t know what’s going on, let’s see if we can wait till five o’clock without eating,” Larry proposed.

  They all hissed and booed playfully, but everyone agreed.

  2.

  Almost twenty-five minutes later they were beyond the hills again and in another wide open plain. As a group they agreed they would continue to travel east, confident that if they stayed focused in one direction they would eventually find help. The whole world couldn’t have just disappeared.

  Another thirty minutes of driving in silence through the plains gave them all much to think about. They saw farther distances in all directions but the view remained limited.

  “Hey, what the hell is that?” Boris jolted when they topped an incline. He looked to their right, the south. A couple of miles away, in the wide open flatness, Boris spotted an object obviously man-made. He rubbed his fingers under his glasses to help clear his vision. “I can’t tell what it is.”

  Kurt stopped and Roy pulled beside him. Everyone got out of their vehicles and stared at the objects in the distance. They tried to guess what the dark objects amid the green grass were. The consensus held it had to be farming equipment.

  “Here, this might help,” Roy said and handed Denny a telescopic sight for one of their rifles.

  “Thanks.” Denny spied the objects. “I can’t really tell what it is,” he frowned. “My eyes aren’t what they used to be.”

  “Here, let me see,” Mykal grabbed the scope from Denny before the others could snatch it. “My eyesight is pretty good,” he said while lifting the scope to his eye. The first object to appear in the sight, a very up close side view of Kurt’s face. “Yikes! Kurt, you’re even uglier up close,” he laughed out, cheerful that help may be nearby.

  “Funny. Real funny, Sarge,” Kurt said and stepped aside.

  “Hey, there’s people down there.” Mykal paused. His tone rang with happiness. “And it could be a couple of PK’s too.”