37 Days In A Strange World

by Dave Hazel

  Mykal reloaded, dropping empty casings from the handgun on the floor. “This is un-friggin-believable,” Mykal said and shook his head. He looked back to see the three attacking forces merge as one where the two vehicles had been parked. “What the hell’s going on?” He gasped. The others ignored him while reloading.

  “It’s time to pull out the bad boys,” Boris yelled to Kurt. He sucked strongly on the cigarette in his mouth.

  “The bad boys?” Larry asked.

  “We brought out our ‘bad boys’ to go ker-plunkin,” Boris said. “I have my .44 magnum, my .45 and my .22 for when my rifle is empty and I don’t have time to reload.”

  “I brought my .357 and my 9 millimeter with me,” Kurt said. “Too bad we didn’t know all this was gonna happen. We coulda been better prepared and brought all our stuff out with us.”

  “Yeah, but how the hell did we know we were gonna have to fight for our lives,” Boris laughed nervously taking a relaxing drag from his cigarette. “I can’t believe what just happened. We coulda been friggin killed back there,” Boris scoffed.

  “Normally I’d threaten to wring your necks,” Denny said. “But good job guys. We’re probably gonna need those weapons.”

  “Let me tell you something, you damn moron,” Mykal changed the subject and lightly slapped Kurt on the back of the head. “You better not shoot on full auto anymore. You’re wasting all that friggin ammo, and from what we saw back there, we can’t afford to waste any ammo.”

  “I couldn’t control it,” Kurt laughed. “I got carried away. I’d never been in a firefight before and it just happened.”

  “What the hell is going on around here?” Larry yelled and ran his hand over his bald head. “Where the hell did all those people come from? Why do they wanna kill us? What is going on?” He yelled again.

  “Did you notice the weapons they were using?” Denny asked.

  “How could you miss it? A little primitive, but effective at close range,” Boris commented. “Did you notice how the rifle shots scared them like they’d never heard anything like it?”

  “It was like they were more afraid of the noise than what our weapons could do to them,” Kurt replied.

  “Well it sure as hell didn’t stop them from coming after us,” Mykal said. “Did you notice how crazy they looked? There were hundreds of them and all men. There were no women or kids, like it was a planned war party or something.”

  “A war party with who?” Larry questioned. “Us? Were they just sitting there waiting for us? It looked like they all just escape from the loony bin. Something’s not right here.”

  “There were far too many of them to have escaped from a loony bin,” Denny said. “I agree, something’s just not right.”

  “Denny, are we gonna get into trouble for that?” Franklin asked. His face and eyes were red and puffy from crying. “It was self-defense, right?”

  “Right on,” Mykal quickly answered. “We ain’t gonna get in any friggin trouble,” he said more to reassure himself because of the Air Force’s tough stance on unauthorized weapons discharge. “It was self-defense pure and simple. Look at Nelson,” he added, using his thumb to point behind him. “Look at what they did to the Marshal and that other guy. If we wouldn’t have killed them they woulda hacked us up the same way. Don’t worry about it. But hey, I’m not afraid to tell you guys, in my entire life, I’ve never been more scared. And if anyone says they weren’t scared they’re either a damned liar or a friggin idiot.”

  “Hey Franklin, did you do any shooting?” Kurt asked.

  “Yeah, I think I killed about four of them coming down the hill. When my ass is on the line, I can hit my target.”

  “I don’t believe it,” Denny joked forcing a chuckle. “How many shots did it take you to bring down four of them?”

  “I don’t know, I think I fired six shots.”

  “Well as many as were coming down the hill you couldn’t miss even if you tried,” Larry said. “Ooops, you did miss two of them,” Larry teased him and shook Franklin’s head the way he would playfully harass his younger brother back in Boston.

  “Kurt, how many do you think you killed?” Boris asked.

  “I’m not sure. I was too busy to count.”

  “I’ll tell you one thing Kurt,” Mykal butted in. “You didn’t kill too many cuz you wasted all that ammo on full-auto. Don’t waste any more ammo,” Mykal said as if making a threat.

  “I promise Sarge, no more full-auto. What about you Boris?”

  “I think I only took about ten or twelve shots, but I hit a bad guy with every round,” he said with a new cigarette stuck between his lips. “This is so strange. I never killed anyone before. I thought I would feel good about it, but I don’t.”

  “What about you Larry?” Mykal asked. He wanted everyone to admit to shooting just in case the military turned on them. They were in this together.

  “I’m not sure. I know every time I pulled the trigger one of them went down, but I don’t know if they went down from me or someone else shooting. I know I killed more than ten though.”

  “Start slowing down,” Denny told Kurt.

  “What about you Myk?” Kurt asked, gently applying the brakes while looking in all directions. There were no unwanted Crazies in the area to surprise them.

  “I don’t know for sure, but my first few shots I wasn’t even trying to hit anything. I was just trying to scare those crazy people back into the trees. After the shit hit the fan, I think I killed about fifteen or twenty with the rifle and I know I killed six with the pistol, cuz I got all six in the head.”

  “Hey Sarge, you looked kinda crazy standing there with the pistol in your hands while all those wackos came at you and Randy.”

  “It all happened so fast I just wanted to get outta there. Then once I saw Nelson got hit I knew this was the real deal. Something took over inside and I just wanted to make sure those people didn’t hurt Randy. The last shot I took nothing happened and I thought uh oh,” Mykal chuckled. “I didn’t realize I shot all six shots. For a split second I kinda had a feeling of what General Custer must have felt on his last stand. I’m gonna have to check my pants after that.” Mykal realized he used humor as a defense mechanism. He didn’t have a problem laughing at himself.

  “What about you Denny?” Boris asked and threw his cigarette butt out the window.

  “I dunno.” Denny gave a shy, embarrassed, smile. “Every time I shot at them I had my eyes closed,” he admitted causing them to laugh. “But I think I got about four or five of them.”

  All at once they were silent. “Oh man,” Mykal broke the silence with a sigh. “Nelson and his wife just had a baby boy a couple of months ago. Why did they attack us?”

  “I just can’t believe it,” Denny moaned, reaching for his eye as if scratching an itch, but clearly he wiped a tear. “Are you sure he’s dead? I’m responsible for all our safety. Man, I can’t do this,” Denny growled and slapped his hand on the dash board.

  “I’m sure he’s dead,” Mykal answered. “You can’t be responsible for what the Crazies did.”

  “Hey look,” Kurt pulled to a stop. “They’re signaling us with their headlights to pull over.”

  “My boy is hurting bad,” Roy said when they pulled beside them. “I wanna see if we can take these damn arrows out of his leg. He has two in the same leg,” he huffed incredulously.

  “No problem,” Denny said. “We can see for miles in all directions. They can’t sneak up on us.”

  Everyone gathered around the rear of the station wagon where Baby Ray lay. Lying on his side in the bed of the car he squeezed his fists tightly to hold the pain inside. Occasional moans and whimpers showed he couldn’t hide the intense pain.

  Two arrows stuck into his right thigh, one in the center of his thigh just above the knee. It looked deep enough to hit the bone. The second arrow entered his leg from behind when his father picked him up to carry him to safety and would have struck Roy if Roy would have left Baby Ray on the gr
ound. The second arrow passed through the leg, missing the bone, and poked out the front of Baby Ray’s thigh.

  Blood saturated his jeans and soiled the carpet in the bed of the station wagon. The shaft of both arrows looked to be stained with a black substance. The feathers at the end of the arrows were colorful but they were ragged and torn in contrast to the fine point of steel on the arrowhead.

  “He’s losing a lot of blood Pa,” Randy said. He sounded scared. “Do you think we should put a tourniquet on him?”

  “No, you don’t wanna do that,” Kurt spoke with authority. “If you do, he’ll need medical attention for him right away or he may end up losing his leg. You only use a tourniquet as a last resort. Like if someone had one of their limbs cut off.”

  “Pa,” Baby Ray cried out, his eyes were puffy and red. “I don’t wanna lose my leg. Please don’t let me lose my leg.”

  “Don’t worry son,” Roy placed his large hand on his son’s good leg to reassure him. “I’m not gonna let anything happen to you boy. Everything’s gonna be just fine,” he said. Tears welled in Roy’s eyes over Baby Ray’s suffering. “You just lay back and relax. Have I ever let you down before?” Roy gave a fake smile.

  “I’m sure if we got the arrows out we’ll be able to stop the bleeding by just applying direct pressure,” Kurt offered looking for approval. “It doesn’t look like arterial bleeding.”

  “Do you have anything you can give him for pain?” Denny asked. He knew his military people would only have aspirin.

  “Nothing,” Roy moaned with regret. “Not a damn bless-it thing,” he grumbled as he wiped the blurriness from his vision.

  “Well, let’s get him out on the ground,” Mykal suggested. “It’ll be a lot easier to work on him down here.” Mykal took a blanket and laid it out. “Who is gonna take the arrows out?”

  “Could someone please do it for me?” Roy asked as he turned away. “I need to walk away. I’m not gonna be able to listen to him,” he whispered. “He’s my youngest and I know he’s probably gonna scream and cry from the pain.”

  “I think I could do it,” Kurt volunteered. “But I can’t guarantee that he won’t get infected. We don’t have anything here to properly clean out his wounds. And he’ll probably be in pain for some time afterward.”

  “I understand, Kurt, and I truly appreciate it. Go ahead. We gotta try to get them out of his leg.” Roy walked off.

  “Denny, why don’t you have someone keep watch just in case those crazy people come near,” Larry suggested while helping Kurt, Mykal, Roy Jr. and Randy carry Baby Ray from the bed of the car to the blanket they spread on the ground.

  “Franklin and Nelson--” Denny quickly grabbed his forehead. He momentarily forgot Nelson was dead. “I feel like shit,” Denny moaned and his tone expressed guilt and sorrow for absentmindedly calling the dead man. “Franklin and Boris. Come with me. We’re going to keep watch till they’re done.”

  “We’ll come with you too,” Roy Jr. said after Baby Ray had been placed on the ground. He stuffed a box of ammo for the Winchester into his waistline. “C’mon Randy.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute. I want to get a rifle.” Randy jumped into the bed of the car and opened one of the hard cover gun cases. He pulled out the Savage 99 rifle and a box of .308 rounds. “I wish those sonsabitchin’ savages would show their damned faces again,” he said and slapped the butt of his rifle.

  “Roy?” Baby Ray called out to his brother. “Roy, Roy.”

  Roy Jr. ran back. “What is it little guy?”

  “Roy, I’m scared. Am I gonna be alright? I know I can always trust you,” he said to his big brother.

  “You know it, buddy. Don’t worry. Everything is gonna be okay,” Roy Jr. said. “They’re just gonna take those arrows out for you and we’re all gonna keep watch over there,” he nodded. “We don’t want those people sneaking up on us again.”

  Mykal felt bad watching the interaction between brothers. He had pegged Roy Jr. as a hot-headed trouble maker. This clearly showed a tender, sensitive, side of the cowboy.

  “I don’t wanna die.” Baby Ray’s voice cracked. He fought back tears. “I wanna change. I wanna go home and help on the farm. I’m scared, Roy.” He started to cry. “I’m really scared.”

  Mykal’s insides twisted. He ached watching this unfold. He saw Kurt turn his head to keep from bearing emotion. Larry’s tough facial expression looked broken. Seeing others affected by this scene of family love confirmed he wasn’t just being weak.

  “Hey little buddy, don’t do that,” Roy Jr. said and knelt beside him. “You ain’t gonna die. Hell, I ain’t gonna let you die. You think you can get outta your chores that easily?”

  Baby Ray giggled weakly. “Will you stay with me? Please?”

  “Sure. Lemme give Daddy the rifle and I’ll be right back.”

  “I need a knife and something very sharp,” Kurt announced.

  “I have some razor blades in my bag,” Larry said and turned away to get them.

  Roy Jr. walked away. “I’ll get you a hunting knife.”

  “Now listen to me Baby Ray.” Kurt spoke with a serious tone and expression that he rarely displayed to his military friends. “I don’t wanna scare you, but I want you to know, when I take those arrows out of your leg, it’s gonna hurt. We don’t have anything to numb the pain. You’re gonna have to just hang in there and tough it out so we can get this done. Okay?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded nervously. “Will I be crippled after this?” He sniffled at the snot running from his nose.

  “Nah, not at all,” Kurt answered brightly. “You’ll be fine but you’ll be hurting for a few days while it’s healing.”

  Roy Jr. returned and handed Kurt the hunting knife just as Larry came back with double sided razor blades. Larry had razor blades on hand to keep his newly shaved head bald.

  Kurt used a cigarette lighter to sterilize the razor blades first. Baby Ray closed his eyes and squeezed tightly on Roy Jr.’s hand. When Kurt touched the denim Baby Ray jerked with fear.

  Kurt cut large holes in the denim around the wounds. When he removed the denim Mykal saw Baby Ray’s flesh was swelled up around the shafts of the arrows. Larry and Mykal held Baby Ray’s leg up for Kurt to operate.

  “This one shouldn’t be a problem getting out,” Kurt said eyeing the one that went all the way through. “We’ll do this one first. Myk, hold this arrow here as tight as you can and as close to the leg as you can. Hold it tight,” he barked.

  “Right here?” Mykal questioned as Baby Ray fidgeted under the pressure of his jarring the arrow. He grabbed tightly as close to the flesh as he could and knew he created discomfort for Baby Ray. It surprised Mykal how sticky blood felt in his hands.

  “Now this might hurt a little Baby Ray,” Kurt warned him. “Hold it tight, Myk,” Kurt barked again like a seasoned doctor. Kurt quickly grabbed tight on to the feathered end of the arrow and snapped it in half with one swift movement.

  The jerking motion caused Baby Ray to yell out. He breathed rapidly like a woman in labor.

  “This is where you gotta be strong and hold on no matter what, okay? Cuz I’m gonna pull the rest of the arrow out.”

  “Just do it,” Baby Ray howled. His grip tightened on his big brother’s hand. His knuckles turned white and his eyelids clamped down hard.

  Kurt pulled the rest of the arrow out with one quick pull. Baby Ray let out a horrific scream. Mykal and Larry held the teenager’s leg firm but Baby Ray’s kick made their arms give way. Baby Ray cried at the overwhelming pain.

  Mykal had to look away. He couldn’t bear to watch him cry. He knew he couldn’t handle watching one of his sons going through something like this. Mykal couldn’t imagine how the Dosch family dealt with this emotionally.

  Mykal glanced at Roy Jr. and it looked like Roy Jr. grew angry. Roy Jr. held Baby Ray’s hand tightly but looked like he was seething over his baby brother’s pain and suffering. Without warning, Roy Jr. dove from his brother’s side and w
ent at Kurt, tackling him to the ground.

  “What the hell are you--” Kurt’s words were stopped when Roy Jr. punched him in the face.

  Mykal and Larry dropped Baby Ray’s leg and dove on top of Roy Jr. before he could throw another punch. Roy Jr. didn’t give up and shook wildly to get Mykal and Larry off of him. He back handed Mykal in the face which sent him backward with a bloody lip and he continued to wrestle with Larry.

  Mykal got back to his feet just as Roy, Randy and Denny came running to the sounds of the scuffle. Mykal watched as Roy grabbed his son by the back of the hair and yanked him to his feet. “What the hell you doing, boy?” Roy yelled at his son. “You let them finish. They’re trying to help your brother. What the hell’s the matter with you?” Roy shouted as Roy Jr. reached for the grip on his hair. “You get on outta here, now,” he roared.

  Roy Jr. stomped off like a little child who didn’t get his way. He said nothing and ran off into the wild open flatland.

  “Everything is gonna be alright.” Roy comforted Baby Ray. He wiped his son’s tears away. “I wish I could trade places with you son.” Roy’s voice cracked. Roy got on the ground behind Baby Ray. He cradled him between his legs, and held him close to his body. He wrapped his large, strong arms around his son’s chest. “Go ahead Kurt. Let’s get this over with.”

  Kurt felt his lip. It doubled in size. “Are you sure?”

  “Please. I’m sorry for my boy. Roy Jr. don’t mean no harm.”

  Mykal spat some blood from his mouth and joined Larry to hold Baby Ray’s legs down. Mykal didn’t get angry or hold a grudge against Roy Jr. Mykal understood Roy Jr.’s pent up frustration.

  “Pa, it hurts,” Baby Ray whimpered and turned his head up to look into his father’s eyes.

  “I know it hurts son. It’ll be over shortly. Hold on now.”

  Kurt looked to Mykal. Kurt’s eyes showed he feared this one would be a struggle. “I’m not sure if the arrowhead is embedded in bone,” Kurt said then pulled and tugged. Baby Ray cried out.

  Roy clenched his grip tight around his son’s chest. His eyes were closed while he whispered into Baby Ray’s ear. “It’s gonna be alright son. You’re doing good boy. Hold on.”