37 Days In A Strange World

by Dave Hazel

  The savage ignored the blood drooling from his shoulder but examined his two missing fingers. His face brightened with evil intent when he pulled a long dagger from his belt. He looked meaner and crazier than before he lost two fingers. “Yaaaahhhhhh,” he yelled with mouth wide open in a diabolical expression.

  ‘Why won’t he stop?’

  The impact of the punch to his head seemed to catch up to his brain and Mykal’s body stopped. Seeing the crazy man rush him, he knew he couldn’t grab his rifle and turn around in time to finish off his injured enemy. Panic set in. This was it. The inevitability of death was like a punch to the gut.

  “Why?” He yelled as he struggled in the sand. He didn’t want to be stabbed to death, but his legs wouldn’t respond.

  The punch induced fog in his brain began to clear. He then realized he had a pistol at his side. He turned on his knees to face the wild man while drawing the .357 magnum from the leather holster. The long blade in the air started downward toward him. He raced to shoot his opponent before being punctured by cold steel. Supposedly flak vests would stop a knife attack but…

  He couldn’t get his pistol out of the holster. Raising the handgun seemed to take forever. It weighed a thousand pounds. The hit to his head must have been harder than he realized. His body wouldn’t obey his brain. The long blade drove downward.

  To Mykal’s surprise, as if in a dream, the crazy man’s face ripped apart and splattered out toward his own face. There were three rapid explosions that he jerked reflexively to. The enemy fell dead toward him showering him with crazy man flesh, blood, brain, and skull pieces. He stared in awe at the gore raining down on him. Then the body flopped on him. Kurt stood there with his Browning 9mm in his hand. Kurt was alive and saved his life.

  Mykal fell backward with the dead man on top of him. He pushed the dead weight off. Displaying disgust and hysterics he wiped the warm sticky wetness from his face, smearing it, making a messy stain. He looked at Kurt standing over him. Mykal was at a loss for words to show his appreciation for Kurt’s wellbeing.

  Mykal realized how close both of them came to joining Nelson. “The sonovabitch nearly knocked me out. I was friggin punch drunk,” he added. He rose to his feet but his legs were still wobbly.

  They both glanced at the dead around them and were stunned. Simultaneously, they turned to the sounds of feet pounding sand. Prepared to shoot, expecting more Crazies, they were relieved to see Denny, Larry, Roy Jr. and Randy appear, ready to help.

  “What the hell happened?” Denny yelled. “Are you ok?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Mykal sighed with relief at Denny’s parental tone. “These guys just came from up there,” he pointed to the cliff ridge. “This is his blood,” he pointed to the dead man at his feet. “Listen, there’s a ship around the bend over here,” he said and shifted his direction. His legs felt normal. “I don’t know if they’re like these crazy people or not, but they seem different. Take a look.”

  “Are you sure you’re alright? Your face--”

  “Honest, it’s this guy’s blood,” he nodded to the corpse.

  They all went to look around the bend, but Kurt armed himself with his rifle and kept guard by watching the top of the cliff. “They’re not gonna surprise us a second time.”

  “I can’t tell if they’re Crazies or not,” Denny spoke quickly. “But listen to this, Boris and Franklin spotted lots of Crazies kinda hiding out. But we couldn’t tell what they were hiding from. We were just coming to get you guys when we heard the shooting,” Denny shook his head while he scanned the three dead. “They might be hiding from the people on the ship.”

  “There’s a fourth one up there,” Mykal pointed and wiggled his jaw. He shook sand off his rifle butt and pistol grip. He was grateful that the working pieces of his rifle landed on grass and not in the sand. Sand would have rendered it useless until he would have an opportunity to clean it.

  Larry looked at the top of the cliff. “I’ll betcha these four are part of the group that are hiding. Roy Jr. seems to think they were going to ambush somebody. It makes sense now.”

  “See, us good ol’ country boys knows what’s we’s talking about, now and again.” Roy Jr. said playfully, sounding like a hillbilly.

  “Yeah, sometimes,” Larry chuckled.

  Denny found no humor in their situation and looked to the top of the cliff. “Let’s get outta here. Your gunshots might have drawn some attention and it might not be too long before some more of those bastards come this way.”

  “Oh I’m ready for ‘em this time.” Kurt smirked and rolled his eyes, still wincing in pain.

  8.

  “Anything happen yet?” Denny asked Roy at the vehicles.

  “No, they haven’t come back yet,” Roy answered, watching in the direction where Franklin and Boris were positioned. The butt of the Thompson machine gun rested on his hip and pointed into the sky. His free hand rested on the pistol tucked into the pocket of his overalls. “What went on back there? Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine,” Mykal answered. “It’s not my blood. We ran into four of them. I’ll explain later. I wanna see what they found.”

  Denny looked at Kurt. “I want you to stay here with Larry and Roy. Just in case we have to drive outta here in a hurry.”

  Mykal, Denny, Roy Jr. and Randy ran to where Franklin and Boris were positioned on the peak of a hill. A few trees dotted the rise that they used for cover. Both Franklin and Boris lay prone beside a tree.

  A sense of fear and relief rolled through Mykal once he saw the army of Crazies. “Oh damn, I could have easily driven to this side of the hills and we woulda gone right into them.”

  Boris pointed out a large number people who were similar to the Crazies that attacked Mykal and Kurt. They looked to be hiding and waiting to spring into action.

  “They’re gonna attack the boat people,” Mykal said.

  “What boat people?” Boris whispered though their discussion couldn’t be heard by the enemy.

  Mykal explained what he discovered in the water.

  “Okay, look over there,” Boris pointed to some brush and smaller hills a half mile from them. “There’s lots of Crazies all over down there in that area. As you can see there’s many of them right here in front of us about a quarter mile away. We saw groups of them running around and hiding in different positions. There’s a lot more that you can’t see right now.

  “And you’ll notice,” Boris continued and used his hand to motion in all directions. “They’re all facing the water. They’re obviously going to attack something by the water that’s in our blind spot, your boat people. These damned hills and trees are blocking our view. Now when you guys started shooting, a few stuck their heads up like curious prairie dogs,” Boris added and pointed to some minor movement behind the hills.

  “The ship we saw had men and horses coming to land right over in that general area,” Mykal pointed to the blind spot. “Well if the boat people are gonna get hit, there’s a whole army of these crazy people that’s gonna whack ‘em,” Boris said. “There’s hundreds of them.”

  “We tried to count them, Myk, but too many,” Franklin said.

  Franklin’s bumpy red face proved his response to anxiety- “Pickin’ the hell outta those pimples,” Larry regularly teased. “You oughta take up smokin’ like Boris.”

  “Ya know, if the people coming off the boats are gonna be ambushed--” Roy Jr. started and paused to stick his finger up under the helmet to relieve an itch. “--they might be good people. If they’re good people, then maybe they’ll help us or point us in the right direction to get help,” he said and repositioned the military helmet. “My brother needs help bad.”

  Mykal nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  Denny looked uncomfortable. “But how do we know they’re not just as crazy as the ones we been dealing with all day?”

  “True, they could be just as bad.” Mykal kept nodding. “But when me and Kurt watched them, you can tell they look differe
nt. Even so, I’m sure, if they get ambushed and we come to their rescue, they’d be grateful. If they are Crazies, they might cut us some slack for saving them from the ambush. They can at least point us outta here or we’ll blow them away too. This is the only thing we’ve come across so far that looks promising.”

  “I don’t know, Myk,” Denny kicked his toe into the ground and shook his head. “I just don’t wanna take a chance of losing someone else. For crying out loud, you and Kurt almost got killed just a few minutes ago.”

  “Listen Denny,” Mykal argued in a calm but forceful tone. “Those crazy people are behind us. They’re between us and Lt. Light. Now we can see they’re in front of us. It looks like we’re going to run into them where ever we go. We almost got killed cuz we were trying to get some damned water. I think we’re in serious trouble no matter what we do. Eventually these people are gonna catch up to us.”

  “And if they don’t catch up to us quick,” Boris spoke to agree with Mykal. “How long will our gas last? I mean how long before we’re on foot trying to outrun these crazy S O Bs?”

  “Our ammo ain’t gonna last forever,” Randy chipped in.

  We don’t have a whole lot of food either,” Roy Jr. said.

  Mykal smiled, glad the civilians agreed with him. “Denny, they might be good people. We may not get another chance to run into good people again. If we let these people get ambushed and they all get killed, we may be hurting ourselves. I think we oughta help them cuz it may pay off for us in the end.”

  “I think he’s right Denny,” Boris said with a slight moan. “I just wanna get outta here, wherever the hell, here is.”

  “I also think we need to risk helping these people,” Randy said while plucking a long blade of grass and putting it in his mouth. “We’ll just have to keep our distance and play it safe,” he lifted his cowboy hat and ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. “We have the upper hand with our wheels and guns.”

  “Yep, we’re getting nowhere fast this way,” Roy Jr. said to increase the pressure. “My number one concern, a‘sides getting outta here, is gettin’ my lil’ brother some doctor help.”

  “Alright,” Denny gave in with a long sigh and stretched his neck to look heavenward. “Let’s go back and get the others. Boris you and Franklin stay here and keep your eyes on them till we come get you. If they start their attack, get our attention.”

  “Take Franklin,” Mykal responded. “I’ll stay with Boris. If they attack we’re going to start nailing them from here.”

  “Alright, but please, be careful you two. We’ll get the vehicles and come here shortly.”

  9.

  Minutes passed in silence between Mykal and Boris. Despite their close friendship, their mission focused on enemy activity not chit-chatting. The only sound audible besides the incessant wind was the sound of Boris dragging and exhaling on his Lucky Strike. Boris handled nervousness through smokes. Occasionally he would spit a piece of tobacco from his tongue.

  “You scared Boris?” Mykal asked without shifting his stare.

  “Yeah,” he admitted and looked down as if embarrassed.

  “Me too,” Mykal confessed. “I’m glad you didn’t lie and act like a gung-ho G.I. Joe, cuz then I woulda had to lie too.”

  “Lying ain’t gonna help when the shit hits the fan.”

  “I agree.” Mykal smirked. “When me and Kurt got jumped back there, I was so damned scared. I thought he got killed and I thought I was gonna die. I ain’t cut out for this fightin’-for-your-life stuff. I’m just glad these crazy people don’t have weapons like we do, cuz then we’d be in a world of shit.”

  “Look, look, look.” Boris pointed with nervous excitement. “They’re up and running.”

  “Make every round count,” Mykal said as he aimed his rifle and fired. One of the many moving Crazies fell over. “I got one,” Mykal laughed and started shooting quickly. From this distance they didn’t seem like real people. “These sonsabitches tried to kill me earlier so now it’s payback,” he said.

  He hit a savage with every trigger squeeze. They shot fast, but took enough time to ensure every round hit its target.

  *******

  The ‘Crazies’ had no idea what attacked them. Some watched comrades fall dead or seriously wounded. Blood flowed but there was no enemy nearby to strike them down. What manner of death could this be?

  *******

  By the time the three vehicles sped up behind Mykal and Boris, they both used up a thirty round magazine each. It hardly put a dent in the number of the attacking force.

  “Get going,” Mykal ordered after he and Boris jumped into the Ford LTD with Larry behind the wheel.

  “Get us down there quick,” Boris howled with a loud maniacal laugh. “There’s Crazies to be killed.”

  “Denny,” Mykal called into the radio microphone. “Tell Kurt he better not shoot on full-auto. Tell everyone they have to make every shot count. I would have Franklin watch our back.”

  “I’m on it,” Denny replied. “Be careful and don’t anyone try to be a hero. Remember, we don’t even know if these other people are good guys or not. If things start to go bad, get the hell outta there and that’s an order.”

  Mykal surveyed the battlefield as the three vehicles raced down the hill and turned toward the unsuspecting enemy who made an all-out attack. They charged toward the water in a curved line. The formation would encircle the boat people on the beach. Seeing the actual size of the advancing army, Mykal would’ve never confronted such a force. But the possibility of getting help or even just the possibility of getting information that would help, made him think irrationally. “Desperation makes an enemy of my enemy, my new friend,” he muttered.

  “I’m with ya,” Larry said. “But we’re still friggin nuts.”

  When they neared the raiders Larry turned on the red lights and siren. Many near the screaming Ford LTD dropped in fear as if a demon possessed monster arrived to devour them. Those who didn’t drop to the ground ran in the opposite direction. Clearly the Crazies never heard such a sound and never saw such a beast.

  Mykal eyed the people targeted for the ambush. They seemed just as startled and unsure of the vehicles as the Crazies. The boat people, caught in the ambush, were trapped. The boats were back at the ship leaving them blocked by water and completely surrounded on three sides by the advancing marauders. They would have had to stand and fight to the death or take their chances in the water and swim to the wooden vessel.

  The object of the ensnarement numbered about sixty. Over four hundred participated in the sneak attack. Six members of the ensnared party lay dead by arrows. Their horses, tied down to the supplies so they couldn’t run off, caught Mykal’s attention because of their enormous size. The small group stood ready to fight off the impossible odds. Their bravery impressed Mykal. ‘Or maybe they’re just as crazy as the Crazies.’

  “Stop right here,” Mykal yelled to Larry. The screaming wail of the siren kept the bad guys fleeing from them.

  “Right here?” Larry said, though he applied the brakes in obedience. “We’re right in the friggin middle of them. They can easily surround us and hit us from all sides.”

  “They’re scared of us,” he replied, and began squeezing off rounds. He dropped savages with every shot. “Keep that siren going. They don’t know what we are.”

  Weapons fire rang out from all three vehicles. Enemy targets lingered close enough that even Franklin could hit them.

  *******

  Crazies continued dropping and the majority started running in all directions. The trap fell apart because it had been disrupted by the strange metal beasts that killed with magic.

  *******

  “Whatta we doing? What’s the plan?” Larry yelled after a few shots. His foot held the brake down while still in drive.

  “We gotta keep those near us from reaching the water. The boat people gotta fight till we get there,” Mykal answered

  Dialogue had to be yelled. The rifle fire creat
ed ringing in the ears and temporary deafness in the confined space. They all owned ear plugs as part of their required Security Police equipment. None thought to employ such a simple device. The little rubber plugs would’ve effectively prevented noise damage.

  Roy kept the station wagon well behind the other two vehicles. He shied from the main body of the battle to keep Baby Ray from being put in harm’s way. Roy stood at the door of the car and fired off his Remington 700. His two sons advanced on foot toward the others.

  Roy Jr. carried his Winchester M-94 and had the Ithica 37 shotgun strapped over his shoulder. Randy armed himself with the Savage 99 and his brother’s favorite Thompson sub-machinegun slung over his shoulder. Both wore belts of extra ammunition over their chests. They conserved their gunfire until they moved close to the other vehicles and joined their Air Force cohorts.

  Mykal stood outside the Marshal’s car and took down targets with ease. He finished off a thirty round magazine, threw the empty clip into the car and reloaded with amazing speed. The rush of adrenaline made him feel like Superman. Mykal radiated excitement and pride knowing that at least twenty-four of the last thirty shots fired were kills. The other six were seriously injured and out of the fight. He always qualified as an expert marksman during Air Force annual weapons qualifications. At such a close range they were easy to hit.

  Boris, Kurt and Larry shot with equal precision. Denny hesitated to shoot. He forced himself to fire upon the few he shot. From an earlier conversation Mykal knew Denny feared the investigation the military would conduct after their strange situation ended. The first battle was clearly self-defense. This battle, they took it upon themselves to get involved and they attacked first. Denny feared there would be serious repercussions for his participation in killing these barbarians. Denny knew he couldn’t provide for his family from behind prison bars. Mykal understood Denny’s fear, but strongly disagreed.