37 Days In A Strange World

by Dave Hazel

  Lt Light wanted his men to know he was there with them and to assure them he would be there with them when their lives were on the line. Light won the respect not only of his men, but also of the men who were under Edwards as well.

  Late into the night Mykal, Jake and Towbar walked the line of the pit checking on the men who were keeping watch. Alertness was the key since darkness blanketed the entire area. If Sosos tried to sneak into their area they would fall into the covered pit. Including Towbar’s civilians, guards were posted every fifty to seventy-five feet. Most grouped together in twos and threes with a few hundred people on duty each two hour shift.

  “Towbar, our purpose here is to boost morale and encourage the men,” Jake explained while they walked the line. “I’ve been in the security field my entire career. I know how people try to pull a fast one on us and sleep on duty. I’m making everyone do their share of duty. Even though there are more than enough eyes watching for the enemy, it wouldn’t be fair if some shirked their responsibility and others couldn’t. In our world slackers won’t be tolerated. Especially, with lives on the line.”

  “Look at this,” Mykal pointed to the first person they found sleeping on duty. “None other than Franklin Perry. Nobody can sleep. But him, he can’t stay awake,” Mykal said. Franklin lay on the ground curled up in a fetal position as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “It figures it would be Franklin,” he chuckled. “He could never stay awake on the job back in the world, so why should we have expected anything different from him out here? Franklin, get up,” Mykal said while gently kicking Franklin’s foot under Jake’s raging glare.

  “Perry! Wake your dumb ass up,” Jake barked and kicked the bottom of Franklin’s foot.

  “Huh?” Franklin mumbled as he stirred. “What?” He asked as he pulled himself up off his rifle.

  “Get your stupid ass up before I beat the daylights out of you,” Jake snapped. “I’m pissed off at you. I’ve made such a big deal to Towbar about the importance of security and you’re gonna embarrass me in front of him like this? The hell you are!”

  Franklin jumped up. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t know I fell asleep,” he yawned and unconsciously grabbed one of the many pimples on his face and began squeezing. Within minutes Franklin would end up looking like he stuck his face too close to a hornet’s nest.

  “You better not let it happen again.” Jake walked off.

  “C’mon Franklin, you only gotta do two hours,” Mykal said. “Stand up or walk around for crying out loud. Stand with some others. Everyone else is doing it.” He followed Jake and Towbar.

  Traveling the line Towbar would stop and speak briefly to his people. The locals found it hard to understand why the Visitors needed to have sentries posted. “Everyone knows the Sosos will not attack at night,” the refrain chorused over and over. The giant made it clear he wanted the Visitors to have peace of mind for all they’ve done.

  When the half mile trek had been completed, Jake and Mykal found three more people grouped together napping on the job. They were all Jake’s people. The three received a severe verbal lashing from Jake. Jake’s anger reached a peak Mykal never saw before. Mykal knew Jake was embarrassed after making such a big deal about security.

  Returning back down the line, to their stunned amazement the only person found to be sleeping, and for a second time, Franklin Perry. Sleeping on duty twice within one hour.

  “I don’t believe this little idiot,” Mykal gawked, fearful of what Jake would do. “I know he worked hard, but everyone worked hard.”

  “I’ll kick his ass!” Jake’s clenched teeth could be felt.

  “Wait a minute, Jake.” Mykal smiled with an idea and held Jake back. Mykal then reached down and tried to get Franklin’s rifle away without disturbing him. Franklin had been smart enough to wrap the rifle sling around his arm so no one would be able to take his weapon without waking him.

  Mykal couldn’t take the rifle, but he opened Franklin’s ammo pouches and took all four magazines and then removed the thirty round clip from the M-16. “Jake, let’s let him sleep and when he wakes up and sees all his ammo gone. He’ll freak out. Then he’ll have to come to you and admit that he fell asleep.”

  “No, I’m gonna wake this little dumb ass up right now,” Jake snarled. “This selfish little idiot could get people killed by sleeping on duty. Franklin! Get the hell up,” Jake ordered.

  When Franklin didn’t move Mykal kicked the bottom of his foot. “Franklin, get your ass up!” Mykal said. The kick jolted him awake. “What the hell’s the matter with you?” Mykal barked.

  Franklin jumped up and rubbed his eyes. He saw Jake’s angry stare. “Awhhh, damn it, I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it--”

  “Shut the hell up and stand at attention,” Jake snapped and got into his face. “I don’t want any damned excuses. You could have gotten yourself and others killed due to your dereliction of duty.”

  “I didn’t mean to. I’m tired,” he moaned and reflexively reached for a pimple on his face until Jake yelled.

  “I said no excuses,” Jake repeated. “Everybody’s tired.”

  Franklin panicked. “My ammo? Where’s my ammo?”

  “Right here.” Mykal held up the thirty round magazines. “If we woulda been Sosos we wouldn’t have taken your ammo, we woulda taken your life.” He handed him two of the five magazines.

  “What about the rest of my ammo?” His terrified expression displayed how precious ammunition was.

  “You lost them!” Mykal replied sharply. “You’re lucky I gave you two of them. Tomorrow when the Sosos come and you start running low, you can think about how you lost them sleeping on duty. Don’t let me catch you sleeping again.”

  “Don’t you ever let me catch you sleeping on duty again,” Jake snapped. His tone more threatening than Mykal. “I’m not playing with you, Franklin.” He pointed one of his long fingers in Franklin’s face. The three of them walked off while Franklin stood at attention. “What are you gonna do with his ammo?”

  “I’ll give ‘em back tomorrow,” Mykal chuckled. “I just want him to sweat it out a little and think about what he did.”

  “Well, I think you scared him pretty good.”

  “No Jake, I think you scared the crap outta him.”

  Mykal, Jake and Towbar talked briefly before retiring for the night. They knew the unavoidable was closing in. They didn’t know the size of the enemy, but knew they were gravely out numbered. Their only hope rest in Towbar’s soldiers arriving quickly. They’d have to do their best to hold the Pass until his soldiers arrived. Mykal wished the machine guns, rifles and grenade launchers combined with the pit would keep the Sosos off balance and hesitant long enough for the cavalry to ride to the rescue. They just needed to buy some precious time.

  CHAPTER TEN – Day 12

  1. Monday, July 4th 1983

  0602 hours, The Pass- location: The Pit.

  Mykal had already been up when Boris came to wake him. Like many others, Mykal found it difficult to sleep. A nervous queasiness filled his stomach. Boris’s pale, somewhat worried, look affirmed for Mykal they probably shared the same anxiety.

  “How you feelin’ Boris?”

  “Scared,” he admitted and looked down. “I’m real scared.”

  “Me too.” Mykal nodded and looked to the gray haziness in the sky. “After that gray turns blue, they can attack any time.”

  “Yeah, and it feels like there’s something in the air,” Boris sighed. “Like today is really the day.”

  “I sense it too.”

  Boris gave a fake smile. “Myk, don’t laugh at me, but I’m really afraid I’m gonna die today,” he groaned. “I just have this nagging feeling that I’m not gonna make it through this. Like one of those old black and white war movies where one guy is just freakin’ out and keeps saying ‘I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die’ and then he ends up dying. I’m feeling like that guy.”

  “You’re not gonna die,” Mykal said. “Who’d riff on
Kurt?”

  “I don’t know how all these people are going to respond to the Sosos. They’ll probably get us all killed.” He turned his head away. “Don’t tell anyone what I just told you. You’re the only one I trust. I mean I trust Kurt, but I don’t want him laughing at me and making a joke of it.”

  “Well, I’m not gonna laugh, cuz I feel the same way. We’re not gonna get killed! Make sure you and Kurt and the guys stay close to me. Cuz if things get outta hand we’re getting in one of the vehicles and leaving. Let’s put on a brave face for the others and we’ll lead by example until we piss our pants.”

  “Thanks Myk,” he snickered with relief. “Are you hungry?”

  “Yeah, I’m hungry but I don’t think I’ll be able to eat,” Mykal said. They walked to the center of camp. “Where’s Towbar?”

  “Over there with Denny and Jake.” Boris led the way. “Jake sent Lopez to drive Kotan and two of Towbar’s injured warriors out to find Towbar’s army and to call back with an ETA. Kotan will be able to explain how we have everything set up here.”

  They walked slowly as if trudging the last mile before the execution. Mykal eyed everyone he passed. “It makes you wonder if this is gonna be their last day alive,” he whispered to Boris.

  “Yeah, I wonder if we’re all gonna die,” Boris whispered back. “Maybe the pit won’t work and we’ll be overrun before we have a chance to get away. Or if we do get away, how far will we get before the gas runs out.”

  “What sucks about this is our family and friends back in the world don’t have a clue what we’re facing. If we all get wiped out, people back home will never learn the truth,” Mykal sighed. “Let’s stop talking like this. It’s possible nothing will happen. The army might get here first.” Mykal wanted to set an example by his actions, but he felt his fear and sadness covered him like a heavy burlap sweater in July. “I’m not big on getting drunk, but I’m about ready to tie one on right now.”

  “Now you’re talking my language,” Boris laughed.

  “I want everyone to listen up,” Jake called out to all those present. “Get all our people together including our civilians. I have a message.”

  After the Visitors had been gathered, by order of both Lt Edwards and Lt Light, Jake began his pre-battle briefing. Jake looked to be in command though Mansfield and Flemour both outranked him as senior NCOs. Mykal saw the stress of Jake’s position etched into the creases around his eyes.

  “Good morning everyone,” Jake began. “Let me start by saying, I have worn the uniform for fourteen years. I have gone through countless training and leadership classes. I have been through the Air Force’s limited combat training. But honestly, I have no idea how this day is going to unfold.” He smiled despite his hands visibly shaking. “Though we will be spread out with a lot of ground between us, we need to watch each other’s back,” Jake paused when applause broke out among the Visitors. “We’re here to help Towbar and his people, but our overall goal is to stay safe. Be careful out there. Towbar, feel free to jump in and add anything,” he said as locals gathered around them.

  Within minutes they were surrounded by several thousand people from Towbar’s world. Jake got atop the nearest Suburban. Towbar jumped on top of the hood of a vehicle also. The weight of his massive body forced the metal hood to buckle. The paint cracked and chipped and the back end seemed ready to lift off the ground. Vehicle damage had always been a major concern for the military personnel. Now it didn’t matter.

  “My people,” Towbar bellowed. He used his large hands to silence the crowd. “There is not much to say. We know what is at stake. The Sosos must not take control of the Pass. My people, I ask you to defend the pit we created. Sosos will be vulnerable when they climb out. Our new friends will keep death arrows from finding you. Trust my words.”

  “Towbar, my Lord, I will do all that you ask,” a voice humbly cried out from within the large audience. “How will the Visitors stop Shay-lonk, Soso death arrows?”

  “We’ll kill the archers before they have a chance to shoot,” Kurt yelled. He raised his rifle over his head and stepped closer to the Suburban stage. “We’ll stop them because our weapons are more powerful than death arrows.”

  “How?” Another called out amid the roar of skepticism. “Is it magic?” He, like many others, were refugees from other villages and uninformed about the Visitors and their weapons.

  “No!” Towbar boomed above the din. “It is not magic. You must trust our new friends. Their thunder sticks,” he pointed to Kurt’s rifle, then to Jake’s and Mykal’s rifle, “are more deadly than death arrows. Their weapons are far superior to anything we have ever seen. I have watched their weapons in battle and they are a magnificent sight to behold. They will stop the archers before they are in range to use their bows.”

  “Lord Towbar, Lord Towbar, may I speak?” A teenager pushed his way through the crowd. He held his hand high in the air holding what looked like a crumpled, empty, cigarette pack of white and red with the words Lucky Strike. “I can confirm your words, Lord Towbar.”

  Towbar looked confused. “Yes, my child, speak.”

  “I am called Thrane, youngest son of Tan-core, from the village of Pallomee,” the teenager spoke with pride. He looked to be sixteen. “Lord Towbar and four Visitors came to Pallomee to warn us of the Soso threat. I have seen the power these great men have,” he paused when a rumble of voices rose.

  Towbar waved his arm and silence returned.

  Thrane continued. “Gan the Wicked started mischief with the Visitors. Gan and four of his vile henchmen are no more. They were killed with ease in a flash of time. Let me clarify, I saw the bloody aftermath of the brief encounter. I spoke to those who witnessed the swiftness of Gan’s death. One of the four threw this on the ground and I kept it,” he boasted and smiled with pride holding up Boris’s discarded cigarette pack.

  Mykal, Boris, Kurt and Roy Jr. all looked at each other and started to laugh knowing they would probably be questioned by others since they left those details out. “It was self-defense,” Mykal mouthed to Jake as voices resounded around them.

  Mykal, Boris, Kurt and Roy Jr. laughed as people surrounded Thrane to look at his prized possession, the empty cigarette pack.

  “What the hell’s going on?” Denny asked the four of them.

  “We’ll talk later.” Mykal shrugged. “It was nothing.”

  “Good thing the Dipshit brothers aren’t around to write that down in their little notebook,” Kurt laughed.

  “Listen up now.” Jake got everyone’s attention. “We will help you fine people. While you prevent Sosos from getting out of the pit and crossing to our side, you will not be alone. Our number one objective will be to stop the archers.” He turned his attention to Lt Light. “Sir, how much ammo do your men have?”

  “We left the base under emergency conditions so we have doubled the ammo for each M-60 and M-203. That means we have three thousand rounds for each of the M-60 machine guns, and thirty-six HE rounds for each of the M-203 grenade launchers.”

  “That’s great.” Boris pumped his fist. “I didn’t know they doubled their ammo. That’s gonna help out a lot.”

  “Myk, what’s HE?” William Kraft asked.

  “HE stands for High Explosive,” Boris answered first being the weapons expert. “See that M-16 that has the funny looking tube attached to it? That’s a grenade launcher and it fires 40mm explosive rounds. Grenades. They have a kill radius of five meters. So anything inside the five meters of the blast has the potential to be killed or will get seriously screwed up.”

  “My people,” Towbar continued, “I call the weapons thunder sticks. They make loud noises. Do not allow it to frighten you or to distract from our task. Our task is to hold the Pass until our army arrives. I am proud of each and every one of you who stands here today. We will be victorious,” the giant shouted starting a roar from his people. Towbar didn’t have to tell the people they were expected to fight to the end.

  Towbar jumped off
the vehicle. His massive weight left a lasting imprint on the hood. Most of the people dispersed but Lt Light and Jake called Light’s fire-team leaders to discuss the placement of the four M-60 machine guns and M-203 grenade launchers.

  “Man, I wanna get my hands on one of those M-60s,” Kurt whispered to Mykal and Boris. “I would love going full auto like John Rambo in First Blood. My favorite movie.”

  “No one’s gonna give you their 60,” Boris derided him.

  “Watch. Hey Jackson, you wanna trade positions so you don’t have to worry about carrying the M-60?” Kurt asked a black airman who was one of the four machine gunners.

  “Sheeeeeeit man,” Jackson jeered at Kurt’s request. “You just wants inside my Peacekeeper cuz of the armored plating. I ain’t givin’ up my spot for no one. I’ll gladly be stayin’ inside this damn tank piece of crap. I’ll be nice an’ safe from all them funky poison arrows flying around.” Jackson laughed and high-fived his assistant gunner, Sr. Airman Davis.

  “C’mon man, I’ll be doing you a favor bro,” Kurt said. “You know the life expectancy of a machine gunner in a fire fight is only sixty seconds.”

  “Listen to this foo’,” Jackson laughed to Davis. “He thinks he can con me from my spot. We ain’t fighting the damn Russians. I’ll tell you what, man. I always hated lugging this heavy 60 in training. I always hated sittin’ inside these PK tubs a shit, but if’n we haz to fight crazy-ass Sosos, I wants my little ass inside this damn tub’o’shit,” he laughed and gave Davis another high-five. Together they laughed at Kurt.

  “If you change your mind let me know, cuz I’d love to do some rockin’ and rollin’ with the 60. I think it’d be great.”

  “I told you, you dumb ass,” Boris mocked Kurt as they walked back toward their camp area.

  “I’ll talk to you guys later,” Mykal said. He joined Lt Light and Jake who were briefing some of the fire team members.

  “…and so we’ll keep the four Peacekeepers spread out evenly behind the pit. The gunners will have equal fields of fire to cover as much of the Pass as possible,” Light finished. “I want the grenadiers to stay close to the Peacekeeper so they will be evenly spread through the Pass as well.”