Heart of the Resonant- the Soldier's Tale

by B. C. Handler

  Must be nice to have a friend near.

  Grabbing one of the spare canteens, I filled up my cup and mixed in the strawberry electrolyte powder. I took a sip for myself and went over to the elf just as she finished her feeding. I compelled her to drink some and then helped in giving the rest to Fell.

  With the canteen still in hand, I waved it around to emphasize the sloshing liquid. I pointed to the others, arching my eyebrow, as it had become our signal for a question. Of course, I worried how clearly I could convey the idea.

  This time, however, Meriel understood right away. She went through where she piled her armor and procured a satchel that was hardly any bigger than a fanny pack. What came out was an oblong waterskin of rough hide, which she handed off after mouthing off a few words, then gestured to the waterskin. From the weight, I would guess a little less than a full quart. And if I’m reading her right, then this was all they had.

  Okay. Not as screwed, but still pretty screwed.

  Turning away, I gave the forest a slow pan. Nothing but trees as far as the eye could see. The sun’s rays managed through canopy, putting us in the late morning. There should be plenty of time before night descends.

  I fixed the elf with a firm look and then gestured to our meager water supply. Pointing to my chest first, I opened my palm and walked my fingers across it, and then made a visor with my hand, panning side to side for emphasis.

  Her eyes wavered back and forth a few times before the pieces came together. She pointed to herself and raised a brow. Slowly, I pointed to her and then straight down, nodding my head towards fell. Meriel frowned and scratched at the scar under her eye. For whatever reason, she started speaking in her language, more for herself, probably. She finished with words clearly aimed at me, and then pointed to herself and Fell.

  To be honest, I had no idea what she meant.

  I gestured to the water, made an X with my fingers, and then ran a finger along my throat—making it obvious what’ll happen if we run out. That should be reason enough for why I want to go looking for a river or stream.

  The quizzical look never left her face, unsatisfied with my response. Before it could go further, I pulled away and busied myself with my gear, getting ready for the, hopefully short, hike ahead. When I grabbed my vest, I debated whether or not the body armor would be worth the additional twenty pounds. Compromising, I pulled out the ballistic plates and got strapped up.

  My rifle hadn’t left my side since the beginning of this ordeal. The other M4 got dismantled on the second day after I gave everything a thorough cleaning, along with the other Beretta. The pistol was in pieces in my rucksack, and upper and lower receiver for the rifle were in separate compartments in Judge’s rucksack, but the bolt carrier stayed in my pocket.

  I’m not worried they’ll take off, considering that Fell can’t walk on her own and Meriel certainly didn’t look strong enough to tow another person and an additional hundred and twenty-odd some pounds of gear. Given her dotting over Fell, she wasn’t going to runoff.

  While I was transferring some water to my canteen, the elf came up.

  “Pelush govect,” she said in a quiet voice.

  Good luck? Travel well? Whatever.

  I locked the canteen onto my belt, making sure it was secure. Giving my rifle one final check, I met her gaze and nodded once. It looked like she wanted to say more, but she knew it’d be lost in translation, so she settled on a weak smile. With nothing else to add, I turned and started walking. Before the camp was completely out of sight, I made sure to mark the direction on my compass; one hundred and thirty degrees from magnetic north. Bearing marked, I set off.

  ✽✽✽

  After two hours of walking north with no break in the landscape, I kept the needle to my right and moved west, always keeping my initial bearing in mind. When another hour passed without any promise, I started heading south-west, making a circle around where we hunkered down.

  The hunt for water wasn’t off to a great start.

  The same species of trees kept me company throughout the trek. Initially, the thought was that they were sycamores, but as I pondered and dug around a bit more, the bark was more reminiscent of birch trees. But neither species grew such stout trunks.

  Then again, I’m not a dendrologist.

  Still, out of all the excursions with Dad, I’ve never seen trees like these before. American sycamores grew only the north and south of the U.S., but birch trees only grew in the far north expanses of the U.S. and Canada. And sycamores are supposed to be a lot flakier, especially near autumn and winter, only appearing white when their outer bark flakes off. Birch trees don’t get so thick, and they’re not as dense in a forest. But other species of birch are known to grow in the northern hemisphere in Europe and parts of China. But, then, how—

  I stopped to lean against a tree once I realized I was hyperventilating.

  The world threatened to go dark, so I pressed into the trunk and slid down to the earth, thinking of nothing but breathing. The ringing in my ears faded away, leaving only the rustling branches of the eerily hollow forest once I found myself. It bothered me the first night with how rare the chirps of birds were; not even chirping bugs filled the space. Everything was different. No. Everything was wrong.

  This isn’t Illinois. This isn't Earth.

  It should’ve been obvious the first night when I tried to figure out which hemisphere we were in by looking for constellations. I stopped looking real fast once I saw the moon halfway through its phase. The orbiting hunk of rock was easily three times the size of what should be in the sky, and it had a slightly green tinge.

  Like everything else, I pushed it to the side and tried to rationalize, but I’ve just been digging a deeper and deeper hole.

  An albino reaper with the power of Zeus killed my squad, I had to bury my friend and a wizard— who could control the earth— and I had to perform an emergency chest decompression on a fox-girl after being transported to a place that isn’t Earth with an elf in tow.

  I took a sip from my canteen to quench my dry mouth, reminding myself of the issue. Then I wondered why even to bother. So far, the women have just been a waste of my meager resources. If I just take the MRE, the gear, and all the water, I’d for a proper excursion. I was in a forest, not a desert; there have to be multiple water sources somewhere.

  Why do I have to suffer for them?

  The tags around my neck shifted, and the cool stamped metal pressed into my skin. Not wanting to lose them, I attached Heath’s and Judge’s tags to mine. And attached to those tags was also his last request: “Help them.”

  I don’t want to help them. But if I don’t, then Judge would’ve died for nothing.

  Before the heat of emotions in my chest erupted in an inferno, I snuffed it out. I sat still as the wind sighed between the trees; the chilled air almost nonexistent on my face.

  Even the air smelled different.

  With no commanding officer present, I gave myself an objective: keep myself and the girls alive.

  I’ll do that.

  I rose and dusted myself off, checking the compass before going on my way.

  Just that. Only think about that.

  ✽✽✽

  Meriel greeted me with a, surprisingly, relieved smile when I returned around the late afternoon. Even more surprising, Fell was awake. Her half-lidded eyes tracked me, still groggy, but she had some sense to her. I set down the two six-foot-long branches I discovered along the way, then went about stripping out of my gear. Once the vest and jacket came off, I got a whiff of my shirt; definitely didn’t smell like a field of daisies.

  I went to grab my spare shirt from my rucksack, discreetly checking the pistol parts: still there and appearing untouched. It was tempting to change my pants and underwear but decided it was best to wait until I felt filthy. Who knows how long it’ll be before I get a proper wash.

  After pulling off my shirt, I paused and remembered the shirt I ripped of Fell. Turning around, I saw the elf jerke
d her head to the side like she was slapped, but the fox-girl kept her hazel eyes to mine.

  “Meriel,” I called.

  She looked back, her roaming my chest before they returned to my face. I tossed her my shirt and pointed to Fell. The elf held out the olive tee until it unfurled, only then making the connection. Once she got the point, I turned my back and went to grab Judge’s spare shirt. He and I were roughly the same size and ruined Fell’s only top when I treated her. Having her exposed was a pleasant sight, but a deep chill would be the end.

  The scent of the fresh shirt made me wonder how long it would last.

  Till morning, probably.

  Grabbing the spare sleeping sack and bedroll, I joined the girls, thinking of how the hell to translate my plan without speaking. The fox-girl was just pulling her hair through the collar, adjusting her long, butterscotch locks.

  Taking the canteen from my hip, I gave it a shake and pointed out to the woods, shaking my head. Making a circle with my finger, indicating all of us, I walked my finger along the flat of my palm and pointed out behind the girls due east.

  The forest was mostly flat; however, I did notice the terrain dipping in the east. It’s a long shot to assume that gravity would dictate water collecting at some low point somewhere, but it’s the only thing to go off of currently. I kept a keen eye on the ground as I searched, finding no damp soil. Wherever we are, it’s above the water table. If no streams appear, then maybe some damp ground can be found so I can dig a seep.

  The two stared for a moment, then the elf furrowed her brows and rambled off. I fought the urge to frown and watched her gesture a few incomprehensible things, and then it was finished with her inclining her head towards Fell.

  Her opposition to the plan probably hinged on Fell. Good thing I already thought about that.

  I waved a finger between her and me, and pointed to Fell, finishing the gesture by miming lifting something.

  Meriel’s eyes rounded. She was thinking. The quarter was in the slot, but it got stuck. Once it did fall after a generous amount of time, Meriel’s brows took on a sharp line. The diatribe she had ready never vocalized as Fell had spoken up. Soft words sounded; the cadence still gentle despite her groggy state. Her words fell short when a cough snuck up on her, followed by a contained groan. After taking a second to collect herself, Fell sat up, much to Meriel’s protest, and then gestured to her body, and then she waved me on.

  Taking that as my mark, I grabbed the two seven-foot-long branches and laid them in view of the girls, leaving myself space to work. Using one of the tarps and select lengths of paracord, I began to fashion everything to the branches. The design was clear in my head, so after ten minutes of uninterrupted work, I had a stretcher made.

  Fell admired my handwork for a minute and then said some words to Meriel, finishing with a shrug of her shoulders. The elf scratched the scar on her face, strong deliberation in her eyes. Drawing in a heavy breath, she let it out slowly before doing a round of gestures that roughly translated into: You and I are going to carry Fell through the forest?

  I nodded.

  Meriel bit her lip and gave a glance to the fox-woman. Finally, she nodded her agreement to the plan. Not like she could refuse; there was nothing here.

  I let out a breath, and then looked at the sky through the trees at the waning sky, maybe an hour of light left. Fell coughed, then squirmed in discomfort. Two Tylenol popped from the bottle with a shake, and then I held them out. Fell paused at the offering, but then Meriel said something—probably explaining that I’ve been giving them to her regularly. Once I saw she downed the pills with a pull of water from the canteen, I motioned for her to lay back and rest.

  It’s bad enough she’s dead weight; I don’t want her bitching the entire time during the search.

  With Fell squared away, I thought back to the other sleeping bag. Meriel needed to carry her weight. I dug through my rucksack and got the other mat and sleeping bag ready for her.

  She looked at the bag and me a few times before she grew sheepish and pointed at me. What about you?

  I walked around the fire and got comfortable on the ground, using my rucksack as a pillow. She watched me through the fire with guilt written across her dark-toned features.

  What’s so fucking hard about accepting generosity?

  The compulsion to clean my rifle reared up, but that would pointless considering it hadn’t been fired. All the supplies had been triple checked, and the only reading material was Judge’s Bible. The last thing I need is to read about a benevolent god; like all this is for some greater purpose.

  I fought for calm and just tried to enjoy the darkening sky. Meriel’s approach pulled my attention. She got down to her knees and tilted her head towards me.

  “Delo tay,” she said in a tiny voice, her lips turning into a tender smile as she brushed a lock of hair behind one of her long ears.

  “You’re welcome,” I replied curtly, and then returned my gaze to the sky.

  I looked from the corner of my eye to see her lingering, watching me studiously. Taking the hint, she nodded her head once more and went to the sleeping bag.

  She pulled off the belt that held her daggers, then her boots, and then her pants. I turned my head all the way, staring at her long, dark legs, following the curve of her hips and ass. The compression shirt turned out to be a one-piece leotard. She turned her gaze back, unabashed of having her athletic form on display. Keeping her eyes on mine, Meriel slid inside the sleeping bag and got settled.

  Intention was written across her face as she lay there, the same look she had the last time she wanted to say something earlier that day.

  Meriel finally turned away and shifted closer to Fell, the two sharing words openly. They could be plotting to kill me, and I wouldn’t know.

  Shut up, paranoia.

  The intensity in her eyes from our first encounter confirmed that she’s no stranger to fighting. Since coming to this forest, I’ve only seen the simple glimmer of curiosity and the glassy hue of worry. Even so, I kept my hand to my side, ready to draw my Beretta in a breath.

  But if I shoot them in defense, then it’d be just me.

  One purpose. That’s all I have. And that’s enough.

  Closing my eyes, I pulled my hand away from my pistol and linked it with the other hand across my belly, starting to count back from one thousand.

  Chapter 6

  Meriel surprised me on the first day of the journey. She shouldered the other rucksack without complaint, and she hoisted her end of the stretcher easily. Her taut body wasn’t just for show because we managed, from my estimation, about twenty miles east before we hunkered down to camp for the night.

  Her brown locks clung to her face from the heavy effort, and she collapsed to her knees once Fell was set up. Speaking of which, Fell had maintained a mostly stable condition, only groaning on a few missteps during the walk. Though she still sweated a dangerous amount. After checking her fever, I gave her the regular dose of pills, and then made the MRE for her and Meriel. My dinner was black tea, three sugar packets, and the cheese spread from the last MRE. Not the meal of kings, but it was enough for me to push away the savory scent of the patties they shared.

  The next day didn’t go as smoothly. I awoke to a back that desperately needed a pop, but nothing I did worked. Meriel’s less than enthused face confirmed that her muscles were crying, too. Putting aside our gripes, we got Fell comfortable, this time keeping her in the sleeping bag as we loaded her onto the stretcher. For the rest of the afternoon, the sound of the wind, the trampling of grass, and the occasional twig snapping filled the space between us. I pretended this was just another one of the many hikes under my belt.

  Progress was a lot slower than yesterday, but at least we were moving. No signs of any rivers or streams, though.

  We finished off Meriel’s waterskin the day before, and we were already halfway through one of Judge’s canteens. Just one day of water left. After that, we had maybe three days befor
e we drop dead.

  I licked the salty sweat off my upper lip and ignored my raw palms, aching back, and building thirst. It was tempting to stop and take a break, but then we’d just be prolonging the inevitable. Better to tough it out until we come across something, even if it’s a stagnant creek. A filter could easily be made with my supplies and some charcoal from a fire, and then it’d be perfect after boiling.

  I stopped thinking about water before I got my hopes too high.

  One foot in front of the other, I thought while keeping an eye open of the landscape ahead.

  Periodically, we would encounter a small slope in the terrain, and then it would level out. If we kept moving, a valley should appear. And if God was done jerking me around, we should find water.

  We came to an abrupt halt when Meriel let out a sharp cry, then dumped her end of the stretcher, almost causing me to fall back on the injured fox-woman. No sooner than I eased my end down, Fell crawled off the stretcher and kneeled over Meriel, who was on her side and clutching her right ankle with her features twisted into a tight grimace.

  I dumped my rucksack and then eased the other off the elf’s back. With Fell holding Meriel’s hand, I got Meriel on her back then worked on getting her boot off. She let out another cry when I tilted her ankle. I looked up to gauge her reaction; tears slipped past her eyes, but it didn't look like pure agony.

  No exposed bone and her ankle wasn’t at an odd angle. The flesh around the joint was starting to swell.

  “Meriel,” I said, getting her watery gaze. I shifted and propped her leg on my thigh. I hovered my hands over her ankle, making motions with my hand, hoping she understands what I’m trying to do.

  Fell appeared to understand what I was aiming for, so she said a few gentle words as she sat behind Meriel and propped her head up. The elf looked away from her friend and then nodded once.