by Dave Hazel
At the beginning the multiple thousands advanced like a single unit driven by hatred and revenge, but in the end they scattered like hysterical individuals fearful of being devoured by an unknown monster. Many dropped their weapons and fled. They would rather deal with the consequences and suffer the wrath of their cruel Soso leaders than face such unknown flying beasts. Many of the cruel Soso leaders, who never demonstrated fear, they fled as well.
“That should buy us enough time,” Jake yelled over the men on the hill cheering.
In an instant sheer terror flooded Mykal’s mind when his right hand turned green and began to tremble violently. In that same instant sound became muffled as the strange green fog engulfed him and made him extremely dizzy. It had to be the same green fog that brought him and his people back to Towbar’s world. ‘But how?’ His mind yelled when he dropped to his knees and doubled over to hold his head. He felt like a child on a merry-go-round that spun too fast.
He knew Towbar didn’t conjure the green fog so how could it have appeared at this specific time and place? Maybe they’d be taken back to the Pass. Maybe back home. He felt the cold of the slime against his flesh and he knew it really happened.
Mykal heard people yelling, but it sounded muffled like he waited inside a sound proof booth. Jake, Boris, William and Diaz were standing close to him. They had to have been caught in the fog with him. He wasn’t sure how many others on the hill were swallowed up. From past experiences with the random appearance of the green fog it always covered large areas. He assumed all those on the hill with him had been swept away. He didn’t know if Sosos or the helicopters were taken up by the surprise materialization of the green transporter. He feared the helicopters would crash due to lack of control. During the first trip to Towbar’s world the only helicopter transported crashed and killed all on board.
Mykal fought to hold himself steady, the dizziness nearly made him tumble over. After the realization of what happened he thought of running out of the green fog to turn and run back into it. He hoped it would take him back to the hill where he started, but would it? What about the other men? They wouldn’t know to follow his lead and they’d be separated. What if it did return him back to the hill? If it did and the helicopters were gone, then he’d have to face the army of Sosos on his own.
“Damn it,” Mykal yelled but his words were muffled. “How the hell could this have happened?”
“Myk? Is that you?” Jake called but he sounded distant.
“I can hear you,” Boris yelled. He sounded far away.
“Just sit tight,” Mykal yelled. “This will pass,” he said when he heard other voices calling but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. The dizzying in his head felt stronger than all three previous travels. The violent shaking of his right hand disturbed him, but this too would pass.
While Mykal waited for the green cloud to pass and disappear as it always had, suddenly and clearly, he heard the sound of evil laughter cut through the muffled stuffiness. His voice and the voices of the others sounded stuffed in a pillow, but this laughter loomed loud and clear. It sounded like something from a horror movie. The clarity startled him. He looked over his shoulder and feared someone or something would grab him. He wasn’t steady enough to run away.
The eerie laughter turned to a sinister growl. “I have you now,” a low growl announced with a slight hint of an eastern European accent. “Foolish mortal, you are mine. Your tricks will not work against me. Be afraid! Be much afraid. You will die a slow painful death at my hands,” the ominous voice threatened and the evil laughter continued.
This voice frightened Mykal to his core. He felt the words were directed at him. Mykal knew it wasn’t his imagination. Though extremely dizzy he knew he wasn’t dreaming. The words were crisp and clear, chilling to the bone. He felt so small and abandoned. He wanted to collapse and cry out for help. He knew something bigger than him was out there and coming for him. The green fog seemed to be a deliberate attack against him.
“You belong to me foolish mortal,” the terrifying voice threatened. The maniacal laughter continued. “You can not hide from me,” the voice snarled giving the impression of clenched teeth. “You will die!” The evil voice threatened with a quality that sounded straight from the bowels of hell. The evil laughter started to fade. Suddenly it stopped and instantly the green fog vanished.
The dizzying stopped, the trembling and numbness in his right hand ceased, but the overwhelming fear that gripped him squeezed tightly like a hand around his throat. His body trembled physically from the threat he knew that targeted him. This person or thing knew of his existence and knew where he was. ‘Could it be Zizmon-Tarl?’
“Myk, what the hell was that?” Boris yelled and ran to his side. “Did you hear it?”
“Yeah, so you heard it too?” Mykal said and stood slowly. He looked in all directions to see where the men were and to see if anything looked familiar. “Oh no, where are we?” His heart sank when he saw they were no longer in the open flat grass lands behind Soso lines. There were rocky hills and trees in all directions. It looked like all the men who were on the hill with them were there as well. The men didn’t seem to be scattered for miles as in previous green fog travels, but then Mykal realized they weren’t traveling into the green fog. They had been stationary and the green fog appeared on top of them. From what he saw Mykal felt relief that no helicopters had crashed. The men rushed to Captain Diaz who made his way to Mykal.
“Myk, what happened to us?” Diaz asked. He tried to look strong for his men, but his fear and confusion clearly covered his face. The men looked to him for leadership and he looked like he felt lost. Diaz would have to trust his faith in his LORD and Savior Jesus Christ to give him Godly wisdom and strength.
“I’m not sure,” Mykal gasped. “But obviously the green fog transported us somewhere. I don’t have a clue where.”
“Did you hear a voice?” Diaz asked. “Or was it just my imagination?”
“It was real,” Mykal answered as a flood of others also responded they heard it as well. “How are we gonna know if everyone is here?” Mykal asked and scanned the group that closed in around them. “Do we know who all got onto the choppers?”
“Lieutenant Finley is getting that squared away as we speak. I gave him the task of dividing the men to get on the helicopters. Do we know where we are?”
“Sir, this land looks a little like the Badlands of North Dakota,” Jake said. “But it’s not the Badlands. I don’t even know if we’re still in Towbar’s world or back in our world. And since we put the radio man on the chopper, we can’t even call to see if we’re anywhere near the Pass.”
Finley joined them rather quickly. “Sir, it looks like all who were on the ground are here,” he declared when he joined their meeting. There are a total of forty-five of us present. Lieutenant Kim and three of his Korean soldiers, four Army Rangers, myself and six of my Green Berets, you Sir, and twenty-five of your Marines, then we have Mykal and three of the Air Force people,” he nodded as he looked at Jake, Boris and William. “No one is injured and we’re all armed.”
“Any ideas where we are?” William asked.
“None,” Diaz replied. “Since we don’t know where we are we need to be on guard at all times. I want everyone to keep your eyes peeled and be alert. We don’t know if we are in friendly territory or if we are farther behind hostile lines.”
“I’ll tell you one thing really odd,” Mykal said. “In all the green fog situations before, people and vehicles were spread over a large area. We were all held close in the same area.”
They all agreed the only thing that looked familiar happened to be the color of the grass. They were lost. The unsettling point was the fact they were lost on purpose. Someone or something threatened to kill them.
6.
“…This is really weird Myk. It’s like I can almost hear the theme song from One Step Beyond playing,” Boris said and chuckled.
“One Step Beyond?” Jake ask
ed. “What is that?”
Mykal started to laugh, though it wasn’t humorous.
“It was a TV show that was on. It was kinda like the Twilight Zone, with really strange stories, but these were supposedly based on true things that happened,” Boris answered. “But the theme song is really spooky and freaky in a soft gentle way. The show started in the early 60’s.”
“Yeah,” Mykal agreed. “The theme song for One Step Beyond is called Fear and when the supernatural stuff is revealed the song is called Weird and it is spooky and really haunting. Something about that song touches deep inside my soul. But you’re right Boris, it would fit our present situation cuz I don’t have a clue what we’re gonna do, where we’re gonna go or where the hell we’re at.”
“I think we’ve waited long enough,” Diaz announced. “We haven’t been attacked and the men have rested. I think we should head out Myk. Since help can’t come to us, I think we should try to find our way back to the Pass. I think we can do it.”
“But where do we go?” William groaned. He obviously regretted not getting on the first helicopter. “We don’t even know what direction to start,” William moaned and all the men pegged Captain Roberts as a whining complainer.
“We can find our way back,” Diaz repeated calmly when some of the younger men gathered around. “We can do it,” he said as a counter to what William would have done to the morale of the men.
Mykal had to smile at Captain Diaz’s positive attitude. It was refreshing because the defeatist side in Mykal wanted to lie down and give up because their situation seemed so bleak. It made him realize in some ways his thinking was similar to William’s. Not knowing where they were made it impossible to know which direction to go. He was thankful Diaz volunteered to stay on the hill with the men. “You’re right,” Mykal agreed. “We need to do what we can and we’ll make the most of this strange turn of events,” he added with a deliberate upbeat attitude. ‘I’m not gonna be anything like William,’ he declared mentally.
“Come here Myk,” Diaz pulled him aside so that only Mykal could hear him. “I really feel the need to tell you this. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I’ll never shove my beliefs on other people, but as I spent the last hour or so in prayer, I really felt God put it on my heart that He will get us out of this. I don’t know how and I don’t know why we’re here, but I have a peace that God will get us out of this situation. I have to be honest and tell you that I also believe we’re going to encounter hardships along the way, but I truly believe God will deliver us and we will make it back if we don’t give up. And I really had it impressed upon my heart to tell you this. You specifically. God wants you to know that He will get us back. I believe this is a testing of my faith, but I also believe God is trying to do far more than that, with you.”
“Me? Why?” He asked. Suddenly a number of strange conversations he had with Ski about God came to his mind. “I’m not a religious man. I don’t go to church or anything like that at all.”
“Myk, I don’t know why,” Diaz said and slowly shook his head. “This is just my personal opinion, but I think God is trying to get your attention and you keep running from Him. You can run from God, but God does have a way to track you down. That’ll be the extent of my preaching to you Myk, but if you ever have any questions whatsoever, be sure to ask me. I’ll tell you only truth.”
Mykal paused and studied Diaz. He was unsure if he should speak or just let it go. He wanted to ask Diaz why again. Mykal wanted to explain, ‘I’m really a good person and I’m not any worse than other people. Why would God want to get my attention?’ These were the same type of things Ski said to him previously. ‘If that’s the case why was there an evil voice calling threats while they were in the green fog? This doesn’t make any sense,’ Mykal thought as he eyed Diaz. ‘As a matter of fact this is downright scary.’
While Mykal thought about it, he had to chuckle as the haunting song ‘Weird’ from the 60’s TV show One Step Beyond, popped into his mind. He felt their situation was just as mysterious as any of the episodes he remembered watching only this wasn’t a black and white TV show.
“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking,” Corporal Adkins approached them when they returned to the group. “What do you think the chances are of getting back to the Pass or back home for that matter?”
Mykal and Diaz looked at each other. “I’m not gonna lie to ya,” Mykal started and others quickly gathered around and turned heads to listen. “There is a chance we may never get back home or to the Pass. We don’t have any ideas where we are. But I’m gonna trust your Captain’s faith. He believes God is going to get us outta here so I’m gonna put my hope on that,” he added and he heard a couple murmurs about religion. “Right now what Captain Diaz has to offer is far more than I have to offer. If we don’t have something to believe in then we might as well just lay down and give up.”
“Look,” Jake called out with an upbeat attitude and he pointed to some nearby trees. “There’s a good sign already. Birds! For as long as I’ve been trapped in Towbar’s world I haven’t seen any wild animals or birds. Those are some real birds.”
“That’s right,” Mykal agreed. “When we first met Towbar he told us the reason why we never saw any birds or wild animals was because of the evil presence of the Sosos.”
“So does that mean we might not be in Towbar’s world any longer?” William asked.
“I don’t know about that,” Mykal said. “But I would say we’re not near the Pass anymore. Captain Diaz, which way do you wanna go?”
“Let’s go that way,” Diaz pointed up one of the smaller hills surrounded by trees. “The men we sent out to scope out all the area said there was nothing in any direction. I say let’s get from out in the open flatland.”
“What if we get lost?” William quickly replied.
“Lost Sir?” Jake chuckled. “How much more lost can we get?”
“If we go into that forested area we could be surprised by anything,” William protested.
“I understand what you’re saying,” Mykal countered and walked away from him. “But with the trees we’ll have a lot of cover and concealment. Out in the open we’ll be seen for miles. If someone or something is after us we’ll be putting a great big target on ourselves.”
They traveled in single file along the edges of the trees and away from the wide open plains. They walked for a couple of hours in complete silence. Mykal believed all the men to be in deep in thought like him. He wondered if they dwelled on the same thoughts and ideas, such as would they ever see their families again. As more time passed Mykal began to question the threats made in the green fog. ‘Maybe it was all just an illusion to make us afraid,’ he wondered
The uncertainty of this separation depressed him. Would it be a short stint or would it be for the rest of their lives? ‘Damn, I just completed my mission with Mister X, now this.’ Mykal sighed and shook his head. ‘I wonder if this is what Ski was getting at. Why didn’t I heed his warning?’
Captain Diaz was the only person to show any confidence. Some felt his confidence to be religious foolishness. Some thought he only put on a show to help boost the morale of his men. Diaz had a genuine smile and seemed joyful despite the turn of events. He eagerly expected God to reveal Himself through this situation.
CHAPTER TEN 12/10/1983
1. Saturday, December 10th 1983
0846 hours, Unknown location, Towbar’s world
The night passed slowly without incident though many noises were heard outside their camp. Three times during the night, guards on duty woke everyone due to strange noises and for fear of the unknown. During those three occasions guards thought their camp came under attack but nothing transpired. Over active imaginations and tense nervousness got the best of them.
All the men had a terrible time sleeping. After each false alarm most had difficulty returning to sleep. For a majority of the men it seemed that right after they fell asleep another false alarm occurred causing them to be roused from their sl
umber. In agreement Mykal and Captain Diaz allowed the men to sleep in. They wanted the men to be rested before moving on.
During the daylight hours they eased up on security but no one dared stray from the camp. They all agreed to leave as one unit. They were not going to take any unnecessary chances since they were blind and ignorant to the dangers around them.
“Myk, don’t you have that bag of magic powder that produces the green fog? Can’t you just zap us out of here?” William asked and grabbed everyone’s attention. “Take us back to the Pass and--”
“I don’t have it,” Mykal snapped as if annoyed that William put the attention on him. “That’s Towbar’s stuff. I wouldn’t know how to use it anyway,” he lied. Towbar taught Mykal all he learned from Nidious regarding the fog, including how to conjure up the magical transporting device. “Believe me, if I had that stuff and if I knew how to use it, do you think we’d still be here?” It irked Mykal that William called him out in front of the men. William knew Towbar didn’t have it with them before they split up. He couldn’t understand William’s motivation for such a ploy.
“The men have all eaten Myk,” Diaz said. “I think we should move out.”
“Where are we going?” William asked. It seemed to be the question on everyone’s mind.
It annoyed Mykal the question came from William. Mykal hesitated to reply. He saw all the men standing there looking to him for the answers, but he had none. “I don’t know.” Mykal shrugged and knew he sounded defeated. He realized he had to be a source of hope and strength. He was the reason most of them volunteered. “I really don’t know,” he repeated and paused. “But,” suddenly his tone and attitude changed, “we’re gonna find our way back to the Pass,” he said confidently. “We’re gonna return.”