by Dave Hazel
“Big mouth? I’m an officer in the United States Air Force and you’re an ex-enlisted NCO,” William raised his voice. “So who the hell are you to tell any of us what to do?”
“Then why don’t you start acting like an officer and quit acting like a spoiled rich kid?” Mykal fired back. “Your actions are really becoming of an officer in front of all these enlisted men.”
“You better hold your tongue Myk,” William threatened and flexed his muscles while balling his fists.
Mykal saw William’s jaws tighten so he knew his words cut through to the bone. “Don’t threaten me,” Mykal warned him.
“What the hell are you going to do if I refuse to lower myself to pull guard duty?” William tested him. “You’re not going to do a damn thing.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Mykal said and tried to use his voice to calm the situation. “This is about survival. It has nothing to do with rank. It has nothing to do with trying to bring someone down or trying to embarrass anyone.”
“It’s not right,” William cried out with his teeth clenched tightly together. “I’m a Captain and I’ll not be ordered around by someone who’s highest achievement was an E-4 security guard,” William said to belittle Mykal and his former rank.
“Well, to me that sounds like mutiny,” Mykal cautioned amid a murmur of voices. “And more importantly it sounds like the start of a cancer that we can’t have in our body. You’re about to find your ass out on your own.”
For the most part the men didn’t care if William would be forced to go it alone. Most of them were tired of his constant rabblerousing. The idea of being forced out of the group to fend for oneself brought a shiver of terror. If nothing else it was a frightful mental exercise. There were so many unknowns. But all the men agreed, right or wrong, Captain William Roberts brought all his aggravation upon himself.
“So you need to make the choice of what you’re gonna do. If you wanna go do your own thing, then go. Otherwise, shut your friggin mouth and do what you’re told to do.” Mykal gave him two options and then turned away. He knew William would never leave the safety and security of their numbers. He also knew he couldn’t force anyone away from the group to fend for themselves. That would be criminal to say the least; a punishment far weightier than William’s crime of being an annoying pain in the ass.
Captain Diaz stood to the side watching. He wanted to see how this would play out. He wouldn’t allow any man to be forced out of the camp. That would be imposing a death sentence on the person being shunned. With his arms folded across his chest he hoped and prayed William would just give in and drop his self-centered pride.
William erupted with fury. “Nooooo,” he raged and charged at Mykal. He slammed his open palms into Mykal’s back sending him to the ground. “Don’t you ever turn your back on me when I’m talking to you. Get up! I’m going to kick your ass,” he yelled at the surprised expression Mykal gave when he rolled over.
“What the hell’s the matter with you?” Mykal jumped up ready to fight. In his anger to teach William a lesson he forgot William had a black belt in karate and was trained in other forms of martial arts. He’d even watched William work out many times when they were stuck at hotels on tour back in the world.
“No, no, no,” Diaz tried to call a stop to the brawl when Mykal prepared to charge at William.
William took a defensive stance and kicked his foot high in the air that showed he could reach over Mykal’s head. “Come on Myk, give it your best shot,” William offered when Lieutenant Finley grabbed Mykal and stopped him from going forward.
Mykal thankfully stopped when Finley grabbed him. Mykal blew a sigh of relief when Diaz yelled for it to end. Mykal suddenly remembered William is much tougher than his appearance leads one to believe. Mykal knew he would’ve taken an embarrassing beating. “Thanks,” he whispered to Finley who held him in place.
“What’s the matter Myk?” William taunted as he let loose another high kick. “I’ll let you take the first punch. It’s been a long time since I kicked someone’s ass. Come on, big shot!”
“Captain Roberts, we need to stop this,” Diaz tried to impede William’s plans of fighting their leader.
“What’s the matter Myk, are you turning yellow? William said and ignored Diaz. He jumped and kicked over Finley’s shoulder connecting to the top of Mykal’s head.
Mykal’s hands were at his side listening to Finley when William’s boot appeared over Finley’s shoulder cracking Mykal in the forehead snapping his head back. The force of the kick sent his body to the ground. It shocked Mykal more than it hurt. From the ground, somewhat dazed, he wondered if he would suffer permanent brain damage from all the recent blows to his head.
From his back, looking straight up, he heard yelling and commotion. He feared William would pounce on him and kick him in the head again. ‘Did he really just kick me in the friggin head?’ He wondered and felt his forehead to make sure he wasn’t bleeding. Seeing the crowd stand around him, eyeing him like a lab rat, confirmed William did, in fact, kick him in the head.
“I could have killed you with that kick,” William taunted and ignored all the calls for him to stop. No one rushed in for fear of being the next one kicked in the face.
“Captain Roberts, Sir,” Jake stepped in to try to end the situation before it escalated. “We need to stop--” Jake’s words were cut short and he groaned when William kicked him in the stomach which caused the tall skinny man to double over giving William an opportunity to elbow Jake on the back of the head. Jake fell to the ground gasping for air. He was nearly unconscious.
One of the Marines, Corporal Howard charged William from behind. Howard planned to tackle William and hold him on the ground until everyone would decide how to end this confrontation. William either heard him or sensed him, and swung his elbow backward without looking. William smashed his elbow into Howard’s forehead, making Howard’s knees buckle, dropping him to his knees. William spun and kicked the Marine in the chest to knock him over.
Sergeant McPherson, an Army Ranger hurried in to stop William. He threw a punch and knew his punch would either connect to the back of William’s head or William would turn around just in time to catch the hard fist to the face.
William expected another attack and ducked when he turned. The punch flew high enabling William to grab McPherson’s wrist and forearm while continuing to turn. He rose up putting McPherson behind him. William jerked and bent enough to easily flip the Ranger over him. He threw McPherson to the ground with a thud. The Ranger hit the ground hard. It knocked the wind out of him. McPherson lay there and gasped for air.
William swiftly turned and raised his arms defensively while expecting another attack. He stood in a crouched defensive position just as Lieutenant Kim stepped forward. “You just made yourself a big mistake slant eye,” William jeered at the Korean. He held his hands ready for any assault.
“I don’t want to fight you Sir,” Kim said while crouching into a fighting position of his own.
“If you don’t fight me, that’ll be the second mistake you make today. I’m going to kick your ass too.”
“Sir, I want you to remember you asked for this,” Kim said and slowly circled around the human ring of soldiers urging him to defeat William.
“I want this to stop now,” Diaz ordered, but he wasn’t about to step in between the two of them.
“Let’s stop this,” Mykal said when he got back to his feet. His head cleared, but it hurt. If he could get away with it he would pull his pistol and shoot William in the leg. Not only would that create legal issues, but then they would have to carry William everywhere they go and he knew it would multiply William’s whining complaints tenfold.
Lieutenant Kim looked calm and confident. Not only had he been trained in several forms of martial arts, but he had also been an instructor in the different forms of hand to hand combat for several years. Kim looked confident he could defeat William as easily as William knocked the others around.
Mykal took his eyes off them when he caught sight of Boris pulling his .44 magnum from his waistband. He turned to Boris to stop him, and heard the sounds of kicks and punches being blocked like in a Bruce Lee movie. The men chanted as Lieutenant Kim parried and blocked everything William threw at him.
A sudden roar of voices filled the air which meant Kim went on the offensive. Mykal turned and saw it was true. Kim disabled William. William lay on the ground holding the pain inflicted on him. Mykal had to smile when Kim crouched over William with his fists ready and asked if William had enough. The crowd cheered for Kim to finish William off for good, but Lieutenant Kim wouldn’t do so unless a threat of death or serious bodily injury to others had been presented.
“I’ve had enough,” William moaned and rubbed his left shoulder and neck. As soon as Kim turned to look at Diaz William kicked from the ground connecting Kim’s thigh near his knee which forced Kim to tumble over. William started upward but was stopped suddenly.
Boris pounced on William from the side and slammed the barrel of his .44 magnum down on William’s face. The force of the strike split the flesh under his left cheek bone. The shock and the force of the attack knocked William back to the ground. “Come on baldy, you wanna kick my ass too?” Boris yelled and cocked the hammer to his .44 magnum. He stood there waiting for William to retaliate and clearly looked like he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him with his mini-cannon. Several gasps were heard followed by silence. “I don’t play that chop chop shit.” At the slightest movement that looked like an attack Boris was going to shoot William in the head. Boris’s rage was clearly written on his face.
“Boris, no,” Mykal yelled. He thought for sure Boris would shoot him since Boris had nothing to lose.
“Stop it now!” Diaz commanded. “This has gone too far.”
“Airman Jones, please don’t,” Kim begged Boris after he jumped back to his feet and rubbed his thigh and knee area. “I should never have taken my eyes from him.”
“C’mon baby, throw your chop chop shit at me, cuz I’ll blow your ass away,” he promised with the barrel of his monster .44 magnum pointed to William’s face where a small trickle of red dripped from the opened wound. “I’m tired of your whining ass.”
William held his hands up but refused to look at Boris for fear of the weapon. “I’m sorry,” he squeaked. “I lost my head.”
“Everyone, please, calm down,” Diaz said and tried to take command. He stepped closer to Boris, and didn’t look fearful of Boris. Diaz trusted in God for protection. “We are all under a tremendous amount of stress and pressure. We need to gain control of our faculties.”
“I’ll do my share of guard duty,” William added weakly but still refused to look up. William harbored a genuine fear of Boris.
“This ain’t about guard duty you stupid piece of shit,” Boris huffed. “This is about you, mo-fo, and your cry baby attitude. You attacked my two best friends. I’m gonna kill you.”
“Boris, please don’t,” Jake begged as he stepped closer. “I’m alright. It’s not a big deal.”
“Same here buddy,” Mykal said and stepped between Boris and William. “I’m alright. It’s not worth it. Come on, we all need each other,” Mykal added. It surprised Mykal how quiet it became. Boris looked serious and hatred filled his beady eyes.
“Boris, we’re all under a tremendous amount of strain,” Jake repeated Diaz’s thought to take the focus from William. “We need to regroup, put this stuff behind us and move on. We have too many enemies out there,” he pointed outside of the circle. “We don’t need to fight among us.”
“Boris, I’m asking you, for me, please put the gun down,” Mykal requested while staring intently into Boris’s eyes. “We already lost four people. We don’t need to lose any more.”
Boris didn’t say anything but slowly eased the hammer forward. He lowered the large revolver. Two Marines quickly moved to Boris and gently ushered him away from William so there would be no flare ups.
After the threat of Boris had been extinguished, William sat up and wiped the wound Boris inflicted. He smeared the trickle of blood on his face making it look worse than it actually was. A large welt in the shape of a barrel formed over his cheek, but the cut was small. William jumped to his feet and he still refused to make eye contact. “I’m sorry everyone. I was way out of line. That was unbecoming of an officer,” he confessed. “It will never happen again,” he added and turned away to hide from the glares of all the enlisted men.
“Is he frickin’ nuts?” Jake whispered.
“I want everyone’s attention right now,” Mykal raised his voice just as others were talking and voicing their opinions.
“Everyone quiet down,” Diaz ordered and there was silence.
“I will say this only once. This will never happen again. If there is any more fighting among ourselves there will be severe consequences,” Mykal pledged, though he feared the one to break the rule would probably be Boris. “We can’t have this.”
“Men, we are not a mob,” Diaz admonished the men as a whole. “We are all members of the greatest fighting forces in the world. We’re not going to point fingers and place blame. As Sergeant Irwin said, we need to put this behind us and move beyond this. This can’t happen again.”
“I wanna know where bullet head stands,” Boris jabbed verbally.
“Enough of that right now,” Jake rebuked him before one of the officers could say anything.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he lied. “I just wanna know if we’re gonna have to worry about him fighting us any time he gets a wild hair up his ass.”
“I’ll talk to Captain Roberts and I expect you to show respect to the rank if not the man,” Diaz corrected Boris.
“Yes Sir. I’ll bet everything within ten miles knows we’re here now, after that little hissy fit,” Boris tried to deflect the attention away from him and put it on the potential danger.
“Whadda ya think Captain Diaz? Do you think we oughta keep moving and find a different location?” Mykal asked.
“No, I think we’ll be okay,” Diaz looked in all directions. “The trees are spread out here. I like this. We’ll just have the sentries doubled up from what we would have normally posted. Let’s break this up and get ourselves squared away for the night.”
“Hey Myk, I didn’t know William was a bad ass,” Jake said when he joined Mykal and Boris. “I thought he was gonna kick everyone’s ass out here.”
“Yeah, he’s got a black belt in something and he works out a lot,” Mykal explained. “He looks like a nerd, but as you saw he’s a tough dude. I forgot how tough he is. He woulda whipped my ass for sure,” Mykal admitted and gave a self-deprecating snicker.
“I was pretty impressed with Lieutenant Kim,” Boris said and they continued to talk as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.
“I wonder if it’s wise to stay here after all that noise,” Mykal sighed while looking through the trees. “Everything and anything within miles will know we’re here.”
“Yeah, but if there’s anything out here to get us, they’ll be able to follow us,” Boris said. “I’m too tired to move on.”
3.
Mykal slept hard during the night. His tired body needed all the rest he could take. When he lay his head down he felt he would have slept through anything. He didn’t realize how deep his sleep had been until something fell across his legs, rousing his slumber. He didn’t jolt upright, but the discomfort of something across his legs forced him to stir. He looked and it shocked him to clearly see a body spread over his limbs.
“What the hell?” He suddenly jerked alert. He didn’t know who lay across his legs. All he saw was the back of the man’s head. He guessed it to be one of the Marines. Momentarily dazed, he didn’t know what to make of it. Had the man fallen asleep on guard duty and dropped on him, or could it be something more sinister? Could he be dead, meaning danger would be at hand? He froze in place to assess the situation.
Mykal slowl
y withdrew his legs from under the dead weight and when he rolled the man over he clearly saw three arrows protruding from the dead man’s chest. He gulped, scanned the darkness, and waited patiently. He strained his ears in all directions and sniffed for scents. Knowing Towbar blessed him with increased sight, hearing and smell he tried to make those senses pick up any potential problems. Suddenly, the stronger sense of smell and the stronger sense of hearing became important tools in the darkness.
With his left hand he reached to retrieve his rifle and his right hand pulled the .357 magnum from the holster at his side. While traveling lost in Towbar’s world Mykal slept with his holster on for just such an emergency.
‘Where are the guards?’ His thoughts screamed. He couldn’t see anyone and there were no sounds. ‘Are they all dead?’ Overcome with fear his hand began to tremble.
Ten feet away Mykal saw someone sleeping. After ensuring there were no enemies in the immediate area he crawled to the form on the ground. For a split second he heard the silent whistle of the arrows that struck the ground around him. Dirt had been flicked into his face. He dropped flat to a frozen position. Mykal realized if ‘they’ saw him it would only be a matter of moments before the arrows slammed into his body.
Seconds passed and nothing happened. ‘What the hell is going on?’ He wanted to yell, but was afraid to even look up. He couldn’t hear any sound to give any indication of what he was dealing with.
He wrapped the shoulder strap of the M-16 rifle tightly around his left hand, ready to bolt at a full run. He calmly turned his head in all directions and searched for any clues or information. The angle of the arrows showed him his enemy was somewhere to his front. Staring into the darkness of the trees he felt sure he detected the movement of silent shadows.