Mykal's Return to Towbar's World

by Dave Hazel

  Mykal backed up and caught sight of a very large, dark purple, almost black looking creature scuttling toward him. It scurried from tree to tree as if it tried not to be detected, and at times looked like it was peeking around a tree. The legs were thick and hairy. The enormous bulbous abdomen seemed too big for its legs. It reminded him of an overweight kid on the playground trying to keep up with the other more active children. This was no overweight child, but rather a spider, the body alone, the size of a recliner.

  Mykal raised his rifle at the thing when it came from behind a tree. He fired four rounds into the humungous sack it carried. The force of the blasts stopped it momentarily but it didn’t appear to suffer any pain.

  “Damn it,” Mykal hissed when it started to move toward him again. This spider seemed to be singling Mykal out. He raised his rifle to aim, and sighted in on the clump on the top of the cephalothorax. Mykal felt confident it was the creature’s eyes. He squeezed off five more rounds. When the first two rounds penetrated, the legs reared up as if in pain. The monster turned to run away, but it received three more shots.

  Mykal turned to the sound of yelling. Marine Private First Class Adele had a large spider latched onto his thigh, another on his shoulder, but Adele’s shaking and weaving kept the one on the shoulder from biting. Adele used his own rifle to push the other off his thigh. He yelped when the fang ripped out of his flesh.

  Mykal hesitated to shoot the spider on Adele’s shoulder for fear of hitting Adele. Mykal swung his rifle like a club and the force of the blow made the bulbous sack burst open throwing wet gooey slime in all directions. It felt like he swung his rifle onto a pillow. When he pulled the weapon back the butt of his rifle dripped with what looked like yellow custard. The same slime landed on Adele’s face and neck.

  Adele ignored the gooey mess on his face and neck because of the stabbing pain instilled by one of the fangs embedded in his thigh. Adele felt his body weakening and his entire right side went numb. The injured spider crawled away leaving a sticky trail behind its deflated abdomen. The other spider missing a fang flipped and rolled in circles. It kicked wildly with its legs.

  Boris came up from behind and slammed a rock onto the injured spider. If it had been a larger one he would have shot it or clubbed it. Being one of the smaller spiders it made for an easy kill to use a large rock.

  Adele tried to speak but his body twitched with spasms. Words didn’t leave his mouth only guttural sounds that made it sound like Adele choked on his tongue. His calls for help mixed with the frothing that came from his mouth. Adele desperately tried to get up, but half of his body seemed limp. He looked like the victim of a stroke. A third spider slowly lowered itself from the tree down to Adele.

  Mykal looked to make sure there were no other spiders that were coming down to attack him. “Watch out Boris,” Mykal yelled while winding up with his rifle. He swung at the hanging spider and it burst like a candy filled piñata. Instead of sweet treats falling to the ground, wet gooey innards splattered in all directions. The spider landed on its back and eight legs kicked wildly. Mykal was disgusted by the greenish yellow mess that ended up on his arms and hands.

  “We need to vacate this area,” Diaz yelled. Diaz sounded to be angrier than he had ever been when commanding orders. Diaz squeezed off several rounds with his GAU.

  “Help me,” William cried out. “Help me.”

  Mykal turned to the terrified cry and saw William lying on his side. He had tripped while running. William was fortunate, the same type of giant wolf spider that attacked Mykal earlier poised over him, ready to pounce. The front legs were raised in the ‘ready to attack’ mode while the two smaller pedipalps rapidly tapped William’s body in preparation to strike its prey.

  The sight of the enormous freak raised over the terrified frame of William startled Mykal. William’s face showed all the horror anyone could imagine. Mykal harbored no lingering anger for William’s past antics. Mykal’s only concern was to rescue the frightened man. William’s twisted expression showed his anticipation of the sword like fangs to drive down into him.

  The spider had to be one of the largest of the entire group. If it pounced Mykal didn’t think William could survive and Mykal didn’t think shooting it would be effective.

  “Hey, hey, hey,” Mykal yelled frantically while flailing his arms to get the spider’s attention. Mykal feared getting too close but believed it was the only thing to do.

  Instantly the front pedipalps rose up like the front legs, showing the creature ready to strike. Mykal saw the two massive fangs maneuvering as if the spider was getting them into the best position to strike. Without concern for himself Mykal ran in swinging his M-16 clubbing the nearest leg. He knew it wouldn’t kill or even injure the colossal arachnid, but he wanted to take the spider’s focus off of William.

  The dexterity of the gigantic spider took Mykal by surprise. In one hopping movement it turned to face him with front legs still raised. Mykal jumped back realizing how lucky he was because the oversized spider could have lunged at him and would have grabbed him.

  To Mykal’s surprise, William’s greatest enemy, Boris, stepped out from behind the tree and grabbed William’s arm and dragged him from the danger zone of the monster. Boris pulled William to his feet without words said between the two of them. In that moment their hatred for each other ceased to exist.

  Slowly Mykal pulled the M-16 around. He didn’t want to make any sudden movements that would spur the big hairy creature to react and leap at him. He aimed right into the mouth and fired five shots rapidly. The monster jerked with the blast and tumbled backward. Obviously it felt some pain. The creature kicked violently and tried to right itself back onto its feet. Mykal didn’t stand around to see if it could right itself.

  “Men with the 203s, lob a couple of rounds at them,” Diaz yelled while they got some separation from the creatures. Within moments several explosions rang out blowing apart some of the smaller spiders. The damage and the noise forced a majority of them to flee up the trees or father back into the forest.

  They all ran, keeping each other in sight and stayed close to each other. Everyone watched for any kind of movement. Minutes later when they felt they were safe Diaz and Finley gave the all clear to stop and rest. The main concern was to see how many were injured and the severity of those injuries. Several men had been bitten and had to be helped away from the battle zone.

  While they were taking a head count Mykal gasped and suddenly became sick emotionally. He realized when he turned to help William he didn’t confirm the condition of Adele. He forgot about the Marine who desperately needed help. Adele could still be alive back there, paralyzed waiting for spiders or other forest creatures to make a meal of him.

  “What’s the matter Myk?” Boris asked when he saw the terrified struggle in Mykal’s eyes.

  Mykal waved him closer. “I don’t know if Adele was alive or dead when we left,” he whispered. “We might have left him there while he was still alive,” he confessed and wanted to break down. He felt he was turning out to be a terrible leader.

  “No, don’t do that to yourself. I checked his pulse,” Boris lied to protect his friend’s feelings. “He was dead Myk. I know for a fact that guy was dead.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Oh yeah,” he lied with conviction. “Besides, even if he wasn’t there is no way in the world we’re going back there.”

  “Oh man, what happened to you Jake?” Mykal asked when he saw Jake holding his bleeding forehead. His fear was that Jake was bit in the head and would be killed by the venom.

  “You’ll never believe it,” Jake laughed at himself and shook his head in disbelief as he pulled the bandage from his head to see how much blood was present. “This big ass spider jumped down at me and I ran like hell and then, boom, all of a sudden another big ass spider drops down in front of me. So I turned and ran smack dab right into a tree with my friggin head. It almost knocked me out cold. My head is throbbing.”

 
“Let me see,” Boris pulled Jake’s hand down to inspect the gash. The gash started at the top of his hairline and split the skin to the top of his eyebrow on the left. “You did a doosey.”

  “Myk, please come over here,” Diaz called to him and waved furiously. “We’re trying to figure out if we know the status of some missing men.”

  “I saw the one we call Smiley get killed,” Mykal said.

  “Oh no, you did?” Kim asked.

  “It was a giant Trapdoor spider that got him. He was gone like that,” Mykal explained with a snap of his fingers. “One second he was standing there, I saw this blur and then he was gone, it happened that fast. The giant spider popped up outta the ground, grabbed him, and disappeared back into the ground,” he said and snapped his fingers a second time. “It was that quick. Smiley never knew what hit him.”

  “There were two who ran off, Nicholas and Dowd,” Lieutenant Finley explained for those who didn’t know. “They were killed because they panicked,” he added. “Please men, let this be a teachable moment for us. We can’t allow panic to take over. We have safety and strength in numbers.”

  “Adele is dead too,” Boris said without knowing for sure. He didn’t want Mykal to carry guilt for leaving a man behind.

  Captain Diaz looked around to ensure the men had taken it upon themselves to set up a defensive perimeter. “These are good men we have here,” he mentioned as he pulled Mykal aside.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Mykal said but sighed at their losses.

  “I want to thank you for saving me back there Myk,” Diaz said. “I really think I would be dead right now if God had not put you there to protect me. God has truly blessed me with the people He has put around me,” Diaz added. He paused to give Mykal an opportunity to reply.

  “I don’t know a lot about religious stuff Sir, but I’ll take your word for it,” he lowered his head in sadness. He feared it was his fault they had lost men. Mykal desperately wanted to challenge Diaz about his God and all they were going through. If God was in control, why were they suffering so? If Diaz was close to his God, why were they still lost? But Mykal didn’t have the mental or emotional strength to talk religious matters.

  “I’m going to check on the men. Thanks again Myk.” Diaz smiled and placed a thankful hand on Mykal’s shoulder.

  Mykal sat down against a tree to think. His head hung low as he wondered if they would ever get back to the Pass or the real world. How many more men would get killed or injured? If they made it back how would he explain to the families of the lost that he couldn’t keep them safe? He no longer wanted the responsibility of being in charge.

  “Hey Myk,” William joined him on the ground. “I just want to--”

  “Don’t bother,” Mykal waved him off with a smile. He knew William wanted to apologize for the beating he dished out and he knew William wanted to thank him for saving his life. “All that stuff is behind us now.”

  “Mykal,” Lieutenant Finley joined him. Kim was with him. “I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

  “No, we’re just talking.”

  “I wanted to brief you on the status of the injuries,” Finley continued. “We have six men who have been bitten by the spiders. We are not sure of the severity because we don’t know if the venom they have been subjected to would be dangerous or deadly. It appears they have all been injected by different types of spiders. There is one Marine I am concerned with. That is Corporal Howard.”

  “Isn’t he the redhead with the muscular build?”

  “Yes, his neck his swelled up to here,” Kim answered and used his hands to exaggerate the size of the swelling to get his point across. “He is having difficulty in swallowing and breathing. He’s conscious and he’s worried that he is going to die. He knows he’s in serious condition.”

  “It’s apparent that he was bit three or four times in the neck,” Finley explained and demonstrated the bite marks on his neck. “Kim was bit as well,” he said while turning Lieutenant Kim around. “Up here on the shoulder. Look how swelled up it is.”

  “I really feel fine though,” Kim announced. “It’s not numb or anything. I can just feel some pressure and I can feel the swelling under my shirt, but I really think I’ll be okay.”

  “What are we going to do about this Howard kid?” Jake asked when he and Diaz joined them. “He looks pretty bad Myk.”

  “The ones who are injured should probably get some rest,” William answered first because he was tired. “It would probably be a good idea to stop.”

  “I agree with you. I am very worried about Howard,” Finley said and sounded like he took Howard’s injuries personally. “But we are still too close to where we encountered those spiders. I think we should keep moving to ensure we put some distance between us.”

  “I agree,” Diaz finalized the matter. “Have the men prepare to move out. We’ll rest when I think it’s safe.”

  They traveled at a slow pace and those who had been bitten by the giant spiders complained of varying types of pain. Most suffered with burning pain at the puncture entry points, some had deep aches with flu like symptoms and some felt stabbing pains in their stomachs. Most of them vomited several times. Corporal Howard had to be carried when he lost consciousness. They feared he went into a coma, but none of them had medical training for giant spider bites and they weren’t sure what to do.

  2.

  After traveling for about three hours they felt they were safe from the spider threat. They stopped to rest and to help those who had been bitten by the arachnids. All infected by the venom were showing signs of severe sickness. The flu like symptoms increased; chills, shakes, burning temperatures, headaches, muscle aches and intense vomiting.

  “I feel worse than any flu or sickness I’ve ever had,” Kim said after feeling the burning of his forehead. “I can’t take much more of this Myk. I wish I would vomit to take this nauseous feeling away. We need to make sure the men take plenty of water. They’re going to be dehydrated,” he added with a moan and collapsed to the ground holding the cramps in his stomach.

  “You hang in there Kim,” Diaz patted him on the shoulder. “We should rest for a little while Myk. Finley, go tell the men we’re going to hang tight for a little while and to set up a tight defensive perimeter. And check on the sick.”

  “I’m on it. Kim, you get better,” Finley said and darted off. Finley and Kim had become close friends since they became lost.

  “I’ll go check on the men too,” Mykal said and turned to join Boris and Jake.

  “Hey Myk and Captain Diaz, please come here,” Finley waved to him. Finley stopped where six men gathered around a stretcher made from M-16s and camouflage shirts. Howard was the one carried on the makeshift litter.

  Mykal, Jake and Boris rushed to the scene of the men trying to find a pulse in Howard’s wrist. Mykal didn’t need a lack of pulse to tell him the redheaded Marine was no longer with them. Howard’s face was dark blue, almost black. His throat was swelled beyond his chin and there were remnants of matter around his mouth, on his chin and down his bloated neck. Mykal wondered if he died from the poison that was injected into his system or if he choked to death on his regurgitated stomach contents.

  “How didn’t you see this?” Finley raised his voice for the first time. “Four of you were carrying him and you couldn’t see something was wrong before this?”

  The four suddenly snapped to attention, but said nothing.

  “Let’s drop it,” Mykal stepped in between Finley and the four startled men. “It’s too late. We can’t bring him back and I don’t think we coulda done anything for him.”

  “What’s going on?” Diaz rushed to their gathering.

  “Howard’s dead,” Finley barked. “I’m pissed off,” he said and stormed off before he lost his temper.

  “Sir, we didn’t notice that he died because we were watching the perimeter. We didn’t want to be surprised by those spiders again,” explained Private First Class Ferria.

  “There
’s nothing that could have been done,” Diaz said to let them know they were not at fault. “Lieutenant Finley is upset because his sister is married to Howard’s brother who is a Captain in the Army National Guard.”

  Mykal turned away and didn’t want to look at the dead body any longer. He knew it wasn’t his fault the man died, but he couldn’t shake the guilt he carried. He had witnessed so many deaths in the past six months that he was numb to seeing dead bodies, but since he was in charge he couldn’t get out from under the anchor of guilt that seemed to weigh heavy around his neck.

  Jake and Boris followed Mykal. They both knew he blamed himself and they wanted him to drop the guilt and condemnation he thrust upon himself. “What’s up Myk?”

  “I dunno Jake. I just wanna get outta this friggin forest,” he moaned. “If we woulda never come into this forest all those guys would still be alive.”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” Jake argued in support of Mykal’s actions.

  “Yeah, that army we avoided might have wiped us out,” Boris replied. “That was one hell of an army so we might all be dead.”

  “I think we’re doing fine,” Jake tried to ease Mykal’s mind. “Considering we’re in a war and we’re in an unknown land with unknown threats at every turn, we’re doing very well. We just need to be extremely careful.”

  “Since we’ve been lost nine men have died. We’re down to thirty-six men. I don’t know if we’re ever going to make it back to the Pass. Yeah, I wanna get outta this forest. It feels like we’ve been here forever and I’m getting that claustrophobic feeling like we better get outta here or I’m gonna lose it and freak out,” he embellished.

  “You’re in charge Myk, if you want to leave the forest I’ll go where you think is best.”

  “Don’t say that crap Jake,” Mykal fired back which showed a hint of frustrated anger. “You’ve always been my supervisor.”