by Dave Hazel
“Real quick men,” Ratner yelled out. “Get the weapons and ammo of the dead men. We don’t want the Elves to get them and figure out how to use them.”
“Good point Gunny,” Diaz said and looked much weaker than just a few minutes ago.
“Is there anyone who’d rather not try this?” Mykal asked and paused but no one said a word. “Starling, tell these two they can go and they need to leave us alone for a little bit and nothing will happen to them and they’ll never see us again.”
“Myk, I told you, God told me we’d get out of here,” Diaz said with an aching smile as Jake helped him to Mykal’s side.
“You did.” Mykal smiled, but quietly feared what was going to happen inside the green fog. “Okay, okay, I’m going to do this,” Mykal announced as he took some of the special powder from the leather pouch.
Mykal held out his hand and recited the strange words that Towbar taught him. There was a blinding flash and the powder dissolved like Pop Rock candy in his mouth. In an instant everything became dark and Mykal felt he was covered in a slimy wetness, and suddenly he felt like his body was being crushed. It was the same feeling he experienced on his hand and arm when Towbar appeared inside the mountain. It covered his entire body making it feel as if he had fallen from twenty feet above and hitting the ground hard. In an instant the pain and pressure was gone and his mind was filled with the dizziness he had come to expect with travel inside the green fog.
He continued to concentrate on the rear of the Pass and wouldn’t open his eyes. He was so dizzy he was sure he was going to tumble over. He dropped to his knees so he wouldn’t fall down.
“Are we there?” A muffled voice called out.
“Where are we?” Another shouted and it sounded like the voices were calling from inside a sound proof booth.
“Am I here with you?” Another voice yelled.
“Let the green fog pass,” Mykal yelled to those who were impatiently trying to find out where they were. He had to hold his head because the dizzying effect was so strong. He couldn’t understand how some of the men sounded like they weren’t having as difficult a time as he was.
A sense of relief washed over Mykal when he realized there was grass under his feet and no longer the dirt and rock of the cavern. He wanted to laugh out with joy, but he knew it was possible they were some place other than where he wanted to be, the Pass.
While waiting for the dizziness to subside he made an amazing discovery. The sudden pain that was crushing lasted only a brief moment because they left the enclosed area. When Towbar was transported to the room inside the mountain the crushing pain lasted as long as the green fog lingered. He realized as long as the green fog was being used to go to or from an open area there was no physical harm, but if the green fog was used to go to an enclosed area it could potentially be harmful or fatal.
After the green fog cleared they clearly saw they were between the walls of the Pass. He knew the Pass at the narrowest point was a half a mile wide but the width for the most part was three quarters of a mile wide. At some points to the south of the Pass it was more than two miles wide. The length of the Pass through the mountains was almost forty miles. Mykal concentrated on an area approximately twenty-five miles away from the front of the Pass. He hoped none of Towbar’s soldiers would be traveling through that area at that time.
“Could it be?” He laughed out loud.
“Yes my friend, you did it,” Towbar replied and stood to his feet. “We are inside the Pass.”
The roar of laughter and shouts was loud considering how many of them there were. The Elves, Nordad and his men were eyeing the landscape. It was something they had never seen before. Towbar joined them and explained the geography.
“It looks like it’ll be dark in a couple of hours,” Mykal said and looked at his watch. “I say we walk as far as we can and then rest for the night. First things first, let’s take the arrows out and bandage those who are injured.”
“And if we need to,” Ratner spoke up after Mykal. “We’ll take our blouses and make stretchers to carry those who need to be carried. Let’s get our shit together ladies,” he yelled like a Drill Instructor. “Move it, move it, move it. You can lollygag on your time. This is my time! I want to be at the front of the Pass by mid-day tomorrow. We’re not getting there while you play with yourselves. Do I make myself clear?”
“Aye aye, Gunny,” several Marines shouted in unison.
“We’re gonna get you help as soon as possible Sir,” Mykal said to Diaz while some of the men bandaged his wounds to the best of their ability. His wounds looked too severe to remove the arrows so they left them in his body. Diaz looked to be fading and he appeared to be getting weaker as time dragged on.
“I’ll be fine Myk,” he said weakly. “Make sure you look after the men. I’m too weak to lead.”
“I will,” he replied and walked away when Finley approached to see how Diaz was doing. Mykal walked off so he wouldn’t be heard by the others. “God, I do believe You are real like Diaz and Ski both say,” he whispered. “But I don’t know if You can hear me. I don’t know how this other world thing works with You. If You can hear me, please don’t let Diaz die. He’s a good man. He really believes in You. I know I done some bad things and I feel real bad about killing that Elf back there. I hope You don’t hold that against Diaz cuz I’m asking You to save his life. If I knew how You wanted me to ask You, I’d ask You the right way, but all I know is to tell You that Diaz is a good man who thinks more about his men than himself. Please, don’t let him die. Thank You.”
“What are you doing Myk?” Jake asked and followed him away from the others.
“Nothing, I just had to clear my head for a minute,” he lied since he feared Jake would laugh at him for praying.
Diaz was the only one that needed to be carried and the men gladly took turns carrying him with the makeshift stretcher. They walked until the men were exhausted then camped for the night. Mykal was happy that his mission was almost complete, but he was determined to use the small army to help Towbar fight off the Sosos. He wasn’t going to abandon his friend when his friend clearly seemed to be in dire need. His friend’s nation lay on the line and the enemy seemed totally committed to take his country and his land.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 12/17/1983
1. Saturday, December 17th 1983
0453 hours, Inside the Pass
Mykal slept briefly through the night. The men were all too anxious to return to camp and found it hard to sleep. They all wanted warm food and medical attention for those injured. Mykal found his excitement level rose more than ever. His mission would be completed once he returned the package from Mister X to Jill and the President. But with his growing excitement came growing concern that he had to fear for his life. He was vexed with the idea they were going to silence him. He would have to convince them that he would never be a threat to Them.
Mykal’s secondary concern revolved around the possibility that Diaz wouldn’t survive the night. Despite the fact Diaz’s strong belief God would protect him and keep him alive, Mykal feared his wounds were too severe. He didn’t know why he liked Captain Diaz so much, but he prayed quietly through the night that God, Diaz’s God, would allow him to survive and they’d get him to help in time. Mykal didn’t know if God really could intervene in such circumstances and he lacked the faith to believe God, if God was real, could possibly know of Towbar’s world.
Mykal hoped the patrols didn’t give up on searching the Pass for them since they didn’t return right after Towbar joined them. ‘They probably think Towbar got lost,’ Mykal guessed while sitting in the dark. He anxiously waited for the sunlight to break the darkness for them to start the trek back to the Front. ‘I wish Chick woulda gave Towbar a radio,’ he pondered while looking at the worsening Diaz. ‘It’s just one of those little things that just may cost Diaz his life,’ he thought. With a radio they could have called for help and Diaz would have been under care of the doctors by now.
Sitting lotus style in the direction of sunrise, Mykal had to force himself to stay still and relax. He knew he was close to ending his commitment to the military, the government and Jill, whoever he really was. Dwelling on the precious package, he desperately wanted to get his hands on it and not allow it out of his sight again. There could be other plants around to pick up where William failed.
Mykal hoped, and believed, he could convince Jill, the President, and whoever else was involved to understand, that all he cared about was hiding away from the rest of the world. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with his wife and sons, away from everyone and everything. He would never be a threat to their positions of greed and power. He didn’t care about any of that. He had his own stash hidden away that he could retire on.
So many things were going through his mind. The excitement he experienced felt like he was holding the winning numbers on a lottery ticket. Instead of being wealthy with dollars he would be rich in freedom. Though he had an overwhelming sense of happiness he also had other thoughts and emotions.
A sense of sadness brought a tear to his eye. He never got to say good-bye to his friend Boris. Many people hated Boris and rightly so, but Boris was like family. Waiting for the sun to lighten the Pass he reached into his pocket and pulled out Boris’s battered Towbar One patch. He crumpled the patch in his closed fist and knew he was going to miss Boris. He didn’t care what others felt about him because Boris was a true friend.
The hurt over Boris felt different than the loss of Kurt Jones, Denny Felps and Rich McDowell. He still hurt and ached with guilt over the death of Franklin Perry. He never considered Franklin a close friend, but he felt responsible for Franklin’s death. “Too many friggin emotions,” he whispered to himself. “I gotta stop thinking about this.” He looked down at the magic ring and wondered again if the magic had something to do with his emotions speeding out of control.
Mykal glanced over to the shape of the giant lying on the ground. He felt a deep concern for Towbar and his people. His people were facing possible annihilation. He wasn’t going to allow that to happen. Towbar saved his life and he planned to do all he could to help save Towbar’s people. If he could work it out he would use his country’s military to defeat the Sosos and all their allies. ‘First things first though. I gotta make sure Jill and the President don’t have it in to kill me. I need to think this through,’ he pondered. ‘If I keep Towbar One here to fight Towbar’s war, and if I can get the government to give up more resources, more people will die. Their blood will be on my hands. Can I really handle that?’ He wondered, since other deaths have been eating away at him.
Once the black of night turned grey, he woke the others. The sky would be light soon and he wanted to get an early start. The men were up and ready to leave quickly. He wasn’t the only one anxious to get to the Front. He went to check on Diaz and feared Diaz would have passed away in the night like Lieutenant Kim who passed away in his sleep from a giant spider bite.
“Oh good. Thank God, I guess,” he said and smiled when Diaz tried to get to a seated position. “I was afraid…” he paused.
“No Myk, I’m here. I’m alive.” He winced and forced a smile. “I don’t think I’m any worse than I was yesterday, but I’m not any better.” He gave a slight moan. “Trust me Myk, God spoke to my heart and told me I’m going to survive this. I believe it, and it doesn’t matter how bad I feel right now, I’m going to be okay. Even if my heart should stop beating. God can raise me from the dead so I will trust what God had placed on my heart.”
“Good. I wish I had that kinda faith.”
“You can have it,” Diaz was quick to reply despite his weakened state.
“Uh, um, well, I gotta go check on the other men,” Mykal said to get away before he had a chance to get cornered on religious matters. This reminded him of conversations with Ski.
“I will talk to you later Myk,” Diaz said as Mykal raced away.
“Hey Towbar, come here for a minute,” Mykal called the giant to him and walked away from the group of people.
“Yes my friend, is there something wrong?”
“Now listen, this is what I’m going to do once we get back to the Front. I’m going to get the package from that Mister X guy and I’m going to go back to my world by myself. So what I want you to do is say that you had to send me to your King on an important mission to find out about troops that are supposed to be coming or something like that. We’ll make up something. But the thing is I’m gonna go by myself. We’ll say the King trusts me or whatever we need to say.”
“Why, my friend?”
“If everyone knows that I’m going back then they’ll all wanna go and I won’t be able to help you fight your war with the Sosos. I’m not going to leave you in that spot. My military can whip ass on the Sosos and we’re going to. I told you I would not abandon you. I owe you my life.”
“My friend,” Towbar paused. It appeared he was fighting emotions. “That means more than words could ever express.”
“That’s fine. You’re my brother,” he added knowing that term meant more to Towbar than it did to him. “I’m going to put you above everything except for my wife and kids.”
“I am indebted to you my friend. If I was sure no one could see I would humbly bow down to one knee.”
“No, don’t do that. We’re friends, we’re brothers. But listen, I want you to know what’s going on. Like I told you inside the mountain, William’s plan was to kill me. I have to find out why. If they really are going to kill me then I’m going to strike first and I won’t give the package back. If I can work things out with them then fine. And I’m going to try to work things so we can bring a bigger army here to finish off the Sosos once and for all, but I don’t know how that will go over.”
“Whatever you desire of me to do, I will do it.”
“Don’t be surprised if I come back here and tell you I’m gonna have to live here for the rest of my life,” he said and forced a laugh. “I may have to defend myself.”
“You know you will always be welcomed here. You will always be treated greater than royalty. Our luxury does not compare with what your world has to offer but you will have access to whatever we have to offer.”
“I appreciate that,” Mykal said and bowed his head.
“Why do you think you may have to live in exile?”
“I’m not sure what’s gonna happen Towbar, but if they screw with me, I swear I’ll kill anyone who gets in my way,” he paused and looked to make sure no one could possibly hear his words. “That includes the President. I busted my ass to get what they wanted and if it’s true they’re gonna try to kill me after all I’ve done and gone through for them, I’ll kill ‘em all. Wait,” he stopped himself. “I can’t get myself worked up over all this. But I’m not gonna let them kill me.”
“Are you sure it is wise to go back?”
“I have to. I need to find out for sure. But I’ll be damned if they’re gonna get the package back if that’s the case. But listen, we’ll work out all the details by the time we get to the Front. We’ll say you can’t leave the Front, but I need to go see your King on your behalf and we’ll take it from there.”
“I will do anything you request, my friend.”
“One more thing, when we’re back at the Front, I need you to watch my back. I really thought William was my friend and I find out now he was a plant from the beginning. Even before we ever knew we would be coming back to your world, so there could be others. If that is the case there may be someone else who is willing to silence me before we go back and then they would rely on you sending them back to my world.”
“I will be eyes for you, my friend.”
“I know I can trust Jake, Larry, Sam and the Dosch family and people like that, but I don’t know who I can or can’t trust that came with us this time around. Tell your soldiers to watch my back as well. I would assume that if there was a plan to take me out they wouldn’t have just left it to William. There are probably othe
rs here in case William failed.”
“I will protect your life with my life, my friend.”
“I should have killed that weasel bastard when I had the chance,” Mykal said and shook his head in disgust. “Since he killed Boris I have so much hatred for that piece of shit.”
“He can not escape the Goblins.”
“I don’t think so either, but I have this nagging gut feeling that not killing him is going to come back to haunt me. My gut feelings are hardly ever wrong.”
“I do not see how he could be a threat. I believe he would be dead by now, unless the Goblins keep prisoners as slaves.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right Towbar. But I do have this gut feeling that I shoulda killed him.”
“Hey Myk,” Jake called out as he stepped closer. “Finley wanted me to see if you’re ready to get this show on the road. I didn’t want to interrupt, but Diaz doesn’t look too good.”
“Yeah, I’m ready, but after we get going I wanna tell you what I just told Towbar about William and the possibility of his having some partners here.”
“Sure as we’re walking I’ll pull away with you,” Jake replied. “I’ll go make sure we’re ready to move out.”
2.
After the sun chased the darkness away they had already been traveling at a slow steady pace. Diaz was being carried on a stretcher made of camouflage shirts and M-16 rifles. He was unconscious most of the time, but when he woke his concern focused on the men under his command. He expressed his sense of guilt for being carried but he submitted to the fact that he wouldn’t be able to walk. He felt grateful that the men were happy and honored to carry him.
Every thirty minutes Finley had some of the men fire off ten round bursts of rifle fire into the air. They hoped the sound would travel through the Pass and get the attention of the people at the Front.
Most of the men remain silent while walking the Pass. All were in personal thoughts but Mykal’s thoughts focused on the different things to say to Jill to find out if he was in danger. He thought through countless plans to present the package and what he would say.