by Dave Hazel
“I am surprised beyond words,” Doninka said softly looking at the carnage out before them.
Mykal said nothing but watched to see how the Sosos were going to respond. Despite the great damage they inflicted on the Sosos it didn’t seem to put a dent in the overall numbers. The Pass opening looked like a riled ant’s nest. Mykal feared they wouldn’t be able to stop an all-out assault should the Sosos bring their entire force all at once.
“Jake, any news from Lopez?” Larry yelled. “Do we have an ETA on Towbar’s army?”
“Nothing yet.”
“They better get here quick.” Boris said.
“Yeah, real quick or it’s gonna get bloody,” Denny said. “A couple more attacks like that and we won’t be able to beat ‘em back. Those 60s are probably starting to run low on ammo.”
“I need a friggin cigarette,” Boris huffed. “That damn kid, Thrane, with the empty pack reminded me I don’t have any.”
“Man, lookit all dem dead bodies,” Stinky Feet mumbled in disbelief. “We’re really in a war, man. Diss be crazy, man.”
Mykal turned to Jake’s voice.
“Jackson, are you alright?” Jake yelled to the machine gunner atop of the Peacekeeper. Jake stood at the driver door to use the radio. Jackson wrapped tightly around his M-60. Jackson breathed as if experiencing labor pains. His ebony knuckles turned ivory on the pistol grip. “Jackson, are you alright?” Jake yelled again. “Do you want someone else on that weapon?”
“No, no,” Jackson replied when threatened. “I’m a’ight, I’m a’ight,” he said and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. Jackson looked nauseous. “I think I’m gon’ be sick,” he mumbled to his assistant, Davis.
“Jackson, are you sure you don’t need a break?” Jake asked.
“I’m a’ight, I’m a’ight, Sarge. I’ll be cool. I’m cool man. I just don’ wanna die, man. That’s all. I’m cool.”
“You’re doing good Jackson,” Jake said, staring at the young airman. “All of us are scared. Everything’s gonna be fine. Jake turned to Jackson’s assistant gunner, “Davis, don’t be afraid to trade places if he needs a break. You guys are a team.”
“Yes Sir,” Davis replied.
“No, Sarge. I’m cool,” Jackson sounded off. “Oh no, here they come,” he yelled and pressed his shoulder harder against the butt of the weapon, his face rested on the stock of the M-60.
“Jackson, don’t shoot.” Jake ordered, and then spoke into the radio. “You guys on the 60s, hold your fire. We’re gonna let them fall into the pit this time and make use of this trap we created. After they fall we’re gonna cut ‘em to pieces. Stand-by until I give the word. Everyone, pass it down,” Jake yelled to the others. “Only shoot archers unless I give the word,” Jake said while chambering a round into his GAU. “We wanna get as many as possible to fall into the pit.”
“Conserve ammo, and don’t panic,” Denny yelled. “Pass it down. My men listen up. Be careful! Protect your little tushes.”
“Kill the archers,” Mykal hollered while taking aim at a Soso stringing his bow. Mykal squeezed the trigger and watched the archer fall harmlessly to the ground clutching his chest. He continued to squeeze off rounds only when he saw a Soso stop to prepare his bow. Others followed his example. Archers dropped with every round that popped off. No arrows were loosed into the sky. The blood thirsty savages charged with a determined focus toward the veiled pit. War cries grew louder as they neared.
The wall of hatred that advanced on them looked much larger than the last two attempts. Some tripped over bodies of the newly fallen archers. Those who fell got to their feet quickly and continued their assault. Some wounded from the previous two assaults were trampled to death by their own countrymen.
Behind this pack of twenty thousand or so, Mykal saw there were countless more watching and waiting for their turn to join the battle. With weapons raised they cheered them on. Mykal knew the pit would work as planned but he couldn’t stop the near panic from getting the best of him. He had to fight back his own thoughts. “I gotta be outta my friggin mind,” he muttered.
“What are you saying?” Doninka asked from behind.
Her voice reminded him of his responsibility to protect her. Her voice brought back to reality this was all part of the long plan to go home. “Nothing. I said nothing,” he replied and took a deep relaxing breath. “Stay close to me.”
*******
The tidal wave of fury made it past the point where magic obliterated the two previous advances. Nothing happened. No attack. Did Towbar’s magic powers cease? Did Towbar only have two magic attacks in him? No matter, these puny dogs defending the Pass will pay with their miserable little lives.
*******
Mykal saw the abhorrent features of the charging madmen. Their hateful rage for revenge glowed like burning embers in their sockets. With the anxiety Mykal felt, it surprised and impressed him that some of his own countrymen didn’t throw down their weapons and run away. He felt proud of them.
As the horde of Sosos moved to the edge of the pit their confidence and glee seemed to soar. Mykal’s heart raced and suddenly panic ruled, ‘What if the trap doesn’t work? What if the covering is too solid and they stroll over the top?’ His imagination became his new enemy. He desperately wanted to shoot, but knew he had to trust in the work they did. The roar of rage sounded like jet engines.
“We can do this.” He calmed himself. “We can do this.”
Mykal watched in utter white knuckle amazement as the tightly packed army suddenly disappeared as if swallowed up by the ground. In an instant they were gone visibly, but audibly their cries and muffled screams rang out. Sosos to the rear of the Pass didn’t understand what happened. The force of twenty thousand or so just vanished.
“Get out there,” Denny yelled to the townspeople nearby.
“Go get ‘em,” Jake shouted.
“To the pit, my people,” Towbar yelled while swinging his glowing blue sword over his head. “Victory is ours!”
The townspeople, not as fierce in appearance as the Sosos, charged the edge of the pit with clubs, swords, meat cleavers, axes, spears and anything that could be used as a weapon. They chopped, stabbed, slashed and clubbed any movement within reach.
Sosos who had not been killed or impaled tried to climb out as soon as they regained their bearings. They were met with a surprising viciousness at the hands of old men, women, and kids.
Thousands on the bottom of the pit were impaled by the deadly pointed punji-stakes. Many who survived being skewered were then crushed to death by the weight of their own countrymen following them. The screams and yells of hateful war cries made the transition into a release of genuine agony.
*******
The last of the massive assault, watched comrades in front of them vanish, devoured by the earth just inches away. They tried to stop, but their momentum carried them forward. They too were swallowed by the open ground and landed on top of their fellow warriors. Sosos who tried to climb out saw the worst sight imaginable; a woman or a child delivering the death blows. A fool’s death for the mighty Soso warriors. Soso gods could deprive them of paradise for dying a fool’s death.
*******
“Pick your shots,” Jake yelled.
The only Sosos who had a real chance of getting out of the pit were those near to the ends of the pit. The ends inclined up, an earthen ramp, to allow the workers easy access in and out of the pit. Roy, Roy Jr., Randy, Larry and Stinky Feet Smith quickly made short work of those trying to climb out on their end. Dozens of Sosos managed to climb out of the pit. But they turned and climbed out the side from which they fell in. They hastily retreated to their countrymen.
“Boris, watch this,” Kurt laughed as he took aim with his rifle. He squeezed off a round at a fleeing Soso. He hit the Soso in the back of the head forcing his face to jerk forward.
“I can do that you big goof,” Boris raised his rifle and killed another fleeing Soso, shooting him in the b
ack of the head. They both shot one more Soso before the few surviving made it back to the main force. Killing had become so easy.
The only sounds coming from the pit were of agonizing defeat. Those still alive were injured too badly to continue fighting, or were pinned like an insect in an entomologist’s collection. Boris and Kurt went to the edge of the pit to see if there were any who posed a threat. All down the line others went to the pit to make sure the Sosos weren’t able to climb out. The locals effectively eliminated the threat.
“Do you want us to kill them?” Randy asked Jake.
“Don’t waste the ammo. Let the townspeople finish ‘em off.”
“The only thing we gotta worry about,” Denny paused while scratching his sweaty balding head. “If they keep coming like that, they’ll fill the pit with their dead. Then they’ll be able to walk right over them.”
“Hey Jake, have you heard any more from Lopez?” Sam asked.
“No.” He paused. “I tried, but haven’t heard a thing. Someone from Dobson’s squad keeps calling too, but nothing yet.”
*******
A great commotion stirred near the mouth of the Pass. Sosos were angry that they had been devastated by the wicked rodents. Women, old men and children, not soldiers, how could this happen? More than twenty thousand have died in the span of an arrow’s flight. Nearly forty thousand dead in the span of a sparring session and not one vile vermin had been exterminated. Not one Shay-lonk had been loosed.
Magic or not, it’s not supposed to be this way! A new tactic must be tried to turn the tables on the vile vermin. A new scheme must be put into play to counter the despicable deeds of the wicked rodents.
*******
“Whew-eeee!” Roy Jr. whooped it up and took his cowboy hat off to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Ooooh my, them boys look like their piss is getting hot.”
“We done kicked the hornet’s nest,” Randy agreed.
“Want me to open up Sarge?” Jackson asked. He didn’t take his eyes from the Sosos, nor did he blink. He wrapped his hand so tightly on the pistol grip it was amazing that he didn’t accidentally squeeze off a few rounds.
“Not yet!” Jake answered. “They’re probably gonna send a bigger force. We need every round.”
“Here they come and they looked ticked,” Boris yelled.
“Listen up, you guys with the 203s,” Jake called into the radio. “When they get to about 300 yards, fire at will and keep shooting. I wanna see how they react to the explosions. You 60s, be ready for my command,” he said and looked directly at Jackson.
“Oh man,” Mykal sighed when he realized this wave made the last look small. “You stay close to me,” he pointed his finger at Doninka. “We might have to do some running, okay?”
“Yes, but I am here to help.”
“M-203s, now!” Jake yelled into the microphone.
All four grenadiers fired the 40mm HE rounds and plopped them into the center of the charging mass. The explosions were loud and destructive for the Sosos near the blast. More Sosos dropped to the ground in fear from the noise than those actually killed or injured by the blasts.
Everyone along the pit stood silent in fearful expectation. The only sound audible along the pit, were four slight sounds of thhbpt, thhbpt, thhbpt, thhbpt of M-203s being fired. Moments later the loud explosions had been drowned in a roar of savages descending toward them. The bursting 40mm rounds ripped burning shrapnel in all directions, resulting in death and injuries.
One HE round hit a Soso in the chest and the explosion obliterated the top half of his body. Sosos near him physically demonstrated a terror never witnessed by Towbar’s people. The myth Sosos never showed fear had been quickly dispelled.
Jackson neared hysteria. “Now Sarge? Can I shoot now?”
“Stand-by, Jackson,” Jake ordered. “I want ‘em closer.”
Explosion after explosion ripped through the ranks of the mad mob. It had little effect on the overall numbers, but the noise and explosive power had a psychological impact. Sosos who believed magic had been used on them dropped to the ground in a demonstration of terror. Some caught the wrath of the bigger, nastier, leader types. The leaders attacked those acting cowardly. Some were killed on the spot to make examples of them. Others were kicked or whacked with the blunt side of a sword for motivation. This in itself became a moral victory, an amazing achievement considering the Sosos’ reputation to face anything fearlessly, and to cower at nothing.
When the Sosos reached the second line of dead bodies Jake ordered the machine gunners to open fire. As previously, the 7.62mm rounds ripped through two, three, four and occasionally five Sosos at a time. Sosos were cut to shreds. M-16s joined in taking aimed shots, dropping Sosos with every round.
The explosions, the cracks of the rifles, the rat-at-tat tats of the machine guns produced so much death and destruction, but the Sosos continued to swarm in. The few archers who stopped and tried to string their bows were stopped before any arrows were drawn back.
Bodies fell everywhere. Blood flowed freely with limbs being severed and chunks of body parts flying away viciously. Cries and screams of pain mixed with the shouts and war cries created a cacophonous sound similar to what John, Paul, George and Ringo experienced during the height of Beatlemania.
*******
When Sosos reached the pit most tried to jump across. All unsuccessful, and some were stopped in midair by a magical force that killed. From inside the pit Sosos tried to climb out only to be hacked, stabbed, slashed and chopped by the hated vermin. They were dying a disgraceful fool’s death at the hands of women, old men and young boys. The knowledge of the trench proved helpful, but twenty thousand had been cut down to fewer than five thousand. They turned again to go back to the main force. They would have to try again with even larger numbers. This time The New Tactic would be implemented and the horrible little rodents would pay for their tricks!
*******
Towbar stood at the edge of the pit swinging his massive blade with battle-crazed expertise. In the sunlight the giant appeared to have a red glow to him. His muscularly chiseled body dripped the blood of those he cut to pieces. Soso lifeblood splashed everywhere. His smooth skin seemed slick and wet.
“Strike them down,” Towbar shouted. He led by example and jumped into the pit first to finish off the wounded so they wouldn’t be a threat later. “Come my people,” he roared while he chopped and slashed. His people followed his lead, but entered the pit carefully so as not to be impaled like the Sosos.
“You friggin wimps,” Kurt laughed out when Sosos retreated again. “We’re kicking their boot-tays,” he laughed and turned to Mykal. “These stupid idiots don’t stand a chance.”
“I wouldn’t say that just yet,” Mykal replied. “Don’t get too cocky. There are far too many Sosos out there. Things could start going bad for us. Look,” Mykal said and pointed to the opening of the Pass. “We barely scratched the surface. Our ammo isn’t gonna last forever.”
“Thanks Sarge,” Kurt groaned playfully. “I just started to feel good about all this, and you gotta go and burst my bubble.”
Mykal ignored his comment. “Kurt, do me a favor. Run down the line and see if there are any people who haven’t been shooting at all. If there are some who haven’t, ask them to give up their ammo, and if they won’t give it up, take it.”
“Alright!” Kurt smiled. “Those are the kinda orders I like taking. I’m bringing Boris with me.”
“I want you to check Bill Towner, cuz he said before he’d never be able to kill anyone even if his life depended on it. Find out if the Christian people have been shooting. And if you can, find out what Edwards and Mansfield have been doing.”
“Alright, we’ll be back in a few.”
“I will return quickly,” Doninka said to Mykal and ran off.
Mykal sat back against the dirt wall just as Denny, Larry, Sam, Rich and the Dosch family joined him.
“I’m starting to have second thoughts about staying in thi
s crazy world,” Larry sighed as he plopped down beside Mykal. He watched Doninka leave and gave Mykal a sly smile. “It looks like you’re having second thoughts too I see,” he added and his eyes darted to Doninka.
“Her? Oh no, it’s not like that. I’m watching her for Towbar. She’s a family member or something,” he lied. He didn’t want to reveal her identity until Towbar gave permission.
“Man, look at all those bodies,” Sam said. “I can’t believe my eyes. They want this place bad.”
“When I was in Vietnam we would give anything for a body count like this,” Roy said and shook his head in disbelief.
“I just wonder if we’re going to be able to hold them off until Towbar’s soldiers get here,” Denny said. He stared at the mouth of the Pass. “Jake, anything from Lopez on the ETA?”
“If we don’t hear something pretty soon we might wanna get the vehicles fired up, and get ready to go,” Sam suggested.
“Revenge is sweet, but it ain’t gonna bring my boy back.”
They all stopped and looked at Roy. The statement came from left field, but his emotions came straight from the heart. No one seemed to know what to say to him.
Larry changed the subject. “Look at that,” he nodded toward the townspeople. The townspeople were arming themselves with better weapons taken from Sosos in the pit.
“Dis is great y’all,” Rich said when he plopped down beside Larry. “I always wanted to go to war and be in a da heat of battle. Now I’m finally in one and I’ze don’ even has to worry about the dumb silly bastards shootin’ back.”
“Get in position,” Jake spoke over the PA system. “They’re coming back. Break. In response to your last question Denny, I haven’t had any radio contact with Lopez yet.”
Kurt and Boris ran back empty handed. “They’re all planning on fighting. Even Towner said he was too scared to let them just kill him,” Kurt explained when he moved back to his position.
“Oh man, look at that,” Denny moaned at the size of the force moving toward them. “They’re serious as all get out this time. Guys, please, keep your heads down and stay safe. That’s an order,” he said with a wink and smirked then they dispersed.