World War III

by Heath Jannusch

  “I wonder what he’s saying,” whispered Shiloh.

  “He’s found the trail of the American pilot,” answered Mason.

  “You speak Chinese?” asked Shiloh, a little surprised.

  “Of course,” smiled Mason. “I speak many languages including several dialects of each language; it’s one of my specialties.”

  “Wow dude, that’s Awesome!” said Cole, nodding his head.

  “So what exactly are they saying?” asked Ian.

  “The soldier waving his arms found some droplets of blood in the snow down by the creek,” explained Mason. “Now they’re discussing which direction he might have gone,” Mason paused, straining his ears to hear the conversation below. “They’ve decided to send out three search parties of twenty men each,” continued Mason. “The first search party is going to cross the water and head north, while the other two have been ordered to follow the creek in either direction.”

  “What do you think?” asked Ian, looking at Shiloh.

  “Well,” Shiloh hesitated, trying to put himself in the pilots shoes, “I suppose if it were me, I’d have walked in the creek to avoid leaving any trail behind.”

  “Ok dude, that still leaves us with two options,” said Cole, “east and west.”

  “My guess would be east,” replied Shiloh. “I think he saw us from the air and knew we were on our way to get him. So it makes more since that he’d head towards us, instead of going west and heading deeper into the mountains.”

  “I agree,” said Mason.

  They watched, as the enemy forces broke up into three different search parties. Each group set off in a different direction in search of the pilot. About a dozen of the soldiers remained behind to guard some of the vehicles, while the main body piled into the remaining trucks and headed back in the direction from which they’d come.

  “They must have a forward base camp set up somewhere close by,” pointed out Ian, as he watched the enemy’s main force head southwest.

  “I agree,” replied Mason. “You four go after the pilot and I’ll follow the main force to their base camp. If their encampment is close by then we need to know about it. The entire town could be in danger.”

  “That’s true,” agreed Shiloh. “Will you be able to find your way back?”

  “I’ll be fine,” grinned Mason, with a confidence that somehow raised the groups’ spirits. “I’ll see you fellas back in town.”

  “Good luck,” said Shiloh.

  “Yeah, you might need it,” added Ian. “But whatever you do, don’t let them follow you back to town.”

  “No worries,” chuckled Mason with a wink, before standing up and disappearing into the forest. He made no sound, as he descended the backside of the knoll on a heading that would intersect with the tire tracks left from the Chinese convoy.

  “Alright, let’s go,” whispered Shiloh, before climbing to his feet and heading towards the creek. In the corner of his eye he caught movement from the tree line near the Chinese soldiers below. He stopped briefly and peered into the forest using the binoculars to find the reason behind the movement.

  “What is it?” asked Ian.

  “I thought I saw something move down there,” explained Shiloh, handing Ian the binoculars.

  Ian scanned the area thoroughly but found no sign of movement. “I don’t see anything,” he said.

  “Must have been the wind,” replied Shiloh, but deep down he didn’t believe that. He’d learned long ago to trust his gut instincts and right now his gut was telling him that someone or something was down there. “Let’s wait just a little while longer,” he suggested, dropping to his knees.

  Ian shrugged and joined his best friend on his knees, followed by Cole and Alfonso. Five minutes passed and then ten, without any movement from below. After nearly twenty minutes Shiloh was about to give up when once again his eyes caught movement, only this time it didn’t come from the tree line.

  “There!” he whispered, pointing at a pile of snow near one of the Chinese trucks.

  “What?” Asked Ian. “I don’t see anything.”

  “That large pile of snow,” said Shiloh.

  “What about it?”

  “It wasn’t there a few minutes ago,” he explained.

  Ian looked closer, this time using the binoculars. The pile of snow was about one foot high and six feet long, and located smack dab in the middle of the Chinese camp. As Ian watched, the pile of snow shifted, moving closer to the nearest truck. He couldn’t be sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him, until it moved again.

  “You’re right, it is moving!”

  “What is it?” asked Alfonso.

  “I don’t know,” admitted Ian.

  “Look!” whispered Shiloh, pointing at the moving pile of snow.

  The mouths of all four men dropped open when they saw an arm reach out from beneath the snow and attach something to the bottom of the truck, before disappearing once again.

  “Did you see that?” asked Shiloh.

  “Yeah,” said Ian.

  “Totally dude!” agreed Cole. “What the heck?”

  “He’s moving again!” observed Alfonso, as the white mound of snow began to inch its way towards another truck.

  “Now where’s he going?” asked Cole.

  “I think he’s placing explosives beneath the trucks,” said Ian.

  The mound of snow reached the next truck and once again an arm darted out from beneath the blanket of white. With the use of the binoculars, Shiloh saw light reflect off an object in the mystery man’s hand before his arm disappeared. “I think you’re right!”

  The men from Clearview watched, as the white mound of snow slowly moved from one truck to the next, before finally inching its way back towards the tree line and out of sight.

  “Come on,” whispered Shiloh, “let’s follow him.”

  By the time they made their way down the knoll to where the man had disappeared into the forest he was already gone. All four men quickly set about scanning the area for tracks or any sign of the mystery man, when suddenly the Chinese trucks exploded in one huge fire bomb. The men immediately dove for cover from flying debris.

  Shiloh slowly climbed to his knees, his ears ringing from the blast. He shook his head back and forth, trying to focus. In front of him, about ten feet away, he could see Alfonso waving to him and pointing to the ground. Shiloh struggled to his feet and joined the old Mexican. On the ground near Alfonso was a partial boot print left by the mystery man. Shiloh nodded and signaled for Ian and Cole to join them. The four men quietly backed away from the disoriented Chinese troops and set off into the forest following the tracks.

  The trail was hard to follow, very hard. It soon became obvious that the mystery man was not only an expert in camouflage, but he was also skillful at covering his tracks. Every now and again the men would find a broken twig or partial heel print, as they fanned out and scanned the area for tracks. It was a good thing that all four men from Clearview were avid hunters, and therefore proficient in tracking.

  After almost an hour of wondering through the forest while scanning the ground for any sign of the mystery man’s passing, Ian suddenly held up his hand, signaling for his friends to stop. Shiloh, Cole and Alfonso froze in mid-step, their rifles held high and ready to fire. Following Ian’s gaze, Shiloh saw a flicker of movement in the distance.

  Ian signaled for the men to quietly drop to the ground and out of sight. After a moment of silence, Shiloh slowly began to crawl towards Ian’s position. He desperately wanted to see what it was that had caught his best friend’s attention. “What is it?” he asked, when he was laying behind the same bush as Ian.

  “There!” said Ian, pointing through the thick shrubs.

  Shiloh followed Ian’s finger but didn’t see anything. He was about to repeat the question when a large bush, about one hundred yards away, suddenly stood up and began to walk towards a cluster of tall, thick trees. Shiloh was immediately impressed with the stranger’s ability to co
nceal himself out in the open. They watched quietly, as the bush disappeared behind one of the largest trees in the cluster. Although a portion of the bush could still be seen from their position, it made no further movement.

  Shiloh was about to make his way down to the cluster of trees when he felt Ian’s hand on his shoulder. He looked at his friend and was surprised to see that Ian wasn’t looking at the base of the tree where the bush was sitting, but rather higher up in the tree. Shiloh followed Ian’s gaze, peering into the tree branches, until he finally found what had attracted the ex-Marine’s attention. About three quarters up the tree, a man’s hand could be seen gripping the bark. Both men watched in astonishment, as the hand slowly and meticulously worked its way higher and higher.

  “Well would you look at that!” whispered Shiloh.

  “If you think that’s something,” replied Ian, “look where he’s headed!”

  Shiloh followed the trunk of the tree all the way to the top and his mouth dropped open. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. High up in the air was a full-size house, built into the tops of the trees. The tree house was made from the same type of wood as the trees that held it in place, providing it with the perfect camouflage. Even the outside of the walls were covered in pine needles and pine cones, adding to the disguise. The dwelling itself was wrapped around the largest tree, with the trunk going right through the center of the house. It was by far the most impressive design that Shiloh had ever seen. They watched in awe, as the mystery man disappeared through an opening built into the bottom of the porch.

  “Well,” said Ian, looking at his friend with a large grin, “what do you want to do now?”

  “I’m not sure,” admitted Shiloh. “The American pilot might be up there as well.”

  “True,” agree Ian, “or he might not be. There’s no way of knowing for sure. It’s possible that he went in a completely different direction and we’re just wasting precious time.”

  “I know,” replied Shiloh, sitting on the ground with his back resting against the trunk of a tree. He watched silently, as Cole and Alfonso quietly crept over to where he and Ian sat waiting. He was trying to decide what to do. Should he split their group in half, sending two men back to where they’d left the Chinese convoy and the pilot’s tracks, while the other two remained here?

  “I have a feeling this is where we are meant to be. Let’s just sit tight for a while,” he suggested.

  The other men nodded in agreement and gathered together some pine needles, creating four small piles. Although the pine needles provided a little extra cushion for the men to sit on, the idea was to keep each man’s buttocks from direct contact with the frozen ground. They desperately wanted to light a fire but knew that doing so would attract the Chinese soldiers, and that was the last thing they wanted.

  As the sun set over the mountains the temperature quickly dropped and the men from Clearview huddled together for body heat. Shiloh could hear the heavy breathing of his friends and an occasional snore come from Cole, who was fast asleep, his head resting against the trunk of a tree. Resting his hand on Cole’s shoulder, Shiloh gently shook the younger man until his eyes open.

  “Stay alert,” whispered Shiloh.

  “Yeah,” agreed Ian. “Falling asleep is one of the quickest ways to freeze to death.”

  “Not to mention the snoring Senor Higgins,” added Alfonso, a large grin revealing his even, white teeth. “The sound alone could bring the enemy down upon us!”

  The four men chuckled softly in unison.

  An hour passed and then another, before they heard the clamor of soldiers making their way through the forest. The sound of snow and pine needles crunching under boots, along with the occasional clicking of metal on metal, sent shivers down their spines. With their guns held ready to fire, the men from Clearview waited apprehensively, as the noise grew louder and closer.

  Suddenly a Chinese soldier came crashing through the brush with an AK-47 slung over his shoulder. A moment later another soldier appeared, and then another and another, until there were more than a dozen enemy troops within twenty yards of their hiding place.

  The men from Clearview held their breath, as the soldiers stomped by them, scanning the ground for tracks. Shiloh felt Ian’s hand on his shoulder and turned to look at his friend. Staring up at the tree house Ian pointed towards the front door, which was now partly open. In the moonlight, Shiloh could see the silhouettes of two men standing on the porch, looking down at the soldiers below. When the soldiers were finally gone, the men turned and headed back inside. It wasn’t until they opened the door, momentarily illuminating their faces with the warm glow from within, that Shiloh realized one of the men was the American pilot.

  “It’s him!” he whispered, as the door closed behind the two men.

  “Who?” Asked Cole, looking from left to right.

  “The American pilot,” answered Shiloh, “he’s up there in the tree house!”

  “How can you be sure?” asked Alfonso.

  “Because I saw the jumpsuit he’s wearing,” explained Shiloh.

  “Should we climb up there and get him?” suggested Ian.

  “I think that we should…” Before Shiloh could finish his sentence the Chinese soldiers returned, crashing through the forest of trees. Only this time their guns were held ready to fire. He watched silently as they clustered together, looking at something on the ground and speaking in Chinese.

  Where’s Mason when we need him?

  Shiloh wanted desperately to know what the soldiers were saying and what had caused them to return, yet he soon discovered without the help of a translator. After a moment of hushed commands the soldiers began to fan out in every direction, their guns held ready to fire.

  “They’ve figured out that the tracks end here,” whispered Ian.

  “Yes they have,” agreed Shiloh. “I think we should…”

  When Shiloh didn’t finish the sentence, Ian looked at his friend to see what had caused him to fall silent.

  “Look!” said Shiloh, pointing to the tree house directly above the Chinese soldiers.

  Dangling over the railing of the porch was a man with a brown sack. As the men from Clearview watched, the mystery man emptied the sack’s contents onto the unsuspecting soldiers below. The Chinese soldier bending over the tracks and looking for additional sign, screamed out in horror when several poisonous snakes landed on his head and shoulders. Other soldiers rushed to his aid, but from the sounds of his screams it was too late.

  Machine-gun fire erupted in the dark, silent night, as the Chinese soldiers fired into the ground, hoping to kill the slithering reptiles which surrounded them. Every now and again a man’s scream could be heard through the barrage of bullets, as a snake’s fangs found its target. The forest turned into a chaotic scene, with enemy soldiers fleeing in every direction. Several of them stopped long enough to retrieve their wounded and dying comrades, before fading into the forest. When they were all gone, the forest once again fell silent and the only sign of the enemy was their flashlights bobbing up and down in the darkness, as they fled the scene.

  “Let’s wait for those snakes to clear out of the area before we go down there,” suggested Shiloh.

  “Totally dude!” agreed Cole, whose face appeared several shades whiter than normal.

  *******

  Several miles to the southwest, Mason was slowly making his way through the forest. He’d lost vision of the convoy awhile back, but stayed close enough to the highway so as to not lose sight of their tracks. As the sun disappeared over the mountains, a flurry of snow began to fall and Mason was glad that he’d brought a pair of snowshoes. With fresh falling snow covering the convoy’s tracks, he realized it wouldn’t be long before the trail would vanish altogether.

  Walking around a bend in the road, Mason stopped dead in his tracks. Less than one hundred yards away were four Chinese soldiers and two trucks, engines running. He quickly dove behind a tree before the soldiers saw him.

 
Using the scope on his rifle, Mason peered down at the enemy soldiers. He knew very well that he could eliminate all four men by himself, but if he did he wouldn’t be any closer to finding the location of their base camp. The four soldiers were in the process of changing a tire, undoubtedly the reason why they’d separated from the main convoy. If Mason was going to make a move he had to do it soon.

  Quickly and quietly, Mason began making his way towards the four Chinese soldiers, moving from tree to tree. As he descended the mountainside a plan began to formulate and Mason approached the trucks from behind. When he was only a few feet away, he silently dropped to his belly and rolled under the truck closest to him. He quickly removed his belt and used it as a small rope, wrapping it through the axel of the truck and back around his body. He then found two places where he could wedge his feet and grabbed hold of the truck’s undercarriage, lifting his body up and off of the ground.

  Mason had just finished securing himself when he heard voices coming from the forest. He dare not look for fear of exposing himself. So instead, he tightened his grip and pulled himself up closer, hugging the truck’s underbelly. Mason listened intently to what the soldiers were saying, as they emerged from the tree line. They were discussing what had happened in the forest and how they’d lost the American pilot. When Mason heard about the trucks being destroyed and how several soldiers had succumbed to snake bites, he couldn’t help but grin. From what the soldiers were saying, he was able to deduce that his friends had not been captured. Mason breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that his friends were safe.

  All of a sudden, a stretcher with a wounded soldier was laid down on the ground less than three feet from where Mason was hiding. Mason held his breath and waited, praying to a God that he wasn’t sure existed. He silently prayed that the soldier didn’t turn his head to the left because if he did, he’d definitely see Mason hiding beneath the truck.