Down and Dirty

by Len Levinson

  “Let's go, move it!” Shaw shouted. “Bannon, catch up with the others!”

  Bannon felt weird to be taking orders from Shaw, because yesterday Shaw had been taking orders from him. Bannon raised himself up on his hands and knees and pushed himself forward. The sound of the machine guns ahead became louder and seemed to be dead ahead. The First Squad made its way up the hill. Bannon was right in the middle, not far from Frankie La Barbara, who looked ridiculous with the big bandage on his nose. Farther down the hill they could hear Butsko shouting. Bannon pushed some branches away from his face and saw smoke and lightning up ahead, blowing against branches and leaves.

  “There they are!” Bannon shouted.

  Also by Len Levinson

  The Rat Bastards:

  Hit the Beach

  Death Squad

  River of Blood

  Meat Grinder Hill

  Green Hell

  Too Mean to Die

  Hot Lead and Cold Steel

  Do or Die

  Kill Crazy

  Nightmare Alley

  Go For Broke

  Tough Guys Die Hard

  Suicide River

  Satan’s Cage

  Go Down Fighting

  The Pecos Kid:

  Beginner’s Luck

  The Reckoning

  Apache Moon

  Outlaw Hell

  Devil’s Creek Massacre

  Bad to the Bone

  The Apache Wars Saga:

  Desert Hawks

  War Eagles

  Savage Frontier

  White Apache

  Devil Dance

  Night of the Cougar

  * * *

  Down and Dirty

  * * *

  Book 5 of the Rat Bastards

  by

  Len Levinson

  Excepting basic historical events, places, and personages, this series of books is fictional, and anything that appears otherwise is coincidental and unintentional. The principal characters are imaginary, although they might remind veterans of specific men whom they knew. The Twentythird Infantry Regiment, in which the characters serve, is used fictitiously—it doesn't represent the real historical Twentythird Infantry, which has distinguished itself in so many battles from the Civil War to Vietnam—but it could have been any American line regiment that fought and bled during World War II.

  These novels are dedicated to the men who were there. May their deeds and gallantry never be forgotten.

  DOWN AND DIRTY

  Copyright © 1984 by Len Levinson. All Rights Reserved.

  EBook © 2013 by AudioGO. All Rights Reserved.

  Trade ISBN 978-1-62064-846-9

  Library ISBN 978-1-62460-187-3

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner

  whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief

  quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Cover photo © TK/iStock.com.

  ONE . . .

  “Japs!”

  Bannon opened his eyes and sprang up inside the pup tent. He heard thrashing and flailing in the jungle. Guards shouted and shots were fired.

  “Banzai!”

  Bannon reached for his machete and pulled it from its sheath. Next to him Corporal Gomez cursed in Spanish and grabbed his M 1 rifle. Wearing only khaki shorts, Bannon pulled on his combat boots and tied the laces around quickly, then dived out of the tent. On his hands and knees he looked ahead and saw fighting in the moonlight at the edge of the clearing about fifty yards away.

  “Let's go!” shouted Sergeant Butsko, running forward, holding his rifle and bayonet high in his right hand. “Up and at ‘em!”

  Bannon leaped to his feet, swung the machete over his head, and screamed like a wild animal as he followed Butsko. The night was hot and sticky, and birds shrieked high in the trees. All across the clearing, GIs burst out of their tents half naked, carrying rifles, shovels, and anything else they could lay their hands on.

  “Banzai!” yelled a Jap coming out of the jungle.

  “Get the bastards!” replied Butsko.

  Bannon saw Japs fighting GIs at the edge of the clearing’, overwhelming them and charging forward. A GI fell down ten yards in front of Bannon, and a Japanese soldier kicked the fallen GI in the face, jumped over him, and headed for Bannon.

  Bannon gritted his teeth, planted his right foot firmly behind him, and raised the machete.

  “Banzai!” hollered the Jap, holding his rifle and bloody bayonet in both hands, rushing toward Bannon.

  The Jap was shorter than Bannon and much thinner, with a short beard covering his face and a soft cap on his head. The Jap shouted something and pushed his rifle and bayonet toward Bannon's heart. Bannon swung the machete down with all his strength, striking the Jap's left arm and chopping it in half. The Jap bellowed horribly, staring in disbelief at the stump of his arm, which gushed blood like a hose, and Bannon raised his machete again, bringing it down diagonally, catching the Jap on the neck and cutting through to his rib cage.

  The force of the blow sent the Jap to his knees, and blood spattered Bannon's body and light-brown hair. He tugged the handle of the machete and pulled it loose as the Jap sagged to the side. Two Japanese soldiers with rifles and bayonets ran toward Bannon, who stood his ground, licking his lips nervously and holding the machete poised in the air.

  The two Jap soldiers bumped shoulders as they rushed Bannon, and the one on the left lunged first with his rifle and bayonet. Bannon batted the bayonet out of the way with his left forearm and swung down with the machete, connecting with the top of the Jap's head, the blade of the machete sinking three inches into the Jap's brain. The other Jap thrust his rifle and bayonet forward, and Bannon couldn't work the machete loose from the first Jap's skull. He let go of the machete, pounced on the rifle of the attacking Jap, and kicked him in the balls.

  The Jap screamed and stepped backward, locking his knees together and bending over in pain. Bannon grabbed his machete, pulled it out of the first Jap's skull, drew the machete back, and whacked the second Jap in the face, smashing apart his jawbone and nearly taking off the top of his head. The Jap fell in front of Bannon, and Bannon stepped over his dead body.

  Soldiers fought around him, and it was hard to tell who was friend and who was foe. They stabbed, slashed, and bashed each other, grunting and cursing, killing and moving on. Japanese officers shouted encouragement to their men, and Sergeant Butsko was in the thick of the fight, swinging his rifle and bayonet.

  “Kill the fuckers.’” he hoDered.

  Bannon saw Private Billie Jones struggling to kill a Jap facing him. Suddenly another Jap charged Billie Jones's back. Bannon leaped forward and raised the machete in the air. The Jap was ready to stab Billie Jones in the back, and Bannon brought the thick machete down on the Jap's left shoulder, slicing through to the bone. The Jap shrieked and turned to face Bannon, who was already on his backhand swing. His machete blade hit the Jap in the mouth and split apart bone and flesh until it came to a stop at the back of the Jap's head.

  Bannon pulled the machete loose and spun around. He saw a Jap aiming a pistol at him. The Jap was too far away to hit with a swing of the machete, so Bannon threw the machete at the Jap to upset his aim and then dived after it.

  The pistol fired, and Bannon heard the bullet whiz past his ear. He collided with the Jap and grabbed his wrist with both hands, elbowing the Jap in the chops. The Jap tried to knee Bannon in the balls, but Bannon turned his hip and caught the blow on his outer thigh. The Jap hit Bannon in the mouth with his free fist, but Bannon was tough and could take a good punch. Still holding the Jap's wrist in both his hands, he pivoted, twisted the Jap's arm, raised it in the air, and brought
it down hard. The Jap's elbow landed on Bannon's shoulder and was bent out of shape. Bannon slugged him in the throat and the Jap fell on his ass, coughing, trying to get his breath.

  Bannon picked up his machete and the Jap's pistol. He looked down at the Jap and swung the machete, cracking open the Jap's skull. He pulled the machete loose, looked up, and saw a whole wall of Japs moving toward him. Dropping to one knee, he aimed the pistol and fired, hitting a Jap in the chest. He moved the pistol a few inches to the right and fired again; another Jap went crashing to the ground. He took aim at the next Jap and shot him in the face. By then the fourth Jap was on top of him. Bannon fired when the Jap was less than five feet away and hit him in the gut. The Jap tripped and collapsed onto Bannon, the blood from his stomach oozing out onto Bannon's body.

  Bannon pushed him off and stood up, the pistol in his right hand, the machete in his left. At that moment the battle seemed to converge on him, Japs and GIs struggling wildly, bumping against him, elbowing him, and one Jap broke through in front of Bannon, screaming and hooting, thrusting his rifle and bayonet toward Bannon, who held the pistol steady and pulled the trigger. The pistol bucked in his hand as it fired, and a dot the size of a marble appeared on the front of the Jap's khaki shirt. The Jap's eyes rolled up into his head and Bannon deflected the path of the bayonet with his machete. The Jap dropped to his feet; behind him came a Japanese officer carrying a samurai sword.

  “Banzai!” shouted the officer.

  “Fuck you,” replied Bannon, and pulled the trigger.

  Click!

  The pistol was empty. Bannon threw it at the officer and it bounced off his head, but the officer kept coming, holding the handle of the samurai sword with both hands, the blade pointing straight up in the air. Bannon shifted the machete to his right hand and got ready. The Japanese officer raised his sword higher, his eyes1 glittering with murderous hate.

  “Banzai!” he screamed.

  He brought the sword down with all his strength, and Bannon raised his machete to block the blow. The sword struck the machete in midair and broke the machete's blade in half. Sparks flew into the air and Bannon lunged forward to avoid the downswing of the samurai sword. He bumped into the Japanese officer and their faces were only inches apart. He could see the Japanese officer's slanted eyes and sallow cheeks and smell his sour breath.

  The Japanese officer stepped backward to get some sword-swinging room, and Bannon shot his hands into the air, grabbing the Jap's wrist with both hands, trying to kick the Jap in the balls. The Jap snaked a leg behind Bannon and pushed. Bannon tripped over the Jap's leg and fell to the ground, but he held on to the Jap's wrist with both hands and dragged him down.

  The Japanese officer fell on top of Bannon and karate-chopped him on the head with his free hand. Bannon saw stars for a moment, and the officer karate-chopped him again, but this time Bannon let go of the samurai sword and blocked the blow with his arm, punched the Jap in the mouth, and then grabbed his sword arm again and heaved, bucking like a bronco.

  The Japanese officer was thrown off Bannon and landed on his back. Bannon bounded up and dropped with both his knees on the Jap's chest, knocking the wind out of him. He punched the Jap in the mouth, saw a rock lying on the ground a few inches from the Jap's head, picked it up, and slammed it against the Jap's forehead. The Japanese officer moaned and went limp.

  Bannon snatched the samurai sword out of his hand, raised it in the air, and swung downward, lopping off the Jap's head. Fascinated, he watched the head roll away like a coconut. All around him, men still were locked in vicious hand-to-hand combat. A Japanese soldier ran toward him, carrying a rifle and bayonet. Bannon raised the samurai sword with both hands and brought it down with all his strength.

  The sword sliced through the Jap's head, neck, and chest as if he were made of warm butter. Blood flew in all directions, and Bannon pulled out the sword as the Japanese soldier collapsed onto the ground. Bannon jumped over him, saw another Japanese soldier, swung the samurai sword from the side, and hit him in the ribs, the sword smashing through the Jap's chest and slicing open his lungs. The Jap toppled over and Bannon pulled out the sword, turned, and saw two more Japs coming toward him. He took a step backward, raised the sword high over his head, and slashed to the side. The blade chopped clean through the head of the Jap on Bannon's right and continued its path, burying itself in the shoulder of the next Jap, but by then it had lost much of its momentum.

  Bannon pulled the sword loose as the Jap staggered beneath the sudden pain. Blood poured out of the Jap's shoulder, but he gamely tried to hold his rifle and bayonet steady so he could run Bannon through. He lunged and Bannon swung the sword, striking the Japanese soldier's rifle, sending sparks flying into the air and knocking the rifle out of his hands.

  The Jap stood defenseless, his shoulder bleeding, as Bannon raised the sword for the deathblow. The Jap turned and ran away, and Bannon went after him, swinging the sword down. He struck the Jap halfway between his left shoulder and his neck, and the sharp blade cracked apart the Jap's collarbone and ribs, ripping into his heart.

  Blood gushed out and Bannon withdrew his sword, looking around at the grim hand-to-hand fighting everywhere.

  “Hai!”

  Bannon turned in the direction of the voice and saw a Japanese officer with a samurai sword poised high over his head, running toward him. A wave of fear swept over Bannon, because he knew the Japanese officer probably was an expert swordsman, whereas he himself was just fucking around.

  “Yaaahhhhhh!” shouted the Japanese officer as he swung his sword down at Bannon's head.

  Bannon raised his sword to block the blow, and the blades clanged together noisily, making a shower of sparks. The Jap pulled his sword back and swung it sideways at Bannon's ribs, but Bannon darted backward and the blade whistled through the air in front of him. The Jap jumped forward and raised his sword for another blow, and Bannon jumped backward again, looking toward the ground and hoping he'd see a pistol so he could shoot the Jap.

  The Jap advanced again and swung his sword down diagonally. Bannon raised his sword and parried the blow, then cut down at the Jap's head, but the Jap was lightfooted and bounded out of the way.

  Both men looked at each other, raising their swords high again. The Japanese officer appeared confident and knowledgeable about his swordsmanship, whereas Bannon was getting scared, but not scared enough to turn and run away.

  The Jap swung and Bannon drew back, his sword still poised in the air. The Jap's blade swooshed within a few inches in front of Bannon's nose, and at that moment Bannon brought his own sword down. The Jap saw it coming, but there was nothing he could do. He was still in the middle of his own swing, off balance, his head unprotected.

  Bannon's blade struck on the top of the Jap's skull and hacked it in two. Blood and brains flew everywhere, and Bannon felt some land on his face. He pulled the sword loose, slipped on a patch of mud, and fell to the ground. Rolling over, he looked up and saw a Japanese soldier in front of him, aiming a pistol down at him. Bannon felt naked and helpless and thought he'd come to the end of his road. He raised the sword in a feeble gesture to protect himself.

  Blam!

  The sword exploded in front of Bannon, and a bit of metal bore into his cheek. His sword hand stung from the shock, but otherwise he was okay. The Jap aimed the pistol again and Bannon rolled to the side, trying to become a difficult target.

  Blam!

  Bannon watched in astonishment as the Jap's knees buckled. Somebody had shot him! The Jap collapsed onto the ground and Bannon looked at the shattered samurai sword in his hand. It wasn't good for anything anymore, so he tossed it away and picked up a Ka-bar knife lying a few inches from the hand of a dead GI nearby. Then he jumped to his feet and saw a Japanese soldier with rifle and bayonet charging toward him.

  “Banzai!” shouted the Jap soldier.

  “Banzai your ass!”

  The Jap soldier lunged with his rifle and bayonet, and Bannon went into motion. H
e whacked the bayonet to the side with a forearm block and buried the Ka-bar knife to the hilt in the Jap's belly. The Jap said “Ugh” and his eyes closed. Blood burbled out of his lips and he fell to the ground.

  Bannon pulled his Ka-bar knife from the Jap's belly and looked around. The fight seemed to be thinning out, and bodies lay everywhere on the ground. Men still grappled and heaved against each other in the moonlight, but not as many as before. Out of the darkness and mist appeared a Japanese soldier carrying a rifle and bayonet. He wasn't running and his mouth hung open as he gulped down air. He was nearly as tall as Bannon, who was a six-footer, and he was as gaunt as a scare-crow.

  He spotted Bannon and moved toward him slowly and deliberately. Bannon held the Ka-bar knife by its point, reared back his arm, and threw it. The knife flew through the air, heading straight for the Jap, who couldn't duck in time. The knife struck him on the chest, but it landed handle first and bounced off, falling to the ground.

  The Jap grinned and advanced toward Bannon, who looked to the ground frantically to find something to fight with. Lying near his feet was an M 1 rifle without a bayonet on its end. Bannon scooped it up, aimed it from his waist, made sure the safety was off, worked the bolt, and pulled the trigger.

  Click!

  The M 1 was empty and Bannon's heart sank. The Jap soldier heard the click and advanced toward Bannon one cautious step at a time. All Bannon could do was turn the rifle around and grip the barrel so he could swing it like a baseball bat.

  “C'mon, you slant-eyed cocksucker,” Bannon said.

  The Japanese soldier drew closer, holding his rifle and bayonet in both hands, and stopped in front of Bannon. Their eyes met and Bannon knew that one of them would be dead within the next minute.

  ’“Yoi!” shouted the Jap, and thrust his rifle and bayonet toward Bannon's heart.