Darkest Night

by James Cherry

  It was time to act and he knew what he had to do. He could not stop the military from killing all of the dragons, but he could try and save the species as a whole if he could get his hands on some of their eggs. With a few eggs he could hide out somewhere and raise the young, and the young could eventually be released to re-populate the world.

  He still puzzled at why he was being misled again and again by the military. It was almost as if they didn’t want him to know that the extermination had already commenced, and he was just being kept out of the way.

  Then the truth hit him as if he had run face first into a stone wall.

  After Ayako had sent off the evidence they had collected to scientists all over the world and with him rescuing Carter, that had in effect gave him enough evidence to bring the dragon’s existence public. With Carter’s testimony and the footprint, tooth, and film footage, the military would not be able to lock him up without a public outcry. Discrediting him had almost worked, but Carter was the wildcard. His release prompted the military to re-think its strategy.

  So how do you keep someone from talking? You hire them and keep them close. You lock them up deep within a top-secret facility with no way in or out. The research facility was, in fact, a prison with no possible release. After all of the dragons had been wiped from the face of the earth, only then would he be released. He could then tell his story all he wanted, but with no living dragons left, he would be humiliated and discredited within the eyes of the scientific community.

  Plain and simple, the military had out-witted him. He was a prisoner and unable to do anything about the extinction of the dragons.

  The doctor fumed with rage. He stood from the computer terminal and kicked his chair across the room, his anger threatening to overwhelm him. As he paced about the room lost in thought, an idea suddenly came to him and he stalked out of the room, walked down the hall, and stopped in front of the office of Colonel Barnett, the Officer in Charge of the military lab.

  The doctor burst through the door which startled Colonel Barnett and the man nearly fell from his chair in surprise. The doctor strode quickly to the colonel’s desk as the scowling man collected himself.

  Colonel Barnett was a middle-aged man with graying hair and obese frame that almost made him unfit for military service. The fact that he held a Ph.D. in Microbiology was obviously the only reason that he was allowed to remain in his position at the lab.

  Colonel Barnett growled in anger, “Doctor Burch, we have strict protocols here at the lab. You must arrange for a meeting.”

  Doctor Burch held up his hands in submission and replied, “I am sorry doctor, but there is an emergency. My mother is seriously ill and in the hospital. Can you please arrange to have me taken to the hospital in Nashville, Tennessee? Please, it’s very important.”

  Doctor Barnett stared thoughtfully at Doctor Burch for a moment before he replied, “I will have to check into this first before granting permission. How did you find out about that she was in the hospital anyway?”

  Doctor Burch had thought about his answer in advance and said, “Marty told me a few minutes ago. That is the whole reason he attempted to find me in the first place. He said he was going to tell me last night when he first arrived but the excitement of seeing the young dragon caused him to forget.”

  “So what’s your mother’s name and what’s wrong with her?” asked Doctor Barnett.

  “Her name is Maribeth Burch and she has cancer. She doesn’t have long to live. My father passed away ten years ago so I am all my mother has in this world. Please?” plead Doctor Burch.

  Doctor Barnett nodded and said, “Very well. Once I confirm your mother is in the hospital, I will arrange for an escorted trip to Nashville, for one day only.”

  “Thank you, doctor. I owe you one,” replied Doctor Burch as sincerely as he could.

  Doctor Burch hurried from the room and smiled.

  ***

  Doctor Barnett watched as Doctor Burch left the room. Picking up the phone, he called information and acquired the number for the hospital. Once accomplished, he dialed the hospital and waited for an answer.

  A young woman answered the phone, “Hello, thank you for calling Baptist Hospital. How may I direct your call?”

  Doctor Barnett asked, “I am looking for a patient at your hospital. Her name is Maribeth Burch.”

  The receptionist replied, “One moment." The rapid staccato of typing could be heard over the phone as the receptionist accessed the information.

  She said, “Sir, Ms. Burch is in surgery at the moment. Would you like to leave a message for her?”

  “No thank you,” Doctor Barnett said. He thought for a moment as he determined the best way to test Doctor Burch’s story. “Just out of curiosity, are they going to remove the cancer during surgery or is it exploratory in nature?” he asked.

  “I am sorry sir but I can’t tell you specifics," replied the receptionist.

  “Please, this is her son David Burch speaking. I just want to know how my mother is doing,” lied Doctor Barnett.

  The receptionist replied, “Well, I just don’t have that kind of information here in front of me. The computer does show that she is in surgery and will be scheduled for chemotherapy in about three weeks. That is all I can tell you at the moment. Would you like to have a doctor call you back?”

  Doctor Barnett heard enough and rudely hung up the phone. He made a quick call to headquarters to arrange a helicopter flight for Doctor Burch.

  ***

  The team sat in the chow hall and ate a meager dinner of unidentified gray meat, tasteless mashed potatoes, and bland steamed vegetables. While Bo and Carter wolfed down their food, Ayako and Doctor Chin huddled quietly together discussing the day’s experiments.

  Doctor Burch finished spreading a heap of mayonnaise on his meat and placed it between two buns. He mashed the buns together and took a tentative bite. Satisfied it was indeed edible, he walked over to the table and sat down beside Marty. Gazing about the room, he decided that the mess hall would be a good a place as any to reveal his escape plan. He pulled Marty close and quietly filled him in on the details.

  ***

  Marty unwillingly agreed to go along with the plan but let the doctor know that he was unhappy that he was being left behind yet again.

  As Marty ended his conversation with Doctor Burch he spotted a soldier hurriedly approaching. The man leaned forward to whisper into the doctor’s ear and his face lit up with excitement. The doctor jumped to his feet and raced out of the mess hall.

  Bo and Carter moved to follow but were immediately stopped by two more soldiers that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. They were ordered to sit back down and continue with their meal and Bo and Carter complied, somewhat reluctantly.

  Ayako’s jaw dropped in surprise and she looked to Marty for an explanation.

  Marty mouthed the word, “Later,” as he covertly motioned his head in the direction of the soldiers. He felt an immediate twinge of regret that he couldn't tell the others what the doctor had planned.

  Ayako seemed to understand the message and returned to her food.

  ***

  Doctor Burch sprinted down the hall and out the exit and the surprised guard allowed him to pass without a challenge. He raced to the helicopter pad and rejoiced at the sight of the Blackhawk helicopter parked there. As he boarded the helicopter, two soldiers hopped in behind him, causing the doctor to jump in astonishment, as he had not seen the men anywhere around.

  “Good lord, where did you two come from?” asked the doctor in bewilderment.

  “We were behind you all the way from the mess hall. You were in such a hurry I guess you didn’t hear us behind you,” replied one soldier.

  The other soldier asked with genuine concern, “How is your mother doing?”

  “I don’t know, my mother may pass away at any time. Please get me to the airport quickly,” pleaded Doctor Burch.

  As if the pilot had heard him, the helicopter lifted off and
thundered into the night.

  After a two-hour flight, the helicopter landed at a small airport outside of some unknown town. The two soldiers rushed the doctor out of the helicopter and into a waiting Learjet which allowed him no chance for escape. The Learjet was moving down the runway before the soldiers could even get the door closed.

  The doctor settled in and closed his eyes for a short nap. His best chance of escape would come at the hospital as he had already worked out his escape plan in his head and he would succeed.

  He hoped.

  The doctor napped fitfully on the flight to Nashville. He had awakened many times during the short trip and had not been able to get the rest that he desired. The anticipation of seeing his mother and of the upcoming escape was too much stress and anxiety for his mind to handle. He finally resigned himself to the fact that he would not be able to sleep and sat upright in his chair.

  The plane lurched suddenly as they began their decent into Nashville. He held on to the arm of the seat with white knuckled hands. Small planes always seemed to be a bit on the rough side when landing. He felt much more comfortable in the large passenger jets.

  The jet dropped quickly and finally touched down on the landing strip. As they taxied into the hangar, he unbuckled his seat and walked to the exit. The plane rolled to a stop and one of the escorting soldiers opened the door.

  The doctor stepped into the hangar and stopped in surprise as he observed twenty armed men, dressed in black, surrounding the small jet. He turned to his escorts and said, “Is this really necessary? You people are acting as if I were a terrorist or something.”

  One of the young soldiers replied, “Sir, they are here only to insure your safety. They will escort us to the hospital but only Corporal Todd and I will accompany you into the hospital.”

  The doctor clenched his jaw in anger and closed his eyes for a moment in order to quell the rising tides of emotions welling up from within. After a moment, he forced himself to calm down and he turned to the soldier beside him.

  “So what is your name soldier?”

  “Sergeant Ted Hannah, sir and this here is Corporal Frank Todd,” answered the sergeant as he pointed to the other escort.

  “Well, let’s get going, Sergeant Hannah. I don’t want to keep my mother waiting.”

  The doctor was led to a waiting car and placed into the back seat. Sergeant Hannah hopped in the driver’s seat while Corporal Todd sat in the back with the doctor, as if to keep him from jumping out of the car.

  As they pulled out of the hangar, a dozen Humvees moved into position to the front and behind the doctor’s car. The procession left the airport and drove quickly down the interstate.

  The convoy pushed through the dense traffic, finally pulling up at the front entrance of the hospital in less than thirty minutes. The convoy made the doctor appear as if he was someone of great importance, but in reality, he knew he was just a prisoner.

  The doctor was quickly ushered out of the vehicle by his escorts, and flanking him on each side, they made their way toward the entrance of the hospital. The doctor glanced around and noted that the other soldiers had exited their vehicles as well and were surrounding the hospital. Escape would not be easy.

  They entered the hospital and walked to the receptionist desk where the doctor asked the receptionist the location of his mother. The receptionist eyed the escorting soldiers with astonishment and quickly replied with the room number. The doctor nodded his thanks, and the three men made their way to the nearest elevator, riding it to the third floor.

  When the doors opened, the doctor stepped into the hallway and looked at the room numbers in confusion. After a moment’s thought he turned to the right and walked down the hall with his escorts shadowing him not far behind. He finally located room 324, pushed open the door, and gently peeked inside the room.

  His mother lay in bed with her eyes closed. An IV was stuck in her left arm and a tube for oxygen ran into her nose. He walked to the side of the bed and touched his mother gently on the arm. A single tear fell from his left eye and rolled down his face.

  He whispered, “Mom.”

  Mrs. Burch’s eyes fluttered for a moment and opened slowly. She turned her head and smiled weakly and said in a hoarse voice, “My boy. I am so glad to see you.”

  He gently hugged his mother and was careful not to touch her chest area. They embraced for a long moment before he pulled away. He wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand and looked around for a chair.

  He noticed the two soldiers standing awkwardly just inside the room and he said angrily, “Do you mind, I would like a little privacy with my mother here.”

  The soldiers quickly retreated into the hallway and shut the door behind them.

  Doctor Burch spied a large cushioned chair in the corner and walked over to it. Grabbing it with both hands, he dragged it across the floor to the edge of his mother’s bed and plopped his portly frame into the chair. He reached out to hold his mother’s frail hand and just sat for a while, holding her hand in silence.

  Finally Mrs. Burch spoke, “Son, what troubles you?”

  “Mom, you know what troubles me.”

  Mrs. Burch suddenly noticed the acid burns on the side of the doctor’s face and her eyes widened in shock. “Davie, what happened to your face dear?”

  The doctor smiled and replied, “Acid burns. I spent a few days in the hospital but everything is okay now.”

  “And you didn’t even tell your mother? Why didn’t you let me know that you were in the hospital? I would have come to see you.”

  “Mom, I was in Scotland when the accident happened. You know you don’t have the money to fly to Scotland.”

  “Well, I would have liked to know about it anyway. So, what happened?” she said pointing to the side of his face.

  The doctor told her the story of his encounter with Nessie in full detail. To her credit, his mother never blinked during the whole tale. He also told her of the events that had transpired within the last few days.

  After he had finished, his mother smiled and said, “Dear, that is why you came today isn’t it? You are about to do something foolish. I just want you to know that I support you in whatever you do. You are correct in the fact that the Government has no right to destroy one of God’s creatures, no matter how dangerous or ugly it is. Now these dragons may just be the spawn of hell but then again they just may be a new species of bird. It is not up to us as humans to judge them, it is up to God. Did you know that the Bible mentions the Dragon on numerous occasions?”

  The doctor perked up with interest and he said, “No, I did not know that.”

  Mrs. Burch said, “Isaiah chapter twenty seven, verse one; And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

  “Hmmm, that’s interesting. Do you know any more passages from the Bible that mention the dragons?” asked the doctor.

  Mrs. Burch replied, “Hon, you should have read the Bible when you were younger instead of getting all caught up with that science stuff. Get a Bible and read Job chapter forty one."

  Doctor Burch nodded and made a mental note to read that particular passage.

  “Now Davie, what are you planning?”

  The doctor answered hesitantly, “Those soldiers are guarding me so that I can’t escape. I need to get away from them and find a way to fly to Peru as the maps I looked at back at the lab showed that the largest concentrations of the dragons are concentrated there. Now when I go there, I won’t be back for a long time. I just want you to know that and realize that I won’t even be able to contact you. I just want you to know that I love you and hope that you understand what I am doing.”

  Mrs. Burch answered with a smile, “Son, I understand and love you too. Go and do what you must. I will be waiting when you come back, even if it takes years. I will make a distraction so that you can slip away.”

&nb
sp; The elderly woman sat up in her bed and grimaced as she pulled the IV from her arm. The doctor moved to stop her and she waved him off. “Hon, I am OK, just let me do my part so that you can escape. I only had breast surgery, not open heart surgery. I was in more pain than this when I gave birth to you, and I was up and walking the next day. Just get ready to run when I create the distraction.”

  Doctor Burch nodded in understanding and took a few steps backward in order to give his mother some room.

  She stood up straight and pulled the oxygen tube from her nose. Walking to the front door she opened it and stepped out between the surprised soldiers. She only gave the soldiers a cursory glance as she seemed to wander aimlessly down the hallway. Corporal Todd quickly moved to follow as Sergeant Hannah looked back at Doctor Burch with a questioning look on his face.

  The doctor shrugged and said, “She said she needs to go to the gift store and get a Bible. I couldn’t talk her out of it.”

  A sudden shout from the hallway caused the sergeant to turn his head quickly in the direction of the noise. The doctor moved closer and picked up a heavy glass from the sink. He placed the glass down quickly as he realized that it would not be of much use on the soldier’s Kevlar protected head.

  Suddenly the sergeant bolted from the door and raced down the hallway and Doctor Burch rushed to the door to see what was going on. He couldn’t help but to laugh as he saw his mother yelling furiously while holding Corporal Todd in a headlock. Sergeant Hannah was desperately trying to pry Mrs. Burch’s arms from the poor man’s neck as doctors and nurses moved to surround the scuffle. Soon, the swell of bodies blocked the tussle from view and Doctor Burch took this opportunity to slip out of the room. As he hurried down the hall, he repeatedly glanced over his shoulder at the pile of squirming bodies and silently prayed that his mother would not be hurt.