by Dave Hazel
He glanced at his giant friend and noticed Towbar seemed to be studying every step they took. The men all seemed to be super vigilant. Though everything was dark and brooding, it had an eerie beauty surrounding them. This obviously wasn’t man made, but men made the most of their opportunities in this underground cave.
Mykal looked to the wall at his left and spotted a dark spider. It was a furry type of spider but smaller than a tarantula. It seemed to be resting or waiting for prey to come by. Though it was nothing like the giant spiders he had encountered in the Forest of Death he knew it would have terrified any of the men had they accidently put their hand on it, or should the spider jump in front of them.
He quietly started to laugh at the image of men being startled in the dark by a regular spider. He stopped laughing when he realized he was in Towbar’s world and on the other side of Towbar’s world. ‘So any friggin thing is possible,’ he thought.
“What’s so funny Myk?” Roy Jr. whispered. Randy moved closer to his brother to hear Mykal’s answer.
“Awh nothin’ really,” he chuckled and pointed to the spider. “I was just imagining if one of our guys accidently put his hand on it.”
“Oh damn,” Randy gasped with a desperate whisper and gave an exaggerated shiver and took a couple of steps backward. “I woulda shit myself in this damn place if I woulda touched that damn thing.”
“Yeah I know what you mean,” Mykal continued to laugh as a couple of others stopped to see what they were looking at. “It’s just a regular spider, but in this spooky place you never know what’s gonna happen.”
Suddenly one of the Hawkmen squawked loudly, which broke the silence and startled those staring at the brown spider. Just as quickly as the Hawkman screeched its cry several bats flew by their location. The bats were higher up toward the ceiling so they never posed a threat. All the men instinctively ducked but the forty plus bats were escaping the intrusion that had been thrust upon them.
“Damn, that scared the hell outta me,” Roy Jr. admitted and laughed when he tilted his cowboy hat back to wipe the sweat on his forehead.
“Mathis, call ahead and see what happened,” Mykal ordered.
“It’s nothing Myk,” Mathis replied. “Captain Diaz said one of the bird people turned a corner and it startled the bats. And they flew like a bat outta hell,” he said and laughed at his own joke which caused them to laugh with him.
They traveled for about thirty minutes following the lead of Lanorear and his Hawkmen who claimed to know which direction to travel. The column had been halted. While they waited, two of the four Hawkmen flew overhead and back the way they came from.
Mykal sighed and felt frustrated because he was out of the loop of information. He didn’t want to voice his feelings because he made the choice to stay near the rear of the formation.
“Do we know what the delay is my friend?”
“No,” Mykal gave a slight sigh as the Dosch brothers moved closer.
“Hey Mykal, do you want me to call ahead and see what’s going on?” Mathis asked. “Whoops, never mind. Captain Diaz is calling me. Yes Sir. He’s right here Sir,” Mathis turned the radio handset to Mykal. “He wants to talk to you.”
“Myk here. What’s going on? We just had two of the Hawkmen fly over us like they’re leaving.”
“Yes Mykal, they are,” Diaz replied. “We have a slight problem. We have a fork in the road so to speak and neither of the four can remember which way to go. Lanorear had only ever been through here one time before and that was many, many years ago.”
“And so because they have friggin bird brains, they’re a little on the confused side, and not sure what to do, right?” Mykal asked to be funny.
Captain Diaz didn’t seem to be amused. “Yes,” he said to be polite. “One of the two outside may have been through here not too long ago so they’re going to go see if they can remember which way we’re supposed to go.”
“So what are we gonna do, just sit here until they get back?” Mykal asked and his frustration surfaced.
“No no. We’re going to take the way Lanorear thinks would be a good way to go and if the other Hawkmen say it’s the wrong way they will come and get us. If we’re going the right way, they won’t bother. Then they will just meet us on the outside on the other side of the mountain.”
Mykal wanted to bring up the possibility that they could go the wrong way and while the Hawkmen are in route to warn them, they could get killed and then Mykal and his people would never know of it. But he didn’t want to bring up another layer of complication. He wondered if they should have just traveled the lengthier route going around the mountains. “Do you think we’re gonna have any problems?”
“I’m confident,” Diaz said with an assertive tone, “based on what Starling, Leeno and Blair believe of Lanorear that we will be okay.”
“So are we gonna continue on?”
“We’re leaving right now.”
“Alright, we’re pulling up the rear,” Mykal replied and handed Mathis the radio.
3.
The sound of flowing water increased and the scent of water in the air grew stronger. Mykal felt the heaviness of the mountain weighing in on him the farther they traveled. He kept looking down at the golden ring around his middle finger and knew the magic tugged at his heart continually to turn himself invisible. He had to stay strong and fight the emotions that seemed to steam roll his thinking. He noticed Towbar looking at him and hoped he didn’t write his feelings on his facial expressions.
“So whadda ya think of this journey so far Towbar?” Mykal asked to take his mind from the tormenting thoughts.
“I am happy to be working to find Doninka. If going through the mountain belly will save us many days, then I am happy. However, this is not what I would choose to do on my own.”
They came upon a stone bridge that crossed the stream that flowed under. The water didn’t look very deep where the stone bridge crossed to the other side. The water seemed to be very dark, or it could have been it looked that way due to the lack of lighting. The stone bridge didn’t rise too high, though it did rainbow over the water and was close to thirty feet in length. It would easily accommodate four men abreast. From what Mykal saw, Captain Diaz and Lieutenant Finley sent the men across two and three at a time to ensure the strength and safety of the crossing.
When they came to the bridge and waited for men to cross Mykal took his flashlight and curiously shined it into the water. He was amazed at all the sudden movement that took place. It startled all those standing with him. Towbar quickly raised his sword in preparation to ward off an attack, but nothing came out of the water.
“Maybe it was just fish,” Mykal suggested and pulled his sword and joined with Towbar in preparation for an attack.
“Hopefully it was just fish,” Mathis added.
“We don’t know what it was?” Roy Jr. asked while he eyed the easing of the ripples in the very dark water.
“Nah, but it’s gotta be fish,” Mykal said and it sounded more like he hoped it was fish. “I’d be curious to see what they look like though. They’re probably some freaky thing Zee Man created.”
“We oughta tell the others to be real careful before they go in the water,” Roy Jr. said as they started to walk over the heavy stone bridge. “Any damn water around here for that matter.”
“Who the hell would be stupid enough to go into the water while we’re here under this mountain?” Mykal laughed.
“Point taken,” Roy Jr. replied while staring at the black water.
They all looked over the sides of the small bridge like curious children in the hopes of getting a glimpse of what stirred the water, be it a school of fish, one big fish, a strange water creature or some freak Zizmon-Tarl created. The thing or things dispersed so they would have to wait for another opportunity.
The group snaked through the mountainous cavern. Mykal wondered if he and Towbar should be up toward the front but he wanted to make sure strong leadership spread thr
oughout their long formation. He didn’t want to make Diaz and Finley move to the rear because they were the true leaders with real military experience and besides, they had been doing a great job as it was.
“Hey Mykal,” Mathis whispered and moved toward him. “Captain Diaz said they came upon a large opening with a great deal of room. He wants to know if you want to take a rest to allow the men to eat. He said he suggests this place because we will all be together and not so spread out.”
“Whadda you think Towbar?” Mykal whispered to the giant, but he continued before the giant had a chance to respond. “You know, that when I ask what you think about a situation or something we’re facing, it’s not that I doubt what Diaz or Finley want to do, or even that I doubt myself, but I always want to hear what you think out of respect and also you may have some insights that I haven’t given any thought to.
“I have no reservations about it my friend. I will do what you think is best.”
“Well I just didn’t want you to think that I’m afraid to make any decisions. I want to include your ideas and opinions because you’ve been a leader for a long time and I truly respect what you think about any given situation.”
“I truly appreciate that my friend. I never doubted your decision making ability,” Towbar whispered.
“Besides, if it blows up in our face I have someone else to blame,” Mykal joked and laughed quietly.
Towbar gave it a thought and a smile broke on his stern face when he realized Mykal was kidding him.
“I’m joking, I’m joking,” he laughed and turned to Mathis. “Yeah Mathis, tell him we’ll take a breather and allow the men to eat,” he said and suddenly stopped himself from speaking any further. Instinctively he wanted to add that they must put up guards and the men would have to be vigilant even while they ate. He was glad he stopped the words before they left his mouth. He would have felt foolish suggesting just basic rules to such highly qualified leaders. Even the men didn’t need to be told what to do. They always took the initiative and provided proper security because they were all professionals and they all understood that they were interdependent on each other.
Mykal had been surprised when they stepped into the area and stopped. The entire open cavern area looked to be almost the size of a football field. The ground was cold. The walls rose very high and the rocky formations formed jagged outcroppings from the ground up. The sides protruded out and from the ceiling the rock formations hung down. They weren’t like stalagmites or stalactites he had seen in caves back in his world. He remembered stalagmites or stalactites had something to do with mineral formations and water dripping from above, but he never really paid attention to ‘that boring information’ that could be beneficial to know now. Nevertheless these were true rock formations that seemed to have been there since the creation of the mountain. Some were rough and sharp, and others were smooth and slick.
Lieutenant Finley, Gunnery Sergeant Ratner, and Sergeant First Class Lemon were going around the formations with a handful of men to ensure there was nothing or no one hiding behind the rock pillars that would sneak out on them and catch the men off guard. Mykal was glad he didn’t say anything over the radio. He would have sounded foolish telling these professional warriors how to do their job.
Mykal and Towbar joined Captain Diaz who spoke to Starling, Leeno, Blair and Nordad. “Where are the two Hawkmen?” Mykal asked when Lieutenant Finley returned from securing the cavern.
“They went on ahead to scout the area ahead of us,” Diaz pointed to the direction they traveled. “They took two of our men, Winnie and Freeman, two Elves Egoneal and Uminair and two Dwarves Norg and Klonk.”
“That would be a hellova group to walk in and surprise anyone out there,” Mykal laughed. “Two freaking birdmen, two Elves, two Dwarves and two black dudes from our world. What a crew that would be to have come at you.”
“That is definitely a strange party mix,” Finley laughed.
“We’ll talk to you guys a little later,” Mykal said and turned to Towbar. “Let’s go eat with the Dosch brothers and Mathis,” he added and nodded to a little group of men sitting down to eat.
The men all sat and ate in silence. Besides the limited torch light in the cavern there was hardly any light. The few conversations that sprang up were little more than whispered chats to take their minds off the military issue MREs. Mykal continued to look in all directions, at every rock formation and every darkened shadowed area despite the fact that Lieutenant Finley and several others physically walked around the entire area and ensured there was nothing or nobody there to pose a threat.
“So what do you guys think of this trip so far?” Mykal whispered to Mathis, Roy Jr., Randy, Private First Class Anka, Private First Class Flesch the M-60 gunner and Lance Corporal Cullum who was Flesch’s assistant machine gunner.
“Mykal, you know me and my brother would follow you to the gates of hell,” Roy Jr. said. “So this don’t bother me.”
“And we mean that Mykal,” Randy agreed with his brother. “You’re family to us so if you were just doing this to go on a Sunday stroll we’d still come along with you, but we know there is serious business involved. We want to do our best to help you find Doninka.”
“Hey bro,” Roy Jr. replied. “It’s not serious business, it’s serious bidniss. This dangerous traipsing around Zee Dawgs lands is serious bidniss,” Roy Jr. playfully corrected his younger brother. “But we’re here for you Myk.”
“You guys don’t know how much I really appreciate that,” Mykal said with a happy smile. “What about you guys?”
“It doesn’t bother me,” Flesh said while munching on his food. “I don’t care to be inside this mountain, but this is a hellova lot better than the last mountain we were trapped under. I don’t always like lugging around this big ol’ 60, but when the stuff hits the fan, I’m so glad to be fighting with her,” he said with a laugh and patted his weapon as if it was a pet. “And honestly, the guys really help. We do take turns carrying it so I don’t have to carry it all the time.”
“Good.”
“The only thing I would say,” Mathis said and paused to take a drink of water. “It would be nice to have some golf carts right now.”
The others began to laugh and giggle but Towbar looked confused. “I do not understand.”
“You know the cars we drive? Well these are smaller for smaller areas like this,” Randy replied to Towbar’s confusion.
“Towbar, do you remember when me and you were taken to that secret underground complex when we were in Washington DC?” Mykal asked in reference when he and the giant had been abducted and questioned about the disappearance of VIPs who had disappeared. “Remember those little vehicles they drove us around in? Those are golf carts,”
Towbar looked like he was going to reply, probably about the difficulty of the terrain, or maybe he would have said something about how soft the Americans had it. He remained quiet when Mykal shook his head and held his hand up and snickered which Towbar had come to know they were usually displaying a form of humor, or trying to make a joke.
“Yeah, some golf carts would be cool right now,” Roy Jr. laughed with him.
“They’re only joking,” Mykal whispered which seemed to bring about a fake smile. Suddenly Mykal stopped and looked to the nearest wall. He thought he saw something move, but it was so dark in the area he couldn’t be sure. Mykal had a greater sense of, sight, hearing and sense of smell since Towbar used magic to save his life, and put his blood inside Mykal. Mykal found he didn’t need a source of light for darkened places just like Towbar, the Elves and the Dwarves. If the lights had been completely extinguished he would still be able to see as if there was a soft night light on.
“What is it my friend?”
After a moment Mykal believed it was just his imagination. “It’s nothing. I think I’m just a little antsy.”
Towbar looked in the direction Mykal seemed to be staring at.
“Is there something there?” Roy Jr. as
ked and readjusted his grip on his Thompson sub-machinegun which caused the others to look in the same direction and grab their weapons also.
“No. No, I think I was just seeing things,” Mykal chortled at himself. But he did pull out his flashlight and pointed it to the wall where he thought he saw some movement just to be on the safe side. “Yeah, there’s nothing there,” he said and tried to laugh it off and turned off his flashlight. The others gathered nearby didn’t even notice what they had discussed.
They continued talking quietly of mundane things while they finished their meal. Mykal thought he saw slight movement again, but he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to start a panic. He realized it could have been the shadows bouncing off the walls from the flickering of flame from the torches. The way the rock formations set it could have been a trick to his eyes or just the illusion of movement.
Mykal saw the movement again and as he reached for his flashlight to examine the spot on the wall he heard the sudden scream of a wild creature followed by the yells of men who had come under attack. The first screams were like something out of a Hollywood horror movie that he remembered as a scream of a banshee. The scream was a bone chilling, soul shredding, terror inducing screech. As they turned to the disturbance they came under attack from the area where Mykal thought he saw movement.
He turned to the creatures that lunged at them and he couldn’t believe his eyes. The creatures stood tall and thin. They were over six feet tall but skinny as a skeleton covered in leathery flesh that was dark enough to blend in with the rock wall. Their heads were very large compared to their thin bodies and their eyes bulged from their sockets like colored ping pong balls. The snarling, hungry, mouths exposed needle like teeth on both top and bottom similar to a deep water angler fish. The creature stood on two legs but had four arms, two of which carried weapons. Mykal almost did a double take when he saw four arms on the creature. Their hands were like those of a Chameleon with zygodactyl shaped claws where digits one, two and three were separated from digits four and five in a V shape. They carried rocks, clubs or a crude axes made of stone and wood tied together with leather straps to keep the axe head from falling from the V - shaped wood handle.