Island of Fire (excerpt)

         “Open up your damn eyes, you son of a bitch”

I felt a palm against my face. I opened my eyes. John was slapping my face, urging me to my feet. I looked up into his grime-covered face, taking his hand. We became pals soon after we discovered the commonality of a bad case of seasickness. We were part of the same regiment. I stretched

         The man raised his gun threateningly in my face, yelling in Japanese. Suddenly I slapped his gun away and swiped my “ka-bar” out of its sheath and into his neck. His blood sprayed into my face, painting it red. The man tried to call out but my knife was still lodged in his neck and he just gurgled a bit. I put my hand over his mouth and pulled the knife out with a sickening squelching sound. With his last breath he looked me in the eyes. “Thank you” the pale green orbs seemed to say. Then he was gone.

         “Shit, shit, shit” I whispered.

I let him roll into the bottom of the foxhole. Suddenly a mortar landed nearby, forcing me into a foxhole. My mind raced. I grabbed the rifle, sheathed my bloody knife. I could still see his soul painted on it. Crawling out of the hole I looked left and right. The foggy, battle scarred landscape seemed deserted under the luminous moon. Occasional flashes of light and booms signaled that the main battle had moved away. I stood but walked cautiously.

         “Where had John gone”, I wondered to myself.

Suddenly something big hit me square in the back. I fell to my stomach, the rifle skidding past my reach amidst various limbs and bodies. I drew my knife and rolled over.

         “JOHN!” I whispered “WHERE THE HELL-“

I stopped dead in my tracks. John’s eyes were just staring in a permanently terrified expression.

         “John…” I choked on my words.

         A trickle of blood waterfalled out of his mouth and he wasn’t breathing. I pushed him off. His back was burnt and torn at. His stomach had large puncture wounds. I recoiled when I lowered my observation, for his leg was gone, leaving a bloody stump in its wake. I looked around in horror, wild thoughts filling my head. I scrambled for the rifle, not knowing what to do. Suddenly something above me shot through the black sky. I spun, trying to catch a glimpse of it again. I knew that we hadn’t called in air support and besides; it hadn’t made a sound.

         I wanted to get away from here as fast as I could. Grabbing my rifle, I set off at a slow jog, scanning the distance for enemies, while mist swirled around my feet.

         It had been about an hour after I found John. Suddenly I heard a scream. I pulled the rifle to my shoulder and walked through the fog towards the sound. Out of the mist appeared a struggling couple against a rock face. One was repeatedly stabbing the other. However the man with the knife wasn’t wearing any uniform, making it impossible for me to distinguish him from friend or foe. Tattered robes and a blood red cape hung about him in disarray. I couldn’t see the victim behind him. A crack rang through the air as I pulled the trigger. The bullet sank into the attacker’s shoulder flesh. He let out an animalistic howl and whipped his head around glaring at me. He snarled at me, his face covered in blood. I gasped and took another shot, missing just barely. The man fled into the black night. I rushed to the victim. He was a Jap. I was tempted to leave him, but my Christian up bringing told me to stay. He was bleeding from several puncture wounds and babbling like a madman. I lowered him into sitting position. He grasped my hand suddenly, staring at me with wild eyes. His gaze suddenly looked past me, and his face lit up with joy and he called something out. Pain jolted through my neck as a bullet grazed it, leaving a small trail of blood trickling down my neck. I spun but found the butt of a rifle. I fell to my knees and knew I was blacking out.

          I woke to the intense smell of rice woke me. I opened my eyes. I was face down in the dirt. I couldn’t move my hands or feet. Remembering the horrors of the previous night, I struggled like an animal against my bonds. The butt of a gun pressed against my back. A foot connected with my stomach, rolling me over. I coughed. And tasted blood. Sunlight barely shone. Clouds still dominated the sky even in the morning. A face wavered close to me, coming into focus. He yelled in Japanese. I groaned. His breath was foul. He chuckled and wrenched me to my knees by my hair.