Dissension (18 page)

He found himself floating through an empty space.  There was a shining blue light up ahead.  It twisted and turned like it was alive.

A feeling overwhelmed Anthony, like nothing he’d felt before.  It was an urge, a desire to hold the light in his hands.  He didn’t know why, but he knew he needed to touch it, to embrace it.

He stretched his arms as he floated closer and closer to it.  His fingers were almost there, just a little closer.  The light flashed growing brighter as it acknowledged his presence. 

“Anthony!”  Mikey shouted.

Anthony slowly opened his eyes.  A blurry image started to come into focus.  Mikey hung over him only inches from his face.

“Look what Mit found!”  He exclaimed as he ran off into the night. 

Anthony pulled himself up still half asleep.  A low grumbling noise stirred his senses and he scrambled to his feet.  He squinted trying to focus and rubbed his eyes. 
I must still be dreaming,
he thought, as he looked up at the green dune buggy in front of him. 

“How long was I out?” Anthony asked as he walked over to the little rumbling machine.

“Ten minutes,” Mikey laughed.  “Mit went off exploring and came back with this.”

Mit smiled from the driver’s seat waving emphatically for him to get on.

“Yeah, I was trying to plot out the shortest course and there it was, abandoned in the middle of the desert.  I had to do a little fixing, whoever left it here busted the ignition cables and hosed up the fuel line but you know me.”

Anthony gleamed.  He jumped into the buggy, relieved to be off his feet.  Sticks and Steve were already crammed in the back snoring.  Mikey grabbed his bag and crawled in.  Mit smiled at them then revved the engine

“Off we go!”

Mit threw the buggy in gear and floored the gas pedal.  The little green cart roared as the craggy tires tore up the desert floor.

TERRORS IN THE NIGHT

Anthony was already sorely missing the little green dune buggy.  Their ride in it was short lived, as it only carried them eighteen miles before running out of gas.  Long enough for them to make up the ground they lost going the wrong way, but that was it.  They ditched it a mile or so ago and he already longed for the cramped back seat and Mit’s erratic driving. 

They marched through the night in silence, no longer running, certain they weren’t being followed anymore.  The temperature had dropped into the low teens and they were all clad in heavy coats with hoods and gloves.  Mit warned them about the drastic temperature changes in the desert.  For once they listened.

The barren landscape was like a ghost town, rocks and the occasional cactus was all that could be seen.  The wind growled and nipped at Anthony’s face as he trampled down the long, forgotten trail.  They were alone out there, far from civilization; far from help.  One mistake, one misstep could prove fatal for this rag tag band of hikers. 

Mit marched onward in a straight line, like a bloodhound on the scent of his quarry.  Once he got his bearings straight, Mit became a human GPS.  Like clockwork, within hours they approached the California National Forest and Mit sat down to consult his map and compass.

Anthony stood in awe as he stared into the massive forest ahead.  He’d been in the woods before, but he never had a real appreciation for the trees until now.  Thick leaves grew in every direction and one could easily be concealed within the first five feet.  He thought about how lucky they were to have Mit with them.  His navigational skills were on par with Magellan and they’d probably be somewhere in North Mexico if he hadn’t been leading the way.

“You said less than a mile of forest, dude.” Mikey huffed as he stared into the dense patch of trees.  “That’s like…that’s like a lot more.” 

“Just looks worse than what it is,” Mit reassured him.  “We’ll cut through the narrow part and be in the mountains by the afternoon.”

Steve sighed.  “We didn’t even get waffles.”

“You speed up and quit stopping every half mile and I’ll cook you some myself.” Mit spat. 

It was somewhere around four in the morning and still dark as ever.  They bunched together as Mit looked down on his map, trying to conceal the glow of his flashlight.  The tall, broad trees were massive and foreboding.  Somewhere on the other side of the vast blanket of redwoods was Anthony’s uncle’s house.

Anthony noticed that Sticks had walked off and was standing alone.  He knew he was sort of the outsider, but he’d been really distant since they left.

“Everything okay Sticks?”  Anthony asked as he walked next to him.

Sticks turned around and grinned then looked back off into the distance.  Anthony eyed him for a moment.

“Can’t get this view in North Shore huh?”  Anthony smiled.

Sticks huffed and rolled his eyes.  “Yeah, yeah it’s a nice view.”  He said with an agitated voice.

Anthony smirked then walked off and headed back towards the rest of the group.

“That guys losing it.”  He said to Mikey as he poked his thumb back at sticks.

Mikey shook his head and looked back to the trees.  “He lost it a long time ago.”

Anthony took a deep breath and stared out towards the forest.  He was still gazing at the trees when the chopping of helicopter blades pierced the air.  Everyone looked to the sky in unison as a military style chopper circled overhead.  A large spot light burned down onto the rocks illuminating the darkness.

Mit scrambled to stuff his map back into the bag and threw it over his shoulder.  Mikey jumped to his feet in panic.  It hadn’t spotted them yet, but it wouldn’t be long until the giant search light found them. 

The chopper circled low, blowing dirt and debris into the air.  A tall, slender man stood out on one of the skids scanning the ground.  He screamed orders at the pilot as the helicopter swung around in a search pattern.

It flew back across their position, the searchlight still scrolling back and forth.  It was so low to the ground that it stirred dirt into the air making a type of smoke screen.

“We gotta get to the trees!” Mit yelled as they hunkered down trying to remain unseen.

Anthony could make out the faces of several other men in the helicopter as it glided past their position.  They were stark and hardened, almost like robots showing no emotion.  Their eyes gazed out into the shapeless night.

By Anthony’s count there were at least eight of them and that number quickly doubled as another helicopter appeared from nowhere.  The still darkness suddenly erupted like a firecracker.  Search lights came from every direction.

The first helicopter hovered closer to the ground kicking up more dirt and rocks.  A man’s voice boomed, “Set it down, set it down!”

The chopper hovered for a minute then suddenly lost power.  The spotlight flickered on and off as the helicopter whipped into a tail spin.  Anthony looked up, his eyes locked on the whirlwind of metal.  A man clung to the side of the spiraling chopper as others were flung into the night.

With a loud crash the helicopter plummeted to the earth.  The tail rotor dug into the rocks as it collided with the ground.  The heavy skids and other pieces snapped off on impact.

The sound of crushing metal permeated the night air.  The blades of the main rotor ripped apart and shot off into the air.  Bodies were thrown into the dark like confetti.

It was now or never.  Anthony and his friends jumped to their feet and sprinted for the woods about fifty yards away.  Anthony could hear the other chopper touching down as the rotors whacked at the air.

Several men swarmed out of it, covering the ground like ants.  They rushed to the remains of the crashed helicopter.  Chunks of metal stretched across the desert, burning high into the sky.

Anthony dove into the trees and slid across the dirt.  There was a small embankment at the edge of the tree line and they crouched low behind it.

They peered out from the edge of the forest.  Only the glow of the fire and the men’s flashlights were visible, bouncing about like fireflies.  Anthony could hear the screams of the men stuck in the aircraft as they burned.  Their moans sent chills down his spine.  Other men darted about, confused and panicking.  They yelled frantically as they tried to rescue their fallen team members.

The air rumbled and the crashed helicopter suddenly exploded.  Shards of burning metal catapulted through the air.  Chunks of the wreckage peppered the trees and Anthony took cover behind a bush.  A thick, gray smoke billowed upward like an ominous fog of death.

The densely packed leaves of the forest unexpectedly caught fire and were quickly engulfed.  It was like someone struck a match.  The fire shot across the tops leaping from tree to tree. 

Anthony dove to the side just as a flaming branch fell, propelling cinders across the ground.  As he landed, his knee bashed into a rock and he rolled over reeling in pain.  Mikey grabbed him and pulled him to his feet, throwing Anthony’s arm over his shoulder.

“Argh!”  Anthony screamed.

Sticks looked at them, his face matted with dirt and sweat, riddled in fear.  He looked back to the scene just beyond the trees.  The night set ablaze, the ground littered with the dead.  His legs quivered and his hands trembled as he brought them to his face.

“We…we can’t stay here.”  He said frantically.  “We’re all gonna die.”

Sticks didn’t wait for a response.  He looked one last time to the burning helicopter and then ran off into the forest without looking back. 

“Coward!” Mikey spat after him.  “Where do you think you’re going?”

Pulling Anthony along, Mikey headed deeper into the forest.  “Steve, give me a hand.”

Steve stared hard through the trees, his eyes still locked on the flames burning in the night.  Mikey screamed to him again and he spun around.  He ran to Mikey and grabbed Anthony by the other arm.  Together they slowly trudged forward.  Mit stayed a few steps ahead, leading the way with his flashlight.

The ground was uneven and difficult to navigate in even the best situations.  Anthony hopped awkwardly on one leg his knee swollen and twisted, gripping Mikey and Steve’s shoulders.

“How’d they find us?”  Mit whispered.

“No clue.”  Anthony grunted.

They moved deeper and deeper through the clustered backwoods heading into the unknown.  The sounds of panic and death disappeared and the music of the forest came to life.  Shrills and shrieks rung out in the dark like the ballad of some alien world.  The leaves rustled as the cool wind blew through them.

The flashlight beamed ahead shinning on tree trunk after tree trunk.  The lumbering shapes looked like giants in the dark.  As they pushed their way further, Mit stopped the light on a figure doubled over in a clearing.

“Sticks!”  Mikey shouted.

He helped Anthony to the ground and then charged at Sticks.  “What gives bro?  Like it or not we’re stuck together.  You can’t just run off when you wet your diaper.”  Mikey yelled and shook his finger.

Sticks slapped his hand down and lunged forward. He tackled Mikey and they both fell to the ground in a clump.

“It’s your fault Maxey’s gone, your fault we’re here.”  Sticks screamed out as he swung recklessly at Mikey. 

“Get off him!” Anthony yelled trying to scramble to his feet.  His knee gave out and he fell back and collapsed to the ground.  “If it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine.”

Sticks stopped punching and glared at Anthony.  He stood up and slowly started moving towards Anthony.

“Yeah!  You know what, it is your fault.”  He started.

A branch crackled behind him followed by a low grumbling in the trees.  Anthony scrambled to turn a flashlight on and shined it forward.  Sticks quickly turned towards the noise and a massive black bear erupted from the brush.  It jumped at Sticks and took him to the ground.

The bear was easily the size of a small horse; its thick fur was knotted and clumped together.  Even in the dark its razor sharp claws could be seen.

It pressed hard against Sticks, laying all its weight on him.  A blob of drool dripped from its wrinkled black lips landing on his face.  The bear’s hot breath blew against his skin as it let out a bone chilling growl.  It reared up showing its five inch canines then buried them deep into Sticks’ arm. 

Sticks screamed flailing his legs wildly, punching the bear with his free arm.  Mikey jumped to his feet and grabbed a gnarled tree branch from the ground.  He brought it crashing down on the bears head and it broke into splinters.  The bear hardly flinched and continued to shake Sticks’ arms violently in its mouth.

Mit and Steve joined in and started kicking the bear and screaming obscenities.  It dropped his arm and snapped around, its eyes now fixed on the two of them. Baring its teeth, it rocked back onto its rear legs and growled.  It had to be seven feet tall and as wide as a door frame.

Its mangled fur was black as night, only its eyes shimmered in the dark reflecting the glow from Anthony’s flashlight.  It roared loudly, its breath turning to mist in the cool air of the early morning.  It stood over Sticks snarling and growling claiming him as its prize.

It swatted at the air and roared then turned back to Sticks. Before he knew it the bear sunk its teeth back into his arm.

“Arh!  Get this thing off me!”  He yelled.

“We’re trying!’  Mikey grunted.

Sticks wailed in pain, gouging at its eyes and kicking anything within reach.  The bear shook him like a rag doll, tearing clothes and flesh sending blood onto the muddy forest floor.  Mikey kicked at the bear until his feet were sore, screaming at the top of his lungs.

It suddenly released Sticks and huffed, standing over him with a look of agitation.  His arm fell to the dirt, blood flowing freely from the deep puncture wounds.  It was shredded and the white of his radius bone glowed in the dark.

Anthony was helpless.  He tried to stand again, but his twisted leg wouldn’t allow it.  He watched in horror while the massive bear grabbed Sticks by the foot and began to drag him off into the brush.  Sticks screamed reaching for the knotted roots and vines, digging his hands into the muddy earth.

“Help me!  Help me!”  His voice reverberated through the forest.

Mit rushed to his aid, gripping him tightly by the wrist.  He pulled backwards as his shoes sank into the ground.  It was a losing game of tug of war as the bear started to drag them both deeper into the dark.

Suddenly two more bears, a little smaller than the first, exploded from behind the trees.  One charged at Mit and slashed him across the stomach.  He hollered in pain, flying backwards and tumbling into Mikey.  The other bear ran straight for Anthony, who was still slumped back against a tree. 

Steve grabbed a jagged tree branch and dove in front of Anthony, waving it wildly at the bear.  It reared up and slashed at the air then dove at Steve, its mouth open wide showing its razor sharp teeth.

As it bore down on Steve it suddenly stopped as if it hit an invisible barrier.  It seemed unable to move, frozen only a foot in front of Steve.  Suddenly it rose into the air and smacked into a tree like someone had thrown it.  Its motionless body fell to the ground with a bone crushing thud.