Chapter 26
Three hours had passed, and Eddie and Glenn stopped the Cong Crushers.
"Let's take a fifteen-minute break. Smoke 'em if you got 'em," Eddie told the Cong Crushers.
All the Cong Crushers placed their M-16s on the ground and sat down.
Some kicked back and closed their eyes for a quick power nap.
Some lit up their Marlboro cigarettes and puffed away.
Some took a drink of water from their canteen.
It felt so good to sit down, especially since the jungle was quiet.
Five minutes had passed, and the jungle was still quiet except for the songs of the critters.
Sam stood up and walked over to an area for a little privacy. He unzipped his fatigue pants and started peeing on the vegetation. He finished then zipped up his pants.
There was the sound of gunfire from a single AK-47.
Bullets penetrated Sam's chest area. One bullet went through his heart, and Sam didn't know what hit him when he dropped dead to the dirt.
More bullets from more AK-47s started flying at the Cong Crushers.
"Fuck!" Glenn yelled out while he hit behind a tree.
The Cong Crushers started returning fire in the direction of the AK-47 fire.
Michael and Bruce fired their AK-47s at the VC.
Eddie scampered over to Glenn.
"Let's find a safer area to shoot from," Eddie told Glenn.
Glenn nodded in agreement then made some hand signals to his nearby troops that they were moving out.
Eddie also made hand signals to his nearby troops that they were moving out.
After a few seconds, the Cong Crushers threw more smoke grenades in the direction of the advancing VC.
The jungle started filling up with smoke.
The Cong Crushers got up from the dirt and hauled ass through the jungle. Michael and Bruce were again in the middle of the pack.
The VC moved through the smoke, searching for Cong Crushers.
The Cong Crushers with Michael and Bruce ran over to an area with a long ditch. It was a perfect place for their cover.
Michael and Bruce jumped into the ditch with the other Cong Crushers.
"How the fuck are these bastards learning where we are?" Eddie said while he looked baffled.
"Beats the fuck out of me," Ralph said while he peeked out of the ditch for signs of the VC.
Glenn spotted four VC sneaking through the jungle. "They're about fifty yards to our eleven o'clock position," Glenn said.
The rest of the Cong Crushers looked to the eleven o'clock position and spotted the four VC. They started firing their M-16s.
The four VC dropped dead to the dirt.
The jungle was void of any VC.
Five minutes had passed, and the jungle remained quiet.
"It's now safe," Randy called out.
"Let's move out to Stallion," Eddie said to Glenn who nodded his head in agreement.
Eddie and Glenn signaled to the other Cong Crushers that it was time to move out.
Everybody got out of the ditch.
They headed out through the jungle, thinking the VC might have turned tail and ran away.
Michael assisted Louis since his right thigh was killing him the bullet wound.
The Cong Crushers walked through the jungle for another fifteen minutes. It was still quiet, and the threat of more VC did not appear to be high risk.
Then the sound of AK-47 gunfire from the VC filled the air.
"Fuck! Not again!" Glenn yelled out, knowing the VC was back.
The Cong Crushers hit the dirt and tried to find the location of the VC.
Louis slumped downward, pulling Michael to the dirt.
The sound of more AK-47 gunfire filled the air, but this time, it came from another location.
Louis slumped lower, and Michael could not hold on any longer. He let Louis drop to the ground.
Michael looked down and saw that
Louis bleed profusely from the neck.
Michael dropped to his knees and stared at Louis. He was clueless on what to do.
Louis started gasping for air and blood oozed out of his mouth. Louis stopped gasping for air. His body went limp, and he had a blank stare. He was dead.
Michael knelt in the dirt, stunned at the sight of Louis dead in the dirt.
There was more AK-47 gunfire and M-16 gunfire. But this time, the VC was coming from the right and left of the Cong Crushers.
"We better get the fuck of here!" Glenn yelled out.
All the Cong Crushers stood up and fired their M-16s in the direction of the advancing VC.
They all started running in a direction they felt was safe.
Bullets from the VC zinged all around the Cong Crushers while they ran through the jungle.
The Cong Crushers ran for a few minutes when ten more VC appeared out from behind some trees.
The VC started firing their AK-47s at the Cong Crushers that scattered in the jungle for cover.
Most of the Cong Crushers ducked behind cover.
"I'm hit," Willie yelled out while he dropped to the ground as he did not make it to a downed tree. He looked down at a bullet hole through his left thigh and felt relieved it was only a leg wound.
He looked up and saw a VC walking up to him. He could see that it was a female. "Fuck. I got shot by a girl," he said while the girl inched her way closer. Willie whipped his M-16 at her and pressed the trigger. His M-16 jammed. "Fuck!" he said, realizing he was a dead duck. He frantically tried to free the jam, but it wasn't working. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" he called out, as he did not want to be killed by a girl.
The female VC walked up closer to Willie and aimed her M-16 at him.
Willie closed his eyes and prayed.
Michael was ten feet away from Willie and saw the female VC ready to shoot. Then Michael's eyes widened in shock when he got a good glimpse of the female VC. "Kim? Is that you?" he called out while he got up out of the dirt and walked over to her.
The female VC looked over at Michael when she recognized his voice. It was Kim. "Michael," she replied with a smirk.
The VC and Cong Crushers exchanged gunfire while Michael walked over to Kim.
"What are you doing?" Michael asked while he walked over to her, confused.
Willie opened his eyes and glanced up at Kim. Then it dawned on him. "It the hooch girl," he said in shock. "Fucking bitch."
His last comment pissed off Kim. She shot her M-16 and put another bullet in Willie' left thigh.
"Ahhhh!" Willie screamed out in pain and grabbed his thigh.
"What are you doing? You can't be VC?" Michael said while he stopped four feet from Kim.
"Me VC," Kim replied while she aimed her M-16 at Willie's head.
Willie closed his eyes. He wondered what it would feel like when that bullet goes through his brain.
"Did you steal that M-16 from us?" Michael asked but knew the answer.
Kim looked over at Michael with a smirk and lowered her M-16. "Me steal M-16. Me steal radios. Me steal American money," she replied and had an evil look in her eyes that Michael never saw before.
"Kill the bitch," Willie cried out at Michael.
Kim aimed her M-16 at Willie's head again. "He no kill me. He love me. He wants to marry me. He like fucking me long time," Kim said with a smirk.
Michael saw the fear in Willie's eyes. Then Michael saw the hatred in Kim's eyes. He moved his AK-47 up and aimed it at Kim.
She saw Michael. "You steal our rifle?" she asked him. "You also a thief!"
"Don't shoot him and I won't shoot you," Michael told her.
Kim looked at Michael. "You ugly friend with red hair," she said.
"Kevin?"
"I kill him," Kim replied with a smirk. She reached inside her top and showed a gold high school class ring that hung off a thin gold chain.
Michael was in shock as he knew that it was Kevin's ring. "You cut off his finger?"
Kim gave Michael a smirk while she aimed her M-16 back at Willie's head.
Michael was furious and fired his AK-47 at Kim.
Kim looked stunned when she realized five bullets penetrated her chest area. She got pissed and turned her M-16 at Michael. She fired off a round.
One of those bullets hit Michael in his right shoulder. He looked at her in disbelief when the pain of the bullet shot through his shoulder. Michael got furious. He reacted and fired his AK-47 and pelted Kim's face with bullets.
She dropped dead to the dirt after bullets disfigured her face. It was a bloody pulp.
"No!" a male Vietnamese voice cried out pissed from behind Michael.
Michael turned around. "Shit. It's Hao, the fucking barber. Are they all VC?" he said the second he saw Hein, the barber from LZ Lola standing there with an M-16 in hand. His instincts took over, and Michael immediately fired his AK-47 at Hein who dropped dead to the dirt.
Hao, the bartender from Party Place Two, showed up from behind a tree.
"I don't fucking believe it," Michael yelled out, remembering how friendly Hao was when he bartended.
Hao aimed his AK-47 at Michael and fired off a shot.
Michael reacted and fired his AK-47 at Hao.
A bullet hit Michael in his right arm.
Hao dropped dead to the ground with few bullets in his forehead.
The exchange of AK-47 and M-16 gunfire ceased in the jungle. It was again quiet.
Michael was in pain when he walked over to Willie.
Michael extended and offered Willie his left hand.
Willie grabbed Michael's hand.
Michael and assisted him up on his good leg.
They both looked down at Kim.
"I'm sorry about her being VC. I know you loved her," Willie said while he placed his arm around Michael's shoulder.
"Fuck the bitch," Michael replied and sounded pissed. But deep inside, he was hurting about losing the girl he loved so very much.
He bent down, grabbed the thin gold chain. He pulled hard, and it broke away from Kim's dead neck. He removed Kevin's ring and tucked it away in one of his flight suit pockets.
"She was a sick bitch," Willie said while he knew that ring must have been Kevin's.
"Let's get the fuck out of here," Michael told Willie while he stood up.
Michael helped Willie walk over to Eddie, who stood fifty feet away with Mark. Eddie talked into the radio headset providing LZ Lola with an update of their situation.
Willie hopped on one leg while Michael helped him walk to Eddie.
They were both in pain while they headed toward Eddie.
They walked upon a dead VC in the dirt.
They walked upon another dead VC in the dirt.
They heard the cries of someone in pain.
They walked upon Kirk who lay in the dirt by a fallen tree.
"You okay Kirk?" Willie asked.
"I fell. I got shot in my left leg. I can't look. The sight of blood makes me weak," Kirk cried out in pain and was afraid to look down.
Michael and Willie looked at Kirk's legs and saw his femur bone from his left thigh poking out.
"You broke your leg," Michael said.
"I broke my leg?" Kirk replied and looked a little relieved he was not shot looked down and saw his femur bone poking out of his thigh. He got white as a ghost and passed out.
"Wimpy white boys, Willie said with a light chuckle.
Michael chuckled, and then they walked away and headed over to Eddie and Mark.
Eddie looked at Michael and Willie and saw their wounds.
Ralph walked over to Eddie.
Glenn walked over to Eddie.
Randy walked over with Oscar and Arnie.
"I'm missing Kirk," Eddie said.
"He's back there with a broken leg," Willie replied and pointed in the direction he and Michael walked.
Michael looked around. "Where's Bruce my X-Ray?" he asked.
"He's dead," Ralph replied.
Michael looked sadden over losing another friend.
"Okay, let's gather up out dead and injured and head to LZ Mustang.
Michael and Willie sat down while the surviving Cong Crushers went to gather up the injured and dead.
"Hey man, thanks for saving my life back there. I thought that bitch was going to kill me," Willie said and struck out his hand.
"No problem," Michael replied, then shook Willie's hand.
They waited for the other Cong Crushers to return.