Chapter 8
As John Kelly drifted off to sleep, his soul was besieged with a recurring nightmare of parachuting from a C-82 cargo airplane during the D-day invasion.
Captain John C. Kelly’s parachute swung violently as he struggled to untangle himself from a branch of an oak tree. Trepidation and dread lurked in his heart as he screamed, “Why can’t I get out of this?” John suddenly plummeted to the ground with a loud thud.
Kelly quickly ascended to his feet and frantically wrestled with his parachute. Anguish gripped Kelly’s soul when he heard the crack of a twig. To elude capture, the Captain scrambled toward a grove of old elm trees as a German patrol marched closer.
A plethora of emotion swirled in Kelly’s heart as he sought refuge behind a mighty oak tree. Kelly knew that his death was imminent till the German troop’s veered to their left and soon out of sight. John quickly turned east and ran toward his friends and allies in the designated town of Sainte Mère Église, France.
Kelly was suddenly aroused from his tormented nightmare of World War II. A feeling of bewilderment and trauma swirled in his desolated mind as he brushed the sweat off his brow. Kelly soon realized that it was just a horrible dream and that he was safe at home in Urbana Illinois.
John laid sleepless as the mayhem and bloodshed he witnessed during D-day, swirled in his troubled mind. Slowly, with the help of alcohol, John’s nightly trip to hell slowly disseminated His reacquiring nightmare of death and war slowly drifted towards the delightful fantasies of a beautiful woman with crimson colored hair.
Just as he drifted back to sleep, the phone rang. Kelly hesitated to answer the phone as he contemplated who the caller could be. The ex- wife? The bill collector? Or just another annoying sales call? Suddenly a sweet women's voice projected from the answering machine as Kelly listened suspiciously.
“John are you there? It’s me Deloris, Deloris Spencer.”
Anxiety and confusion crept into Kelly’s heart as he listened to the sweet voice of Deloris Spencer. Kelly’s hands trembled as he quickly picked up the phone and uttered, “What wrong Deloris are you and Kevin all right?”
“I am sorry to be calling you so late John, but I had no one else to talk to. Kevin is dead.”
Kelly’s mind was inundate with grief and anger as he tried to comprehend what Deloris was trying to say. “Kevin is dead? How did it happen Deloris?”Grief stricken tears streamed down Kelly's face as he anxiously listened to Deloris describe how his friend was suspiciously murdered.
“I am so sorry for your loss Deloris.” “The FBI are here; they suspect Kevin was involved with a terrorist named Martinez.” “Did you reveal to the FBI Kevin's secret Deloris?”
“No, of course not. The platoon’s secret is still safe.”
“Good don't trust anyone Deloris. The Platoon secret must never be revealed. When is Kevin’s funeral?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
Chocking back his anger, Kelly whispered, “I will be there. It’s been great hearing from you again after all these years Deloris. I am sorry it was under these stressful moments. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Torment paralyzed Kelley's mind as he laid awake in his bed. Kelley found solitude from the horror of his friend’s suspicious murder by finishing off a bottle of Jameson whiskey. A smile adorn Kelly’s face as he fell asleep and dreamt of a beautiful women with bright emerald colored eyes and radiant crimson hair.