A farmer was at work in his rice paddies. It was a simple way to live but he didn't care, it was a good way to live, looking up and resting his body on his hoe, he heard the hum of an engine as a Liberion Army Helicopter flew by, it's twin rotors working in tandem. he didn't know how often they passed waking him from is sleep.
All he knew was they we're often signs of bad news. Turning back to his crops, he went back to work in the hot sun.
January 28th, 1968. Vietnam.
The helicopter ride to Phu Bai is a long and quiet one. After getting pushed off the plane and shoved into the back of a CH-47 Chinook cargo bird, i'm alone minus one other trooper siting across from me. Looking out the window I see endless rice paddies and trees pass by beneath us, the rottors of the aircraft let off a sharp hum as we fly-
"Hey, boot. You look new, what's your name"? the man across from me asks, we may be in the same army but everything else in different, his uniform is stained along with his boots a deep brown, his helmet is covered in dents and the camo cover has "Front towards enemy" written on the front in black ink. His rifle had two mags tapped together for a faster reload and his skin is covered in dark mud. My clean and polished boots look nothing like his.
"William, William Lydon" I answer weakly, he smiles.
"Good, now I know what to write"
"Write?" I ask him.
"What to write on your Death certifcit"! he says with a laugh as I sink deeper into my seat. My dad always spoke of the comradery he and his shipmate's shared during the second Neuroi war, this wasn't the same though, this man didn't give a shit about me or if I lived or died.
The chopper jolted as it desended and the ramp opened, stepping out, a fowl smell hits my nose and i'm blinded by the sun. Standing their I can see the bases airstrip, aircraft sit motionless. Men move left and right and I find myself out of place in this. Carrying my weapon by the handle I walk down the airstrip trying to find an officer or any to ask where to go. I pass three large flag draped boxes making me look away.
Spotting a man taking inventory of some crates I walk over to him and ask "Do you know where I can find the 101st Airmobile"? The man turns around like he's seeing a ghost and takes a deep breath.
"Sorry pal, 101st got chewed up two days ago, real bad they sent 3 home in glade bags* and the rest were wounded and sent home" he said before going back to his work. I walked away, what was I to do now? My unit was gone and I had little idea what to do, walking away I seemed to drift about with little thought, maybe that's why when I walked by the bar then I stopped as i heard yelling.
"Get the fuck outta here bitch" I heard a rather bleak voice yell along with jeering. Turning my head I could see a young women, no older then 17 with a group of three GIs around here, even from this distance I could smell the drink on their breath. The girl's hair was a brown color and her skin was a pale white, the three seemed to form a circle around here with a crazy look in their eyes.
"Hey, leave her alone" I shouted at them. They turned and stood staring at me, their fists raised.
"Stay the fuck outta this doggie" one slurred out, stepping forwards I stood my ground.
"No, you going to have a problem if you don't leave this nice lady alone" I said pulling one a fist and balling it in my open palm. All three sized up and towered over me. And then the fight began.
WWW
Jamie watched as the three jarheads beat the man, two holding his arms behind his back as the third punch him in the stomach, who was this guy and why had he gone out of his way to help ? Even as nice as it was, he had made a mistake of challenging three marines to a fist fight, one he was losing.
Looking at her, he yelled out "Run, get out of here" as he was being beat down. She slowly stood up from where the three drunks had pushed her down and with a running start and sent her foot into the punchers back, with a scream toppled over, the soldiers face was lit up with surprise. The second marine balled up a fist and pulled back to strike her, ducking she grabbed his wrist and flipped him to the ground with a thud, the last one let go of the soldier and raised both fists like a boxer.
Cringing she readied herself to knock him out, only to see his feet kicked from under him and the soldier standing behind the now fallen man, a half smile on his face, a bit of blood dripping from his lips.
"Are you..." he started to ask before falling to the ground. rushing to his side, i used my strength to wrap an arm around his shoulder and helped the now half out of it man to his feet.
She carried him back to her Barracks, everyone else was asleep so she plopped the trooper on the empty bunk next to her. Looking at him, a complete stranger who risked his skin for me, I smile shutting off my lamp and drifting off to sleep...
WWW
My dreams are of home, my little sister and trip to the park, a nice hot dog and a cool soda on a Sunday afternoon. I'm awoken from my sleep after feeling a hand poke me in the face.
Opening my eyes and looking up, hovering over me is a girl in a green army uniform, her hair is low cut and red. After a few seconds of silence she grabs me by the shirt and pulls me up with ease to my feet, she grins before pushing me into a wall, her grip is strong.
"OK, who the fuck set your sorry ass in her" she quips at me. I feel her palms dig into my arms and realize two things.
One, i better answer her.
Two, she's a witch, then again the shorts instead of pants are a dead give away.
"I just helped some girl who was being attacked by a few drunks, next thing I knew, I woke up here" I tell her hoping that grip won't get any tighter, it's starting to cut of my veins.
She relaxes her grip and looks at the witch, the girl from last night.
"Samantha isn't going to like this Jamie, you know how she feels about men" she sighed letting go of me, I rubbed my wrists now red from her hold.
"The guy tried to help, I couldn't just leave him for the MPs" she protested, her voice cracking in a cute way. Raising my hands up "I leave if you want me too, I just don't have anywhere to go"
"What"? "Jamie" askes.
"My unit got fucked up out in the bush before I got here, i'm the only guy left"
"Not our problem" the strong one quips opening the door for me. Getting up I walz towards the door, only feet from it a familiar spurting of static catches my ear.
"God damn radio never works right, the rude one cries slamming a fist down on the large device sitting in her belt.
"want me to take a look at that"? I ask. She looks at me for a moment before speaking.
"Oh what the hell, you can break the damn thing for all I care, it never works anyway" she sighs handing it to me, grabbing a bit of foil sitting on a nearby bench I wrap it around the antenna in a spiral, handing it back to her she seems shocked at the fact it now works.
"How"? she says pointing at it.
"Three weeks of RTO* Training at fort Bragg, reason I was late to get here".
"If it receives or sends a signal, I can fix it" I said proudly placing my arms on my hips.
"you can stay" she said shocking me and Jamie.
"Wait, why can he stay now" she said shocked at her friends change of heart.
Pulling her over to her bunk and pulling the privacy curtain out, she spoke "He just fixed that pain in the ass radio, i hate to say it but we need someone for that thing, you know how much we need air suport or a lift and had to use that thing, i don't care what Sam says, i'll take the heat"
"Uh...i can hear everything your saying, we are still in the same room" i said as they walked back over to me and the rude one placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You can stay"she says pointing at an empty bunk.
And just like that i have a new unit, and dare i say friends?
Glade bag: Sang for body bag.
RTO: Radio Telephone operator.
I'm back! sorry this is a bit short but i'll have more next time as we introduce some new faces.
Why you may ask am i rewriting this, rather then working on other stories?
One, don't ask, this is text so i can't hear you.
Two, because Vietnam was all ready abandoned once, i'm not doing it for the second time.
next chapter we'll meet the rest of our witches and dive into their..."Plot"
Sure, let's say plot.
Till next time, Danger close out.