REPOST: Chimera
Previously published by Stanzi Smith. She and I are the same person; this is just my new pen name.
Summary and Disclaimer: A very short ficlet from Murdock's p.o.v. I don't own these characters or make any money off of this.
Rating: 13+ (I think. Nothing bad but I'd rather be conservative, I guess... :o)
Warnings: Violence (helicopter crash) and one bad word!
When we're going down, I can feel the momentum in the pit of my stomach. It's a sickening feeling; it seems to pull me inside out and
take my breath away at the same time. The whup-whup-whup of the Huey's blades throb like a heartbeat. I keep my eyes open all the way down because I owe it to my baby to see her last few milliseconds of existence. I failed her; she didn't fail me. "Hang on, guys. It's gonna be rough…" I yell out. I don't know if anybody heard me.
The world spins like one of those pinwheels grandma bought me when I was a kid. It was one of the only toys I remember having before my world became aircraft. Jungle colors spin. Blues, browns and a dense shade of green twirls by.
The sudden stop is bone splitting. The world is pain, noise, then silence except for the pulse of my heart. I look around, not sure how much time has passed, and the twisted remains of the chopper are empty. There are red globs on the floor that look like splattered, congealed cherry Jell-O. My stomach lurches; this is my fault. Where are they?
"Damn." I groan, trying to haul myself out of my harness. My body hurts all over. The bird rests on her side, and when I finally come
out of the straps, I hit the door hard. I'm afraid to look around as I crawl out of the wreckage.
"Colonel? Face? BA?" I call out softly. Nothing. Stomach gives another painful lurch, but I manage to keep from puking up my guts in the tall grass.
That feeling of keeping it all together only lasts a moment because I look up and see the black pajamas creeping into the clearing. Their
guns are ready and their teeth are showing. Smiles that seem too big to be real. Is this happening?
I try to pull the Colt from my side holster. It doesn't want to budge; my hand is slick with sweat. I finally get it free and fire at the
nearest VC, even though there are too many of them. Part of his head is gone, but that smile stays fixed, and he keeps coming. Rows and
rows of white teeth grin as I watch the rifle come up and level at me, the soldier looking at me out of one black eye…
"Murdock. Wake up, man."
Opening my eyes, I see BA looming above me, searching my face with worry. The room is too dark; the reddish light coming from the hotel neon outside the window gives the place a bloody appearance. The dream comes back with the force of a sledgehammer.
I know I'm shivering, but I can't stop it. The shadows seem to be alive. BA asks me if I'm okay and I can't find the words to answer
him. Nope, I'm not okay. Sorry BA. I try to meet his eyes, but I can't keep from searching the corners of the room. I wish the lights were on.
I don't remember hearing anything, but I must have made some kind of noise because the big guy just reaches down and wraps me up in his arms as if I were his kid brother.
"You're gonna be okay." He says. I have trouble believing that, but I just close my eyes and nod like I do. Maybe if he says it enough, it
will be true.