his mouth, it worked like a charm. Finally, we climbed back into the grove and poked at him with a stick. When he grabbed it we quickly wound his wrists together with the tape. Took us all of five minutes to wrap him up.
Hard-on and I grabbed the waistband of his pants and hauled him out of the trees. We dumped him on his face in the mud. He struggled to stand up. I put a boot to his ass and then stood on him.
“We need another pole,” I suggested.
We struggled into camp with our prize, but this time only a couple of corpsmen came out to meet us. They removed the pole and pushed him onto a stretcher. They secured him with bungee cords and picked him up.
“Where are you taking him?” I asked
“He’s going into the sample tent with the others,” he replied.
“The sample tent?” Hard-on asked.
“That is what the colonel calls it,” the corpsman answered. “All of the specimens you guys have brought in are in there. Don’t ask me what the colonel is doing with them. You don’t want to know.”
They carried the struggling, groaning villager away and disappeared into one of the larger tents.
I noticed a constant, muffled moaning. It was coming from the tent they had gone into.
“Do you guys hear that?” I inquired.
“It sounds like a dozen of those things,” Hard-on responded.
“This place is cursed; it is a place of the damned.” Gunner swore. “Let’s go away from here.”
“We need to find the sarge,” I suggested.
We wandered around the camp, asking for Sgt. McAllister. We finally found him at the decontamination area. Some of 2nd Platoon’s guys were there being processed.
“I wondered where you guys got off to,” McAllister said.
“Did you and Gordo find anything?” I inquired.
“Yeah, we brought in another medic, he wasn’t as bad as the one you guys bagged,” the sergeant answered.
“We found another one, Sarge. A villager, like you wanted,” Hard-on bragged.
“Awesome,” McAllister responded. “While you guys were out lollygagging we bagged at least ten of those things. They’ve got quite a collection of them now.”
“What are they doing with them?” I asked.
“Fuck if I know,” the sergeant growled back. “But one of 2nd Platoon’s guys got bit bringing those fuckers in. They got him over there with Jonesy.”
“Is Jonesy okay?” I solicited.
“He’s still alive,” McAllister responded.
“Did you get a good look at any of the other ones they brought in, Sarge?” I asked.
“Yeah, I did.” he responded seriously.
“Well, are they sick, or dead? What the fuck is going on with them?” I inquired.
“We still don’t know. The colonel and his men are running tests around the clock trying to figure this virus shit out. It is beyond me why he wanted all these infected brought in, but I’m just a stupid grunt. The colonel hasn’t said anything to me yet, but the major’s position is that these people are sick, so sick that they don’t realize that they should be dead. They’re too sick to die,” he concluded.
“What?” I stuttered back.
“That’s exactly what I said,” McAllister laughed. “Don’t make a lot of sense, does it?”
“Look, Sarge, I’ve seen dead people before, and these things we’re bringing back, they’re dead,” I concluded.
“Dead people don’t walk around,” McAllister countered.
“Sarge, they’re dead!” I insisted.
“This shit is something entirely new, Parsons. You’re not a doctor, you’re a grunt, and you’d damn well better remember it before you get yourself shot,” he concluded.
“Sgt. McAllister, listen to me. The unit we came here to rescue, they’re gone. You’ve got to know that in your heart. We are risking our lives out here for nothing!” I grumbled.
“Dying for nothing goes with the territory. Suck it up. Sometimes you’re too smart for your own good,” he warned me. “You guys get out to the village with the rest of 1st Platoon. We’re establishing a forward
Hard-on and I grabbed the waistband of his pants and hauled him out of the trees. We dumped him on his face in the mud. He struggled to stand up. I put a boot to his ass and then stood on him.
“We need another pole,” I suggested.
We struggled into camp with our prize, but this time only a couple of corpsmen came out to meet us. They removed the pole and pushed him onto a stretcher. They secured him with bungee cords and picked him up.
“Where are you taking him?” I asked
“He’s going into the sample tent with the others,” he replied.
“The sample tent?” Hard-on asked.
“That is what the colonel calls it,” the corpsman answered. “All of the specimens you guys have brought in are in there. Don’t ask me what the colonel is doing with them. You don’t want to know.”
They carried the struggling, groaning villager away and disappeared into one of the larger tents.
I noticed a constant, muffled moaning. It was coming from the tent they had gone into.
“Do you guys hear that?” I inquired.
“It sounds like a dozen of those things,” Hard-on responded.
“This place is cursed; it is a place of the damned.” Gunner swore. “Let’s go away from here.”
“We need to find the sarge,” I suggested.
We wandered around the camp, asking for Sgt. McAllister. We finally found him at the decontamination area. Some of 2nd Platoon’s guys were there being processed.
“I wondered where you guys got off to,” McAllister said.
“Did you and Gordo find anything?” I inquired.
“Yeah, we brought in another medic, he wasn’t as bad as the one you guys bagged,” the sergeant answered.
“We found another one, Sarge. A villager, like you wanted,” Hard-on bragged.
“Awesome,” McAllister responded. “While you guys were out lollygagging we bagged at least ten of those things. They’ve got quite a collection of them now.”
“What are they doing with them?” I asked.
“Fuck if I know,” the sergeant growled back. “But one of 2nd Platoon’s guys got bit bringing those fuckers in. They got him over there with Jonesy.”
“Is Jonesy okay?” I solicited.
“He’s still alive,” McAllister responded.
“Did you get a good look at any of the other ones they brought in, Sarge?” I asked.
“Yeah, I did.” he responded seriously.
“Well, are they sick, or dead? What the fuck is going on with them?” I inquired.
“We still don’t know. The colonel and his men are running tests around the clock trying to figure this virus shit out. It is beyond me why he wanted all these infected brought in, but I’m just a stupid grunt. The colonel hasn’t said anything to me yet, but the major’s position is that these people are sick, so sick that they don’t realize that they should be dead. They’re too sick to die,” he concluded.
“What?” I stuttered back.
“That’s exactly what I said,” McAllister laughed. “Don’t make a lot of sense, does it?”
“Look, Sarge, I’ve seen dead people before, and these things we’re bringing back, they’re dead,” I concluded.
“Dead people don’t walk around,” McAllister countered.
“Sarge, they’re dead!” I insisted.
“This shit is something entirely new, Parsons. You’re not a doctor, you’re a grunt, and you’d damn well better remember it before you get yourself shot,” he concluded.
“Sgt. McAllister, listen to me. The unit we came here to rescue, they’re gone. You’ve got to know that in your heart. We are risking our lives out here for nothing!” I grumbled.
“Dying for nothing goes with the territory. Suck it up. Sometimes you’re too smart for your own good,” he warned me. “You guys get out to the village with the rest of 1st Platoon. We’re establishing a forward
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