Join Date: Oct 2008
The Maverick Men in Black Pearl Part Two (The Darkness) by Wayne Clayton
In the half light of night Captain Travis looked out over the desert in front of him. There ten feet away he saw the smiling skull of the hand painted sign post. 'Achtung!!!' written in a broad gothic text. To make a detour now would take them well into morning. Not only that it would mean having to follow a route the Germans wanted them to take. It was possible that there were no mines at all, just a ruse to make the enemy think twice. Maybe they were just Tank mines and only the weight of a Sherman would trigger them. Travis glanced at his men weighing up his options. He knew Calder could take a knock or two but to use him as a human mine clearer was pushing it, besides the noise would bring the Nazis down on them like a shot. Then he had an idea.
" Clearwater, you reckon you could find a path through this thing? " Pvt. Clearwater stared out over the way and nodded. Moments later Travis shoved a handful of little flags on sticks into Clearwaters hand and rejoined the curious on looking squad.
They watched as the lonely figure of Clearwater began to walk out. His head slowly rocking from side to side as if it had suddenly become too heavy for him to keep aloft. Then he stopped and crouched down, sticking one of the flags gingerly into the desert sand.
"What's he doing Captain?" Mort asked.
Travis turned to the young Private and explained as best he could. Although he himself questioned if it was possible.
"They say Pvt Clearwater there was with MacArthur in the Philippines when the Japs overrun the islands, caught a bullet in the head for his troubles. It must of hit a nerve or something as it was passing through because now he can see stuff no one else can see"
"What's he see Capt?"
" The way I hear it he can see ghosts.." Mort almost shivered at the mention " G.Gh.Ghosts?"
" Well more to the point he sees images of the past. As if he's looking through time itself. Right now he could be looking over the shoulders of the Germans planting the mines"
Mort watched as Clearwater continued his slow progress through the deadly ground. He could only guess what the world must look like to the guy, or how he must look like to a guy like that?
"Ok boys, looks like hes done.." Travis said as he watch Clearwater give the all clear. " Lets make tracks and watch your step just in case he missed one"
With the mine field behind them the rest of the march passed without inccident. Over to the west in the far distance they saw the faint flashes of the German guns open fire just as the first light of dawn began to break. But the battle was too far away for them to worry about.
Stone now stepped aside and allowed Clearwater to take Point, an once more the squad followed the curious sight of the head flopping G.I.
Travis glanced behind him and saw the fresh faced Mort begin to pull his tunic collar high about his neck as if trying to keep out the cold. Even though the temperature was slowly creeping up. He noticed too high above a lone vulture seemingly tracking their movements, maybe it knew something they didn't.
Suddenly up ahead Clearwater stopped. He continued to rock his head as if trying to pin point something. He slowly marched forward and then halted again before kneeling down and looking at the ground like a cat looking at a goldfish in a bowl.
"This is it Capt" he called over his shoulder.
"Ok boys, Stone, Calder break out the shovels and start digging. Barry,Mort and Clearwater keep an eye out for patrols. We rotate in 20 minutes "
It was just before ten when the noise of steel against wood rang out in the desert heat. Clearing away the last of loose sand Travis found its edge.
"Break it open Calder"
With that Calder rolled up his sleeves and dug his fingers into thin gap. With a sigh he tugged at the square of solid dry timber, which soon gave way and sailed over his shoulder nearly catching Barry.
"Hey watch it Popeye!! " he said
"Yeah, yeah whatever?" Calder chuckled.
"Ok lets get down there and see what we've got"
Looking down into the hole they could see a line of small stone blocks sticking out of the walls like the rungs of a ladder. Rigging up a rope Travis and Clearwater were the first to go down. Swifty followed by Barry and Stone. Leaving Calder to watch over Mort and to guard the opening.
Once at the bottom Travis broke out a flare and watched as its light filled the chamber. In its glare the men could see the eyeless voids of a dozen skulls littering the floor. Bones wrapped in decaying bleached cloth.
"Clearwater, what have we got?"
Rolling his head he seemed to gaze blindly into the space surveying the scene.
"They're soldiers. French judges by their uniforms."
"Vichy?" ask Barry
"No NAPOLEON !"