THE MISTS OF PAPOOSE POND-CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

It is time for my Terror Tuesday. Ed is not using rational thinking once more, but then again: does he ever? I don't think so. Kick ass this week!


THE MISTS OF PAPOOSE POND


 Chapter Twenty Two



     Tom grabs the radio in the other 'copter, and the air waves fill with his disbelief. "You don't mean the . . .?!

     "Yes, I do,Tom!" I shout. "These guys are not our friends. Take my word for it. Ask our friends, but don't waste time: they're almost on us."

     Before he can say anything back, I take control of my Black Hawk and raise it up into the air just seconds before a volley of ammo from one of the advancing copters tears through the air beneath the fuselage. Damn! That was close. Knowing where they will be as soon as they think about it, I dodge and shoot; and dodge and shoot some more.

    Howard's not having as easy a time as I am, finding it difficult to believe the soldiers in the advancing 'copters are really our enemies, and the voices of him, Tom, and the giants' transferences combine in a grand mess of confusion. Shit! I have been blessed with what happened to me. It hurt at the moment, but it should save quite a bit of our ass from this point on.

     Louise adapts well to the gunner's role and sends the first attacking craft to the ground. "Woo, hoo! I got him!"

     "Yes, you did, Sweetie! Great job. Let's kick some more ass!"

     We turn, knock out the one giving Howard fits, and take off after the others who have now decided to high tail it out of here.

     "They think they have us, Louise," I say, "but they're in for a shocker. Their surprise is no longer a sneak attack. We will have one hell of a fight, but I'll be just one step ahead of them at every point."

     Louise looks at me, a strange expression on her face telling me she understands, but she doesn't understand. "Are you . . .?"

     "Yes, Louise, that nasty convulsive show a while back, gave me the power to read minds. I can tell what our enemies are thinking without the big guys having to intercept and interpret for me. That means I can react faster and get us out of harms way. There is a down side, though."

     "What's that?"

     "My head will be spinning around from all the thoughts coming from everyone around me. And, it will take me a little time to sort things out and not become overwhelmed by it all. My power could be a blessing, or it could become my downfall."
  
     She knows her thoughts are my thoughts now. Damn it! Every ones' thoughts are my thoughts.

     "My God, Ed! You could buckle under to the pressure and lose your mind."

     "Yes, I could."

      "I think you were given this power because they thought you alone would be able to handle the stress, and I, my dear, believe they were right."

      I laugh. "It sucks to be me, but it's great to be me. I'm caught in a confusing paradox.".

      "Very true, and I'll be your shrink if you need one, but we're approaching Hell and we're being led inside. That couch shit will have to wait. Battle mode, Mr. Mind Reader."

     I zip in behind them. my battle plans formulating as do theirs. Clever, but not so clever. I'll give them an A for effort anyway

     The enemy's 'copters go farther into Hell, but Howard and I drop our Black Hawks to the ground and we get out.Two of the big guys come with me, thick axes in hand while the others handle the flame throwers, only these flame throwers make the other ones pale in comparison. They are huge: the ones the gunboats on the Mekong would ignite the napalm with. They are as bad as it gets.

     My two buddies and I walk to the demons chained to the wall and start swinging our axes, breaking their chains and setting them free. Their bewilderment isn't lost on us, and we tell them they either join with us or we destroy them for good, "Fight and have a chance!" I shout.

     There's not much time for them to decide: I hear the renegade 'copters coming back towards us, knowing now that their trap has failed, pissed off and wanting to get us even more.

     "Okay, you bastards!" I scream, "if you don't join in the battle against our enemy when they arrive, we will destroy you the same as them. You have been warned."

     As much as we want to rise above the tactics employed by Satan, I meant what I said. If these guys don't fight on our side, there is no way we can unleash them upon the world. They must be vicious or they wouldn't be immersed in their present predicament. I'll know which of them we can trust.
                                                    
     The 'copters come slamming in on us, lowering their altitude until they're mere feet above us. Gotta say one thing for them: their flying skills are far superior to mine, but their armaments are not even close to those we possess. My webbed allies are waiting and blast them with the larger flame throwers.

     Every helicopter winds up on the ground, all of them on fire, ready to explode at any second. Our forces retreat from the inevitable, not wanting to get blown to bits by our own handicraft. The pilots and crew that come at us are easily set afire or attacked viciously by the demons we unleashed.

     Oh yeah! I knew they would listen to logic.

     The pilots are all killed and their helicopters blown apart, one by one. Fortunately for us, we had enough smarts to keep our Black Hawks to the back and side of us, and I see no damage done to them. All of our troops appear to have survived. We're on a roll; a good roll.

     Shit! Zombies come in from behind us, reversing their outward assault on the rest of the world to get at us, and another group approaches us from deep within the bowels of Hell. we're double teamed again!.

     Make that triple teamed! The Hell Hounds are back, dragging victims with them, while others have already dropped their tributes to their Master deep within the chasm of evil and are leaving to find fresh meat. That's us: not the most pleasant of thoughts.

     "Fuck!" Tom shouts. "This is not very cool, Ed! Your new powers appear to have gotten us in one  hell of a mess."

     "Stop being a pussy and fight!" I holler. "You might know some of my powers, but you don't know their full extent. It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings, and I don't even see a fat lady."

     The three of us with axes in our hands go after the Hell Hounds, knowing their every move, decapitating them cleanly and efficiently. Our back up flame thrower crew moves in and finishes the job before the furry bastards return to life. Our assault, as deadly as it is, steadily loses ground to the never ending numbers of the enemy approaching us from all sides.

     A breeze blows in from the direction of the viscous firmament, carrying the scent of fresh troops and the murmurings of our Zombie ghosts speaking to their former brethren. The taste of victory, for the moment at least, titillates not only my senses, but our surrounded forces as well. Help is mere moments away!

     Knowing their efforts are not in waste, those around me get a renewed zeal for the battle at hand and fight without abandon, creating an atmosphere rancid with the stench of burning flesh, fur, and entrails. Wails of anguish fill the dark skies around us, creating a pallet of colors transcending any known on earth and bringing the other senses in to the visual painting of doom ever present in this horrid hostel of evil manifestation.

     Bob and Zach lead the way with hoops and hollers, acting more like this is a rodeo and they're having the perfect ride on the most vicious of bulls, and the crowd is cheering wildly for their every perfectly timed move against the best the beast under them has to offer.

     Damn, these guys are getting good!

     Half the trucks roar ahead of us to attack the advancing forces, while the rest stay behind and battle those who would dare to circle back and try to annihilate us. Our recruited demons attached to the walls yet are released one by one as soon as my webbed friends and I are certain of their allegiance. Those who don't appear to want to join us are remaindered there, quite possibly forever. I don't wish to waste any valuable fire on them at the present time. Soon, we will need to re-supply.

     We chop, torch, and recruit from the dead undead. The cycle continues over and over again; the Dark One's troops are slaughtered, and if there were any buzzards in the midst of this battle, they would be feasting royally, but the flame throwers are running low on fuel, and there is no end in sight. Unless we leave and resupply they will overtake us and the world will have lost the only cognizant force fighting against the bastards from the dark realms.

     Fuck! From everywhere the voices come. Maybe, just maybe, we waited too long.

     "Howard!" I holler,"get your crew and get another 'copter! No time for questions. Just go!"

     "Louise, you need to fly the copter back to the Armory. You can do it. You flew when I was incapacitated before. Our friends will tell you how."

     "But I can't leave you!"

     "You must. I'll be okay. Just hurry. Make the turn around and you'll be back here in nothing flat."

     I give Louise a swift hug and kiss and send her on her way.

     "Bob! Zach! Get fresh trucks and weapons here. Now! You'll have to do without our friendly giants, I need them here for the moment. Go!"

     They all leave, the Black Hawks out before the trucks. My remaining army and I are left alone. The demon forces are coming, but we know they are on the way That is such a huge plus for us.

     We fight, now down to axes and brute force for the most part, the Zombie ghosts with us to attack their former brethren with their minds. My webbed friends have the physical strength to battle the Hell Hounds, and I, wisely or not, attempt to emulate their physical prowess, albeit at the bequest of an axe.

     From behind they come; not seeing, but seeing; seemingly not cognizant of the war going on around them, but knowing everything; once more timing their arrival for when they are most needed. Those who have no eyes but see better than those who do, the uncommitted who are now committed.They are the silent ones, but that silence only pertains to the spoken word. Their actions . . .their actions speak for themselves.

     Those of us left to fight throw caution to the wind and do what needs to be done. Zombies are torn apart, disabled, and burned until there is no fuel left in our flame throwers, Shit, the 'copters better return in a hurry or we are sooo fucked!

     I drop to the ground in pain, covering my ears , trying to protect them from what is being thrown my way. Many voices, loud and discordant, speak to me at the same time, telling me the same thing, but altering their own particular perceptions of what they believe to be the truth.

     "Mr. Ed! Why can you not accept reality for what it is? Why do I have to constantly challenge your inadequate ruminations of my power? You are human. I am immortal. Guess who's going to win?"

     Before I can speak, the air is filled with beings of majesty, long black wings flying in an endless display of strength and creating an almost overwhelming power within me to bow down and invite the inevitable  into my heart and soul.

     Almost.

     "Fuck you, Satan! Can't you do any better than this!" I shout.

     The roar of a thousand wings surrounds me.

     "Show yourself, pussy!" I shout. "Show yourself!"



Blaze McRob