05 – The Jaws of Death

Tony shoots out of the water and lands on top of Hunter. "What the hell are you doing? Leave me and save yourself!" The FAPLA soldiers are now firing continuously and projectiles relentlessly spray water around them. "Work with me or we die together. I'm not leaving you! Suddenly Hunter feels as if a red-hot piece of iron spins through his hamstring and tears it apart and he knows it is the first AK-bullet. Tony spins around and firmly grabs the diver's equipment on Hunter's back before he uses the momentum of his movement and glides over Hunter with his legs first while he is pulling sideways. He tries to free Hunter from the front side of the razor wire. Hunter realizes what Tony is trying to achieve and he pulls out his knife and cuts at the places the razor wire is grabbing, helping Tony to free him. All of a sudden he is free and they vanish underwater as Tony holds Hunter from the back in his arms and pulls him down. They still hear the snipes and pops of bullets that luckily miss them to the left and right. Then a tremendous blast when a grenade detonates just next to them and the shock waves knock them around. Tony still holds Hunter in a tight grip as they rock and roll. And then Hunter passes out. ~*~*~ Hunter slowly regains consciousness and recognizes Tony's image with the full moon behind him. He is on the bank of the river and realizes that Tony has just finished nursing him. He still hears the siren's screaming far off when he sits up and notices that Tony has sealed the wound. "Ah, you are with me again, Hunter. The shock of the hand grenade kicked you out completely and I brought you here to the bank. You've lost too much blood." "Did we do it?" "Our colleagues had success. There were five explosions. So, let's hope there is damage enough." "Tony, you must go, now. I will survive …" "Don't be daft, Hunter. I'm taking you home!" "Tony, you've got a home and a family that is waiting for you. Think about the photo of Clea with Zoey in her arms. You are a father now. How much time have we lost? You must get to the gathering spot as agreed upon. You know the rule. There's no waiting for anyone. And then you'll have to swim the seven kilometers and walk the twenty kilometers to the Puma's pickup point. Go, time is running out. I will take the shorter, although more dangerous, route and head for the emergency pickup point. "And how are you going to do that, Hunter? You may be able to make your way in the river if you are lucky, but you are not going to reach that point with your wounded leg and the little blood in your veins." "I will do it as I did it previously. Sergeant Anthony Eastwood, you are now disregarding a direct order! Just leave me and join the rest!" "Don't try to pull rank on me, major. There's no time for talking bullshit. Let me help you into the river. Either we survive or die here together. I'm not leaving you!" ~*~*~ Tony is first to break the surface of the water and he scrutinizes the banks and sky for any sign of the enemy. He indicates to Hunter that it is safe and Hunter also breaks the surface and takes out his mouthpiece. Last night they swam downstream as fast as Hunter's condition allowed them to do. They had the advantage of dark so they could swim on the surface without using their valuable oxygen. The enemy sent troops downstream and deployed soldiers all along the banks of the river while boats and helicopters crisscrossed the river looking for them. With sunrise, it became more dangerous and that's why they spared their oxygen. Their only survival plan is to swim along the deep side of the river and submerge when they have to. They have encountered a dangerous situation when a FAPLA contingency spotted them at a narrow and shallow bend in the river and opened fire. Tony shot back with his pistol and when the soldiers ran for cover they were lucky to encounter a deep part and went down. Later they emerged but had to duck again because helicopters, boats and troops swarmed all over the place. They had to stay underwater for quite a long time and with twilight encroaching and their oxygen nearly depleted, they are now breaking the surface. They have nearly reached the place where they must leave the river and move overland to the pickup point where they must wait for the Puma. This is the most dangerous section of their escape. Time is running out and Hunter is doubtful if they would reach the spot in time for the Puma to pick them up at twilight. If they are not successful this evening, they'll have to survive until tomorrow evening for another chance. Tony calculates their precise position when Hunter joins him on the surface and he informs Hunter: "We are here, Hunter. Just over there around the corner." Suddenly something grips around Hunter's uninjured leg and try to pull him down. Tony vanishes out of Hunter's eyesight and he only sees dark water while he feels as if sharp, short spikes penetrate his upper leg. Hunter puts his mouthpiece in and looks in amazement at the source of the attack. He gets a fright when he sees the giant man-eating crocodile that grips him in his jaws. He pulls his knife and starts to stab the creature but it as ineffective as when you stab a rock. He keeps on stabbing frantically hoping to get an eye. And he knows what is going to happen next. The monster is going to spin and with that, it will be tearing off his leg. Crocodiles tears off pieces of flesh or limbs by spinning. Then suddenly Hunter sees Tony on top of the crocodile, viscously attacking the monster with his knife. The crocodile suddenly opens its jaws and spin away from them. He disappears as stealthily as he came. They dash for the surface and take out their mouthpieces. "How many times are you going to save my ass during this operation, Tony?" "Come, we have to get on land as soon as possible for I don't need another scuffle. Don't ask me why he let us escape, because everything I stabbed felt like hard rubber." ~*~*~ The sun is setting when ten soldiers anxiously look at the Puma that has landed at Fort Foot. The medics come running with a stretcher and they see how Tony runs alongside looking down on their beloved major. The soldiers all join in the running as the medics make their way to the field ambulance. Major Hunter looks weak but is fully conscious as he looks up to see whether they are all there. Over the noise of the Puma he yells: "Looks like you are all here. Has no one tasted a lead pill?" Sergeant Gerald yells back while smiling happily: "No major, as usual we left the honor to you to swallow that small pill. We knew that you would make it, as usual!" Hunter shakes his head in disagreement and shows with his thumb towards Tony. "This time the staff saved my ass many times. He saved me from the razor wire with rifles trained on me; he saved me from drowning after a grenade kicked me lights-out; he saved me from helicopters, boats and a whole army of soldiers on the banks of the river. But that's not all! Honestly, he even saved my ass from the jaws of a monster crocodile! And then he carried me for kilometers to be in time for the Puma! And now he will be giving his precious blood to me! But don't worry. I will tell you everything later on. I only hope I am not going to inherit his stubbornness also. My good men; have a good rest before our next mission!" The troops stand at attention and silently watch their beloved major and staff sergeant Tony climbing into the ambulance before it races away.