'I hate this fucking jungle.'
I can't help but think that as I sweat. Dripping down the sides of my face, making my hairs stick to my neck and face, making my skin itch when I move. We've been here for two weeks now, reinforcing barriers and setting up non lethal traps in case we catch some of the indigenous people.
They refused to leave the area, their homes, and I can't say I blame them. They've known nothing but this place. I'd leave in a heartbeat. That's me, though.
The men are all irritable from the heat and humidity. Some are doing alright, either being from a similar climate or just acclimatized quickly. John and I have been braking up fights between people all week. We finally had enough earlier and threw some men in 'time out'. We have them digging trenches for barricades, since they have so much energy, they can use it for some thing helpful.
I needed to get some frustration out myself. Trying to break them up, one cold cocked me in the jaw and broke it. I woke up on the ground next to John, putting the guy in a choke hold till he passed out, since he wouldn't calm down.
My jaw was still broken as I moaned and pushed myself up from the forest floor, trying my best not to aggravate it. A few of our soldiers present rushed over to help me, but I waved them off as I felt my body start to heal it.
I heard the gasps and the surprised shouts of the people who saw it snap back into space as it healed. I stood up as John ordered some people to put the soldier he'd just taken down to the holding cell. He rushed to my side looking me over, concern in his eyes.
"Don't." I muttered glancing at everyone watching me.
He looks around and shouts, "Everybody needs to get back to what they were doing!"
The pain in my jaw finally fades and I crack my neck as I ask, "Damn that was a good hit. Was I down long?"
"No, just a few seconds. He went to go for you again though, so I forced him into the choke hold." John touched my face gently, which irritated me at that moment.
"You know it doesn't hurt anymore. I don't need to be babied." I push his hand away and glance around at the still curious gazes.
Some had their noses crinkled either in disbelief or disgust, I wasn't sure. I didn't like the way their stares were making me feel, self-conscious, weird, like something that was gawked at in a circus sideshow.
"What are you staring at?! You all know about me! Now, follow your CO's orders and get back to work! Not gawking at me like I'm a sideshow freak!" I'm holding my fists at my side to hide the shaking in my hands as my eyes dart around at the wide eyed soldiers quickly getting back to work.
John had taken a step back when I had shouted but once I was quiet he stepped back to me and whispered to follow him. We went for a walk, not far from camp, but far enough for some privacy. It was quickly decided, maybe I should go vent some steam and do a perimeter patrol with the next group. Some space from the camp and too many bad attitudes would do me some good.
So, now I am here, walking with the rest of the patrol, sweating to death.
As we trudge our way up another damn mountain, it starts to rain. I look up at the sky as it just continues.
'Really?' I think to myself as the large, fat drops continue to fall from above.
We continue to head up and continue our patrol when the clouds just open and up and begin to dump on us. We can barely see ten yards ahead of us, much less hear anything. So when we huddle and decide to seek shelter, no one objects.
We quickly find an area that's flat enough and cut some limbs, get them tied up with some cording and start cutting and laying some more branches and large leaves and branches still full of leaves. In half an hour, the twenty of us are huddled up under our shelter as the rain continues to pour.
Our helmet visors were fogging up, making them hard to use. So we did things the old fashioned way. We avoid the spots that are leaking and pull out our plastic maps and with the help of our GPS, we're finding our location. We're only a mile south west of our camp site, but with the rain coming down this way, it's dangerous to try and head back at the moment. Rising streams and creeks could be dangerous to cross and be impassible.
I tap my chip com and immediately inform base.
"Sin to base."
"Sin, This is base."
"We're stuck out in this downpour about one mile south west of your location, permission to snap us back to camp."
"One mile south west of our location? One moment, Sin."
I stand there starting to get impatient after a few minutes tick by. Finally, I hear the sound of John's voice come over.
"Sin, What's this about being in a rain storm? It's clear on the radar."
"What?! You don't hear the sound of the rain?" I look around quickly and the rest of my patrol goes on high alert.
"Sin....*static*....no....*static*...base."
The line goes static suddenly and I immediately put my weapon up and start scanning the tree line around us. The others are following suit.
"They said there is no rain on the radar?" Lt. Durin asks confused disbelief audible in his whispered question.
"Yes and the com's not functioning now either." I whisper back. "Everyone grab onto one another, I need to get us out of here." My hair is starting to stand up on end and my stomach feels like it's doing back flips up my throat.
'This is not good.' I think as my heart starts pounding in my chest as I reach for the hand that's offered to me to snap us back to camp.
But I can't snap us.
'Shit'
"Stay close together, start running towards camp, Now! I'll be right behind you guys!" I tell them and we take off, down hill.
Slipping and sliding in the mud and and terrain, we're running as fast as we can. We make it across the first stream with no problems and start tear off through the jungle, that's relatively level at the moment.
"Sin! Come in Sin!" John's yelling through the com, and I can finally hear him.
"John! I'm here! We're running back to base, I can't snap yet."
I spare a glance behind us as I hear him breathe a sigh of relief to hear my voice. What I see is not a rain storm or clouds, it's a bright hot, humid day. No one is there and I look back ahead of me and notice, we're all dry, when we should be filthy and wet.
"Stop!" I yell as I catch up to everyone.
All of us are breathing heavy and are short winded as I grab hands and they follow suit.
I snap us back to base camp and we're there with everyone looking at us for possible wounds.
John rushes over and checks me over quickly.
"What the hell was happening just now Sin? I tried to tell you there was nothing on the radar. What did you see?"
My patrol and I all got up and went to the briefing tent and explained what we experienced. When we were finished, John scratched his head, and squinted at nothing in particular.
"I'm going to give Turk a call." He says finally looking at us.
Over the phone Turk can be heard indistinctly before John explains the situation quickly. There's silence for a few moments before John hangs up and gives me a forced, thin lipped smile.
"He's in a bad mood. He's coming though."
Seconds later Turk appears, dark and irritated waves of emotions are practically radiating around him. He looks every part of a terrifying Oni of legend.
"Can't you go anywhere without dark magic finding you!" Turk slaps his fists on the desk at the front as he grabs his hair and horns in frustration.
"You think I found it on purpose? That I wanted to go for a stroll and come across that!?"
Defending myself I stood up and waved at the patrol team.
"That I would willingly risk their lives, like I enjoy that?!"
"Hey you two, take a breath. Let's get the business part of this done first. Then if you two want to duke it out, you can do after." Standing up, John places his hands gently, but firm on my arms to stop me from getting irate with Turk.
Grunting, Turk looks at me and sighs, " I know it's not a purpose, but damn it, Sin. It seems like you've become a magnet for that stuff and we don't need that here."
He turns his focus to the patrol team and grunts out, "Now, patrol, tell me what you saw, felt, heard, anything and everything during the patrol."