One shake, two shake, three, “Maybe if I just ignore him he will go away”. “Sir get up” I opened my eyes to a young man; wait scratch that a large child he looked like he was barely twelve. “What!” I said irritably,
“sir I need you to get up of the floor and strap in” the kid said with a slight crack in his voice. I leaned up with only a few pops from my back I groaned. The C-130 Aircraft was bumping throw some turbulence wile it lumbered through the air. I got to my feet grabbing my rig and sliding it over my head. After snapping my rig fully onto my body I sat on one of those very uncomfortable nylon bench seats along the wall. There were several bright flashes from outside the plane, there was no sound but at the time I didn’t think anything if it. When I got settled in I just draping the belt over my lap giving the illusion that I was strapped in, ha I am such a clever rebel.
My smugness was short lived a violent jolt and drop in altitude had me sprawled out on the floor of the cargo compartment, my cleverness has no bound. The movement of the plane made it quite hard to get to my feet “what the hell man did we land in the ocean or something sh…..”. My remarks cut short by a sharp forward dip, but this time my union with the floor was met with my face. This time the violent movement of the air craft was accompanied by another bright flash for outside. Again I tried getting to my feet, but this time with another flash of light the plane made sharp upwards climb and I was once again flat on my ass. “I give up!” I screamed, crawling on my hands and knees I make my way over to the ladder to the flight station.
I worked my way up the ladder with only a little protest of the crew in the back. “Gentlemen what is going on?” I said while stammering in grabbing the backs of the pilot’s chairs. Both pilots too focused on the task at hand just ignored me and continued doing there well pilot thing.
The man sitting to the right and rear of the Pilots, a blond man with e square head answered “we are in an electrical storm”. “What are you doing up hear any way” he inquired.
“I have been pressing the button for the flight attendant to get me a glass of water and she hasn’t come”. The man the glowered at me obviously no amused by my wit
“sir you need to return back down to the cargo hold and buckle in, until we get through the weird storm”.
“Weird” I asked not wanting to risk the ladder while the plane moving so erratically. “What is so weird about the storm?”
“Well seeing how we are thirty thousand feet above see lever flying over the Himalayas, and there seems to be purple lighting shooting up, yes I would say the storm is weird”. I just stood there mulling over what the man said, when another bright light and violent jolt of the plane, this time accompanied with a loud boom sent me face first in to the wall, I really need to sit down. When I staggered back and sat down on the bench seat at the rear of the flight station I could hear and alarm.
“Shit the number one engine has a fire in it” I could hear the pilot say.
“we need to get out of here” spat the copilot.
“but without number one out we can’t maintain our speed and altitude”. “We need to drop cargo” the pilot said. “Every I need you to strap in and hold on we are going to open the cargo door and drop our cargo” the pilot stammered into his headset.
The plane started to depressurize while I was heading back down the ladder, my ears about to pop. I got to the front of the cargo compartment securing the oxygen mask to my face and switching the regulator on. A cold rush of wind ripped through when the cargo door at the rear of the plane opened, and when I say cold I mean thousands of little daggers cutting into your skin cold. I had a better view of the storm when the door opened, long purple pink streaks of light were being emitted from the ground, there was no noise coming from the light itself.
The crew then released the cargo, it was a smooth operation until another sharp bump. The last pallet of cargo jumped the track slamming into one of the crew knocking him unconscious. The pallet, luckily was mostly luggage and not the hard metal containers that were first to let loose.
The man’s body was pushed violently against the wall, and then limply tumbled forward towards the open door. His harness kept him from falling from the plane, but the palate was wedged in the door causing the plane shake.
I didn’t think and maybe I should have because I tore the make from my head and ran to the rear. The crewman pulling on the rope of the harness and I pulling on the neck of the man’s flight suit we finally managed to heave him back in After myself and the other crew helped drag the man back into the plane we focused our efforts on the pallet of cargo. We felt like Sisyphus, no matter how hard we tried the wind the weight of the pallet had falling back into place, making it a futile effort.
“We need something to pry it loose” I shouted at the remaining crew.
“I got just the thing” he shouted while running to the front of the cargo bay. Too bad I will never know what it was, with another violent jolt and a bang the pallet came loose and I with it. I really should have sat down and strapped in but you know I’m a rebel
When I thought how I was going to die, don’t lie I know everyone does it some more than other. Back to the fact at hand when I use to think how I would die, it was always hail of gunfire, after heroic world saving event, what can I say I have seen a lot of movies. Falling from a plane to be forever lost in the many high peaks of the Himalayas not top on my list if anything a bit anti climatic if I do say so myself. It could always be worse I mean on the bright sight I will probably either freeze or suffocate before I will ever reach my rather abrupt end. So being the rather glass half full kind of person instead of trying to scream pray or beg for myself, I just closed my eyes and enjoyed the ride
I was just in the middle of the rather cliché life before my eyes thinking of my sins and triumphs, when instead of a cold impact I fell in to warm gelatin or that is what it felt like. It enveloped me and I could feel myself-slowing, not fast but just enough to stop death and prevent major injury. Maybe I was dead; I opened my eyes still in utilities with my rig still fastened to me not dead, unless death has a sick sense of humor. I looked around to see a kind of swirling pink and purple light, nope I am dead or not I don’t know. It was warm I could feel a slight tingle from either the light that licked my skin gently or the sensation returning to my joints. Then I ripped through the kind, lifesaving gelatin to continue my fast decent.
O come on either kill me or save me jeez fate can be such a tease. I looked around to see that the snow covered peaks have been replaced with a soft green forest and even a small village in the distant. It was also day time even though our flight was in the middle of the night. I was falling towards light pink clouds and it was much warmer than it was just moments ago. There were resisters when I rammed head first into the clouds, it felt more like cake batter then tuffs of water vapor and tasted like sugar. Ok what the hell I thought first I’m plummeting to my doom and now sugar tasting clouds, it’s the lack of oxygen to my head that’s it. When I broke throw the clouds I found myself once again starting my fall all over again “this is getting ridicules” I screamed in frustration. Then a large snap as my body made contact with canopy of the forest that was only 20 or so feet beneath the cake clouds. After several more snaps, that I hope was just the trees I lay face down on mossy ground, I noticed how comfortable the soft chocolate smelling ground was before slipping from consciousness
I awoke a few minutes later, or an hour later I really don’t know. Opening my eyes took a while, my eyes straining with the light. I drew my strength, my will to get to my feet. I took a deep breath, and immediately began to cough as what felt like a knife stabbed my left side right into my lung and each subsequent cough shot shocks of agony through my chest. Crap I must have broken a rib during my tumble through the branches. Clenching my side I rose to a knee, my head starting to spin. I closed my eyes starting to feel a little bit sick, each breath also making me want vomit. Ok function check time let me see what works and what doesn’t, I took several minutes rolling my shoulders moving my joints, bedsides felling like the tin man in need of an oil change everything worked.
Until I tried to rise to be feet, as soon as I put my right hand on the ground and pushed up, a shot of lighting ran up my arm all the way to my freaking teeth. With tears blurring my vision I look at my right hand, my pinkie figure was twisted outwards from my first joint, how in the hell did I miss that. I was just kneeling there trying to get my berthing under control I heart pounded and every time I tried to take a deep calming breath my cracked rib would send another jolt of pain into my chest. “Okay I don’t think it is broken just dislocated” I muttered in my opinion. I was in a pretty precarious situation, seeing how I just survived a fall from a plane, are in the middle of a dark drank forest in the middle of the Himalayas and unarmed and broken, jeez didn’t see this happening when I stared the day. Well I need to try and straighten my figure, I looked around and to see what supplies I could muster from my surrounding. There really wasn’t much round as in to make a splint, and I realized that I was to preoccupied with my body to really take in the forest. It was dark and slightly chilly far be it a lot warmer than it was in free fall. The three were dead looking and the branches were covered in kind hanging brown moss you would see in a swap. The canopy was thick and not a whole lot of light was able to break through to the ground, and no matter what I couldn’t break the feeling of impending doom. With a cold chill running down my back I decided that was enough lollygagging and I needed to get moving, to hopefully find that village I saw on the outskirts of the forest.
So not trying to think about the overwhelming pain I was about to put myself into, I started to fish around in my back pouch of my rig to find my Individual first aid kit. I got a role of gauze out, I opened it with my teeth and placed it between my legs. Putting a stick into my mouth, hey if it works in the movies there has to be some truth to it. I grabbed my pinky with left hand using my thumb as support against the joint. I breathed deeply, the pain in my side nothing to what will happen in just a moment. I braced myself and with on final deep breath I closed my eyes and yanked. Red hot pain shot all throughout my arm, I bit straight throw the twig and screamed out, and with a snap and a pop the small figure was seeded back in to place. I was I panting; sweat pouring from my brow my heart racing. Good god that hurt I thought to my self-fighting to calm myself down the cracked rib making sure I didn’t forget about him with every sharp intake of breath.
I finally managed to stop and compose myself, when a low almost inaudible growl from behind me. A stench like that of a mix of rotten eggs and over worn socks assaulted my noise. I turned to see a imposing form shaded but the dense canopy, slowly advancing in a low gliding crouch with glowing green eyes. The thing was about 4 feet tall, it looked like a dog a wolf, only it was made of wood an assortment of small twigs and large branches “oh crap”
I quickly rose to my feet trying to stay focused on what I was seeing. the creature moved closer its eyes fixed on me the low growl rumbling from its chest. Stepping back I reached up with my right hand and grabbed my knife from its sheath connected to the left support of my rig. I got the knife loose a nice 16 inch black tempered steal things, I griped in my hand the blade facing outwards and the sharp end facing my opponent,
With the sliest dip in the creatures stance it leaped forward, with out stretched legs with 3 inch wood claws that the end. with out any time to spare I went into a forward left roll, the claws missing my face by inches. I completed the roll on my feet and with out checking on the thing I started sprinting.
I was hard to maintain a full sprint, I had to constantly dodge low branches and stumps. Then a hot flash of pain in the left shoulder as the thing raked into me with its claws. The creature was in a forward jump when it got me; the force pushing me down to the ground. I hit the ground specks of blood hit and dripped down my face. I role over onto my back the to see its gaping mouth right over my head. It surly would have ripped my throat out if I had not jammed my left arm into its mouth instead. It was like a vice grip with fangs, the teeth ripped down to my bones, blood dripped from my arm onto my face as his head started to twist and rip. My knife jammed into the wooden throat of the beast, with all my might I twisted and broke several slivers of wood from it. The jaws released my arm to reveal a bloodied sleeve with bits of skin and muscle dangling loose, and a steady flow of dark red blood
The wood wolf stammered back it made a couple of raspy coughs and then just fell apart into a pile of twigs. I sat there dumbfounded not knowing what to make of it when the pain of fresh open wounds brought my attention to the urgency of the situation. I reached back to the small first aid kit, and this time grabbed a pack of quikclot. I spilled a bit of the powder when I ripped the pouch open. The powder burned but immediately began to congeal the blood stemming the flow. Then I took a hand full of the powder and haphazardly slapped it on my shoulder.
After catching my breath I put my knife back and stood up, as soon as I got to my feet I felt lightheaded. I stammered over to a large tree and leaned up against it. I pressed my back against the tree closed my eyes.
"Just s drop in blood pressure" I said aloud to myself. A rustling of leaves snapping a twigs and a couple of loud gowls, I opened my eyes the world still shaking to see three more wooden wolfs.
I let out a long sigh, I can't do this again and against three of them. "Hey fellas" I said to the hounds, "I promise you I don't taste very good and I am very chewy". The three wolfs obviously no perturbed by my wit slowly moved in for the kill.
Right before the lead wolf had a chance to pounce a booming impossible loud voice blew throw the trees "PRINCES TWILIGHT YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO ME!" The wood wolfs coward and fled from the voice. not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth I took off, pushing towards a thinning area of the forest. I could see the sky clearly now, The edge of the forest was straight ahead but also was something else. I was frozen in place to see what looked like a 60 foot giant centaur. Four massive legs connected to that of an enormous horse like body covered in black fur, Its upper half a very human looking body bulging with muscles, its arms blood red and a chest of black, a long face with massive fangs and on top of its head two huge bowing horns.
I could just stand there in awe at the sight before me, was this the thing that called out and scared the wooden dogs. Then an orb of orange and red light started forming between its horns and with a mighty scream that shook the earth a beam of light the same color of the orb shot forth toward an unseen target. The wind from the blast pushed me down and had be sprawled out on the ground leaving me breathless. It took me a few moments to recover, when I finally regained my composure enough to stand a purple beam of light from some wear in the distance slammed into the giant
The beam past right past the thing carving out 7 foot deep 15 foot wide trench in the forest not 50 feet to my right. The wind that was generated was strong enough to send me tumbling, throwing tinny pieces of wood shrapnel into me. once again I was flat on my rear, I had to move what ever was in the midst of the battling had little disregard for there surrounding
I began to run again but I was slowed by my body being just so battered, I could see streaks of light and hear explosions of the to things that were ducking it out behind me. At one point I saw the centaur jump up and fly throw the air. I wanted to watch the battle but I knew I would probably blown away if I did.
it seemed like an eternity of running, my lungs on fire my cracked rib was like a red hot knife in the side, when in the distant I saw a small house at the edge of the forest. it was far and I was hurt but something said if I could make it I would be fine. I was closing in a sense of safety lingered in the back of my mind, if I could only reach it. I looked back in time to see a union of orange and purple beams, and what looked like a nuke. The flash light blinding and the wind like that of a hurricane. Between the light in the wind I was caught off balanced and was sent head long into something hard to be met with darkness