For those who serve in secret
Even through Prisoner Number
1442 lay wracked in indescribable pain stuffed in a six by three by two feet
concrete box with an inch-thick iron lid fastened with shackles covering the
entire top with only three air holes located somewhere in a god-forsaken desert
in a small village where shouts of angry men and grunts of camels were all to
be heard, he refused to die. His dreams did not cease, and his hope never
failed hm. Perhaps more importantly, his faithful memories sustained him even
when delirium would invade his consciousness. The splattering of his blood
during horrific hours of inhumane torture reminded him of a red rose in his
mother’s garden so many long years ago when he was young and wholly innocent of
geo-political intrigues.
He wanted to pick one perfect red rose for
his mother to place in the old vase which she kept so carefully on the mantle
above the fireplace.
He cut the red rose with a long stem,
removing the thorns so that his mother would not be pricked, early one morning.
The dew on the rose made the fragrance even more enhanced.
He took it into the kitchen lean-to where his
mother was making biscuits for breakfast. When he gave it to her, she hugged
him tightly with her floured hands and thanked him over and over.
She poured water from the drinking bucket
into her old vase and carefully placed the red rose on the mantle above the
fireplace in the log cabin.
The red rose lasted, with its pervading
fragrance, for many days.
He had been given an almost
impossible assignment: he was to infiltrate a large terrorist cell; assassinate
the cell’s leader and his chief lieutenant; seize computer files; and leave
undetected back to the one square kilometer pickup zone which was approximately
20 kilometers away from the cell’s encampment. The satellite photos he had
carefully memorized clearly showed the size of the compound, the heavily
guarded perimeter, the mud brick building where the targets and computers were,
and the two small villages between the drop-off and his destination. The houses
of the villages were simple abodes. Each village had a water well around which
dogs lay.
The hand-dug well supplied his family with
abundant water year-round. Everyone took their turn at drawing a bucket of
water for the house. The water was clear and cold. Milk and cream from their
Jersey cow were lowered into the well until they just touched the cold water.
Without electricity this was their refrigeration
When his mother did the weekly washing, many
buckets had to be drawn in order to fill the outdoor wash pot under which a
fire was built to heat the cold water of the well. All would help her empty the
hot water into a wash tub where his mother would laboriously clean the patched
jeans, shirts, and other items with a rub board.
The cleaned clothes would then be rinsed in a
smaller wash tub and hung out to dry on the clothes line. Being dried outside
even on cloudy days, imbued their laundry with a fresh fragrance.
The helicopter used to drop him
off had advanced noise-cancelling equipment both for the rotors and engine; it
had flown low from its base some 200 kilometers away without being seen or
heard. The landing was soft and uneventful – and on time at 12:30 a.m. The crew
said nothing as he exited the ship. He did not watch as it flew silently away.
By the time it had gained its low operating altitude, he had already sprinted
almost a kilometer into the moonless desert toward the first village. He had to
get past both villages during the very early morning when all would be
sleeping, and the night’s temperature in the desert caused the inhabitants to
sleep deeply.
The fireplace and cook stove were the only
sources of heat in the full-of-wind-entering cracks in their house during cold
winters. Ice always formed in the drinking bucket overnight where a
long-handled dipper for communal use was placed. Only after the embers in the
fireplace and cook stove were used to start the day’s fires would the ice melt.
He was armed with a
well-silenced Uzi pistol with a large magazine and a 12-inch sheathed knife.
Both were fastened tightly around his waist and tied to his thighs so that
there would be no movement of either as he ran relentlessly toward his target.
He wore black form-fitting
pants and shirt both of which had no pockets. He shoes were ankle length,
lightweight and also black. He knew he had to move quickly and quietly taking
advantage of the darkness and the early hours of the day. His night vision
goggles helped him immensely. He had to be at the compound by 2:30 a.m. He had
been given one hour to infiltrate and two hours to return to the landing zone.
The two small villages would
have to be skirted cautiously, even though there would be no armed patrols near
them, because of the constant presence of dogs. He hoped they would be asleep
lying around the wells of the two villages near the drinking troughs.
He easily ran past the first
village without being noticed. By the time he had gone past the second village he noticed that the morning’s
cooking fires had not yet begun; so, he knew the inhabitants were still asleep.
The wood-burning cook stove in the small
lean-to attached to the log cabin served the family of five both as a stove where
simple but filling meals were cooked and as a heating source.
The lean-to was used as a kitchen and dining
area. In the small room was a round pedastalled wooden table around which were
three old cane-bottomed chairs where his mother, brother, and sister sat. He
and his father sat on a home-made bench fashioned from a one inch thick by one
foot wide by six feet long slab gotten from the local sawmill.
The table was also used as a place where his
mother would prepare meals and wash dishes in a wash pan after meals. It
additionally was where he did his homework in the evenings.
He knew from the sat photos
that, approximately 50 meters from the compound, there would be two armed
guards in each quadrant around the entire area. There would be in addition two
armed guards at the door of the target. There would also be as usual several
dogs by the well which was about 30 meters form the entrance of the house.
As he approached the eastern
quadrant, he slowed down to a careful, quiet, and measured walk. He became
acutely aware of what was on the parched ground. He could make no noise which
might arouse the two-armed guards who were about 20 meters apart. He found
them, as he thought, sound asleep. He waited only a few minutes observing them
before moving silently toward the empty space around the building.
He knew that the empty space
would be the most difficult part of his approach. The area around the target’s
house was devoid of everything with the exception of four scrub bushes somehow
living in the dried soil. He quickly noticed that the three dogs were asleep
near the well. With the exception of the rustling of the tethered camels, there
were no sounds anywhere.
He began his slow and cautious
move across the barren space being especially certain he did not step on
anything which might make a sound. The dogs were to his left about 20 meters
away. They remained asleep as he took in the sight of the two-armed guards.
They were about 10 meters each from either side of the door. They were slumped
over asleep with their backs against the wall of the house. Their AK-47s were
propped at arm’s length against the house.
Both guards were young and very
thin. He did not want to kill them. They had been conscripted into a thankless
job. They would remain as guards until they were captured, killed, or dismissed
by the leader. He knew they had little hope for a good future. He wanted them
to remain asleep as he approached the door.
The house was a low-slung
square building perhaps three meters high made of large rocks and small stones
over which was a dirt plaster which had faded to a bland brown which caused the
small and windowless house to blend well with its surrounding. He knew from
memory the landmarks of the façade of the house. What the sat photos did not
reveal, however, was the stench of urine and feces near the building.
The door was about two meters
high and perhaps one and a half meters wide. It was made of wood with metal
bracings running diagonally across the door. There was no latch or handle on
it. There were four wide leather hinges which supported the door. It could be
opened from the outside only by pushing on it. There were openings at the top
and bottom the width of the door of about five centimeters.
He was now very thankful for
his night vision goggles. He silently was thankful for the invention. He could
see the two guards and, if they had been awake, could not see him. Both were
snoring and looked helpless. Their snoring would cover any creaks of the door
when he opened it.
When he and his brother were nine and ten
years old, they decided to walk approximately seven kilometers through the
dense forest; cross a small stream; and approach their grandparents’ house
through a field of wild sunflowers. They wanted to see if they could walk
without disturbing any wildlife and eventually surprising their grandparents.
The route they chose included two steep hills
on each side of the stream. They knew that squirrels, rabbits, birds, and
perhaps a deer or two would be along their path. They would have to walk
cautiously if they were to make the trip without the wildlife noticing them.
Going down one slippery hill, crossing the
stream, and going up the opposite slippery hill was difficult, but they managed
well and did not disturb any wildlife.
As he and his brother approached the clearing
outside of the woods and just before the field of wild sunflowers, they noticed
a doe with her fawn feeding perhaps 30 meters from them. The animals were in
their direct path. They waited patiently without moving until the doe and fawn
went back into the sheltering woods.
They then crossed the clearing and went into
the field of wild sunflowers. The fragrance of the leaves and the buzzing of
various bees filled their senses as they moved through the field toward the gate
opening into their grandparents’ yard. They opened the gate without making any
noise, and were able to cross the yard to the porch where their grandfather was
sitting without being noticed.
He moved silently and swiftly
to the door. He hoped the opening of it would make no sound. He pushed on the
door, and it barely made a sound. He opened it enough so that he could both
enter and leave easily.
The interior of the windowless
room was surprisingly cool; however, the odors of sweat, urine, and cigarette smoke
were truly fetid. The laptop computer was on a small table near the target’s
cot. The room was utterly devoid of anything one might expect in a well-used
living quarter.
The target was lying on his
back with his right arm bent above his bearded face and unkempt hair. His left
arm was down by his side. His lieutenant was lying on his side with his arms
bent near his bearded face. Both were snoring and sound asleep.
He unholstered his Uzi pistol
and shot the target in the center of his forehead. He died immediately making
no sound. He shot the lieutenant in his temple. The only sound he made was a
slight and harsh intake of breath.
He reholstered his Uzi pistol.
He quickly placed the laptop in his black tote bag leaving through the opening of
the door silently. The two young guards and the dogs were still asleep.
From the moment he opened the
door until he left took less than 15 seconds.
When he was 15, his mother asked him to go
squirrel hunting so that the family would have meat for supper. He took his
single shot 22 caliber Remington rifle with one shell chambered and one more in
the pocket of his jeans. He wore his well-used engineer boots. He wanted to go
to a large group of oak trees with lots of acorns which he knew from experience
the squirrels would be eating.
In order to get there, he had to traverse a craggy
outcrop of flat and loose rocks which not only would make his footing difficult
but also harbor lizards and other creatures which would startle less
knowledgeable hunters. He had gone up almost to the top when he heard before
seeing it a coiled timber rattlesnake ready to strike his left foot about a
meter away.
He stopped and did not move until he knew
where to place his feet back a few steps. He then chambered his shell and shot
the rattlesnake in the head. While it was writhing, he quickly went around the
area until he had reached the top.
He went quietly toward the stand of
acorn-laden oak trees stopping only to chamber his remaining shell. Soon he saw
a squirrel silhouetted on a limb perhaps 20 meters high. He shot it cleanly
through its head, and was able to return home with the evening’s meat for his
family.
He left the compound retracing
the path he had entered it. He went through the same quadrant and found the two
guards still sound asleep. He was able to leave the area totally undetected. He
knew, however, that he had to get past the two villages before he could begin to
relax mentally.
He sprinted toward the far
outskirts of the nearest village being very careful not to go close to it even
though doing so would save him precious time. So far, he was ahead of the
well-planned schedule. His being at the LZ slightly before his pick-up would
greatly assist the chopper’s crew. Everyone depended on his elusive abilities
to carry out the very detailed operation.
He went past the first
village’s guards and dogs without incident. As he continued to sprint toward
the far outskirts of the second village, he knew there could be someone awake.
Though the momentary temptation to go far outside his path was great, he knew
that doing that would add too much time to his arrival and cause him to be late
for the pick-up. It had been scheduled down to the minute, and any deviation
from that would put all at risk. He continued sprinting along the same way he
had come in. With his night vision goggles, he was able to see clearly any
obstacles in his way.
Part of the well-rehearsed plan
was for him to observe, find, and use any places where he could conceal
separately his black tote bag with the important laptop and his Uzi pistol,
knife, and goggles in the event he was discovered. It was vitally important
that he could carry out these actions even as potential captors were
approaching.
He saw as he came near the
second village that the two guards had moved. This could mean anything from
their going to the well for a drink to expanding their patrol radius. He knew
he had to be very vigilant to sounds and movements the guards might make. He
also began taking close notice of depressions where he could place and cover
his very valuable possessions.
Suddenly he heard dogs barking,
and then saw one of the guards 30 or so meters to his left. He was much more
concerned about the dogs than the guard who could not see him in the darkness.
He could outrun the guard; but the dogs would rapidly overtake him and attack
him. He decided to continue sprinting hoping the dogs would have difficulty
sniffing his presence in the breezeless early morning.
The other guard now appeared
perhaps 40 meters directly in front of him. Both guards were moving slowly in a
vector toward him without realizing that he was in their vicinity. The dogs
were jumping about between the moving guards barking loudly in their frustration
at not being able to smell anything out of the ordinary.
Even though he was more than three-quarters
of the way past the village, he knew he could never avoid the dogs. The guards
were stumbling in the complete darkness and would miss him if not for the dogs.
While he hoped for the best, he knew that getting away from the dogs would be
almost impossible. When the dogs found him, the guards would quickly arrive.
He would now have to hide
quickly and well what he had with him. He remembered a depression a few meters
back where he could place the tote bag with the laptop. He turned; found the
depression; put the tote bag in it; and placed flat rocks over them. To his
right 10 meters away was a small but long pile of sand where he dug a hole
large enough to put the Uzi pistol, knife, and goggle in. He covered them as
best as he could. He then sprinted faster than before to the right of the
second guard who by now had closed the distance to about 20 meters. The first
guard had fallen and was trying to get up all the while urging the dogs to run
ahead of him toward the second guard.
He knew he would be unable to
outrun the pack of dogs even with his track speed. When they attacked him, two
of the dogs clamped down on his legs while the other three immediately jumped
on his back pulling him down. They were relentless in their attack, and did not
cease even when the two guards began beating him with their stubby AK-47s.
Barely conscious, he felt the
tethering ropes being tied to his arms above his wrists. The two guards began
pulling him on his back toward the village. As soon as they got him to the
village, men came out and began beating him on his face, chest, stomach, and
legs with the hardened prodding sticks used to direct their camels and donkeys.
Before he mercifully lost
consciousness, he heard excited and angry shouts that the leader and his helper
had been killed. This caused even more vicious beatings. What he could not have
known because he became unconscious is that he was dragged on his back while
being beaten and stabbed all the way to the compound. There he was dumped into
the concrete coffin to rot in the suffocating heat lying in his blood.
When he was a senior in high school, he was
the basketball’s team leader in rebounds, assists, steals, and second in
points. He also had a 97.3 percent from the free throw line. His team, because
of its outstanding record of 19-0, had been invited to an at-large invitational
tournament where all classifications would be playing.
With six seconds remaining in the
championship game and with his team one point behind, he got a defensive
rebound. As he came down, he was elbowed in the face which split his lower lip
and also caused him to bite his tongue. As he bent over still clutching his
rebound, a player from the other team kneed him in his lower posterior causing him
to fall to the gym’s floor. A third player pretending he was stumbling kicked
him in his solar plexus.
He was given a one and one. His coach wanted
to remove him from the game because of his injuries, but he adamantly said no
knowing that none of the reserves could make the free throws. With blood
flowing off his chin and the pain from the kicks coursing through his body, he
made the first free throw which tied the game. He then sank the second one
which won for his tiny high school (19 in his graduating class) the invitational
tournament. The trophy and his MVP trophy still remain in the school’s trophy
case.
His team won because he refused to quit. This
characteristic was with him his entire life.
When he did not return to the
designated pick-up area, a coordinated series of search and rescue plans were put
together. He had to be rescued or his body retrieved along with the important
laptop. New sat photos – well-enlarged – were made; a cruise missile was
programmed to the coordinates of the compound; jet fighters were on high alert
stand-by; a unit of the Delta Force would be inserted in a heavily armed Black
Hawk copter with a medic on board.
On the 53rd hour of
his entombment dying from loss of blood and lack of water, a cruise missile
slammed into the compound followed by strafing runs by the jets. Soon the Black
Hawk landed with the Delta Force unit laying down a suppressing and merciless
blanket of heavy fire.
He was jarred into
consciousness from his delirium by the unmistakable sounds of the attack.
Pieces of shrapnel and rocks rained on and against the concrete coffin which,
ironically, now protected him. His tortured body was willed by his mind and
spirit to remain calm. He knew he would eventually be rescued.
As he fought to remain conscious,
he thought he heard the shackles of the top being unlocked. Slowly with grating
sounds, the top was pushed open at the end where his swollen head was. Finally,
the top was pushed open about a third of the way in a diagonal. For the first
time since he was thrown into the coffin, he smelled air that was not fetid
with the odors of his lacerated body.
Then the face of what he
thought must have been an angel appeared in the opening staring at him without
saying a word. It was, in fact, the face of a young boy perhaps 12 years old.
The boy showed mercy and strength far beyond his age. He then disappeared.
He wanted more than anything to
summon his remaining strength and will to overcome the pain of his beaten body
and pull himself out of the coffin. He managed with great difficulty to get one
arm up to the edge and move his body so that he could begin pulling himself up
one painful inch at a time. When he had turned enough to get his other arm onto
the edge, he attempted to move his torso. He was unable to pull his torso up at
first because of the indescribable pain.
With great difficulty he
finally was able to sit up in the opening. Using his last bit of strength and
will he pull his body up and out of the coffin. As his body passed over the
edge, he fell out screaming in pain from his broken ribs. He then blacked out.
When he regained consciousness, he began to pull himself on the ground one inch
by agonizing inch.
He had pulled his tortured body
about three meters when he became aware of someone bending over him saying that
he is safe now because we are here. He remembered attempting to tell the figure
that the laptop was in his black tote bag in a depression near the first
village. He remembered little else of his rescue until he was in a hospital
many hours later.
When he was growing up, he attended Sunday
school in a one-room country church. On Sunday mornings he and a few other boys
would take two old hand-made benches out of the building and place them under
the tall pine trees in the unmown grass near the church. There ticks from the
roaming cows would crawl up their legs. It was often difficult to pay attention
to the old lady who taught them the Sunday school lessons.
One Sunday stood out, however, in his memory
because of what the old lady, full of experience and knowledge, told the boys.
Even though her dentures sounded like castanets clapping, her lesson this time
made a profound impression on him.
She told the boys in a firm but kind manner
that they would face problems in their lives from which there would seem to be
no way out. She explained that they would likely encounter people who would be
angels of whom they would not be aware who would help them.
She ended her lesson by saying slowly that
God promised in Isaiah that He would cut in sunder the bars of iron which might
occur in their lives. He never forgot that.
It was determined in the
hospital that he had suffered seven broken ribs, lacerated liver and spleen,
deep muscle contusions in his thighs and arms, and many other injuries. His
black tote bag with the laptop and his Uzi pistol, knife, and goggles were
retrieved.
His hope and his memories and
his strength never failed him. He was successful in his assignment because he
refused to give up.
W. Blaine Wheeler
I am a Phi Beta Kappa
graduate of the University of Arkansas with degrees in languages and
comparative literature. I have traveled extensively in eastern and western
Europe, the Middle East, and Mexico.
Tags:
Short Fiction