Awakening A God Page 3

  Bursting out of the front door Alexander came across a scene he could only describe as hilarious. The man he feared in the study not moments ago was on top of a chair cowering from a skunk. The two men that were assigned to guard Richard quickly came over and ushered the animal away. When he finally climbed down from his chair and straightened his tie attempting to regain some of his demeanor his face took on a 'not a word' look. He haughtily walked to his car without saying another word and got in followed by his guards. The car quickly escaped from view along with another car taking the men who had been guarding the demon boys for the duration of their stay. Finally, they were allowed out when they were about to be deployed. Wonderful.

  The rest of the demon boys came strolling out of the house moments later, Nathaniel had a triumphant grin on his face. Alexander placed a hand on his hip and brought the other to his face as he sighed. He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and pointer finger. In his mind he could only imagine what the mastermind of all the pranks did.

  "Nate..." Alexander started calmly. "What did you do?"

  "I went fishing." Nate said with a wry grin.

  "Dare I ask what that even means?"

  "He filled their trunk to the brim with fish." Antonio said in his monotone.

  "They will soon be in a fishy situation." Nate felt he deserved a pat on the back for his joke.

  "I do not even want to know how or why. Just go get your shit packed. We're getting deployed." With that Alexander left to go collect his things.

  “Wait, what about my joke?” Nate called as the others entered the house. He followed behind quickly. “Seriously guys, that was a good one!”

  Chapter 3:

  Alexander and his men arrived on a military airfield in an armored vehicle. While there was no real threat to their lives, the man called Richard decided it would be safer this way. Stepping foot outside the vehicle Alexander immediately noticed a crowd of reporters at the gates attempting to get a look at the modern-day heroes, the Demon Boys.

  Scanning along the line of people Alexander's eyes locked on one man. He was clad in a suit and seemed to be staring right at him, yet as Alexander blinked his eyes the man seemed to disappear into the crowd. He wished he could chalk it up to imagination, but Richard's words of warning about being watched rang in his head. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand as if countless unseen eyes were on him.

  Nate broke his trance by putting his arm around his shoulders. “You know, sometimes I feel like I’d do better outside of the service than inside now,” he said. "I was thinking interviews, movies, book deals."

  “Nate, we all know you can't read,” replied Alexander with a smile, causing everyone to laugh.

  “I can read," Nate protested as the other began to walk away. "No, seriously guys, I can."

  The Demon Boys were told that they were the only ones left to transport to the new base in Mexico. They had an osprey waiting for them and, additionally they would be receiving a new member. The military in recent years had undergone several changes and thus changing the way platoons are broken up. A platoon consisted of roughly 30 men, further breaking down into fire teams of four to six men each. Each team had a commander in charge, Alexander was his, and since they joined together, and knew someone very influential, they managed to stay together all through training and into deployment. During their assignment stage, no other available men were able to bring their strength to a full six, but apparently that was to be partially corrected today.

  “Hey guys look,” Trent pointed, gesturing to someone walking up the ramp of the osprey the Demon Boys waited on.

  Upon seeing Alexander, the boy quickly dropped his pack and snapped to attention and saluted. “Private James Conner, reporting sir!” He announced loudly causing laughs from the three men behind Alexander.

  "I think someone is star-truck. Just look at the admiration on that kids face." Nate mocked.

  “Don’t give me that sir shit. We’re all just soldiers getting dropped into the same hell as far as I'm concerned now. Do so only in front of superiors,” Alexander replied. Antonio caught the slight anger in the remark but said nothing. Alexander seemed cold to the military since the visit of the man who gave them their orders. The others hadn’t noticed, but even though they were all best friends, brothers even, Antonio and Alexander were the closest.

  “Yes s…” Alexander’s raised fist stopped him from finishing the phrase.

  “Good, how old are you by the way you look all of about 12?”

  “17, just got out of boot camp and they slated my schooling for after this deployment for some reason. When I heard I was being sent down with the Demon Boys I was amazed. You guys are legends!”

  “Nothing legendary about slaughtering men,” Antonio said before closing his eyes and putting his head back, seeming to fall asleep.

  “Don’t know about him, but I’m quite legendary and amazing,” Nate gloated.

  Alexander and the others quickly settled down in their seats for their journey to the new base and as soon as they did so the order was given for them to head out. The osprey shot down the runway almost as soon as the order was given, apparently Richard was in a hurry to get the Demon Boys down to the base. It bumped and rumbled down its path, the noise from the plane was very disconcerting to the new guy, James. He sat with his head down staring intently at the floor. Alexander felt sorry for the boy sitting next to him.

  Turning to James, Alexander spoke. “You look sick, don’t hurl on me.”

  “Never was good with planes, sir,” he stated in a monotone without lifting his head.

  “Just wait ‘till we have to jump out.”

  James’s head shot up at that with fear in his eyes.

  “Ha! I’m kidding; they’ll land this thing before we get out. No jumping.”

  “Unless something goes wrong,” Nate said, smiling at the look of distress he received from the James.

  After what seemed like an eternity the osprey landed in a base surrounded by dense forestry. There were no roads leading outward and a high wall surrounding the entire base with barbed wire on top showed they would admit no one. Sniper towers were set at regular intervals and two thick metal doors closed off two openings on opposite sides of each other. along with; three barrack houses, a chow hall, medical center, command center, armory, and a vehicle depot along with a landing area for supply shipments. It looked more like a prison than a military base.

  The Demon Boys filed out after landing and headed toward the barracks, James seemed to sprint, thankful he was on the ground. They looked around as they walked to gauge the situation. The place seemed deserted. The men turned back to watch as the osprey began to take off once again without waiting.

  “Looks like they won’t be coming back for some time,” Alexander stated.

  “Seems more like a prison to me,” Nate spat.

  Trent swatted at a bug. “Oh, hell yeah, this is gonna be so fun,” he said sarcastically.

  Alexander began walking off toward the command center while the other went on to the barracks hoping to find people. Inside the command center there were only two people, a secretary and, surprisingly, the general Alexander had seen on TV. After the general saw him he quickly ushered him into his office.

  "Welcome, Alexander. My name is General Stevens. No need for military decorum here, we both know why you're here. Richard, the preening prick, sent you here for your secret mission. That bastard has been up my ass for more years than I care to remember. Short story is, I slept with his wife, unknowing that she was married, and the bastard has never let me go. So, I'm stuck here in this godforsaken place to wait for you to find some little shit playing hide-n-seek in the forest. We're are a bare boned base. We have 90 people, not including you new arrivals. The sooner you find the man you are after, the sooner I get out of here. So, be quick about it, clear?"

  Alexander was surprised this man, a general, was in Richard's pocket as well. So, it looked like even here he would be watched, he would h
ave to carry out the mission regardless though. "Yes, sir. I will get on that immediately. I do not want to stay here a moment longer than needed."

  "Good, you set off on your first patrol tomorrow. Dismissed."

  Alexander lay in his bunk tossing a baseball back and forth to Antonio, who was across the room. Due to the way the base was built no one was able to get individual rooms, not even officers, but rather an elongated room with more beds than necessary was given to the demon boys, an entire barrack hall. So, there was little entertainment to be had and an entire day passed with little happening.

  Trent and Nate walked in from exploring the entire base the day after they arrived. While the other troops had orders, the demon boys seemed to have nothing to do while waiting for their patrols.

  “This base is almost completely empty compared to its size,” Trent complained scratching his neck.

  “The general said it was operating at bare minimum." Alexander said.

  “By the way, here,” Trent said tossing a packet onto Alexander’s bed.

  “Oh, yay. Thanks so much for bringing orders.” With a sigh, Alex laid back and opened the pack to remove the orders. After reading them quickly he looked at the others. "Like I said, we have a patrol today." The other groaned at the news they had to enter the forest.

  Antonio, Trent, James and Nate stood outside the barracks waiting for their fire team commander. He stepped out not too long after the others and quickly assumed his command role.

  “We’ll be traveling light. We don’t expect to run into any issues and don’t want to worry anyone that may see us. It may be a forested but you are never sure.” Alexander announced and with a sigh continued, “Tony… where did you get the rocket launcher?”

  “Found it in the armory,” Antonio replied.

  “Where did you get a key to the armory?”

  “Found it”

  “Where did you… you know what, don’t tell me. Go put it back, we won’t need it.”

  “Says you.”

  “Yes, I say, so put it back before you hurt yourself and meet us at the East gate.”

  The jungle closed in around them not far from the base. The air became stagnant and dreadfully unbearable. Sweat clung to the men’s uniforms as they trudged on. Thick trees with heavy canopies blocked most of the sun covering them in shade, but the humidity made it feel like an oven. So thick were places that several times they had to stop to hack through them. The going was slow and the men tired easily.

  Many complaints arose about why they would be given orders to take such a path, all quickly silenced by ‘shut up and move’ or ‘stop being a baby’. After over two hours on the move the team came upon a shallow river in a small ravine. Alexander gave orders to refill canteens and take a quick rest before they headed back.

  Alexander was looking at the surroundings while the others splashed water on their faces and cooled off. The area around the ravine was covered with trees, but inside near the river there was nothing. “This would be a perfect spot for an ambush,” he surmised.

  As if on cue several men dressed in sweat stained clothing popped out from behind the trees with weapons trained on the Demon Boys. The men were mostly supplied with Ak-47s and an assortment of small arms, but some had heavy weapons. Quickly the Demon Boys followed in kind raising their weapons and a shouting match began. A voice rose above the others silencing the crowd.

  A man stepped from the crowd. He wore a tattered button up shirt, torn jeans and combat boots. “Callete ahora! Shut Up!” He yelled above everyone. With another quick order his men lowered their weapons.

  Alexander raised his head and eyed the man. “Stand down,” he told the Demon Boys. They looked at him with reluctance but eventually gave in.

  "I am Manuel Valentino,” His accent was not as thick as Alexander was expecting, and his English was quite well spoken, his tone, welcoming. In reaction to the name the Demon Boys guns shot back up quickly followed by the ambushers and the yelling began again.

  “Stand down!” Alexander yelled. Slowly all the guns lowered again and an eerie silence fell upon the ravine broken by the trickle of water. Alexander decided to break the silence, “My name is Lance Corporal Alexander Grayson Cooper of the United States...”

  “Aha!" A spark of recognition lit up Manuel's face as he interrupted Alexander. "I see, so what we have here must be the infamous Demon Boys!”

  There were murmurs through the crowd, many did not know English, but the name seemed well known. Clearly everyone had heard of them as they now eyed them uneasy.

  “I see you know us.”

  “Who doesn’t?”

  “I suppose you’re right. I was actually looking for you, Manuel. I have order to bring you in, quietly if possible. We cannot have a rebel lurking so near to our base. Would you kindly come with us?"

  “Ha. Is that what they told you? I am no anti-government rebel. I don’t lead those fools in the revolt, my name does. The government is using it to create uproar to lead me out, get me captured. Why? Simple my friend, I have something the government wants, and they will do anything to get it.”

  “Interesting, I was told that by the man who gave this mission.” The Demon Boys stirred uneasy at hearing the truth behind their coming here. "What could be so important that all this is necessary to capture you?"

  Manuel stroked his well-manicured goatee in thought, “Maybe I will show you, if the Demon Boys sway in my favor perhaps we can stop the senseless bloodshed,” he said.

  “Oh yeah and that doesn’t sound like a trap at all,” Nate said mockingly.

  “It most likely is,” Trent whispered.

  "We should not listen to this guy," James cut in.

  “I miss Betsy,” Antonio said staring at the ground as if zoned out from what was going on around him.

  Alexander ignored his men. "Why would we go with you?

  “I say we go with him, but in return I get that,” Antonio said pointing to a man’s RPG.

  “Are you kidding me…”

  “Deal.” Manuel said. He gestured to the heavyset man with the RPG and gave a quick order. He reluctantly walked down to Antonio.

  “Her name is Maria, treat her well.” He said in a thick accent. Antonio took the RPG in his hands and cradled it like a baby.

  Alexander’s head dropped and he massaged the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said.

  “Come,” Manuel gestured, “It’s this way.”

  Several more hours of hiking through thick jungle was exhausting, before too long Alexander had lost all orientation and felt like they were traveling in circles. Sweat beaded down his forehead and he wiped it with his sleeve. If this kept up much longer they would never make it back before dark.

  Manuel called for a halt and everyone drank from their canteens sparingly. He called Alexander aside to speak with him. “It’s about fifteen more minutes my friend. Tell your men to touch nothing,” he said.

  “Will do, but honestly this better be worth my time. I’ve dragged my men too far and disobeyed orders for it to end up being nothing. Especially considering those orders were to not even speak to you.” He bluffed knowing full well they could’ve been slaughtered in the ravine, or even taken here with little issue, even with their weapons which they were allowed to keep.

  “Oh, trust me; what you see will change your world.”

  “Then let’s get moving.”

  Not long after their conversation they reached a large hill. It was covered in grass and moss with rocky sides jutting out. Antonio eyed the large structure and surmised, “It’s a manmade hill,” he said.

  “This part is manmade yes, but inside…” replied Manuel marveling the structure as if he had just seen it for the first time.

  He led the way inside via a small passage that was not noticeable until you were upon it. It led into a tight tunnel that slowly sloped downward. It was a small structure causing all the men to stoop low. All the while Manuel was expla
ining its history to Alexander.

  “In the time of the ancients this land was rich and powerful. The peoples of the land worshipped many gods. Miracles had been witnessed and belief was strong. However, one day the miracles stopped. More sacrifices than ever were given to the gods, but they fell on deaf ears. At least that’s what the people believed.

  I was born into a secret society designated to protect this burial mound. We were searching the area to the south when they came upon it, archeologists. When they found what was inside…. they shared their finds with the government who immediately wanted to know where it was. Before they could divulge the information, we attacked. We killed the archeologists to keep the secret safe.”

  “Brutal, so far you have yet to sway my favor. In fact, currently I’m more against you than with you.” Alexander said, his finger subconsciously stroking the trigger of his rifle.

  “Your honesty is appreciated, but I think your mind will change in my favor shortly.” If Manuel noticed the gesture he did not let on.

  They entered a large burial chamber after a few minutes of navigating tunnels. It was dull grey all around them and large pillars formed a pathway leading to a glowing chamber imbedded in the wall. All around them were symbols none of them had ever seen before. The walls were lit by torchlight and they seemed to shine.

  Antonio was kneeling on the floor running his hand back and forth, “It’s metal.” He said.

  “Sí, yes, the entire chamber is made of metal.” Manuel stated as much in awe as the others.

  Alexander entered the chamber and as soon as he did lines on the floor began to glow blue. The room began to light up in a pulsating blue glow following lines along the wall.

  “What’s going on?” Alexander questioned stopping in his tracks.

  “I have no idea, this is the first time this has happened.” Manuel touched the wall, “It’s warm, what did you do?” he accused.