'Nam

A Story by Patrick_B4

A tale of what dwells beneath our feet, beyond the dense greenery of the jungle, and within the confides of our minds.

Log. #184. July 28, 1969

The impenetrable, steel hull of this carrier ship does not provide me with comfort or a sense of security. The horrors beyond my confides would be no formidable foe to what I have seen back in country. That cruel, humid land is the most befitting land for the unknown devils of this world to reside in. Those remote and isolated lands are the havens of things that no man can conjure or even hope to comprehend...

I fear that not even I can continue living knowing what exists in the dark, hellish corners of this Earth.

NOW that I know what lies on the outisde of this cold steel prison.
NOW that I know what monstrositys runs ammuck in our seemingly calm world.
NOW that I have experienced evil incarnate, I can find not a trace of hope for any man that walks upon this cold world.

I hope these transcripts can serve as more than the ramblings of a madman and instead as warning for men to heed... no.. not warning.. that is not what this is. This is my message to anyone who reads this.

There is no hope. ----

We trekked through the jungle for 3 days with no contact. To Locate and Destroy a group of Viet Cong combatants was our mission leaving men like me frightened and the dense. over-confident soldiers exuberant. 3 days of expecting every step you take to be your last, whether it be due to a booby trap, a slithery beast, or a malaria infested mosquito. Little did I know at the time but these beast should have been the least of anyone's concern.

On the 4th day we made contact, not with the enemy, but a half-razed village. The ground of this seemingly pillaged village was littered with Kalashnikovs, ammo belts, and the dead.

"F****n' animals" remarked some of the soldiers "Those Viet Cong apes did this!"

Body's of children and mothers lay on the ground intertwined as they had been in their final moments. The elderly were sprawled out on the blood-soaked earth clutching their canes. What no one took into account was how they had died. No bullet holes? Their throats were unslit? Broken necks and blunt force was the blow administered to all these villagers?
"They wouldn't waste their time killing them with the butt of their rifles.. and why are there so many abandoned rifles?"

The officers all convened on what to do given our situation. After their discussion they made the announcement.

"C'mon boy, we're headin' and finding the little yellow b******s that did this!"

Their words were met with cheers from the fool hardy and from internal sighs from men like myself. More days in this humid hell.. more chances that we'll die.. those were my only worries. Leaving the village I passed an old man collapsed on the ground who was sputtering words from his scratchy, dried throat. As I knelt to his eyes level with my canteen opened and grasped my shirt collar. This decrepit man peered in my eyes and said "con quy.. CON QUY" A wide-eyed South Vietnamese soldier approached and with the butt of his rifle struck the old man wrist, causing his release. I staggered back still observing this man of pure insanity. The SV soldier with rifle raised to the man began screaming at the insane elder. His words carried with them a certain repetition.they sounded prayer-like.. a hymn of some sort.I continued on my way.. this.. this is what I'm fighting for?

2 more days of wandering through the jungle battling branches and fighting to keep my own sanity until we finally arrived at our unknown destination. A cavern on the side a mountain of otherworldly size. This enormous cave exerted an aroma of death..and decay. We all stood silent peering into the black abyss before us. Even our "men of war" had nothing to say in regards to the void.

We all knew the next step.. "Alright men, move slowly and watch your feet..I'm not dying because one of your dumbasses step on a booby trap". So began our venture into a literal hell on earth. We creeped into the mouth of the cave taking so few steps a minute if felt if no progress was being made. Only looking back at the entrance could we comprehend how far we had travel. Before long the entrance was the size a candle light. Hardly a glimmer across the dark expanse of the cave.

We all crept slower and slower...as our surroundings became darker. A sudden call to halt left our hearts attempting to escape from our chest. Beating hearts and heavy breathing echoed off the cold, dark walls. A single torch illuminated the path ahead of us. Nothing but an endless darkness was ahead of us..no trace of anything was in our way.

Then we heard it. A sound that has echoed in my brain for all my days since.
A cry of pain and anguish pierced through the soul of every man. The mixture of dying deer and the roar of carnivorous beast I could not even imagine. The noise left us motionless, paralyzed by the screech of something we could not see. We all stared.. unblinking into the never-ending darkness. Dread overcame us all, accompanying our fear. Again our body's were struck by the voice of what seemed like the devil himself and it was closer...much closer.

"RUN!" bellowed our officer "RUN! NOW!" The second command left is sprinting in pure terror. Nervous, heavy breathing, my heartbeat in my ears, heavy footed steps and the jingling of our packs was all I could hear. The beast of the void once more made its presence know. A scream from a man now accompanied those of the beast... and a second..then a third man. Someone in their terrorized state fired frantic, target less rounds in the ceiling leaving billed bouncing all over the interior of our dark to-be grave. The entrance light grew bigger and bigger while my lung stung more and more within my chest. "Go..Go..Go.." That was the only words running through my head. Men continued to scream and new voices began crying for their mothers. Who was left..? What was happening..? "Just go.. Run.. Run.. Run" my legs became numb and chest was a blaze.. but I finally breach the mouth of the cave into the light. I readied my rifle and lock on to the entrance waiting for the beast of this void the after the men...but no one came. The voices of all the men were silent..footsteps could no longer be heard..their rifles had fell silent. I stood paralyzed with my finger cemented to the trigger.

A snarl of unearthly voices escaped from the cavern..my eyes fixed widely on the hole in the side of the mountain. Whispers emerged.."cậu bé chạy...cậu bé chạy"
The words I could not decipher.. but I knew what they must mean since I was not already dead. I ran for days through jungle, abandoning my supplies. "run..run..run..don't stop..run"

7 days of travel and I was found by a patrol burrowed in earth to the side a tree with eyes open repeating "run..run..run"

My days were spent in the prison on base and now in the prison of a ships hull. I've been labeled a traitor, a deserter, a coward, a murder. All the men are listed MIA and their status shall remain as such. Whatever beast of ancient being has been awoken cannot be stopped and I fear it will not be satisfied. I wait everyday for an oppurtunity, the chance to end it all before I'm in its clutches..I shall reside the rest of my days waiting for the chance and I will not be satisfied until I have accomplished it.

Please. Don't not attempt to fight it. Abandon hope now.