Randell,
I got your letter today and knew that I had to write back right away. The prospect of you on the front lines is quite overwhelming. Scary actually. I’ll worry every day. But I’ve read your letter three or four times. And it seems like this is what you want to do. How can I stand in your way? Our country is at war, and we all have to do our part. Other young men go to the front lines. Some don’t come home alive. I’m not sure that we can ask such courage of them but seek to hold back our own loved ones. If you are being called to the front, then I must support you. You have to do what you think is best. We are all proud of you.
I’ll still plan to marry you. And I’ll wait for you, and I’ll write and someday this war will be over. You’ll be home with me. Our children will be blessed.
All my love and support.
Seventeen
The bicycle tires got caked in mud and slowed Tanaka’s progress to the garrison. Swerving around puddles in the road from the rainstorm, he tried to avoid the sides of the lane as much as possible. He worried about what lurked in the jungle.
Eventually, he came upon the location where a giant beast had attacked the transport truck. The dinosaur had stood eight feet tall, but it extended about twenty-five feet in length. It had large, plate-like scales measuring about an inch wide, covering the entire hide. Muddy ruts remained where the truck had stopped. Now, the furrows were filled with water and being stippled by the light rain. A swath of disturbed brush led into the jungle where the Carnotaurus had dragged off its spoils.
Tanaka didn’t stop to inspect the scene long and found himself pedaling frantically. He knew the chance of a repeat attack in the exact same place was unlikely, but he couldn’t get the thought out of his mind that predators typically roam the same geographic areas. He kept his eyes peeled on the foliage along the roadside, watching for any movement, but the only thing he glimpsed was beads of water dripping off the palm fronds.
Further along, he encountered movement on the lane. Tanaka stopped and reached for his rifle. A few natives ran up the road, heading for their huts to wait out the conflict. He allowed them to pass, then he continued on towards the Imperial stronghold.
Soon he reached the garrison and foot soldiers lingered outside. The Gocho and Jun-i were huddled with a few senior infantrymen, talking intently. Foot soldiers wandered in and out of the barracks, likely using the facilities and getting water after the conflict at the beach.
He rolled to a stop and leaned the bike against a wall.
The Jun-i waved him over. An impatient countenance registered on the warrant officer’s face, so Tanaka doubled-timed towards the leadership group. He stopped and huffed for breath.
“What took you so long to get back?” The Gocho shook his head.
“The truck left without me, while I was clearing the men from the beach.” Tanaka shrugged and pointed to the bicycle. “I had to pedal here. And I encountered resistance along the way. Then the beachhead exploded again with gunfire.”
“After your detail left?” The Jun-i pressed.
Tanaka nodded. “Yes.”
“What was the second engagement about?” The Jun-i addressed him.
“I cannot be sure.” Tanaka shook his head and motioned with his palms upward.
“That was very heavy gunfire.” The Gocho shook his head. “You didn’t see anything?”
Tanaka thought about the creature on the path. He didn’t dare say a word about it, afraid the warrant officer would think him insane. “I cleared our soldiers from the beach, planning to regroup for another attack slightly inland.”
The Jun-i nodded as if in agreement with the approach.
“A foot soldier ran up the path from behind me. The young Hetai disrupted a lizard, then the firing erupted from the beach. Perhaps the Americans saw the movement in the jungle and fired nervously.”
Staring at him intently, the Jun-i seemed to register something; diffidence. But he did not reveal his thoughts. He merely nodded. “Okay, you have done well. Now, go clean yourself up and get some water. There is plenty more fighting to be done before the night is over.”
Tanaka bowed and then trotted off toward the barracks.
When he stepped inside, his friend greeted him. Osamu had a worried look in his eyes and lingered by the doorway, as though he were unable to bring himself to step outside. Tanaka stopped and placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “What has you concerned?”
Osamu shook his head, not wanting to speak. “Nothing.” He didn’t sound convincing.
“The fighting was harsh tonight, but they took us by surprise. We will do better the next time around, when we catch them moving through the underbrush.”
“My concern is not with the Americans…”
“The creatures?”
Osamu nodded.
“Well, I saw one and it is dead. And I expect the Americans killed others.”
“There are many more.” Osamu shook his head intently.
“I heard a big one yesterday, and saw two today, but I’ve never seen them before.” Tanaka considered the young man. “You wouldn’t think the Imperial Army would send us here if there were many more.”
“Tanaka, you have combat experience in Manchuria. But you have not been on this island for very long.”
“What are you saying?”
“There are many more of them. And there is a big one, bigger than the one that we saw today.” A sullen look crept over Osamu’s face. “We’ve been capturing the natives and sacrificing them to the large one, hoping to keep it from attacking us.”
“You cannot feed a wild creature like a pet,” Tanaka said, stepping away to fetch some water. “All they have done is provided it with a taste for human flesh.”
He walked past idle troops into the restroom and turned on a faucet. Splashing water on his face, it felt cool and refreshing. Tanaka glanced in the mirror. He looked haggard from waking in the middle of the night and drained from the battle. Grime circled his eyes.
Tanaka reached for the soap and lathered it up in his hands. As he washed his face, a bang resounded from the barracks, like a tank battering through a wall. Americans, he thought. But how could they get inland so fast?
Wiping himself off with a towel, he unslung his rifle and ran into the sleeping quarters, readying himself for gunfire.
Beds toppled over, and metal screeched the concrete floor. Soldiers fled in various directions. Tanaka expected a machinegun to open fire on them. He shouldered his rifle and scanned the wall for the opening and expected the nose of a tank to nudge forward with a mini-gun trained on them. But the green plates were not an allied weapon.
The Carnotaurus had poked its head through the broken wall, merely constructed of dried fronds and thatch. It snapped its mouth, flashing sharp teeth, and dripping with saliva. The aggressive movement had toppled the sleeping racks.
It seemed to be scanning the open squad bay for prey.
Soldiers ran in sundry directions, ducking for cover under beds and bolting for the door. Nobody stood their ground, despite carrying rifles. A few had even dropped their weapons.
Tanaka stepped into the fray, shouldering his rifle. He took aim at the creature. “Assemble. Prepare to fight!”
A couple of soldiers made it to the door and ran outside. Others stayed hidden under the bunkbeds. Tanaka shook his head and took aim at the creature’s left eye. He squeezed the trigger and the rifle let out a loud crack. It kicked hard into his shoulder.