Chapter 16: Ia Drang Valley (Part 4)

He smiled at Jim and muttered.

"Semper fi."

"CARTER NO!!"

"Grenade!"

He shouted with the explosion going out at the same time. The explosion was contained due to Carter using his body as a shield, saving Godbolt in the process. But sadly it cost him his life.

"Carter!!" 

Jim crawl to him as he rolled him face up, he still have this smile plastered in his face even though his stomach is so mangled that his intestines are shredded while slowly falling at the gaping hole.

Sergeant Palmer seeing this stood up and yelled. "Quick! We need to get out of here! Fast!" But before he could fully stand up, he was hit in the hip by a bullet. 

"Stay down! Stay the fuck down!" Sergeant Savage ordered, I mean is he a fool? Only fool does that when they're surrounded by enemies at all side. But clearly, their was a bigger fool. 

When Lieutenant Herrick seen this he gained a horrified expression in his face .

"Palmer!!!" He was about to stood up when Sergeant Savage quickly pushes him to ground before he was hit by the raining bullets.

"Stay put Lieutenant! I can't have you be hit yourself!" Savage presses him deeper in the ground and yelled.

"Its Palmer! His hit! He needs help!"

Clearly, the Lieutenant knew him to be this worried.

As the Lieutenant about to stood up again, Savage presses him more and said. "Were all hit Sir, let someone take care of him while you need to gather yourself and command the platoon!" 

The Lieutenant after a few second of deep breaths, finally resolved himself and gave out a proper order since the start of the fiasco. "C-check ammo, form a perimeter, conserve your ammo and stay down!"

"You heard the Lieutenant, move move move! Quickly form a perimeter!"

Sergeant Savage said, only then did the rest of the soldiers move. Just in this short moment, the soldiers acknowledge more of Savages command than the Lieutenant.

They amassed perfectly, holding off their line for few more minutes.

But even though this is the best course of action and they can hold their ground for a moment, but the difference in number is just ridiculous. Sergeant Savage sees this as well so he turned to the Lieutenant and said, borderline to a command.

"Sir! The enemy is trying to overrun us, we need artillery fire!" 

Herrick nodded, acknowledging the Sergeants point of view. 

Savage crawled to a nearby dead radioman as he directed the artillery fire, "This is Savage. I need artillery at these coordinates Niner-3-3-0-1-6. We are cut off! Copy. We are cut off."

A few seconds after Savage gives the coordinates, artillery fire rained down at the surging NVA soldiers, killing and slowing the enemies advance. Earths and limbs fly as it continues raining down shells after shells after shells but it was not enough, more and more get trough the wall of artillery fire moving in closer to where the platoon is located.

 Savage began to get nervous but he still directed the artillery fire. "Were gonna call a hundred more sir! They are right on top of us sir! Bring it in close!"

The artillery fire aided them greatly, it decreased and stopped the surging enemy soldiers aiming to overrun them. Although their are still a platoon worth of enemy soldier slowly advancing at them, this still brought a smile to Sergeant Savages face.

But that smile was short-lived as Mack yelled. "Hey hey HEY JIM! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! QUICKLY GET TO COVER! SARGEEE!"

Savage quickly snapped his head to Macks direction as he pointed to Jim, standing out in the open as bullet zip pass at him. This made Savages blood run cold as he ordered his Corporal. 

"Jimmy! What the hell are you doing?!?!! Get down goddamnit!!" 

Jim crouch down, making Savage at ease and glad that his Corporal is safe. But it was only for a moment when Jim pick up Carters machete and run charging ahead, meeting the still advancing NVA soldiers.

Savage cursed at this development and issued another order. "FUCK! Quick, lay down some cover fire!"

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Arghhh.

My bodies on fire, It burns! 

My chest, It hurts! 

I need to...

.. KILL!

'The blood lust is unbearable. The urge for vengeance is greater than before. I'm thirsty for blood!'

'I need to.... quench it.'

I stood up, surveying the the surroundings, bullets zipped pass me but I don't care. I heard someone telling me to get down. Then I looked at the body before me, Carter. I crouch down picking up Carters machete. 

'How dare them, How dare them, HOW DARE THEM take my buddies!! This cannot pass on, I wont allow it, I wont allow this! I will slaughter them from where they stood and have them accompany you in death! In that I promise!' 

"The sins of one are the sins of all. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. And death will be repaid with massacre."

Jim dashed at them with just a gleaming machete in his left hand while an M16 in the other. The gooks were speechless, they could not believe what they're seeing but it was only for a short moment as they aimed their rifles at Jim. 

Fatal mistake.

he fired a short burst, killing six soldiers, but he didn't stopped there, he didn't stop moving as he swung his machete to a nearby gook, cutting of his head in a full swing. This became the wake up call for the rest of them, the gooks focused their firepower at him but Jim was agile. 

He dodged the incoming bullets like cat dancing, he sidestep as he advance at them swiftly. The first NVA soldier he reached, swung his rifle like a club, but Jim ducked under the blow and drove the machete into the man's gut, twisting the blade viciously. The soldier gasped, eyes wide with shock, before crumpling to the ground.

Another soldier lunged at him with a bayonet fixed and ready to strike. Jim parried the thrust with his M16 with the clash of metal ringing in his ears. He brought the machete down in a savage arc, cleaving through the man's collarbone and deep into his chest. Blood sprayed, and the soldier fell back with a gurgling scream.

The rest of the men quickly tried to help them but were silenced by the cover fire coming from Macks machine gun.

As more and more of them fell painting the ground in red, Jim began to smile maniacally as he began to speak, spooking the enemy soldier.

"Don't blink, don't move, don't breathe. Do nothing, for you can do nothing. Accept the fate given to you by my blade."

This makes the enemy fire hysterically as they shout and retreated, not one bit wanting to fight the monster.

"D-devil!"

"Quỷ!!"

"S-stay awayyy!"

Jim's blood-soaked figure loomed over them, his eyes wild with rage. They pleaded but he didn't let up, cutting down every soldier in his path. The jungle echoed with the screams of the dying and the relentless advance of one man turned demon.

As the last of the NVA soldiers fled, Jim stood among the carnage with chest heaving and blood dripping from his machete. The adrenaline began to ebb, leaving behind a hollow emptiness. He looked around at the bodies and felt a strange sense of calm. 

"I've avenge them but at what cost? The death of some gooks will not bring the life of Chuck and Carter." Jim muttered under his breath.

"Well, that's fine. Such is the way of life of a soldier, kill or be killed, it just revolve around those. And if this does not ease their souls, I will just slaughter more." A twisted smile appeared at his face as he walk back to the other soldiers.