letters from an empty trailer

the Valley of Decision

chapter thirty one

Draino had two days to prepare, he wanted to make good use of his time. The clearing was now a small shallow lake, and the only place for Red to land safely. Draino had Ryan camouflage the boat and position himself just inside the edge of the jungle, with the 22. He was to take a bead on any body guards once the copter landed. And take them out if they showed any threatening signs, encase he shot the pilot. While Draino cut open two small shooting windows at the clearing end of the trailer. It was a long hard sweaty job. They practiced it a few times, until they felt comfortable with the maneuver. All Ryan had to do was, keep the camouflage cover looking fresh, and the boat out of sight.

The helicopter would be stranded when they landed and totally dependent upon assistance. They would be shooting ducks. Draino’s plan was to shoot Red the moment he showed himself. No talking, no deals. Eventually Red would have to jump into the water that was waste high, making an easy target Draino had thought about wounding him and giving him the same treatment, Red had given him. But knew Reds resourcefulness and determination, so decided to shoot him on the spot.

Red preparing for the flight had no idea what was waiting for him out in the jungle. He had set his mind on this last gamble to get out of his dirty business. This had to be tried, because the possibilities were endless if this medical cure actually worked. He knew the amount of jungle cures that had already been synthesized, for patents and the money that was to be made would triple his already tremendous wealth. All Draino had to do now was wait.

Why they decided to celebrate then, was beyond even Draino? Perhaps it was all the months of tension, and fear? And celebrate they did, stupidly firing round after round into the jungle until they had made the surrounding jungle a complete desert wasteland. Every living creature left the area. When they got bored of that, the shooting stopped and the quiet was deafening. Draino even in his drunken stupor noticed the weird silence of the forest. It was like the jungle had finally rejected him. “Fuck You!” was Draino’s answer to the mute forest.

When they came too, it was well into the afternoon, on the day of Reds visit. They were terrified at the amount of alcohol and shell castings they had consumed and wasted. The forest was still quiet, not even a bug made a move, or sound. It was the eeriest thing Ryan had ever experienced in his more than a decade in the jungle. ‘What kind of a monster is this man, I admire so much?’ thought Ryan.

“Ok, what’s done is done, we still have plenty more ammo!” Piped Draino. Kicking shell casings out the doorway, onto the deck below. But Ryan thought Draino’s bravado was just simple whistling in the dark. He didn't know Draino.

“Well, not if something goes wrong, or we have to fight our way out. What if we have to paddle our way back to civilization?” stated Ryan bluntly. “We need to drastically cut down on our bullet use.”

"What are you, an old fucking woman?" snapped Draino. "Never think what ifs, just deal with now!" Draino knew that without bullets they were nothing out there. And knew he’d made a giant mistake. But he also knew the need to release the tremendous pressure that was building in him. He could feel the hate of the jungle growing strong toward him, the feeling was all around him. Where Ryan flowed with the current and excepted his lot in the jungle. Draino fought it, never excepting his lot.

Draino climbed down to the dock, knelling, he began splashing water on his face. Even in the tepid water felt slightly refreshing. Ryan decide to join him, and they both started laughing and splashing each other like kids.

“We need to get ready now,” Said Draino. “I’ll clean the weapons, you take any supply’s you’ll think you’ll need for a day out there. Ordered Draino. “Red could arrive anytime now, or even tonight in the dark. No more fuck ups! Continued Draino. “But I would think the pilot would want to land while its still light. So lets get ready?”

“Ya, I’ve been thinking that as well. I’ve already set provisions in side the cuddy cabin.” Answered Ryan looking and feeling seriously hung over. He knew he wouldn’t do much damage with his 22 pea-shooter. Ryan had never killed anybody knowingly, he knew he had wounded a few natives, that may have succumbed to their wounds. But couldn’t kill a man outright, unless he was defending his life?

Draino knew this about his partner and planned accordingly. If Red does come with body guards there could only be one. Even wounding one, would greatly reduce the odds. If he died tonight, Red was coming to hell with him. Of that he had no doubts. Just getting Red to come there would have been a great victory to some, but not to Draino. Reds death was his only victory. It even towered over getting out of his hated swamp. After a thorough cleaning of all the guns, he could feel his old killing numbness coming over him. This happened every time he was ordered to kill.

Ryan wanting to save on gas, poled the boat across the clearing. He could hear the radio crackling to life up in the shipping container.

“Base two come in, over!” Draino didn’t answer.

“Base two. Over!”

“Over” stated Draino, as if his message had being broken up?

“Has Red arrived, over?”

“Negative, over.” Answered Draino. “Something wrong! Pilot radioed May Day, over.”

Ryan stood listening out in the middle of the clearing.

“Red over due, over. Should be there now, over! Said Les Dickout.

“Will apprise, over” answered Draino, and switched off the radio. “Somethings fucked!” yelled down Draino from the entrance.

“Maybe they went down somewhere?” Answered Ryan.

"If only, or its some fucking trick?” yelled Draino. “Stick with the plan, get going.”

But Draino still felt good hearing this news, as a weird sinister smile cracked across his face. Then quickly disappeared when he realized he would never actually know if Red was dead or not?

Suddenly they could hear faint echoes of a helicopter approaching, so faint they both thought they had imagined it. Draino realized that if he hadn’t gotten drunk he would have been ready for Red.

Then realizing the sounds were real Ryan began poling into position. But there was a terrible grinding noise along with the usual helicopter sounds. They were defiantly the sounds of distress. They couldn’t see it, but it was trailing black smoke for miles over the jungle. As it grew louder they could hear the engine, laboring and sputtering, and the grinding noise grew worse. Like it was trying to tear itself to pieces.

“They’re trying to ditch in the other clearing!” yelled Draino out to Ryan. Now realizing it was very close, “They’ve got the wrong fucking clearing get back over here!” Yelled Draino. “Come on!” Ryan poled as fast as he could, then clearing the debris off the boat he started the powerful motor. Then skillfully slipped past the dock allowing Draino to jumped in with the 3030, and a box of shells. Then took off in the direction of the other clearing. Slowing to maneuver around a giant felled tree stump, the powerful props cutting out billowing clouds of dirty water.

They could hear the plane crashing into the swamp. The blades ripping and tearing through jungle. As they slowly motored up the tight pathway to the open clearing they could see the copter on its side, tangled in the under-story. Draino standing up on the bow couldn’t see anybody in the smouldering mess

“There!” yelled Ryan, pointing to a body floating in the muddy water. As they approached, Draino used the pole to pull the body closer. Although he couldn’t see the whole face, he knew it wasn’t Red. He shot the man in the skull. But he had seen the face before, as one of Reds top heavies. A real mean man. They looked around but couldn’t see anyone else. As Ryan poled near the torn body of the helicopter he began to feel sick. There was the grisly hacked up remains of some poor soul. It wasn’t Red either. Ryan thought it may have been the pilot.

“Where are you ya mother fucker? Yelled Draino out-loud in frustration.

“Help me, Help! Came a very weak sounding voice, from higher in the foliage. Draino madly looked up, stretching and ducking for a better look. “There!” Cried Ryan. “Up there,” Pointing to a man hanging in the trees. Draino Straining hard and finally saw the dangling man.

“Is it him?” stated Ryan.

“I can’t tell, lets push in closer?”

“Help, help me, came the voice sounding weaker.

“Ya its him, I could tell that pussy voice anywhere,” yelled Draino Gleefully. “You sure?” “Hold the boat steady,” Snapped Draino! “Course I’m fucking sure!” Draino moved from the fore-deck into the boat for a better look. Aiming his rifle on Red.

“Can you hear me asshole, its me Draino!” he yelled up. “Look how stupid you look, in your fancy Italian shoes, in the fucking jungle, for fuck sake!”

“Draino, ya its me!” he screamed into the forest.

“Let’s get him down” said Ryan.

“Fuck that!” Draino aimed and fired. The bullet jerked the body. He cocked and aimed again and the body jerked again slumping lifeless.

“Fuck man keep the boat still, yelled Draino looking back at Ryan while ejecting a casing, and aiming the gun again. Ryan was sitting on the back of the boat holding his gun on something out of sight in the water, when he got there is was Reds body guard reaching out for help. Draino shot him again point blank. Ryan screamed, “No!” and puked over the side of the boat. “Didn’t I just shoot the mother?” said Draino calmly.

“It was somebody else, they must have had four on board that thing!” Said Ryan, puking again.’ How could you just Kill someone, like you were swatting a fly?’ thought Ryan. Not realizing that they would have just as easily killed him.

Draino grabbed the pole and moved the boat in closer. As he was getting ready to fire again. Reds dead weight broke the branch that was holding him, and his body fell to the swamp. Draino could see Reds head and fired. The impact left no doubt as to Reds death. Ryan kept being sick overboard, Draino could hear him, but the sounds seemed like they were coming from a million miles away.

Draino sat on the deck gunnels, looking around at his work feeling satisfied. When he caught a whiff of Ryan’s puke, he poled the boat out into a small breeze. Something made him think of the Bible. "The wages of sin is death." He shrugged the thought from his mind. He had never heard the jungle so quiet. It even seemed quieter than before.

“Was that all I had to do to shut you up! Cried Draino, into the jungle. They both lifted their heads at the same time, a strange tickling splashing sound was coming from all around the boat.

"There!" cried Ryan. Pointing to the water. Draino followed Ryan's pointed finger to see billions of small silver fish, the sun glimmering off their scales. Some popping free of the surface. Then a ghostly white and blind river dolphin emerged from the gloomy waters, then another and blew. Then quietly submerged again.

Dan Ger