Prisoner in Time (Time travel) (24 page)

“You see something?” David asked.

Geoff squinted again and turned toward David.

“I’m looking for the Sarge,” he responded.

“The Sarge? Why?” David asked, now puzzled.

“I’m trying to find out how long we’ll be waiting here,” he responded.

David’s expression turned more confused. Seeing his face, Geoff responded, “I need to relieve myself.”

David smiled in understand.

“The restrooms are right behind me… but I don’t think you need to ask permission, Geoff,” he responded in joking form.

Geoff raised his brow and replied, “It might be a while.”

David looked up the line, then back to Geoff.

“If you have to go, go right here,” he said, pointing to the area just behind him. “I’m sure it’s nothing the other boys haven’t seen before,” he teased.

“It’s not that kind of relief, I’m looking for. I need privacy,” Geoff said cryptically, then added. “And I can’t wait.”

“Ah yes, the dreaded dump,” David laughed. Looking up the line, he continued, “I’d say you have plenty of time. Go for it.”

Geoff flashed an embarrassed grin, and said, “Give me a shout if the line starts to move. I don’t want the Sarge to come looking for me while I’m in the middle of
business
.”

“No problemo’. Just don’t get lost,” he teased.

In seconds, Geoff entered the woods. As he searched for a location with suitable privacy, he wandered deep into the forest. Several minutes later, he neared the edge of a drop off that sloped abruptly to the bottom of a ravine. He looked over his shoulder in the direction of the now unseen column of men, then back to the ravine.

“Perfect,” he said to himself in satisfaction.

Moments later, he rushed down the steep hill toward the bottom, nearly tripping as he struggled to manage the rough terrain.

Sitting alone, David began to notice the time. Nearly fifteen minutes had passed with any sign of the teen. Looking up the line, he noticed soldiers beginning to stand.

“Just great,” he said in frustration. “Where is he? Did he fall in?” he joked to himself.

He quickly came to his feet and scanned the area around him. Looking back at the column of men, he could hear the sergeants now ordering their men to ‘fall in’ for the march.

Knowing Sgt. Cooper would be by shortly, he darted into the woods after Geoff.

“Geoff!” he shouted as he ran deeper into the forest. “We’re leaving. We’re are you?”

He stopped and listened, but heard nothing.

“Unbelievable,” he said, shaking his head.

David looked nervously over his shoulder. He knew the column of men would be leaving shortly and there was still no sign of Geoff. With little choice, he pressed on.

A minute later, he neared the edge of the drop off. Looking down into the ravine, he searched for the teen. Shaking his head once more in frustration, he now realized Geoff had somehow become lost.

“Like we really need this right now,” he said loudly.

Seconds later, he headed down the steep hill and into the ravine.

-----*-----*-----*-----

“Y’all fall in. We all ‘ill be a’marching in less than five minutes,” Sgt. Cooper shouted loudly.

Instantly, his men grabbed their belongings and hurried to the middle of the dirt road. Lining up and standing at attention, they waited for the men ahead of them to move. Slowly, like clumsy cattle, the column of soldiers moved along in an unorganized state.

“Pick up those feet. Tighten that rank,” Sgt Cooper commanded. “Y’all march like my ole granny. Don’t force me to bash your skulls,” he shouted.

Immediately, the men stood up straight and tightened their strides. Briskly, deliberately, they marched along with renewed purpose. With their faces pointing forward, they watched the sergeant from the corner of their eyes. As he passed by them on his way to the back, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Sgt. Cooper neared the end of the column. As he worked his way back, he made a mental note of the men’s faces, as well as counted them out. Suddenly, he stopped. Looking around him, his head darted swiftly in all directions.

“Blast those two!” he shouted aloud. “Have y’all seen the New Mexicans?”

For a moment, no one answered.

“Gall Dangit, have Y’ALL seen the New Mexicans?!” he shouted again, angrily, then added, “Y’all best answer me, else I reckon there’ll be trouble.”

“Yes Sir, sergeant. The younger feller said he needed to take a crap,” a lone soldier shouted.

“What about the other feller… the older one?”

“Yes Sir, I think he was using the woods second,” the soldier replied.

“Blast it! I’ll skin ‘em alive,” he spat angrily. Addressing his men once more, he shouted, “Y’all keep up the pace. I should be back shortly.”

No answer was required. The men trudged on. Sgt. Cooper turned and ran down the dirt road, his eyes were focused and his posture determined. He was now like a shark on the hunt.

As he ran past the location he last saw David and Geoff, he stopped a moment and listened. Quickly, he scanned the woods for any movement.

“Nothin’… not a peep,” he said under his breath.

Instantly, he darted off, running further down the road. Five minutes later, slightly winded, he stopped and listened once more.

“Hmm, nothin’,” he said again, adding, “Y’all best show yourselves. I’mma losin’ my patience.”

Like before, the sergeant continued running. Nearly ten minutes elapsed when the pain of his winded lungs slowed him to a walk. Seconds later, he stopped at the edge of the road, completely out of breath. With his hands on his knees and breathing heavily, he listened once more. He craned his head to one side, and concentrated.

All around him, he heard sounds: sounds from birds, sounds from the wind in the trees and sounds of rustling leaves...

“Ridiculous!” he said to himself in frustration.

He stood up, took a deep breath and exhaled. He slowed his mind and thought through the problem. As he stood quietly in the dirt road, he began to hear sounds through the trees. Instantly, he darted to the edge of the forest and listened intently. Again, he heard twigs and leaves crunch under foot. He turned his head in the direction of the sound.

Suddenly, he spotted movement in the trees. He quickly knelt down and lowered his visibility. As he continued to watch, the corners of his mouth curled up in a knowing grin.

Slowly, quietly, he crept through the woods toward the sound.

-----*-----*-----*-----

David yelled loudly for Geoff. With each unanswered response, he became more worried and desperate. He now began to run. Chasing after his unseen target, he had no idea if he was moving in the right direction. As he rushed uphill out of the ravine, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath. Suddenly, he heard thrashing far beyond his sight.

“That’s got to be him,” he said to himself, shaking his head in anger.

In a quick spurt, he chased after the sound. Minutes later, he shouted Geoff’s name.

“David… I’m over here,” Geoff yelled in return, barely able to see David through the trees.

As the two ran toward each other, they closed the distance in seconds.

“Where the
hell
have you been?” David shouted in frustration, seeing Geoff finally appear.

“I got lost,” Geoff responded in humiliated tone.

“Lost? You gotta be kidding me,” he shot back. “The column of men has left already and I’m betting the Sarge is on a rampage.”

“I know… I know. You don’t have to remind me,” he replied, in worried tone.

“We’ve got to get back there NOW!” David shouted.

Instantly, the two turned and headed in the direction of the dirt road. Charging through the woods, they crashed through brush, leaves and branches, creating loud conspicuous noises as they ran. Within minutes, they reached the edge of the woods and stepped out into the clear that paralleled the dirt road. David scanned in the direction of the army, but saw only an empty landscape.

“Oh man, we’re going to have to double-time it to catch up,” he said to Geoff reluctantly.

“Sorry,” Geoff responded simply.

Without another word, the two began their jog, hoping they weren’t too far behind.

-----*-----*-----*-----

Moments before…

Union scout Morris Lent paused at the edge of the woods and waited. Off in the distance, he watched in satisfaction as the two figures he’d been pursuing, suddenly appeared in the middle of the dirt road. He smiled to himself as he crouched low in his stance to avoid detection.

“Fish in a barrel,” he whispered to himself in satisfaction.

Slowly, he raised the barrel of his rifle and aimed at the two soldiers. Suddenly, they began to run. He smiled once more and held his fire.

“Stupid Rebs. There’re making this too easy,” he said quietly, now holding his fire as his prey neared.

As David and Geoff closed the distance to his location, Morris began to slowly squeeze the trigger. Holding his aim on the moving targets, he focused his sights on David’s stomach. He exhaled a breath then…

-----*-----*-----*-----

With their rifles slung over their shoulders, David and Geoff jogged swiftly along the road. Focusing far out to their front, they watched for signs of the telltale dust cloud that would signal they were close to their men.

As David scanned the area, he noticed Geoff had fallen behind already. He stopped in the road and waited.

“You can’t possibly be out of breath,” he shouted.

“I’m still out of breath from all the running in the woods,” Geoff defended.

As he ran up beside David, he shot him an unpleasant stare.

“You’re out of shape and you’re mad at me?” David said, now openly challenging the teen’s logic.

Before Geoff could speak, the two heard a hammer cock on a gun fifteen feet away. Both turned toward the woods. Fear instantly gripped them as they stared at the gun barrel pointing directly at them. David’s blood rushed from his face as he noticed the sardonic grin on the Union scout’s face.

“WAIT!” David shouted, throwing his hands in the air in protest.

“AHHGG!” came the loud guttural moan.

Pain shot through him as he felt the searing sting of metal in his neck. Instantly, his hands clutched the protruding blade as blood erupted from the wound and spewed down the front of his blue uniform.

As Union scout Morris Lent dropped his rifle and fell forward, Sgt. Cooper rushed up from behind him. Quickly, he pulled his knife from the man’s neck and plunged it into Morris’ back, instantly slicing through the heart.

Pulling the knife from the dead man’s back, Sgt Cooper said in nonchalance, “Need more practice. Missed my aim.”

David and Geoff stood in stunned silence. As they stared at Sgt. Cooper, he walked toward them with a purposeful stride.

“Just what in the blazes are y’alls doing out here? Desertin’?” he shouted as he neared. Before either one could speak, he added, “I outta shoot y’alls right here on the spot. Lucky for you there’s enemy about and we all need to keep it low, otherwise I would have kilt ya already,” he spat angrily.