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Authors: Donald E. Zlotnik
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what temperature
the water was, but Garibaldi knew that the NVA guards liked the deeper end of the pool, especially when they came to the giant
tub with James, who enjoyed walking around the rocks naked. The shorter NVA soldiers could be waist deep in the water and
have some privacy.
Two of the NVA took up positions overlooking the bathers, with angry looks thrown at those who had won the card cutting to
determine who would be first in the water.
Garibaldi waited until James had joined the NVA soldiers in the deep end before talking to Spencer. “They’re up to something,
Spence. The guards were whispering all day today, and every time I drew close to them they would stop talking until I left.”
“What do you think is going on?” Spencer was looking down the river. His thoughts were on how close they were to South Vietnam
and the A Shau Valley. Their POW camp at A Rum was just a couple of miles over the border. He wondered if Sweet Bitch had
beaten his feet so that he couldn’t attempt an escape, or if she really still needed the information on the sensors. He knew
that he couldn’t survive another one of those beatings without telling her anything she wanted to know. In fact, she didn’t
know just how close she had come to breaking him. If he hadn’t passed out from the pain, Spencer knew he would have talked.
He glanced over at James and lowered his eyelids. He wanted to kill James more than anything on earth. He had seen him leaving
the camp with his CAR-15 a number of times, and he now knew what James was doing for the NVA and why they allowed him to have
a private hooch and a woman.
James must have sensed Barnett staring at him and turned around slowly. Barnett reached down beside his legs and splashed
water over his chest. James smiled. He was going to enjoy killing Spencer, but he was going to do it very, very slowly.
“Watch out, here he comes….” Garibaldi spoke without moving his lips.
James stopped next to his pile of clothes and removed two cans of olive-drab C-rations and a pair of white plastic spoons.
He strolled next to the river naked and stopped twice to kick at the water with his feet. James couldn’t swim, but he liked
the water. He stopped walking when he reached the pair of POWs and looked down at Spencer from less than a foot away. “I thought
you’d like something to eat….” He set the cans of food down on a rock just out of Garibaldi’s reach. Spencer could have taken
the cans if he wanted to.
“What’s the price?” Spencer knew that James hated him too much to just give him something.
Garibaldi read the labels on the cans of fruit. One was peaches; the other, fruit cocktail. The colonel’s body craved the
fruit and sweet sugared juice.
“No price… I’m just being nice.” James handed a U.S. Army P-38 opener to Spencer. “We got to start trying to get along a little
better… and I heard Lieutenant Van Pao tell her sergeant that they were going to put you in Mother Kaa’s cage tonight….” James
paused, looking for a reaction from Spencer. He got it from the colonel.
“Those bastards!”
“You shut the fuck up, Colonel!” James backhanded the senior officer hard enough to bring blood between his teeth. The short
break away from Spencer gave him time to catch his fear and hide it from the traitor.
“So what? I could give a fuck about that snake…. I’m too big for the bitch to eat, and if she fucks with me I might eat
her
!” Spencer smiled to hide the fear that was trying to make his upper lip tremble.
“Eat the fruit and maybe you’ll smell like something good to eat and she’ll try… maybe nibbling on your leg….” James hissed.
The noise sent a shiver down Spencer’s spine.
“In that case, I will….” Spencer opened the first can and started eating the fruit slowly.
James laughed and went back over to where the NVA guards were drying off so that they could relieve their comrades on guard
the water was, but Garibaldi knew that the NVA guards liked the deeper end of the pool, especially when they came to the giant
tub with James, who enjoyed walking around the rocks naked. The shorter NVA soldiers could be waist deep in the water and
have some privacy.
Two of the NVA took up positions overlooking the bathers, with angry looks thrown at those who had won the card cutting to
determine who would be first in the water.
Garibaldi waited until James had joined the NVA soldiers in the deep end before talking to Spencer. “They’re up to something,
Spence. The guards were whispering all day today, and every time I drew close to them they would stop talking until I left.”
“What do you think is going on?” Spencer was looking down the river. His thoughts were on how close they were to South Vietnam
and the A Shau Valley. Their POW camp at A Rum was just a couple of miles over the border. He wondered if Sweet Bitch had
beaten his feet so that he couldn’t attempt an escape, or if she really still needed the information on the sensors. He knew
that he couldn’t survive another one of those beatings without telling her anything she wanted to know. In fact, she didn’t
know just how close she had come to breaking him. If he hadn’t passed out from the pain, Spencer knew he would have talked.
He glanced over at James and lowered his eyelids. He wanted to kill James more than anything on earth. He had seen him leaving
the camp with his CAR-15 a number of times, and he now knew what James was doing for the NVA and why they allowed him to have
a private hooch and a woman.
James must have sensed Barnett staring at him and turned around slowly. Barnett reached down beside his legs and splashed
water over his chest. James smiled. He was going to enjoy killing Spencer, but he was going to do it very, very slowly.
“Watch out, here he comes….” Garibaldi spoke without moving his lips.
James stopped next to his pile of clothes and removed two cans of olive-drab C-rations and a pair of white plastic spoons.
He strolled next to the river naked and stopped twice to kick at the water with his feet. James couldn’t swim, but he liked
the water. He stopped walking when he reached the pair of POWs and looked down at Spencer from less than a foot away. “I thought
you’d like something to eat….” He set the cans of food down on a rock just out of Garibaldi’s reach. Spencer could have taken
the cans if he wanted to.
“What’s the price?” Spencer knew that James hated him too much to just give him something.
Garibaldi read the labels on the cans of fruit. One was peaches; the other, fruit cocktail. The colonel’s body craved the
fruit and sweet sugared juice.
“No price… I’m just being nice.” James handed a U.S. Army P-38 opener to Spencer. “We got to start trying to get along a little
better… and I heard Lieutenant Van Pao tell her sergeant that they were going to put you in Mother Kaa’s cage tonight….” James
paused, looking for a reaction from Spencer. He got it from the colonel.
“Those bastards!”
“You shut the fuck up, Colonel!” James backhanded the senior officer hard enough to bring blood between his teeth. The short
break away from Spencer gave him time to catch his fear and hide it from the traitor.
“So what? I could give a fuck about that snake…. I’m too big for the bitch to eat, and if she fucks with me I might eat
her
!” Spencer smiled to hide the fear that was trying to make his upper lip tremble.
“Eat the fruit and maybe you’ll smell like something good to eat and she’ll try… maybe nibbling on your leg….” James hissed.
The noise sent a shiver down Spencer’s spine.
“In that case, I will….” Spencer opened the first can and started eating the fruit slowly.
James laughed and went back over to where the NVA guards were drying off so that they could relieve their comrades on guard
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