Tanaka nodded, understanding. He ran to his post.
A few soldiers had the Lewis gun set up and were firing at the Americans. The enemy hid behind a gigantic turtlelike creature with a long, spiked tail. Tanaka noted a marine rising from the ground. He shouldered his Arisaka rifle and pointed it at the marine.
The Lewis machinegun rattled off round after round, ricocheting off the creature’s armored shell, and boring into the more vulnerable scales on its legs.
And then, the marine was stable on his feet, ducking for cover behind the beast. Tanaka couldn’t get a bead on him before the commando slipped out of sight. The machine gunner let up on the Lewis gun, while the battle raged to his right.
Surveying the assault along the far flank, Tanaka understood they meant to use the creature for protection and pass by him and attack from the rear, where the Hetai didn’t have a fortified position. But how long could they expect to steer the beast in keeping with their strategy. He needed to repel the dinosaur being used for cover.
“Keep firing!” Tanaka pointed. “Hit the beast in the legs. Send it into the jungle.”
The machinegun blazed, lighting up the night. Bullets dug into the creature’s legs and exposed underside. It cleared the edge of the roadway and stomped onto the muddy lane. Round helmets bobbed on the other side of its shell.
“They’re going to outflank us!” Tanaka broke to the end of the line.
He ran past the dinosaur then planted his feet and prepared to fire.
Aiming at the creature’s face, he meant to redirect it. He planned to send it into the brush on the far side of the road, defeating the Americans’ goal of circling around their rear, and leaving them exposed to attack.
The Lewis gun shook violently as the troopers blasted away.
Other soldiers rushed over from the center position and laid down heavy fire at the encroaching marines. Tanaka stood fast, waiting for the creature to get closer. Steady. I’m going to stop it, he thought.
It closed the distance fast. Kaboom! Tanaka’s bullet tore into the flesh beneath the creature’s left eye. The dinosaur roared and shook its head.
Then, it grunted and changed course. It spun toward the machinegun nest, rather than bolting into the jungle. Loping around, it broke into a swift trot and charged into the Hetai. The dinosaur barreled through them, knocking soldiers to the ground, and then swung its deadly tail from side to side, clobbering the infantrymen with powerful blows.
Bones cracked, and soldiers bellowed in pain. A man was spiked in the thigh and got dragged along the ground as the beast trucked over the berm. It ran downhill towards the safety of the marshland.
The Americans were left standing exposed, without cover. Vulnerable.
Responding to the sudden change, they shouldered their weapons and took advantage of the calamity. Marines laid down heavy fire with automatic machineguns. The intruder who had fallen and then stumbled out of Tanaka’s line of fire, now turned to him.
Tanaka raised his rifle.
But the marine was quicker.
He fired first.
A bullet struck Tanaka in the shoulder and spun him to the ground. The impact seemed almost simultaneous with the muzzle blast.
Lying in the mud, he watched the marine wave to his squad and charge headlong into Tanaka’s flank. Machineguns and rifles lit up the night as Tanaka struggled for life. A burning sensation radiated in his chest, then he slipped into blackness.
Twenty-Four
Dawson caught up with his troopers. He trotted near the end of the line, left oblique to the machine gunners.
Private Fuller advanced with the Browning Automatic Rifle, then Bishop with his BAR, followed by Private First Class Simmons with a Thompson, spitting .45 caliber shells. Private Meserve, a rifleman, targeted enemy soldiers while under cover of heavy fire from his comrades.
The enemy soldiers manning the Lewis gun couldn’t swing it around in time. Bishop charged, firing non-stop. Japanese soldiers were riddled all over. Bullets struck them in the chest, shoulders, and thighs.
Everyone handling the deadly machinegun now lay on the ground, writhing in agony.
Sighting the M1 on soldiers down the line, Dawson pecked off the enemy one at a time, sharpshooting with deadly aim. Kill shots dropped them to the ground.
The flank had broken. Now, the small marine unit advanced toward the center machinegun nest. And the larger contingency led by Staff Sergeant Wilson pressed on the other flank and center position.
Gunfire erupted from the marines dug into the downhill slope. Heavy automatic weapons riddled the enemy position. Both remaining Lewis guns directed return fire at Staff Sergeant Wilson’s position. A warrant officer supervised one machine gunner and a chubby private led the other. Neither side took many casualties and the oppenents did not advance on each other. A stalemate.
Dawson pressed ahead of his troopers, continuing to make each shot count. Bishop followed at left oblique, while Fuller took up a position on his right, advancing in a wedge formation. Other members of the unit fanned out from the machine gunners.
“Move ahead!” Dawson screamed over the cacophony of firearms.
The Japanese troops were caught in a crossfire. And then, the center Lewis gun spun around to face them. The entire fire team would be taken down. Swift movement bringing the gun around twisted the belt. The gunner got off a few rounds and the deadly weapon jammed.
A marine on the outside of the formation dropped from a wild shot to his thigh.
“Get down!” screamed Dawson.
Everyone hit the dirt. Dawson dove onto his stomach, landing with his rifle in front so he could quickly shoulder the M1. He took a deep breath, aimed, and fired.
The enemy machine gunner fell with blood gushing from his neck. He expelled his last breath, kicking. Another enemy soldier took his place at the Lewis gun, while an assistant gunner finished straightening the ammunition belt.
A hopeless situation. Dawson thought of Mary and tapped the metal tin in his breast pocket, housing his final letter to her.
The battle scene darkened as storm clouds drifted in front of the moon. A clap of thunder. Then a deluge poured from the sky. Heavy rain puddled the lane and quickly saturated the ground, making it too muddy for sudden movements. Combatants on both sides slipped and lost their balance; some fell into the sludge and floundered to stay in the fight.
Just as the Lewis gun was set to go, thrashing emanated from the far side of the road. Trees and shrubbery shook violently. A limb snapped.
A moment later, a stout dinosaur emerged from the jungle. It had thick horns above its eyes, and the beast measured about eight yards from nose to tip of its tail. It weighed over a ton. But the creature was swift. It ran into the road and plied toward the center of the enemy defense.
The Lewis gun spun and rattled off rounds at the approaching dinosaur. It roared and picked up its pace.
Dawson got to his feet, waving his men to break further to the left and close upon the vulnerable enemy center position. The machine gunner continued to fire away at the beast, with the hand grips vibrating, and the barrel jouncing up and down.
Bullets seemed to ping off the thick hide without consequence.
Approaching the machinegun nest, the dinosaur lowered its head and charged into the soldiers, knocking them over like bowling pins. It reached the berm and spun around. The creature’s tail swatted three infantrymen and sent them hurling. They were tossed downhill toward the marines who opened fire on them.
The Carnotaurus snapped at a soldier trying to get away. Arms flailing as the man slipped on mud, the beast stretched out its neck and latched onto the man. With a shake of the head and slight tug, the man’s arm tore off his body. Blood pumped from the cleaved opening and spurted into the air. He screamed in torment, as the cascading rain and blood doused his face, like anointing him to rid the soldier of the dangerous creature. But the beast was spurred on by the exsanguination.