Excerpt from “Mr. Smokey and the New Nation” The First Novel in a series to prepare children for a coming Global War
The Assault on Hissington and the Forces of Prince Benjamin Coliescaputin of East Tirkmenia. Excerpt from Chapter 11: "The Offensive"
The Aceman, General Oscar, and the animal army were approaching the backside of Hissington when they heard distant gun shots. Very distant gun shots.
“Seems like we have that one part down. Should we let the elephants proceed?” said the Aceman.
“Yes. Please, my pachyderm friends, tear down this back wall so we can destroy the town of Hissington,” said General Oscar.
The elephants did as they were bid and immediately began to throw themselves against the wood wall which quickly shuddered under their weight. The splinters of wood flew through the digging site as the excavators, scientists, and snakes began to run for the camouflaged veil.
The animal army screamed as one and shook the unlit torches they had made before arriving to Hissington. Each ostrich soldier had a spear while the others had their claws, teeth, and weight to fight the snakes.
The Aceman quickly took point and lead the animal army to the veil where they quickly ran through it causing several more rips. One elephant lead the advance while one had remained in the back. When the elephant in the back came through, the veil was torn from the sky and fell to dust on the ground. The veil had fallen exposing Hissington for all of its truth and soon the animal army spread.
Snakes had stayed behind and formed a defensive line against the animal army but they were soon crushed, trampled, or cut in half by the spears of the ostriches. Several snakes slithered away in retreat towards the plantation house. General Oscar gave the next order.
“Steady now and stand back. Aceman, go and get it,” said General Oscar.
“Aye, General,” said the Aceman with a grin.
The Aceman had taken out his rifle now and was advancing towards the plantation house. Luckily for him, no snakes were outside the house. He ran towards the house when a bullet came from a window on the top floor.
He spotted that it was one of the excavators with a pistol trying to hit the Aceman, but his accuracy was poor. The Aceman’s wasn’t and his round went straight through the head of the excavator causing him to fall forward through the window. The East Tirkmenian landed on the earth, making it resound as a struck bass drum.The Aceman quickly made it to the courtyard and had no further confrontations from the East Tirkmenians of the snakes of Hissington.
He quickly lit his torch from the urns by the bronze serpent causing it to blaze in reflected glory for a mere second before dissipating into a lesser shine. The Aceman ran back to the army and began to light the torches of the animals.
“It is amazing to burn our enemy with his own fire that stands to glorify him. His fire shall soon deconstruct his efforts at returning. Burn Hissington to the ground! Take prisoners if they surrender, otherwise for the win. Let us go and conquer, my brethren!” yelled General Oscar.
“Do not go to the Plantation house, yet. Make your way to the front of the town and we will then work our way up the asphalt road,” said the Aceman
The animal army advanced with a heavy pace to the front gate. They were advancing on the back side of the chicken coop-like houses and not on the road to the front of the town. They soon were at the destroyed front entrance from the rescue attempt of Mr. Smokey and Sally the miniature giraffe. Only a few snakes were at the entrance in defensive stances but were briskly killed.The gate, still lying in shambles from the rescue the day before, was set aflame and so was the front wall and the small army started to march up the asphalt road.
Every house was set on fire. The chicken coop-like structures which served as the living quarters of the serpent forces were licked up with yellow and orange flame like the tongues the snakes used to smell which animals were advancing towards them.
“Tear down those lampposts! Tear up the asphalt road! Tear it all to shambles!” said General Oscar.
The Aceman stood back and watched the small animal army advance and merely waited until he was needed.The elephants were stomping on the road while deer, dogs, horses, and other quadrupeds attached ropes to the lampposts; thus, tearing them down. The ostriches were picking at the fragments of road with their spears and were flinging the broken bits of asphalt into the air. The flames and sun glistened on the tiny reflective bits in the road as they flew through the air and landed on the grass around the burning chicken coops.
Suddenly, gunfire erupted and the Aceman ran towards the nearest house that was not on fire and took cover.
There were five men. One with a pistol, two with shot guns, one with a knife, and another with an automatic weapon.The Aceman took out his handgun and checked to make sure it was loaded. He opened and closed his hand, attracting the attention of seven ostrich soldiers who were alerted to the presence as was the rest of the army.
They ran towards the Aceman out in the open.
“No, not in the open! Take cover!!”
The East Tirkmenian with the automatic weapon hit two ostriches, mortally wounding them. The other five had made it to the Aceman.
“What do we do human, human,” said one of the big birds.
“On the count of three, I want you to throw your spears at those five men. My bet is you most likely will not hit them – if you do good – but I bet it scares them. Giving me enough time to drop ’um. You hear me, right? No, wait, I promised Smokey. Just wait until I count. I am going to talk to them first,” said the Aceman.
“East Tirkmenians, this is the Aceman. I ask that you surrender or we will open fire. We do not wish to kill you,” said the Aceman.
He was answered by more gunfire and cursing from the men.
“Yes. Well. I tried. On the count of three. One. Two. Three.”
The spears flew into the air and as the Aceman had hoped scared the guards and impaled one of the men.The Aceman swung from behind his cover from the house and shot the remaining four before they had a chance to react.Their bodies landed on the broken asphalt road, several animals dragging them to a pile of snakes that was burning.
“Wait! Bring those bodies with us. Advance!” shouted the Aceman.
The animal army continued to advance up the street eventually destroying all of Hissington until all that was left was the Plantation House. The Aceman had the bodies of the five men brought up and laid in the courtyard by the bronze serpent.
He then went to the front door and knocked on it one time and commanded in a deep voice, “Surrender! Or suffer the fate as these men and your town. You will burn to death and nothing will be left of Hissington.”
“We will not,” said a prompt voice, “We will fight. All the snakes in Hissington are here ready to fight you. We will burns you.” With that said, a glass bottle hurtled down from one of the windows and busted over a dog. Several animals began to pat him but put out the flames. Other animals took the dog away to be with the other wounded.
“Molotov cocktails…” said the Aceman.
“No negotiations! Burn it down. They were idiots to hole up in there. Burn it and kill any that leave through windows or doors,” said General Oscar.
“Wait!” said the Aceman to the army, “General, we can’t just burn it down. We have to see if the King Cobra is in there. He may have some answers for us. If we can catch him alive, it would be a treat for all of us and we will find out why the East Tirkmenians are on this island.”
“Why didn’t you suggest that before! We have no way to take the King Cobra alive. Why it’s suicide for most of us if he is in there. Let’s burn it down and we will never have to worry about it. The problem will be gone,” said the ostrich General.
“No, now I’m telling you we are going in. There’s a cellar in this place so I imagine there’s a door on the side of the house that leads down to it. Take a group with you down there and work your way up. I will take the rest through the front door and search every room. If he is not here, then we will burn down the house,” said the Aceman.
“I’ve already lost enough animals today. How many more for that stupid cat of yours!”
“Now listen here. We are fighting for this island as well. Smokey is definitely not stupid. Don't let your jealously of his reveal to humanity as the world's first talking animal hurt your judgement. We are trying to get off of this island and save your sorry excuse of a resistance in the meantime. You should be damned grateful I showed up. I’m surprised you never gave in to them and surrendered outright in the beginning,” said the Aceman.
“How dare you! I am fully competent and…” SMACK! The Aceman slapped General Oscar across his beak and the ostrich bowed his head and agreed to the Aceman’s plan.
General Oscar’s group went down to the cellar while the Aceman and the remaining army went through the front door. They were met with heavy resistance.
The Aceman ordered that the torches be thrown in the main throne room so the hands of animals would be free to fight the snakes. Several animals were bitten and fell from the venom of the snakes. Some snakes had wrapped themselves around the legs of animals like they had Mr. Smokey and began to pull until they fell. The Aceman used his machete to cut the snakes from the animals’ legs.
There were three floors and the first was cleared very quickly.The army rushed up the stairs and encountered heavier resistance but they were stronger and more willing to fight and they did. Snakes cleaved in half by the spear, the machete, the claw, were thrashing about like a turned on garden hose left on the ground to its own devices.
The torches on the first floor had spread and the rising heat was making everyone sweat.
The Aceman called for a rush to the third floor after quickly clearing the second floor.
The third floor and similar resistance to the second floor except there were several people in one room who were unarmed.
One man jumped up and threw a punch at the Aceman. The Aceman grabbed the man’s right hand and twisted it, breaking his arm. Another man had a chair and came charging towards the Aceman, screaming. The Aceman quickly disabled that man. Another tried to kick. Another punch. A slap. A rope around the neck which was used to choke an East Tirkmenian’s neck. The men fought, a wardrobe knocked over from the fighting. The Aceman stood over the men who lay about the room.
“Please, just surrender and come with us. You don’t have to die,” said the Aceman.
“We are already dead. Just look at the label,” said one man who was sitting in a rocking chair, rubbing his elbow. He stopped rubbing his elbow and pointed to a pill bottle lying on the single bed in the room. The home made quilt bore on it a small orange bottle that was labeled with a skull and crossbones.
“The house is burning though. Please, don’t burn to death. At least die peacefully out in the cool air. There is no reason for this sort of agony,” said the Aceman.
“We deserve to burn. Everyone who accepts the Prince and the Shatterers deserves to burn forever,” said the devote East Tirkmenian, one of the scientists from the excavation site.
“Don’t. Come on let’s go!” said the Aceman.
“You do not understand yet. It is fine. Help yourself. We must stay,” said a woman.
The Aceman, without any further argument, left the room and had found out that the floor was cleared and most of the animals had already gone outside. The animals with him ran down the stairs with him and had to duck under the flames which had engulfed the entire first floor. The vases, pictures, and tapestries melted into the old wood leaving only shadows. It was breath taking to the Aceman. He grinned at the flames.
The Aceman found all of the army outside and General Oscar who had ash over his feathery coat. Some animals still had torches and merely stood looking at the first floor burn through the windows and open door the Aceman had stepped through.
“Throw in the rest of the torches. Into the windows on the second and third floors, onto the roof. Wherever. Just get it done quickly. Hurry, hurry, hurry!!” said the Aceman, scratching the back of his head and stretching his neck.
The rest of the torches were thrown into the plantation house and the fire spread. The windows cracked and the housed creaked and groaned from the feverish fire eating up every ounce of paint, furniture, and structure. The porch frowned as it sides bowed to the excessive degradation of the eroding wood.The sky above turned red. The hell termites from the Bronze serpent’s urns spread rapidly and did their work over the plantation house. No screams were heard except for the house’s own.
Soon the skeletal remains of the house collapsed as the frail debris was sucked up by the flames sending its black grey smoke to the air where Hissington would be converted to new life.
“Hissington is gone for good! Hissington is gone for good! Hurray!” shouted the animal army as they continued to watch their independence day.
The Aceman stood and watched as he lit a cigarette with the remains of greatest structure in the town of snakes. Hissington was no more and soon Mr. Smokey would be on a radio in the Prince's fortress named the Napoleon calling in for help.
The Bronze serpent, however, still eyed the animal army and was left unharmed and seemed to be laughing. It glowed a fierce metal hot red.