were invincible and would stay forever, making it necessary to reach an accommodation with their new masters.
Jake believed it was time to change a few minds. Fortunately, the Japanese proved very cooperative in the matter.
Those farmers and villagers in the area who were not of Japanese or Hawaiian extraction were often subject to brutal treatment by wandering patrols of occupying soldiers, who, without anyone to stop them, had become more and more adventuresome. In particular, the Chinese were often treated terribly. It was Jake’s opinion that the soldiers were out plundering on their own while their commander in Hilo drank himself into a daily stupor.
As the Americans were on the move from one campsite to another, a terrified child told them that the Japs were at a farm owned by a Chinese family just a couple of miles down the road. Jake took with him only his regular soldiers and two of his marines. The remaining handful of add-ons and sailors were ordered to stay in place. Most didn’t have the experience needed for this. Jake wondered if he had it either, but he kept that disquieting thought to himself.
The Japs were still at the farm when they arrived and appeared totally unaware of impending danger. Hawkins counted eight of them, and several were lurching around drunk. All had rifles, although several rifles were leaning against the neat white frame house. An army truck was parked by the farmhouse, but it didn’t look like anyone was in it. A barn, again white and neat, was behind and to the left of the farmhouse. The buildings were surrounded by acres of fields, in which wheat and vegetables grew several feet tall. Part of the area had been turned into a rice paddy. The whole place exuded prosperity and the results of hard work.
“If we do this right, sir, this could be a turkey shoot,” Sergeant Hawkins said.
Jake nodded. “Then let’s make sure we do it right. Jesus, what’s that?”
Jake focused his binoculars on the slightly open door to the barn, past which it was difficult to see. A naked woman stood against it. Her arms were spread wide, and her hands had been nailed to the door. Her head was slumped on her chest, and she had been disemboweled. A sausagelike strand of entrails hung down her belly. Other cuts and slashes were visible on her body, and another body lay in the barn. It appeared to be an adult man.
Jake had sent two men to reconnoiter the other side of the farm. They reported that there were no other Japs in the area and no sign of any other civilians either.
“They killed them all,” Hawkins said and spat on the ground.
Jake took one group of men and Hawkins the other. The idea was to get at the Japs with converging fire from two angles to hit them before they had a chance to react. No one would fire until Jake did and until they reached their assigned positions, about a hundred yards from the farmhouse.
They crawled through the fields and reached their places without being seen, even though their movements must have disturbed the vegetation. The Japs were too drunk to care. They would be leaving soon for the comforts of Hilo, Jake thought, and then they’d get them. He didn’t want to attack when they were in the house, which they could use as a fort.
The Americans didn’t have long to wait. A group of Japanese lurched and staggered out of the house laughing and carrying bags of loot. It was too much to ask that all would line up neatly for him, but six of them were outside at the same time and were easy targets. When they started to pick up their rifles, he knew there was no time to wait.
“Fire,” he yelled, and his five men let loose and were immediately followed by Hawkins’s group.
Four of the six Japanese were hit immediately. Their bodies jumped and fell, then lay still. The remaining two tried to aim their rifles but were riddled by additional bullets. A seventh Jap came running from the house and right into a hail of bullets, which hurled him backward. The eighth jumped out a window and ran into the barn. He had a pistol in his hand and looked terrified.
“Mine,” Hawkins said and darted to the barn before Jake could speak. He lunged through the door and rolled into the darkness inside. A moment later there was the sound of a pistol shot, followed by a full clip emptying from an M1. A moment after that, Hawkins emerged and waved at Jake. A Japanese pistol stuck out from his belt.
Jake’s soldiers checked the rest of the farm. The man in the barn was dead, and it looked like he too had been used for bayonet practice. A girl, about ten, was found dead in the bed in the farmhouse. She had been raped repeatedly and then had her throat cut. Like the others, she had been dead for a couple of hours.
“I don’t know what the Chinese do about their dead, but let’s bury them quickly.”
“What about the Japs?” Hawkins asked.
Jake thought for moment. “Put the bodies in the truck and we’ll drive it into the woods. Maybe it’ll take them a long time to find it. And don’t forget to take their weapons.”
Later, as they hiked back to their camp, Jake sensed the uplift to his men’s spirits. They had finally struck back, and it felt good. They might have to play hide-and-seek with the Japs for a while, but Hawaii was a big island, and they could take advantage of every rugged inch of it.
Better, the people of Hawaii would soon know that the Americans were still around.
“Hawk,” Jake said, “why did you go into that barn alone?”
“Lotsa reasons, sir. If I hadn’t, you might’ve, and you’re more important than I am. Also, the fucking Japs pissed me off. I like Chinese food.”
The two Japanese soldiers detailed to take Alexa home had been ordered not to attack her. They obeyed but decided the orders allowed them to paw and fondle her. When they arrived at her home, they pushed her out of the car and onto the lawn.
Her return attracted Melissa, who helped the stunned and half-naked woman up from her hands and knees and into the house. It was barely dawn, and none of their few neighbors appeared to notice the event. In a handful of terse sentences, Alexa told her friend what had happened and said that she wanted a bath.
Melissa drew the bath and helped Alexa into the comforting hot water. She watched sadly as her friend attempted to wash away all vestiges of the terrible night. It wouldn’t work, of course, but Alexa had to try, and she scrubbed her body with an almost manic fury, even putting the soapy washcloth into her mouth, which made her gag. Her stomach was empty, so she could only retch.
When Alexa finally tired, she left the tub and lay down on her bed. Melissa then called for a doctor she knew who was very discreet. He was of Hawaiian extraction and was still permitted to practice. He examined Alexa, gave her a pelvic exam, suggested she douche, and left them.
Somewhat revived, Alexa filled Melissa in on the details.
“Do you have a diaphragm?” Melissa asked.
“Of course. I was so stupid. I didn’t think I’d need it.”
“Just make sure you take it the next time. It won’t save you from some of the sick games he likes to play, but it should keep you from getting pregnant by the bastard.”
Next time? Pregnant? Alexa hadn’t given that a thought. Dear God, would it happen again? Yes, she realized, it would happen again. And again, and again, and again. The colonel had made it clear that she was his possession, his mistress. There would be more times with him mounting her, more sessions with Han, and more times with her sucking Omori’s penis and tasting his semen. She wanted to be sick.
Melissa stayed with her as long as possible through the day, even offered to stay the night with her child, but Alexa said no. She would deal with her problem herself.
Thus, she was alone and the house was dark when the rear door burst open. Three men dressed in dark clothes and hoods grabbed her, and one covered her mouth with his hand before she could scream. She had been ready for bed, and there were no lights on.
One man was the leader. “Please be quiet, Mrs. Sanderson, we are not your enemy. We wish to talk with you. Will you promise not to scream?”
Alexa agreed. Once again she saw no choice.
“What do you want?” she asked when they released her. They didn’t behave like burglars. “And why those hoods?”
The leader handed her a robe, which she put on eagerly. She’d been wearing only a short cotton nightgown. The act of tying the robe around her waist comforted her.
The leader gestured for her to sit down, and he did as well. The other two took up stations as guards, looking out the windows. “I am sorry that I was too late to help you in your dealings with Omori. I can only hope
