Internal demons were attacking Laurie again. He kept telling himself to forget it, just do your bloody job and stay alive. The only way he could keep his revulsion for killing under control was to put it out of his mind. His way to cope with the war was to be almost zombie-like when he went into battle, as if he couldn’t have any thoughts about the dead enemy. The result of the war and the battles meant nothing to him except he was closer to the terrible conflict ending. Nightmares had started a week ago. The dead were coming for him. They gathered around him, pointed after rising out of their graves and brushing the dirt from their clothes. The worst was the German he bayoneted at Tobruk. When the German screamed, Laurie screamed and woke up. He would then lay awake too frightened to go to sleep again.

Laurie O’Leary marched behind the rest of the section down the jungle track. The only original members left were Corporal Gerry Blum, Shortie Winters and Laurie. Malaria and dengue fever had devastated the numbers and all areas of the 2/43rd were now under-strength.

Through the rain, Laurie saw movement in a tree to the side of the track, removing the canvas cover from the breech area of the three-o-three he sighted down the telescopic sight. He stopped marching and rested the rifle in a small tree fork. He waited patiently for movement then fired. A Japanese crashed out of the tree as the rest of the section went to ground. The Nip was still moving, but a burst from an Owen gun ensured he was dead.

Firing started from trees along the track, the section returned fire. The Japanese patrol had obviously waited for the sniper to start. Rifle fire and machine gun fire echoed through the jungle, a bullet crashed into a nearby tree as Laurie ducked for cover. There was another bloody sniper. Laurie slipped his bayonet onto his rifle as he searched the jungle in his vicinity. He didn’t have to wait long. He heard the noise to his left and turned as a man lunged for him with his sword. He never thought he would have to fight against a sword. Laurie set himself to meet the enemy with his rifle and bayonet. The Japanese couldn’t stop and impaled himself as he rushed. The sword slipped past Laurie as blood squirted and hit him in the face. The man had a horrible look on his face as he realised the bayonet was through his body; he placed his hand around the blade as pain convulsed him. Laurie twisted the bayonet and the scream was like a banshee from hell. The momentum of the charge had taken them to the ground. Laurie found the trigger and fired, the impact at such close range forced the Japanese soldier onto his back. Laurie placed his foot on the man’s stomach and extracted his weapon then looked into the soldier’s pleading eyes as he plunged the bloody blade into the man’s throat.

Laurie extracted his bayonet, and then rolled away from the bloodied Japanese. He had blood on his face, in his eyes and on his uniform. He was disgusted at the gore and blood but he had no time to worry about it. He thumbed another round into the breech as a bullet thudded into the ground near him. Laurie wiped the blood from his eyes, but he couldn’t see the sniper. There was firing in the jungle to his right and he crept slowly in that direction. Behind a tree with a good view of the section was a Japanese firing his rifle. The dense jungle and the noise of gunfire covered Laurie’s approach; he crept behind the enemy and blew his brains out from point blank range.

Now for the sniper, thought Laurie. He looked for the muzzle flash in the trees. There was a lull in the firing. He heard a noise from behind up about forty feet. Laurie fired. The sniper crashed out of the tree onto the track where Laurie shot him again. Without the sniper, the contest was more even. Soon the fire from the Japanese stopped as they took casualties. The jungle was silent, Laurie approached the rest of the section, two were dead and three wounded. ‘Shit, you O.K? Is that blood yours or theirs?’ said Gerry.

‘Theirs, I got one with the bayonet, he came at me with a fuckin’ sword, it was a bit messy,’ said Laurie.

‘I saw that sniper, I thought he was goin’ to get you, but he missed, that was a big mistake.’ said Gerry.

‘You look like fuckin’ Dracula. Did y’ get a good feed?’ quipped Shortie.

‘Watch out, I might like some of that arse of yours,’ said Laurie.

Shortie adopted a limp wrist pose, ‘Now saailor, I never thought you were like that,’ purred Shortie.

‘There’s some dead Japs in the jungle. What d’ we do about ‘em?’ one of the other men asked.

‘Leave ‘em. They might be waiting for us and the bastards’ booby-trap their dead. We have to get our own dead and wounded back,’ said Gerry. They hastily made litters.

                                                    ***

Command issued information that they were expecting a Japanese landing on Scarlet Beach, with an advance down the coastal area in the 2^nd 28^th Battalion area. For this to happen the enemy had to take North Hill to secure their supply lines.

The seaborne attack came on the night of the 16th October. Fire from troops of the 2^nd 28^th and USA detachments greeted the Japanese. The enemy raiders carried automatic weapons as well as grenades and flame-throwers. Intelligence estimated that some seventy Japanese had landed and about thirty crossed the River Song and penetrated into the 2/43rd’s area. Reports came that the enemy were approaching the North Hill area.

Corporal Blum checked his troops. They were in defensive positions in the head high grass. ‘How are you, Killer?’ he asked Laurie O’Leary.

‘What’s this killer bit?’ Laurie responded.

‘The boss reckons you’re a killer. He wants to recommend you be mentioned in despatches.’

‘That’s bullshit, it won’t keep me alive.’

‘It would be an honour.’

‘Whatever you say, I fuckin’ hate this war. I just want to do my bit and get out of this army as soon as I can.’

‘Ok, ok. I’ll tell him. He reckons it’s an honour for us as well as you.’

                                                ***

They spotted the kunai grass moving as the Japanese came into their line of fire. The agreed signal to attack would come when the Bren gun in the centre of the section fired. They waited as the moving kunai signalled the approach. When the enemy was about ten yards away, the Bren started, followed by the rest of the section. The sound in the grass was deafening as the remaining Japanese returned fire.

Suddenly, a streak of flame leapt towards the defenders, scorching some of the wet grass. Laurie had a grenade with the pin out in his hand. He let go of the handle, then counted to four and yelled, ‘Grenade,’ as he threw it at the source of the flamethrower. The explosion silenced the enemy. The Japanese withdrew through the kunai. Laurie heard the occasional burst from Owen guns as the Australians came across Japanese. They found five enemy bodies in the grass.