Fic: The Revenge Of The PT-73 (2/3)
Title: The Revenge Of The PT-73 (2/3)
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters: (this chapter) Quinton McHale, Virgil Edwards, Fuji Kobiaji, Lester Gruber, Joseph 'Happy' Haines, George 'Christy' Christopher, Willy Moss, Chuck Parker, Elroy Carpenter, Brad Burns, Alan Ruggins, Joe Rawlins, Patrick O'Grady, Harrison 'Tinker' Bell
Fandom: McHale's Navy
Genres: Drama, Historical, Horror
Rating (this chapter): R
Warnings (this chapter): Gore
Spoilers: For PT 73, Where Are You? (1x04)
General Summary: The crew of the PT-73 is spooked by strange happenings centered around their boat.
Chapter Summary: Spooky tales told around the campfire might not be the best idea.
Date Of Completion: October 25, 2022
Date Of Posting: November 13, 2022
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, Universal does, more’s the pity.
Word Count (this chapter): 1562
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author's Notes: Inspired by the episode, PT 73, Where Are You? (1x04), which was written by Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22. This episode is also notable for Virgil wearing nothing but little black shorts. 😉
The entire series can be found here.
II
AROUND THE CAMPFIRE
Around the fire,
The flames leap,
Tales are told,
That run deep.
Primal.
Melville 'Hunter' Maxwell
There Are No Little Men,
Just Big Game"
1941 C.E.
After supper Willy started a fire and the men sat down around it.
"What is this, a wienie roast?" asked Happy.
"Nah, we just ate," McHale said. "You guys are so eager for ghost stories, I thought I'd indulge you."
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Skip?" asked Christy. He could feel Virgil's anxiety and resolved to stay close to his jittery friend.
"Ghost stories are just that, stories. And our boat is not haunted."
McHale hoped he sounded convincing. He couldn't admit to being spooked himself. He had to take control of things before they got out of hand.
"Well, on the island of Konakai, the natives say that a witch doctor liked putting curses on rival tribes, which his tribe was okay with until he started putting the evil eye on them!"
"Man." Willy shook his head.
"Yeah." McHale waved his arms as the campfire crackled and the flames' light illuminated his face. "The Doc was sweet on Leilani, the most beautiful girl on the island. He did the voodoo and her.main squeeze, Kilo, suddenly fell sick with some strange illness. No one put it together at first, because the Doc had always been loyal, or at least appeared to be."
"Sheesh," Gruber said, and was promptly shushed by the guys.
"Now this particular tribe lived deep in the jungle on Konakai, and they were rarely seen by outsiders. There were rumors of cannibalism (shivers all around), but that was probably because they were so cut off even from the other tribes.
"The jungle was deep and dark, and anyone who tried to find the village became hopelessly lost. Voodoo Doc had cast a spell to make them impossible to to find." McHale's voice dropped a notch. "Doc Hatari was called to treat Kilo."
"Poor Kilo," said Happy.
"There were caves high up in the hills, said to contain the spirits of the tribe's ancestors. One cave was especially feared, as the Wraiths were said to dwell within."
"The Wraiths?" squeaked Tinker.
The firelight flickered over McHale's face. "That's right, the Wraiths." His voice had taken on the tone of those telling spooky tales. "Wraiths are nasty creatures who suck the souls out of the unwary."
Christy was feeling shaky himself. He shifted a little closer to Virgil. Looked like Virgil wasn't the only skittish one around here.
"The tribespeople kept away from that cave, oh, yes, they did! Doc Hatari kept stirring his cauldron and Kilo sickened and died."
"Oh, no," said Tinker.
"Poor Leilani!" Willy groaned.
"That's right," McHale said. "The witch doctor bided his time. After a suitable mourning period, Hatari began courting Leilani, bringing her flowers and walking with her along the beach on moonlit nights. It was all going well until..."
McHale let the pause stretch out. His men began to shift uneasily. A toucan bird screeched in the jungle, and everyone jumped.
The Skipper spread his arms out. "She began to fall in love with Hatari, but one terrible night she overheard him talking to his apprentice and she knew he had killed Kilo. Hatari caught her and he dragged her to the Wraiths' cave."
The crew listened with rapt attention as McHale's voice dropped. "He had rendered her mute, so her cries for help went unheard. Hatari was ready to cast her into the cave when the earth rumbled and Leilani got away, but Hatari fell into the cave "
The men flinched, totally caught up in the tale. They knew nothing good was going to come of it
"Leilani told about the attempted murder and the villagers marched to the cave, outrage overcoming their fear. They paused and looked up at the cave. Shadows moved, and a figure was shoved out.
"Men screamed as well as women. The figure was skeletal. No flesh remained!"
Virgil's eyes were huge in his face. Christy figured he looked the same. He grabbed his friend's hand. It was cold and a little shaky.
Gruber was surprised by how affected he was by the witch doctor's fate. The Skipper could really tell a ghost story! He could feel his heartbeat a little faster than normal.
"Hatari has paid for his crimes in a horrible way." McHale gestured expansively. "The Konakai tribe kept this as a cautionary tale for other tribes and for the white men they encountered."
"Cautionary! That's more like horrifying," said Chuck.
"Yeah, I agree," said Gruber.
"Me, too," said Tinker with a shiver.
The campfire crackled as a monkey howled deep in the jungle. Suddenly, the 73's engines started up.
"Oh, no, not again," moaned Willy.
"Let's get our weapons and check it out," McHale said.
The.men obeyed but weren't happy about it. They grabbed their rifles and cautiously approached the PT-73.
"Skip, the engines are off," Tinker said.
"So they are." McHale let out a huff of frustration. "Let's do a quick look, though."
"Okay," Gruber said, unhappy about it, but he had plenty of company
They approached with extreme caution, unsure of who or what they would find.
McHale gestured for Gruber and Willy to go to the right, Virgil and Christy to the left.
Virgil swallowed as he eyed his gun, but obeyed his Skipper's orders. Christy stayed close to him, clutching his rifle in a white-knuckled grip.
The crew did a careful, methodical check of the boat but once again, found nothing. McHale called the search off.
After stowing away their weapons, McHale gathered his crew around the campfire. "Well, that was fun "
"Like a day at Coney Island," quipped Gruber.
"Listen to Bob Hope over here."
"Maybe he's Bud Abbott in Hold That Ghost!" Tinker added.
"Hoo boy!" Willy laughed.
"Settle down, you ghost hunters," said McHale.
"I got a ghost story," Willy said.
"Okay, the floor's yours "
Willy's features looked sufficiently spooky in the campfire's light.
"Well, y'all know I come from the hills of Tennessee, well, that's prime ghost country. Back in the days of the War Between The States, a grizzled old farmer in Frog Holler was known to cheat at cards, stole pigs and chickens, and ran a still that generated bad whiskey, which was the biggest crime of all." His crewmates laughed. "He sure was an unpopular guy."
"Terrible, cheating," Gruber said primly.
The men grinned and Willy resumed his story.
"Well, ol' Henry Baker thought he was pretty clever. No one could catch him in the act, so he thought he was sittin' pretty, like that Hatari fella.
"Well, one night, ol' Baker is sittin' at his kitchen table, sippin' some of his moonshine, which was his first mistake." Chuckles around the campfire." "He thinks he hears someone whisper, 'Hey, Henry'. He ignored it, drank some more." A howl came from the jungle, making everyone jump.
McHale poked the fire with a stick. Sparks popped and Willy started his story again.
"He heard the whisper again. 'Who is it?' he called. Whisper again. Baker got out his rifle and yanked open the front door, ready to start shootin'."
A strong breeze made the campfire flames dance, flickering across the faces of the men.
"Baker didn't see nothin', but he was sure somethin' fishy was goin' on."
"Lot of that goin' on," Gruber muttered.
"He started to close the door when he thought he heard someone up at the still. He went to investigate and an old hoot owl startled him.
"Who's there?" Baker called.
The whisper was back. The still began to bubble and shake as the fire started all by itself."
Willy had his audience hooked. The flames of the campfire grew higher and hotter. Chuck jumped as a spark touched his arm, singeing his uniform sleeve.
"The still whistled and rattled and Henry tried to find out what was goin' on. He took off when he realized the still was goin' to blow!
The explosion was heard all over Frog Holler. The next morning the folks headed up to Henry's place. They found the still blown to bits, and as for Henry..." Willy shook his head. "Weren't much left a'tall."
Grimaces showed on the faces of his listeners. Fuji declared, "Not wise to fool with spirits."
"No kiddin'," agreed Happy.
"Well, my pack of Boy Scouts, let's douse the fire and hit the hay. We've got a busy day tomorrow but night patrol as well."
The men groaned but dutifully put out the fire and trudged toward their quarters.
& & & & & &
The crew settled into their bunks, ready for sleep. Worn out, the men fell asleep fairly quickly. McHale was right, it was going to be a busy day tomorrow. They needed sleep!
The night was peaceful as the men slumbered. Jungle noises were the usual backdrop, and the minutes slipped by as the moon's light shimmered on the water.
As the night wore on, the men began to move restlessly as if they were experiencing disturbing dreams. Little moans escaped their lips as they moved in their bunks. A howler monkey made its terrible shriek from the depths of the jungle. The men shivered slightly in their sleep.
By the docks, the boat bearing the number 73 rocked slightly as its engines turned on for a brief moment, sounding like evil laughter.
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