March 23, 1924
From the start, I knew Jack's telegram was going to be bad
news...
It seems he had been chasing fairy tales in Mexico
this time. The message came from San Miguel. It seems he was looking into the
Ah-Puch cult. And as per, Jack custom; he needed his friends to show up with
essential supplies. The standard of cases of guns, Lucky Strike smokes, and as
many bottles of gin we could squeeze on to Devin's seaplane was desperately
needed. He added that we had to contact the Texas Rangers and get as much info
on a Walter F. Kimble as we could. Next, we were to rendezvous with a Guillermo
at the San Miguel railroad station. What is he getting into now?
March 24, 1924
The next day I used resources at the office on base to have
the Rangers facsimile the files on Kimble to me. I was amazed that they were
keeping up with the time, as well. It seems that Mr. Kimble is on great
importance to the Navy. Acquitted in October 1915 of killing a fellow grunt.
Between '15 and '16, the trash got acquitted several more times in cases
involving missing Army property. January of 1916 was when the Army issued a
warrant for him being AWOL. Army , is also, looking for him in his involvement
in a munitions rail car robbery. The second was even more disturbing. By March of
'16, he was in raiding parties with Poncho Villa into New Mexico. This makes him an enemy
combatant of the United
States. By '21, he was running guns and contraband in the Caribbean Basin and considered armed and
dangerous. In '23, he was in close contact with Villa and his army until his
assassination. Kimble is fluent in Spanish, French, and several other dialects.
Currently, he is wanted by the Rangers, Army, RCMP, and the Delaware State
Police. I have a guess the Jack may have just found our boys base of
operations. I can't let any of the other guys know, especially if this becomes
a military operation, that we are walking into what could be a hairy situation.
But, it's only a guess for now.
March 25, 1924
Saw Sven today. He got the same telegraph. Luckily, with
strange obscure cults, he knows more than even Jack. Ah Puch is linked to
Mictlantecuhtli, the Aztec god of Death. This makes sense since Campeche is the southern
end of the Aztec and northern end of Mayan territories. As for ole Mic, he isn't
worth describing except he is Death and ugly. Except, when it's a woman in
white.
Need to
pack leaving tomorrow with the guys. It's a good thing I've been saving up
shore leave. Two months should be good enough. Plus, if I catch Kimble I could
get the CO to approve an additional 6 months for stopping a gun trade between
pirates.
March 28, 1924
Devin managed to get us to Mexico over the course of two days.
I've never gotten used to the feeling of landing on water. As we flew over the
town, preparing to land you could tell it was a poor ghetto of a city with a
few wealthy looking sections here and there. People are very wary of outsiders
in places like this. We better watch our backs while we are here. A bit later
we found ourselves in front of a fantastic shithole of a hotel. The San Miguel
Hotel was a faded old building with no
windows so to let the heat in. Once inside the concierge proved to be of little
help. Seems Jackie boy hasn't been here in over a month. We left after getting
directions to the rail station so that we might find Guillermo. Kurt's better
judgement kept us from check into the place. We arrived a short time later at
the railway. Guillermo proved to be easy to find since he was the station
manager and the largest man in the place. At first when approached, he was
brash but seemed to soften after we mentioned Jack's name. Quickly shuffling us
into his office the man gave us a letter left by Jack and that we had been
expected. From here we were to head to mile marker 126 and head up stream to
Jack's camp. Plus, we were to make sure we weren't followed. Devin rushed off
to hire some porters and we headed back to the plane to unload what we had
brought. The porters soon arrived with a cart and after loading everything it
was back to the station to catch the last train out. For 7 miserable hours. we
were stuck on a flatcar on a slow moving train. Every bump made you sorer than
the last. Then we were cover in thick
soot from the engine car, till a hot rain made the sludge drip off of us staining
everything we had with us. Then, the mosquitoes came.
Upon our arrival to 126, we noticed a woman sitting to our
side signing a cross over her heart while staring at the jungle. quickly,
unloading everything, the train left us in a column of smoke. After a few
minutes of searching, we found the trail that led upstream to Jack's camp. I
have to admit the jungle is spooking me a bit. This is Marine work not sailor.
A few minutes later, we all see an owl and superstition took over. Everyone
seemed to start shooting at it and it exploded into small bits. I swear some
how I thought it was evil. Not long after that as night closed in we found some
ruins. The markings on a wall depicted a skeleton standing on a pile of skulls flanked
by owls while holding a pyramid. Creepy. I guess we are getting closer to
Death's house. It was getting very dark when we happened upon blood spatter on
some of the flagstone and the remains of a destroyed camp. At the edge of the
area, we found a crumpled pack of Lucky Strikes next to some thick bush. Jackson had definitely
been here.
We decide to take four hour shifts in keeping watch after
Devin notices a Jaguar near the camp. God, I hate the jungle.
3/29/24 early
Quick notes in case I am killed. We all heard music in the
jungle. Arming ourselves we prepared for an attack. That was when it appear and
Devin and myself freaked out. Kurt and Sven opened fire on the creature as it
drew nearer. That was when Sven walked up and blew the head off what now
appears to be a very drunk human. That shook me out of my trance and I noticed
we were being flanked by two very drunk men painted to look like skeletons. I
take off after the nearest and hope to capture him. Closing I attempt to pistol
whip him unconscious for questioning later but trip over a vine and land next
to him. That was when swung at me. Quickly, I crack the side of his head with
my weapon. Meanwhile, Kurt and Sven manage to let the other run off into the
jungle. We attempt to question our prisoner but he speaks no English. This
shuts Kurt up about someone playing a big joke us. If it is, we just killed a
man over a misunderstanding. Kurt has the man drag our possessions with us.
After a bit the man points out a small ruined pyramid surrounded by crumbing
rocks that tumbled from it. If Kurt is wrong and we have found Kimble's
hideout. I must capture him dead or alive. We may soon find out when we breach
the ruins soon.
