The Longest Day: Treshford's Tale

The Longest Day: Treshford's Tale is chronologically the second book of the Leftover Testament, but thought to be the last written. This book takes place simultaneously as the end of The Battles of RJ and the Man-Bear-Pig, from the perspective of Major Connex Treshford and his squad of Marines.

Content
The Longest Day: Treshford's Tale 1 1. Major Connex Treshford did not consider himself a happy man. 2. Stuck at a dead-end post where he served as the head paper-pusher in a sea of office cubicles, his Westpoint education wasting away in the back of his mind, the monotony of the day itself was ironically what kept him sane as he trudged through the ritual of checking military finances, where exactly money was being allocated, and if all transfers were legitimate. 3. The dullness of it all was enough to drive anyone mad, but he'd had a fair enough bout of madness when he first opened the letter stating his transfer to the Finance Corps. 4. That had been well over a year ago, and he still wasn't thrilled about it. 5. He had joined the Army to protect his country, not balance the payrolls of its protectors. 6. He should be leading his old company out into enemy territory deep into the unknown, outmaneuvering any strategy laid at his feet with any number of his own plans. 7. He had been so promising during during cadet training; what had gone wrong? 8. Contemplation aside, Treshford decided to look over the contract list he always kept pulled up on his work computer. 9. It would refresh every sixty seconds to include new contracts, but it was a mostly useless program, since fewer and fewer people seemed to be enlisting. 10. He briefly glanced over it and was about to move his gaze as a small message appeared in the refresh. 11. Strange, he thought; messages appeared even less than new contracts. 12. He leaned forward in his chair and clicked on the message, filled with remote interest.

2 1. Treshford was completely shocked at what sat before his eyes on the computer screen. 2. Not so much at the content as the fact that it had been sent to him. 3. He read it aloud, albeit quietly, to make sure he had gotten everything from the message. 4. It read, "Maj. C. Treshford, First Battalion, Finance Corps. We have particular interest in your abilities, due to a certain security situation that will remain classified for the time being. 5. We have reviewed your records, and were most impressed with your military record, particularly your participation in the Ultranationalist Crisis. 6. We require someone with your knowledge of operational mobility and overall excellence in designing and executing a course of rapid-response action. 7. Due to dire circumstances, we request that you will agree to aid us in a battle against a most "foreign" opponent. 8. Please respond to this message within two hours. 9. A helicopter will be sent to escort you based upon your decision." 10. There was no sign-off, no indication who had sent the message or who "we" might be. 11. No details, no priority reports, not even a real mission briefing or an actual mission. More like an obligation if anything. 12. Yet Treshford felt enthralled by the idea of getting out of his blasted office and back out in the field, even if it might not be in a direct sense and he was simply there to observe and advise. 13. He immediately sent a reply to the message, packed his modest belongings in the office, and silently slipped away from the cubicles and down to the landing pad. 14. Little did he know that he would never lay eyes of this base again. 15. In retrospect, he felt that he should have at least told his first lieutenant that he was leaving, but things had fallen into place so quickly that he had reacted impulsively. 16. By the time that Treshford came to the landing pad, a helicopter was already there waiting for him.

3 1. In Connex Treshford's daydreams, that was exactly how his transfer to the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command had taken place. 2. In reality, it had not been quite so simple. 3. After getting the email, Treshford was stopped while going to the mess by an unassuming Corporal by the name of Perkins. 4. The Corporal had pulled Treshford aside and asked him to speak privately, much to Treshford's annoyance. 5. The two had left the mess hall and stood off to the side by the entrance. 6. Treshford, impatiently beginning to leave, was quickly held back by the Corporal's large hand against his chest. 7. The Corporal asked if Treshford had responded to "the email," to which the latter replied with a hesitant "yes." 8. The Corporal had nodded to himself, and walked away back into the mess, leaving a confused Treshford outside. 9. While on the helicopter, Treshford had not been told of his destination, nor anything pertaining to this supposed mission. 10. When they had landed, Treshford had disembarked to find himself back in his hometown, of all places. 11. He was taken by an armed guard to a makeshift camp at the edge of the old park along the boulevard. 12. The park was huge, especially for such a small town as this; it was easily comparable to the scale of New York's Central Park. 13. Sadly, nothing had ever been done to make the large space more inviting or recreational, leaving it empty save for a few streetlamps and benches along its perimeter. 14. It did not surprise Treshford to see a military camp at the park. 15. Loose talk with the pilots during the flight had implied that wherever they were going, it would already have a military presence. 16. Treshford had been told directly that a squad of Special Forces Marines had also been sent to supplement his entrance. 17. The squad was there, awaiting him, and the Lieutenant came up to greet Treshford. 18. "Sir," the man said, saluting. He introduced himself as Carbone, and led Treshford under one of the command tents. 19. "We have something you need to see," Lt. Carbone said. He gestured over at a large body laid out across a tarp. 20. The body was bizarre, completely inhuman, and quite grotesque. 21. It was covered in bear-like fur, with a menacing bearlike face, but the body itself was shaped like a man's. 22. On its head sat two huge, pig-like ears and a pig-like nose upon its snout. 23. It was thick-bodied, but not overly muscular for its size. 24. "This, sir, is why you were called here. Apparently, one of the local men encountered one of these things trying to 'steal a woman's purse' and fired on it with a slingshot. 25. He then challenged the creature to a 'showdown,' here at this park, in seven days. 26. This all took place five days ago. Three days after the first encounter, some of the local law enforcement had their own run-in with one of these beasts, which resulted in them calling in the National Guard. 27. They were the ones that brought in this lovely specimen." 28. Treshford noticed the bullet holes running across the creature's body. 29. "This 'showdown' is slowly developing into a serious confrontation. 30. We don't know how many of these things there are, but at this rate, events are starting to get a little, well, hairy... Pun slightly intended," Carbone finished, shrugging and staring at the creature's body.

4 1. Treshford walked over to the body and knelt down beside it. The thing was indeed fairly muscular, but by no means massively so. 2. It looked like it could put up a decent fight, though. 3. "How are these things during combat, Sergeant?" he asked one of the National Guardsmen. "Surely they can pack quite a punch." 4. "Well, they're not exactly cuddly pandas, sir. Takes a full mag from an MP5 to bring one down. Skulls aren't particularly, though, so head shots are probably the easiest way to take 'em down. 5. They're also smarter than we expected; they're certainly not dumb brutes. Seem to learn and adapt pretty quickly," the sergeant, named Jordan, responded. 6. Treshford took a moment to think to himself. This was a great deal for an office worker to take in during such a short amount of time. 7. He realized that it had been three full years since he had last seen combat. The horrors of the Crisis left him with enough to remember, though. 8. He would need to treat this operation like the Crisis, he decided. He had no idea what to expect. 9. "So is this battle taking place tomorrow? You're sure of that?" Treshford looked from Jordan to Carbone. 10. "Positive, sir," Carbone confirmed. "It seems that they've been trying to gain a foothold in the town during the past week, but their attempts have been half-hearted at best. 11. I'm certain that they will concentrate most of their forces to the battle, leaving the town for later." The Marine seemed quite sure of himself. 12. "First things first, then," Treshford said. "We'll need to evacuate all civilians from the town during that time; we should have minimal to no resistance from them once they understand the threat. 13. We'll then drop by to pay these things a visit here in the park. 14. And by the way, Lieutenant, just who is supposed to be fighting this big "battle"? We barely have enough men here to supervise an evacuation." 15. Sergeant Jordan spoke up, "One of the locals, a certain RJ Hulse, who happened to be the first human to encounter these things, has formed a militia of other townspeople to combat these... Man-Bear-Pigs... during the battle. 16. They're very lightly armed, mostly using paintball guns and hunting rifles, but they should be able to hold off the creatures long enough for us to get everyone out." 17. Treshford, without missing a beat, said, "Okay men, gather supplies, load all weapons, and get some rest. Lieutenant, I need you and Sergeant Jordan to make contact with this Hulse fellow. Tell him we're moving out at dawn; see if he can help alert all civilians of the evacuation. 18. As everyone began dedicating themselves to a task, Sergeant Jordan came up to Treshford and spoke quietly to him, "Sir, I think I need to warn you of something important before we head out. 19. While monitoring the town yesterday, the Man-Bear-Pigs ambushed and killed one of my men, who had been armed with a sniper rifle. We were able to recover his body, but the creatures had taken his weapon. 20. I'm assuming that they know what it is, and maybe even how to use it. The MBPs are remarkably intelligent, and catch on to things rapidly." 21. That was an interesting twist, Treshford thought. 22. He would be fighting an unknown force armed with a deadly marksman weapon. 23. "I'm sorry for your loss, Sergeant. We can only hope we're over-preparing ourselves for this threat," Treshford said. "Go get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

5 1. The freezing air of early morning ripped at Treshford's face as he and the other men quietly infiltrated the township from the park. 2. Once they had reached the main street, Treshford ordered the soldiers to split off into groups. 3. "Carbone, Matthias, Roberto, you're with me. Jordan, take the remaining men over to West Avenue. Corporal Ramey, go to Jenkins Road and sweep around to the north. Let's move!" Treshford said over the comlink. 4. He and his group broke off to the right as everyone went their separate ways. 5. Treshford had to admit to himself he was loving every minute of this op. 6. It felt so refreshing to be back in the field, an M4 in his hands and his mind set in a focused train of thinking. 7. He ran up to the first house, pounded on the door with his fist, and ushered the family within to come out. 8. Treshford had already arranged for all the local radio and television stations to broadcast an alert for the evacuation, and the town's alarm systems would kick in within a half-hour. 9. As Treshford's group went along the street gathering more families, some of whom the Major knew personally from before his enlistment, Treshford couldn't help but glance occasionally at the tops of every other building, checking to see if he could spot an MBP sniper perched atop one. 10. There was no way he would let any of the civilians die because he had stupidly ignored any signs of a threat. 11. However, things were going smoothly so far, so Treshford allowed a feeling akin to calmness to take over him. 12. The plan was to bring the civilians to established checkpoints near the edges of the rural town; the town was effectively isolated by a large ring of trees that embraced most of the its perimeter, with a single highway bisecting the town. 13. Beyond the reach of the town's treeless side was open land; the earth within that region was quite barren, with only a few patches of grass growing across the hard soil. 14. This barren region stood in stark contrast to the great forest surrounding the town proper. 15. At this very moment, more National Guardsmen were on their way with Humvees to pick up the civilians. Afterwards, the remaining civilian forces would join up with RJ's men to take care of any remaining MBPs that may be stalking around. 16. Until then, Treshford would continue to gather civilians and keep an eye out for the sniper. 17. The civvies were busy talking among themselves, so Treshford decided to begin a conversation with his men. 18. "Bet none of you planned on any of this when you joined up," Treshford offered casually to the soldiers behind him. 19. "You're tellin' me," the Marine known as Matthias said. "If I'd wanted to go on some crazy hog hunt, I could've stayed at home out in Georgia." 20. The Marine shook his head in exasperation. "I didn't know that my job as a defender of the free world included being a redneck-for-pay." 21. Treshford allowed himself a grin and shook his head as well. These younger grunts just loved to run their mouths when given the chance. 22. He turned his head in Matthias's direction as he kept walking. 22. "If you've got complaints, I'm sure our commanders would be bursting with joy to hear them back at base," Treshford said sarcastically. 23. With a lighter tone, he continued, "Tell you what, Private. We'll spend our next R&R over some drinks at a nice bar. That hold for the rest of you too, Carbone, Roberto." 24. "Thank you, sir. If you actually keep to that promise, I might have something worthwhile to fight for on this mission; I nice cold lager," Matthias retorted. 25. Carbone chuckled to himself, and Roberto smirked. Treshford looked back at the group of civvies, who were still quietly engaged in their own discussions. 26. Yes, things were going very smoothly, perhaps too much so. 27. The Major swept his gaze along the nearest rooftops. He had the unshakable feeling that he was being watched, but was disturbed by the fact that the possible threat was totally unseen, and perhaps maybe only his paranoia playing tricks on his imagination. 28. Maybe he was kidding himself, and the Marines, and the civvies, and there really was no sniper. 29. Maybe the strange body back at the base had been an elaborate hoax. 30. Maybe Connex Treshford's many years spent in a lonely office were finally catching up with him, and he had indeed truly lost his sanity.

6 1. Just as Treshford and the others began to let down their collective guards, the worst possible events began to unfold.
 * 2. Snow falls as Major Treshford continues to trudge through the street. He is a rough one hundred yards from the pickup point for the civvies, and can hear the hum of the vehicles as they approach. 3. However, this hum is interrupted by a sharp, loud crack. Treshford looks over to see one of the lead civvies, a tall, imposing man, fall to the ground dead, a bullet wound spouting blood from his back. 4. For Treshford, time seems to slow as he yells, "Get down!" and follows the thin trail of smoke to the bullet's source. 5. Silhouetted by the rising sun is a great, large monster standing atop a roof, a thick-barreled sniper rifle in its hands. 6. It lets out a horrific roar, not unlike that of a bear, and brings its rifle up to its furred shoulder. 7. For Treshford, there are no screams from the civilians, nor shouts from the Marines; there is only him, Connex Treshford, bringing his own rifle to bear on the Man-Bear-Pig. 8. As soon as he has aimed down the iron sights of the M4 at the creature, Treshford squeezes his finger against the trigger and opens up on the MBP. 9. The beast has seemingly expected this, crouching down and escaping away from the roof's edge. 10. Treshford orders everyone to continue forward, and a great mob forms, running frantically to the now-waiting Humvees. Marines burst from the vehicles, and help evacuate the terrified civvies. 11. Treshford has not yet taken his eyes away from the roof, but finally looks over when one of the new Marines walks up directly next to him. 12. Treshford orders him and his men to to go find and escort the remaining squads, while the Major and company search out the sniper. 13. The Marine nods and says that a helicopter has been requested and is on its way to assist. Treshford nods back, wishes the Marine luck, and motions for his men to follow him. 14. As they walk on into the freezing winter morning, reality sets in for Treshford, who has at last received a rude awakening to what exactly he is up against.

7 1. The group of Marines headed through the town out to the other side, where the highway exited the town on a small bridge and entered the large clump of woods at the outskirts. 2. They had put together a plan that would effectively trap the sniper, and any other cohorts he may have in the town, while also keeping any MBPs from entering the town from the wooded-end of the highway. 3. They would plant C-4 explosives on the supports of both ends of the bridge, which upon detonation would destroy the bridge and cut off the only other way into or out of the town. 4. As they jogged down the highway, the Marines formed a diamond-shaped squad formation, with Treshford at the front, Roberto and Matthias at the sides, and Carbone bringing up the rear. 5. Carbone, who had brought a portable heads-up display from one of the Humvees, suddenly shouted, "Major, to the left!" 6. Treshford stopped and immediately turned in the indicated direction to face a long alley. 7. A massive Man-Bear-Pig roared from a few feet down the alley and began to charge him. 8. Treshford brought up his M4, set it to fully-automatic, and began firing at the creature. 9. The Major emptied his magazine into the MBP's chest, even though he was sure it had died before he actually had to reload. 10. The MBP fell to the ground with a sickening thump and the Marines hurried on. 11. ''This is getting uncomfortably intense. So much for a simple op,'' Treshford thought. He turned back to his men, saying, "Let's go! Remember, we've still got that sniper to deal with!" 12. They hurried on to the bridge with no other opposition. 13. Treshford ordered Carbone and Roberto to set the C-4 charges on the bridge supports, while he and Matthias kept watch over them, facing the town's end. 14. After a few minutes, Carbone gave the signal that the charges had been set. 15. Treshford briefly surveyed his view of his old hometown one last time. 16. He stamped down any thoughts of the dreaded sniper that gnawed at his mind, and turned to Carbone and Roberto. 17. Treshford clapped Roberto on the shoulder, and stepped over to Carbone, who handed the C-4 detonator to the Major. 18. Treshford held up his right hand, and Carbone shook it. 19. "I appreciate your help, Sergeant. I'd put you in for a promotion to Command, if the chance ever arose. If you'll accept it, I'd like to request that you and your men be transferred to remain in my squad," Treshford said. 20. Sergeant Carbone nodded appreciatively and said, "Thank you for doing us the honor, sir." 21. Then, without warning, the crack of a sniper rifle pierced the quiet morning air. 22. The shot hit one of the C-4's at the farthest end of the bridge, causing it to explode and set off the second C-4 next to it. 23. The explosions knocked Treshford to the ground, and on his way down he hit his head against the hard asphalt, blacking out.

8
 * 1. As he awakens, Treshford realizes that the entire bridge is collapsing from the dual explosions, and that he has been out for only a few seconds. 2. However, his head is throbbing immensely, and he feels as though a massive rock is sitting inside his skull. 3. His vision is blurry; time seems to be moving slowly as he turns his head to the far right. 4. Out of his peripheral vision, Treshford watches as Carbone, who has risen to his feet and pulled out his sidearm, is shot in the neck by a sniper round. 5. The sharp crack from the shot echoes in his ears as he shifts his gaze down and catches sight of Matthias and Roberto, who are also lying on the ground. 6. As he looks at the Marines, just a few feet away from him, Treshford notices movement farther along the highway. 7. He lifts his head up slightly to find the Man-Bear-Pig sniper casually striding toward him, its rifle held loosely in its claw-like hands. 8. The MBP is flanked by two guards, one wielding a human assault rifle and the other a handheld grenade launcher. 9. The sniper raises his rifle and shoots Roberto at point-blank range, as Treshford picks up the C-4 detonator that Carbone had given him moments ago, and squeezes the activator. 10. The remaining C-4's explode in a fiery plume, and the MBPs are shaken, all three turning around to see the source of the explosion. 11. Treshford, his strength ebbing, his head pounding, pulls out his M6D pistol and slides it over to Matthias, who has propped himself up on his left elbow. 12. Treshford gives in to his pain and lays his head down, resting on his side. 13. He is able to watch as Matthias catches the sliding pistol and aims down its sights. 14. Treshford looks back over at the MBPs and watches as a bullet hits the sniper in the back of the head. 15. Blood shoots out of the exit wound at the MBP's forehead, and its body hits the pavement as Matthias moves on to shoot the MBP with the assault rifle, then the one with the grenade launcher. 16. Matthias allows himself to fall back to the ground and takes a deep breath. 17. Treshford closes his eyes and allows darkness to overtake him as he feels the bridge begin to crumble.

9 1. Treshford was awakened again, this time by the sound of helicopter rotors. 2. He opened his weary eyes to find himself atop a large chunk of pavement that had once been part of the bridge, the chunk partially submerged in the large creek that had run below the bridge. 3. A helicopter was hovering above him, and a rope was thrown out of the open hold. 4. Several men began to repel down a rope from the hold, some wearing Marine uniforms, others large coats or even bullet-proof jackets. 5. The Marines secured a perimeter around the creek basin, and two men ran over to Treshford. 6. One was a Marine medic that began to check over Treshford's body for wounds, and proceeded to wrap the top of his head in a bandage cloth. 7. The other man, who was large and broad-shouldered, came up to Treshford's side. 8. "You're safe now, sir. I'm RJ Hulse, leader of the militia," the man said. 9. "The battle is won, Major. The MBPs are in retreat, and we've got men searching the woods at this very moment for a possible base." 10. Treshford felt himself truly relax for the first time that day. His small but valuable role in this battle had paid off. 11. The medic motioned for two men with a stretcher to come stabilize Treshford. 12. As the Major was gently placed on the stretcher, RJ carefully laid a hand on Treshford's shoulder and said, "Rest well, sir. It's been one hell of a long day."

Third Installment
The Second Battle of RJ and Man-Bear-Pig (MTV)

Previous Installment
The Battles of RJ and the Man-Bear-Pig (MTV)