Joined Forces, Borrowed Trouble
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 1
"Sarge!"
Sam Troy turned at the shout from his driver; the blond was steering his jeep with one hand and pointing with the other. Looking in the direction that the private indicated, Troy caught his breath. Their second jeep, with Moffitt and Tully on board, had been hit by a shell from one of the halftracks charged with protecting the convoy. Even as the German trucks made good their escape the halftrack was closing in on the wreckage of the jeep. Tully was climbing to his feet unsteadily and reaching for a machine gun. Bullets hit the sand near his feet but Tully seemed not to notice. Staggering slightly, he tried to run around the jeep to seek the cover offered by its metal frame.
Troy swung his 50 into line and opened fire on the German vehicle. A patrol car, following the halftrack, turned its attention to Troy and his jeep. Hitch swerved as bullets hit the seat next to him, embedding themselves in the back of the seat.
Troy stitched the patrol car from front to back, killing the driver instantly. One of the passengers jerked under the impact of the heavy slugs and screamed in agony. His body fell against the man beside him and pushed that one sideways. Both men toppled from the car to land in a tangled heap in the sand. Raking the patrol car with one final burst, the sergeant turned his attention and his gun on the halftrack. The gunner fell to his deadly aim, only to be pushed aside and replaced by another German soldier.
Hitch drove directly at the heavier vehicle, giving Troy a clear shot at the gunner. The replacement died as his chest exploded under the impact of the 50 caliber bullets. His body slid onto the floor on top of the man that he had replaced. An officer, standing beside the driver, glanced back as the gun went silent. His face registered his shock at the sight behind him. He leaned toward the driver and shouted an order, waving toward the fleeing convoy. Tully fired from his position behind the jeep, hitting the officer in the head. The driver looked over as the officer fell from the vehicle, shock slowing his reflexes. Hitch took advantage of the distraction to give Troy a closer shot. The halftrack plowed into the overturned jeep, its driver slumped over the wheel, dead. On impact his limp body was thrown half out of the vehicle to hang like a ragdoll.
The force of the collision sent Tully sprawling as it pushed the jeep several feet in his direction. He sat up carefully, his head spinning crazily with the effort. He smelled smoke and he could hear the crackle as flames claimed the halftrack.
"Tully! Are you all right Tully?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Tully mumbled, pushing Hitch away. Hitch was pulling on his arm, trying to get him to stand. He could hear the other private talking to him but it seemed to be coming from far away. He shook his head and tried to concentrate on what Hitch was saying.
"Tully, come on!"
"Go away!" Tully pushed Hitch away again, thinking he would just lay back and wait until his head stopped spinning. The blond kept pulling on him, repeating the same things over and over. Tully closed his eyes and tried to figure out what it was that the blond wanted; his friend wasn't usually so pushy.
"Tully, come on!"
"Come where Hitch? What do you want?" Tully asked, exasperated.
"The jeep's going to blow!" Hitch pulled on his arm again. "Come on Tully, the gas tank is going to catch fire."
'Fire!' That one word seemed to penetrate Tully's battered senses. Pushing himself up onto his elbows, he allowed Hitch to help him climb to his feet. Leaning heavily on the blond, he staggered away from the wrecked jeep.
Hitch helped him stay on his feet in the shifting sand; gripping is arm tightly and pulling him along. They were still moving away from the wreckage when there was a loud 'whoosh' and the smell of gasoline filled the air. Hitch pushed him to the ground and dropped on top of him.
The weight of the other private landing on top of him knocked the wind out of him. He lay in the sand trying to draw more air into his lungs. The next thing he knew, Hitch was kneeling beside him tugging on his arm again.
"Come on Tully, we have to go." Hitch pleaded. The urgency in his voice had more of an effect on him than all of the pulling and tugging.
"What's wrong now?" Tully glanced back at the burning jeep. "The jeep's already on fire; we're far enough away."
"Yeah, but the Germans are coming back. We have to go Tully!" Hitch dragged him to his feet again and pulled him toward their remaining jeep.
Tully grabbed hold of the frame of the second jeep for support. Hitch was pushing him, trying to get him into the passenger seat. Closing his eyes to stop spinning, Tully held tight, resisting the push.
"Where's Moffitt?"
"Right here Tully." Troy spoke from the rear of the jeep.
Tully looked around to see Troy manning the 50 caliber, his legs spread apart as he straddled the clearly unconscious British sergeant. Blood covered the unconscious man's face, mixed with the sand where he had fallen face first. His lax features were a marked contrast to his usual look of amusement. Tully stared into the pale, blood streaked features and searched for any sign of life.
"Tully, we have to go!" Hitch gave him another shove, his voice stressing the urgency of the situation.
Still dazed, Tully climbed into the seat. The blond ran around the front of the jeep and hit the starter as Troy opened fire with the 50. Tully put his hands over his ears and held his head as it threatened to explode.