Outbreak
By:AliasCWN
Chapter 1
Sam Troy walked into the bar and was immediately assailed by the smells of stale beer and sweat. Even though the interior of the bar was cool, the men coming in from outside were not. Letting his eyes adjust to the dim interior after the bright sun outside, he moved to stand by the wall where he would be out of the way of others more eager to enjoy the distractions that the bar had to offer.
Troy wasn't there for the beer, or to enjoy the company of any of the young ladies who were scattered around the smoky interior. Upon seeing him standing alone, one of those women made a beeline for him. His compact body and good looks ensured that he never had any trouble attracting a willing lady to keep him company, but he didn't have time for that now. Seeing her coming, he quickly shook his head and moved away from the wall. She followed him with her eyes as he slowly moved across the room.
Searching as he went, Troy checked all of the men standing at the bar. He didn't really expect to find the men he was seeking standing or drinking alone; they usually had a table near the back and several women hanging on their arms. This time was no exception; he spotted the two young privates sitting in a booth near the back wall. He was surprised and pleased to note that they appeared to be sober despite their current location. He made his way through the crowd, smiling at their expected reaction to the news that he was here to deliver.
"Sarge." Tully Pettigrew looked up and saw him approaching. His quiet drawl reached Tully despite the noise around them.
Mark Hitchcock heard it too and looked up in surprise. "Sarge, what brings you here?" His bright smile lit up his face. "Do you want to join us?"
Troy shook his head as he answered. "Not this time."
The blond frowned as he studied the sergeant's expression. "What's wrong Sarge?"
"We have an assignment."
"But Captain Boggs gave us seventy-two hours." Hitch protested.
"And headquarters sent us an assignment." Troy countered.
Hitch frowned but he didn't argue any further. Pulling free from the girl sitting next to him gripping his arm, he rose to leave. The girl reached for him again, clinging with both hands on his arm. "Sorry sweetheart, duty calls." He pried her fingers loose gently and pulled away.
Tully stood and tossed a few bills on the table. "Keep the party going."
The girls grabbed the money and eyed Troy as if it were his fault that the night had ended early. They didn't seem to care that it was the middle of the day and there would be a lot more soldiers coming in before the night was over.
"Where are we headed Sarge?" Tully asked as he chewed on his ever present matchstick.
"I'll tell you on the way." He answered as he glanced around the room in silent explanation. "First we have to find Moffitt."
"Doc went to visit some old Arab buddy." Tully reminded him. "You gave him permission, remember?"
"Yeah Tully, I remember, but we need him on this assignment and he isn't back yet. Did he tell you just where he was headed?"
"No." Tully shook his head. "He just said he was going to visit an old friend, somebody named Mahiteem."
"Yeah, that's all he told me too. In the future he's going to have to let us know exactly where he is. Headquarters isn't going to be happy about the delay. We need to find him fast."
"He can't be too far Sarge." Hitchcock broke in as they left the bar. "He said something about riding out on horseback."
"On horseback?"
Hitchcock nodded.
"That means he didn't sign out a jeep or tell the motor pool where he was going either." Troy tried to remember if Moffitt had left any other clues. "Tully," he paused to ask a question. "Weren't there some Arabs camped at that small oasis just east of here?"
"There were, but that was four days ago. They probably moved by now. Doc said that it looked like a temporary camp."
"And you're both sure that he didn't say anything else?"
Two heads nodded as one.
"Are we going to tell Captain Boggs that we don't know where he is?" Tully couldn't keep the concern out of his voice. Moffitt could be in a lot of trouble if they didn't find him quick.
"Not yet." Troy decided. "We'll ask around first and see if any of the English speaking Arabs know this Mahiteem guy. Maybe one of them can point us in the right direction."
Two hours later Troy was pacing in front of the jeeps. "Where is he?" They had asked everyone they thought might have any clue as to the British sergeant's whereabouts. "He knows better than to take off for this long without letting someone know where he was going." The privates remained silent; any explanation they could suggest would only set Troy off again.
"Sergeant Troy?"
Troy turned as a soldier that he didn't know called his name. "That's me. What is it?"
The soldier held out a piece of paper. "Some Arab asked me to give this to you; he said that it might be important."
"Thanks."
The soldier nodded and went on his way, leaving Troy holding the paper.
"What is it?" Hitch asked impatiently.
Troy unfolded the note, read it, and then read it again.
"It's about Moffitt, isn't it?" Hitchcock demanded. The expression on Troy's face scared him.
Finally Troy nodded, folding the note, he explained. "It's from the Arab that loaned Moffitt the horse." He paused to look into the concerned faces of the two privates. "The horse came back alone all lathered. All of Moffitt's gear was still tied to the saddle."
"His canteen too?" Tully asked. His face paled when Troy nodded.
"Any blood on the horse or the saddle?" Hitch asked.
"It doesn't say."
"He would have mentioned it if he found any, wouldn't he?" Hitch asked hopefully.
"Maybe we should go and ask him."
Again two heads nodded as one. Troy noticed the worry on both faces and hoped that he was doing a better job of hiding his concern.
"We'll take the jeeps. If he gives us anything to go on, we'll be able to leave right from there." Both privates were in their seats before Troy could get around the jeep. Their next stop was at the stables where Moffitt had borrowed the horse. Talek had been expecting them and rushed out to meet them as soon as they arrived.
"The horse is here my friends. See, he has all of Sergeant Moffitt's gear. I have asked around, the horse came from the northeast. He is much lathered; he either came from a great distance or a short distance very fast. He could never have kept such a fast pace for any time in this heat."
"So which is it; he ran or he came a long way?" Troy demanded as he examined the horse.
"I cannot say." The old man shrugged. "Only the horse knows."
Troy sighed, knowing that there was no more to be gained by questioning the old Arab. "Thanks for letting us know."
"You are going to look for him, no?"
"We are going to look for him, yes." Troy corrected.
"Then you may need his gear and his supplies." The old man suggested. He quickly stripped the items from the horse and handed Moffitt's gear to Troy. Hitch and Tully stood off to the side as he pulled the saddle and blanket.
"The reins are broken." Tully noted. "Maybe Doc had him tied but he broke away."
"And maybe he stepped on the reins and broke them on his way back here." Troy added, putting a damper on Tully's hope.
"What's that smell?" Talek had handed the saddle and blanket to Hitch to hold while he examined the reins. Now the private sniffed the blanket suspiciously.
"What smell?"
"It smells like something dead." Hitch decided after sniffing it again. "It's faint, but I definitely smell it."
Tully leaned over to smell the blanket. His eyes met Troy's as he nodded in agreement.
"Let's roll." Troy ordered curtly. "We'll head northeast and see if we can pick up the horses tracks."