Prisoners
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 1
The shell hit in front of the jeep without warning. Hitch spun the wheel and began evasive maneuvers in an attempt to throw off the aim of the German gunners.
Off to the side, Tully was doing the same thing.
Another shell exploded beside them, sending sand and dust into the air. Hitch used the dust cloud as cover to change directions. He took a quick glance over his shoulder to check on Troy. As the sergeant climbed into the back he was being thrown off balance by the violent swerving of the vehicle. Using the base of the 50 for support, he was nearly in position to return fire.
At a call from Troy, Hitch reached up to remove the dust cover from the big gun's barrel. He tossed it into the seat next to him and ducked as the sergeant swung the gun barrel around and over his head to face the rear.
The rattle of the 50 was a comforting sound with the heavy shells still seeking their only means of transportation. Off to the side, Hitch could hear Moffitt's gun chattering in time with their own. Dodging another geyser of dirt in his path, Hitch pushed for all the speed he could get from his jeep.
There was another explosion behind them, nothing that would have normally concerned him. What did get his attention was the faint cry that sounded eerily familiar.
"Hitch!"
Hitch turned in his seat at the call from Troy. The sergeant was swinging his arm in a signal to circle around. Twisting the wheel hard to the right, the blond headed back the way they had come.
As the jeep swung around Hitch caught sight of the second jeep. It was flipped upside down; the entire front fender and wheel were gone, blown away by a shell that had hit underneath it. Only the motor absorbing most of the shrapnel had saved Tully from serious injury.
Tully was slowly pushing himself up off the ground, shaking his head in a daze. He managed to sit up but he had to brace himself to keep from falling back to the ground.
There wasn't time for Hitch to locate Moffitt; the Germans had already turned their attention to his jeep. Troy's gun was hammering the attacking enemy at a high rate of speed in an attempt to keep the column away from the other jeep.
Hitch made a pass at the first halftrack, already calculating his next move. The next halftrack in line was swinging to target them as the first one continued toward the overturned vehicle. Troy raked the occupants of the first halftrack with gunfire, taking out the gunner and the driver.
The second halftrack stitched the sand close to the fast moving jeep, forcing Hitch to swerve. The sudden lurch threw Troy off balance, causing him to miss the last two Germans in the first halftrack. Hitch avoided the second one, getting around it without getting hit. He started to swing around to go after the first one again hoping to keep the Germans away from Tully and Moffitt. Troy's gun was firing again, making another attempt at hitting the last soldiers in the first halftrack. Hitch glanced over in time to see both soldiers jerk and drop out of sight.
Troy yelled a warning but Hitch had already seen a third halftrack coming at them. He swung his jeep away from their converging paths buying himself a little time to give Troy a good angle on his next target. Bullets pinged off the armor of the halftrack, forcing the men inside to duck for cover.
The second halftrack, still headed for the jeep, took the opportunity provided by Troy's preoccupation. The gunner braced carefully and opened fire on the fleet little vehicle.
Hitch heard the bullets punching through the sides of his jeep. There was a solid sound as the projectiles hit the engine block. Steam poured from under the hood as the engine sputtered to a stop.
The halftrack kept coming, still shooting as it approached the crippled vehicle. Hitch and Troy abandoned the jeep, both of them reaching for machine guns to defend themselves.
The third halftrack, recovering from their close call, circled around behind the trapped Americans. With the enemy both in front and behind them, and more on the way, Troy decided that their only choice was to surrender.
Hitch lowered his weapon and placed it on the hood of the jeep. Raising his hands, he stood perfectly still as the German soldiers jumped from their vehicles and surrounded them, weapons up.
"Sarge, did you see Moffitt?" Hitch spoke quietly while keeping his eyes on the German soldiers.
"No." Troy replied from beside him. "I saw Tully trying to get up, but not Moffitt."
"Me neither." Hitch whispered as the Germans glared at him.
The Germans rushed forward and ordered them to step away from the jeep. One soldier reached over and picked up both machine guns. Another one pulled their hands down and tied them behind their backs. Once secured, they were urged to walk toward the overturned jeep.
As they drew near, Hitch saw Tully sitting on the ground with his hands tied behind him. Tully looked dazed, staring at the sand near his feet.
"Tully, where's Moffitt?"
As Hitch called out, a guard responded by hitting him in the back of the head with a rifle butt. Hitch fell to his knees, stars flashing before his eyes. He fought against the blackness that threatened to engulf him. Troy's outraged cry registered in the back of his mind as he fought to stay conscious.
Strong hands gripped his arms and pulled him back to his feet. Someone shouted into his face but the words made no sense. For a moment the failure to comprehend the words worried him until he realized that they were not in English. Since he didn't speak German, he had good reason to be confused. Blinking his eyes, he turned his head toward Troy. The sergeant was watching him with a look of concern. Struggling to regain his balance, he tried to give the sergeant one of his bright trademark smiles. Unfortunately, he failed to pull it off. His vision blurred, and if not for the hands holding him upright, he would have fallen on his face. Denied the use of his own hands, he had to settle for closing his eyes and leaning into the support of the Germans.
Someone shouted a command that made his head throb. The guards holding his arms lowered him to the ground next to Tully. Hitch gratefully closed his eyes and slumped onto the hot sand, trying to shut out the loud noises. Staying as still as possible, Hitch listened to the activity around him. He heard Tully tell Troy that he was all right although his voice sounded weak. Troy's strangled cry of 'Moffitt' echoed through Hitch's throbbing head. He jerked around, eyes wide, to see Troy staring at the overturned jeep in anguish.