The Trade
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 1
The Rat Patrol entered the village quietly. The motors in the jeeps hummed at the low speed. Tully found a wall that was still standing near the well. He backed the jeep tight against its' protection and cut the motor. Hitch parked his right next to Tullys', ready for a fast escape it needed.
"Tully, gas up the jeeps and make sure they're ready to go. Hitch, find a high vantage point and keep watch. The Germans are known to use this town as a base camp." Sam Troy pulled the water cans out of the jeeps. He handed them to Moffitt and reached for the canteens. "Tully. When you're done, grab a machine gun and cover us."
Tully, who was reaching for a gas can, nodded his understanding.
Hitch had pulled a machine gun from its' holster and was making his way across the street. He entered a building qnd Tully watched him climb some stairs to the roof. A huge hole in the wall made it possible to follow his progress as he navigated the upper half of the steps. Hitch found a good vantage point while Tullly continue to service the jeeps.
Hitch chose a spot where he could see for quite a distance in every direction. He watched the desert while occasionally checking on the progress of the sargents. He watched them cap the cans and then followed Moffitts' progress as he returned them to the jeep. Troy was still busy filling the canteens. He noticed Tully, carrying a machine gun, take a position where he could cover Troy and Moffitt. Tully waved when he saw Hitch glance his way. Hitch smiled and waved in return. Something in the distance caught his eyes and he concentrated on trying to determine just what it was that he'd seen. The sun was starting to set as he stared at the distant hills, causing shadows that spread across the valleys. He continued to watch the hills, only taking his eyes off them long enough to glance around in the other directions.
Tully looked up to see Hitch watching toward the hills. Seeing his tense stance, Tully glanced toward them uneasily. From street level he couldn't see anything to cause alarm but he moved closer to the sargents at the well, just to be safe. They were filling the last of the canteens, capping them, and tying them into a string that would make them easier to handle. The wind was starting to blow as the heat escaped from the sand with the setting sun. Tully strained to hear anything but all he could hear was the sound of it whistling through the broken buildings. When he looked up Hitch was still watching the hills.
"Everything okay Tully?" Sam Troy had approached unnoticed while he'd been watching Hitch. Startled, and embarrassed to have been caught off guard, Tully shrugged his shoulders.
"As far as I can tell Sarge." Troy looked at him with a question in his eyes. "Hitch keeps staring that way." Tully pointed toward the hills. "He hasn't yelled a warning but he seems to be interested in something. Might be a good idea to get done and not hang around here." Tully added as an afterthought.
Troy agreed and called to Moffitt to hurry and stow his string of canteens.
"Jeeps all ready?" Troy was talking to Tully but his eyes were on Hitchcock.
"Ready." Tully confirmed.
"Is there a problem?" Moffitt joined Tully and Troy empty handed. He leaned against a jeep and casually crossed his arms across his chest.
"Tully seems to think Hitch may have spotted something but he hasn't called an alarm. Could be nothing. I'd like to get out of here anyway." Troy turned to motion to Hitchcock to come down.
"Sarge! Patrol coming fast." Mark Hitchcock yelled the warning before Troy could call to him. When Troy looked up he was pointing toward the hills not far from the town.
"How far?"
"Almost here. They came out from behind the hills. I couldn't see them until they came out of the valley."
"Let's shake it. Hitch get down here! Troy spun and raced for the jeeps with Moffitt right on his heels. Leaping into the back, they yanked the covers off of the 50's.
"Hitch!"
Troy looked back to see Tully preparing to climb over the wall between him and the street.
"Tully!"
"Hitch fell. The stairs collapsed as he was coming down." Tully hesitated long enough to tell Troy what happened.
"Tully. He's on his own. That patrol's almost here."
Tully glanced at the building across the street, searching for the blond to make an appearance. He could still see the cloud of dust settling at the base of the steps. There was no sign of the other private. Tully was torn between looking for Hitch or getting the jeeps to safety. Troy called his name again and Tully knew the decision had been made for him. Even as he turned toward the jeeps he could hear the German patrol cars entering the other end of the street.
Troy left his 50 and climbed into the drivers' seat. Tully hit the starter and pulled out, headed toward the open desert. Troy passed him and led the way so Moffitt could defend both jeeps if they were pursued.
The rattle of German guns announced that their departure had been detected. The two jeeps raced for cover in the hills, trying to lead the German patrol away from the town. Troy kept them heading deeper into German territory trying to lure them further away before they lost them. The ever darkening skies made it hard for the Germans to keep track of the darting American jeeps. When the Germans began to fall behind and pick their path more carefully, Troy signaled an end to the deception and they took evasive action to lose the patrol. Circling wide, once they were sure they were no longer being followed, they raced back toward the town to find Hitch.
"What happened Tully?" Moffitt leaned forward to call over Tullys' shoulder in a loud voice.
"Hitch started down the steps and they wobbled. I saw him reach out to catch himself and then they just collapsed completely. He fell, there was a cloud of dust and then nothing. I didn't see him come out." Tully answered in an equally loud voice. He didn't want to slow down enough to talk.
"I'm sure he's alright. Maybe he was just dazed. Those steps weren't that high. He's probably waiting for us and wondering what's taking us so long."
Tully didn't answer, he was concentrating on his driving.