The Trade
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 3
Mark Hitchcock woke up to a pounding headache. His shoulder hurt but when he tried to move it he realized he was tied. Closing his eyes, he tried to recall what had happened. Slowly it came back to him, the German patrol, the collapsing stairs, the yank on his shoulder as he tried to stop his fall, and the searing pain followed by the darkness. He opened his eyes again and it was still dark. But this was a natural darkness, complete with stars shining through the hole in the wall above him. He wiggled his hands, testing the knots, but as he expected, they refused to give. He grunted in frustration, then froze, as the sound drew the attention of someone in the next room.
Footsteps sounded, drawing nearer, until a man walked through the doorway carrying a lantern. Remembering the patrol he'd spotted earlier, Hitch was surprised when his captor turned out to be an Arab. Not that he considered this turn of events good news. His life expectancy wasn't much longer with the Arabs than it would have been with the Germans.
The Arab studied him without speaking as Hitch glared back at him. Still without a word he turned and walked back into the room he'd been in previously. Hitch relaxed and tried to get his brain to start working on an escape plan. He tensed again as the Arab returned but was surprised when the man held a cup of cold water for him to drink. At the first touch of the liquid to his lips he realized how thirsty he was. The man held the cup for him until he'd drained the last drop. His captor bent down and grabbed his hair, staring into his face. Apparently satisfied, he stood and returned to the other room, leaving Hitch alone. He shivered in the cold night air, the chill making his shoulder ache. Unable to get comfortable, he tried to pass the time by trying to pick out different constellations in the clear desert sky. He hadn't been real interested in the constellations in school until he'd realized that the cutest girl in the class loved the stars. Knowing them gave him an excuse to set out on clear nights with her and pick out the different patterns. Staring up at the sky, he was somewhat surprised to find that he couldn't remember what she looked like but he could still remember the names of the constellations and find them among all the other stars.
The Arab didn't return and Hitch gradually gave into exhaustion. Despite the cold, and the uncomfortable position, he fell asleep. He didn't know how long he'd slept but he awoke to the clatter of German engines. He instantly recognized the unmistakable sounds of German patrol cars. He glanced quickly at the doorway to the other room and noticed that all the lanterns had been extinguished. He could hear whispers in the other room but he couldn't understand what they were saying.
Without realizing it, he held his breath as the German vehicles drove slowly down the street right past the building where he lay trapped. He could hear voices calling to one another in German as they passed. The whispers in the other room ceased. Hitch listened to the silence and wished he were free and armed.
The Germans continued down the street without stopping. Hitch let out the breath he'd been holding and tried to unknot his tense muscles. He heard movement in the next room and spotted several shadows slipping out of the building. He waited for the Germans to sound the alarm but the night had become quiet once again.
Just when he thought that they'd dodged the bullet, he heard hard soled boots making their way along the narrow street. Whispered commands in German were followed by the rush of footsteps as the patrol searched each building. As they drew nearer, Hitch tried to wiggle closer to the debris from the stairs, hoping to go unnoticed in the dim light. The bright beam of a flashlight shining through the hole in the wall above him killed that hope. He waited, knowing that they were going to find him as soon as they got to his building. The sounds in the other room had ceased altogether. Thinking he was alone, Hitch squared his shoulders and waited to be discovered.
A harsh command and the rush of feet. Dark forms scattered as they entered through the outside door. A flashlight beam landed in his face, stopping in mid arc. He braced for the bullets that would end his life. In the glare of the lights' beam he couldn't see the faces of the men who would kill him. Suddenly an officer shouted an order and one of the soldiers rushed around behind him and checked the ropes on his hands. He reported to the officer who stepped toward him, standing over him. Whatever the officer planned to do, he never got the chance. Two figures appeared in the doorway from the outside and opened fire on the Germans. As they fell back toward the protection of the next room more guns fired on them from that room too.
The German holding the flashlight fell on top of Hitch. Nose to nose, with the light shining in his face, Hitch watched as the life drained from his eyes. He looked into the slack face and noticed how young the German had been. His thoughts were suddenly sidetracked as a bullet slammed into his leg. Rolling in pain, he watched the last of the patrol go down under the Arab fire. He heard a short battle taking place further down the street before the night fell silent.
The Arabs cautiously entered the room, checking the bodies for signs of life. Once sure there were no survivors, they began to drag the bodies out onto the street and into another building. The dead had all been removed before the Arabs returned to check on him. Hitch was starting to feel light headed. He watched warily as the Arabs stood over him. One of them pointed at the leg wound, while the others seemed indifferent. The one who had given him water knelt next to him and tied a cloth around his leg to stop the bleeding. He said something that sounded almost like an apology before they all returned to the other room, leaving him alone again. He was still awake when the Arab returned and wrapped a blanket around him. As the blanket warmed with body heat he fell into a deep sleep.