Murder in Name Only
By:AliasCWN
Chapter 4
Tully Pettigrew awoke with a start. He wasn't sure what woke him but the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. Pushing his blankets aside he quietly picked up a rifle and made his way carefully to where Moffitt was walking the perimeter. He didn't see the sergeant but he called softly anyway. "It's me Doc."
He gripped his rifle tightly as he listened to the jackals. Their cries were no longer the long, mournful howls of earlier. Now they were quick, sounding excited as the animals raced across the desert. Tully scanned the desert but he couldn't spot any movement, not the jackals or their prey. He half expected to see them come charging over the dunes headed straight for their camp. Hitch's earlier comment about the smell of the food drawing them made Tully uneasy. Did the scent still linger enough to actually draw the pack to them? He could make out the cries of each individual jackal as they drew closer.
"Tully?"
Tully jerked as Moffitt called his name.
"Is everything all right?"
"I guess so Doc. The cries of the jackals woke me. I thought I'd come out here and help you keep watch." Tully listened again. "They sound awfully close."
"I believe they are." Moffitt nodded. "I was about to wake you. I checked your bedroll but you weren't there. I was worried for a second."
"Sorry Doc." Tully jerked his head toward the sound. "What do you think is drawing them in?"
"I don't know." The sergeant answered. "But they sound rather excited. Perhaps you should go wake Troy and Hitch."
A few minutes later Troy joined Moffitt. "Tully says we have a problem." Troy listened to the jackals. "Do you think they can still smell the food from our supper?"
"No." Moffitt shook his head. "They seem to have stopped over that way. Whatever they are hunting is over there."
"Not us then?"
"No."
Troy stood listening to the yips and snarls for a few more minutes. "Let's go take a look." He decided.
"I thought you didn't want to venture into the unknown in the dark." Moffitt reminded him as he started to follow.
"That was over there. This is close to home. I like to know what is happening in our back yard." Troy turned as the two privates joined them. "You two stay by the jeeps. If you hear any gunshots you bring the jeeps and wait for our call. Moffitt and I will check it out as quietly as possible."
"We'll pack up the camp while we wait." Hitch offered.
"Good idea." Troy nodded. "That way if we can't handle what's out there we are ready to run." Troy joined Moffitt and the two sergeants disappeared into the inky darkness.
"This way." Moffitt whispered as he led the way along a narrow ridge that led away from their camp.
"Any idea what's out here?" Troy whispered as he followed the other sergeant.
"None whatsoever, other than the jackals, that is."
Troy scanned the desert ahead of them for anything out of the ordinary. The snarls and cries of the desert predators were closer now. Both sergeants stained their ears but there was nothing to tell them what had drawn the pack to the area around their camp.
There was more snarling and then one of the jackals yipped.
"It sounds as if they are fighting among themselves." Moffitt whispered as the two men paused by some rocks to listen.
"Over what?"
"I thought that that was what we were here to find out." The Brit replied with a cocky smile.
"Lead the way if you're so smart." Troy growled.
Keeping low the British sergeant led the way toward a wadi where the sounds seemed to originate.
Troy kicked a rock as he shifted his foot to follow and both men froze. The snarling and growling continued uninterrupted. Glancing at Moffitt, Troy waited for Moffitt to start forward again.
Moffitt was still trying to figure out what had caught the attention of the jackals. There was another yip from one of the animals and Moffitt caught a flash of movement near the edge of the wadi. Holding a finger to his lips Moffitt waited for Troy to indicate that he understood. At Troy's nod Moffitt pointed at his own chest and made a sweep with his arm. He pointed at an outcropping of rocks and mimicked hiding. Pointing at the other sergeant he waved at a rock overhang on the edge of the wadi. Troy nodded again. The two men split up, each moving slowly so that they wouldn't disturb any more rocks. The jackals in the wadi continued to snarl and snap their teeth.
As he listened to the snapping of the teeth Troy remembered looking into the yellow eyes of a jackal and wondering how it would feel to have those sharp fangs tearing into his flesh. Thankfully he hadn't found out but the thought had chilled him to the bone. The eyes had watched his every move with an intensity that had shaken him to the core. Only the weapon in his hand had kept the animal at bay. Even though he had been wounded at the time the animal had sensed his willingness to fight and had chosen to seek easier prey. That jackal still invaded his sleep at times. But that had been a solitary animal, whatever was below face a pack of the vicious scavengers.
Stepping from rock to rock and shadow to shadow he listened for any sign that they weren't alone on the ridge. He could make out the shadowy shape of the other sergeant darting from rock to rock as he approached the rim of the wadi. Below them the jackals continued to make enough noise to cover any sound they made.
Troy saw Moffitt reach the rock outcropping and drop to his stomach. Still thirty feet from the ledge, Troy concentrated on his footing, counting on Moffitt to warn him of any immediate danger. Just before he reached the ledge he glanced back at the other sergeant. There was enough moonlight to make out the shape of the British sergeant leaning over the rim of the wadi staring at something below. Pushing forward Troy reached the ledge and peered over the side.
The jackals were darting around a small grouping of rocks near the other side of the wadi. In the dark shadows behind the rocks whatever the jackals were hunting was trapped with nowhere to go. With a steep sand slope behind them and the jackals in front, the rocks had become a prison.
Troy crawled to the other edge of the ledge to try to get a better view. He froze as he spotted movement. An arm appeared and threw a rock at the circling jackals. One of the animals yipped in fright or pain and darted away. Others immediately crowded in to take its place. Troy glanced over at Moffitt trying to determine if the other sergeant had a better view of the trapped man. Moffitt caught him looking and shook his head. Troy motioned for Moffitt to stay put while he moved to get a better look.
The rocks still hid the trapped man and Troy couldn't find a better view. After searching the wadi and finding no sign of a vehicle the sergeant made a decision. Running down the slope where the rocks hid his movements Troy stopped in the entrance to the wadi. Not the tracker that Moffitt or even Tully was, Troy was still able to determine that there were only a few men at most trapped inside. The fact that they were using rocks instead of rifles to drive the animals away was telling. The sergeant climbed on top of a large flat rock and checked his position. Satisfied that he could defend himself against the entire pack if necessary, Troy checked his weapon.
The bullets hit the ground behind the still circling jackals. The animals reacted instantly. Tails between their legs, the cowardly animals raced up the steep slope and vanished into the desert.
"Who's in there?" Troy called when no one emerged from behind the rocks. The sounds of a whispered conversation reached his ears but he couldn't make out what was being said. When there was no response he shouted up to Moffitt. "Moffitt, tell them to come out. Try German first and if that doesn't work, try Arabic.
"We are coming out!" A voice called out in English before Moffitt could respond.