Prisoners

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 7

"I think he can safely travel." The doctor told Dietrich after examining the wounded American.

Hitchcock watched with a pinched look on his face, awaiting a decision. He had been removed from the cell so that the doctor could examine him.

"You may go with the others." Dietrich told the worried private. "You'll be returned to your cell and you can wait with them for the transport…unless you have changed your mind. You can always join them later after your wound has healed."

"Thank you Captain….but I haven't changed my mind. I want to go with them." Hitch told him with relief. "Please tell the Doctor I said thank you."

"Of course."

Dietrich watched as the guards escorted the prisoner from the room. He wondered if it was the last time that he would see the young American. Again he found himself conflicted. He would be glad to see the Rat Patrol sent to a POW camp where they could cause him no more trouble. Yet he knew he would miss the challenge they had presented. He feared that the desert war might become more mundane and boring without them to stir things up.

Hitch was returned to the cell by the guard with the toothy grin. Seeing that Troy and Tully were anxiously awaiting his return, the guard made a show of returning the blond. He laughed at their relieved expressions when Hitchcock came through the door. His laughter echoed in the hall as he slammed the door and turned the key in the lock.

"I'm telling you Sarge, I get even half a chance, I'm going to wipe that silly grin right off of his face." Tully had stood back, keeping his eye on the guard as he shoved Hitchcock roughly into the cell.

"I'll tell you what Tully," Troy said quietly, "that will depend on who gets to him first."

Hitch looked from one to the other and gave them what he considered to be good news. "The doc Okayed me to go with you guys."

"And being sent to a POW camp is a good thing?" Troy questioned his driver.

"We'll be together Sarge." Hitch answered; surprised that Troy didn't seem happy at the news.

"You'd have a better chance of escaping from here than from a POW camp." Troy told him.

"We'll find a way to get free."

"Yeah," the sergeant answered, listening to the sounds outside. "We'd better come up with something quick, it sounds like out ride is here."

Tully moved closer to Hitch as footsteps sounded in the corridor outside the cell door. "Dietrich isn't wasting any time."

"Maybe he's afraid we'll try to get even for Moffitt." Troy replied, moving away from the door.

"Do you really think he's dead?" Tully asked in a whisper. "I mean, he could have survived. Moffitt knows the desert and how to survive."

"Without water?"

"Tully's right Sarge, if anyone could do it, it would be Moffitt." Hitch added.

"You heard Dietrich; the burial detail was attacked by Arabs. If he's right, and they're all dead, what kind of a chance did Moffitt have? He may not have even been alive when they got there."

"He knows some of those Arabs. He's friends with some of them." Tully argued.

"Not all of them Tully, in fact, only a few of them." Afraid of getting his hopes up, or those of his men, Troy couldn't agree with Tully.

Just then the guards unlocked the cell door. They stepped into the cell and motioned the prisoners out into the hall where more guards waited. The grinning guard prodded each of them with his rifle as they passed. Tully's glare only made him smile wider.

The three prisoners were led out into the street where a truck waited to deliver them to the POW camp. Dietrich stood talking to the driver as the men were brought out. He watched silently as the three men were bound before being helped into the rear of a ten wheeler. He watched as the two guards climbed in, a frown on his face. Before the driver settled into the cab Dietrich ordered two more men to go along as extra security to assure that the prisoners arrived at their intended destination.

The guard with the irritating grin was one of the men ordered to go along at the last minute. Dietrich frowned again as he saw Troy and Pettigrew exchange smiles when the extra guards climbed aboard. The wordless exchange had him wondering what the two men had planned. He watched the truck drive away with a feeling of uneasiness that he couldn't explain of justify. The Captain stared after the truck long after it had disappeared into the distance.

The guard, on the other hand, was glad to be included in the guard detail. He enjoyed making the prisoners feel helpless. The feeling of power was intoxicating and he wanted to continue to revel in the feeling as long as possible.

Tully kept his eyes glued to his least favorite guard, just waiting for an opportunity. The other three guards complicated things but he still hoped for a chance to wipe the sneer off the guards' face. His unfaltering gaze shook the German's composure for a moment but he soon recovered and regained his smirking grin. Tully smiled in return, determined to find a chance to erase the smirk. He twisted and pulled on the ropes binding his hands in the chance that they might loosen.

The miles passed in a haze of dust and heat. The guard made a show of quenching his thirst before laughing and recapping the canteen. Troy and Hitchcock ignored him but Tully continued his psychological battle by continuing to watch the German's every move. The further they traveled the less sure of himself the guard felt. Warned by Dietrich to stay clear of the prisoners, he huddled near the tailgate with his rifle ready. Dust kicked up by the wheels filtered under the flap and gave him fits of coughing that he couldn't control. Each time he was reduced to coughing to clear his lungs; he feared that Tully would jump him. Even the presence of the other three guards didn't relieve the tension. The Americans' angry glare was taking its toll.

The chance, when it came, was not what they expected or even hoped for at all.

Gunshots rang out, followed by the high, wailing war cries of a desert band. The truck slowed almost immediately. The guards in the back exchanged worried looks. Those in the front urged those in the back to look outside.

Cautiously, one of the guards pushed the flap aside as the truck rolled to a stop. He peeked out, seeking the source of the attack. Seeing nothing, he opened the flap wider for a better view. A single shot rang out and the hapless guard tumbled lifelessly over the tailgate to crumble to the ground.

The remaining three guards looked around wildly. Outside, all resistance had ceased. Backing away from the tailgate, the guard with the sneer suddenly looked more fearful than superior. Aiming his rifle at the tailgate, he backed toward the front of the truck.

As he backed blindly away from the tailgate Tully finally got the chance he had been looking for all along. Raising his feet, he planted them in the back of the German and shoved him toward the opening. The guard flailed his arms, grabbing for anything he could reach. He caught the flap hanging over the tailgate, pulling the canvas material with him as he tumbled over the end. Another single shot rang out and he fell forward rolling onto his side. The sneer was permanently erased from his face by the bullet hole in his forehead.

Tully smiled at Troy, ignoring the threatening gestures of the last two guards.

They waited expectantly, anticipating a flurry of gunshots that never came. The last two guards were now sweating heavily, their eyes wide with fear. They clutched their rifles tightly even as they realized that they probably wouldn't survive the next few minutes. The minutes dragged by, five, ten fifteen. Still there was no movement outside and no more gunshots. The canvas top of the truck offered little protection for the men huddled inside.

Finally, scared senseless and almost out of options, the Germans decided on a course of action. They motioned the three Americans to the rear of the truck. Under the threat of being shot point blank, Troy jumped over the tailgate. Tully followed, dropping to the ground next to the sergeant. Both men turned to help Hitch as he nearly fell to his knees. Pushing him down, Troy urged both privates to roll under the frame of the vehicle.

"Sarge?"

"I don't know Hitch. Maybe they left. Maybe they're playing with us."

"Maybe they realized that we were tied and no threat." Tully drawled as he searched the desert around them for any sign of the Arabs.

"Could be Tully." Troy admitted cautiously.

"Do we make a run for it or stay?" Hitch asked into the pause that followed.

Troy was about to answer when the last two guards decided to make their break. The three men underneath could hear their boots clomping across the bed of the truck over their heads. Troy ducked lower as the Germans jumped from the truck. A volley of shots rang out and both Germans dropped to the ground.

Hitch rolled to check on the guards. There was no doubt that they were dead. The face of the sneering guard caught his eye. There was no smirk or look of amusement on the lifeless face.

"Well, you had a little help, but you sure took care of that grin of his." Hitch spoke softly. "Now what?"