The Red Ghost

By: AliasCWN

Tully watched as the dark shadows crested a nearby hill and continued toward his position. Standing guard at night was usually a matter of a few boring hours sandwiched between either driving and sleeping or sleeping and sleeping. Tonight looked like one of those occasional times when that was not the case. The dark shadows drew closer and Tully squinted his eyes to try to identify the shapes. They were too big for men, unless the men were mounted. They weren't vehicles, of that he was certain. That still didn't identify the nationality of the intruders. Tully shook his head, it didn't really matter all that much, both Arabs and Germans were a threat to his small group this time of night. With the others sleeping in the camp below him, he was responsible for the safety of them all. Tully moved to a position that gave him a better view of the only opening into the wadi.

The night winds had dropped to a gentle breeze that carried sound across the flat desert beyond the small hills that formed the ridge that included the wadi the Allies had chosen for their camp. Tully could hear what sounded like footsteps. He strained to determine where the sounds were coming from since he had lost sight of the moving shadows. Unable to locate the suspicious shapes, he made a circuit of the wadi, searching for any sign of them.

A sound behind him caused Tully to spin. Dark shapes appeared out of the darkness rushing toward him. Tully threw his arms up in front of his face as he threw himself back. A yell escaped his lips as he tripped over a rock and fell onto his back. He rolled desperately to the side and just missed being stepped on. The shapes continued over the ridge and vanished into the darkness.

"Tully, are you all right?"

Tully climbed to his feet and dusted himself off as Troy called from below. He checked his rifle, making sure he hadn't filled the barrel with dirt. "I'm okay Sarge." Troy and Moffitt soon appeared at the top of the wadi. Both men carried weapons and looked ready to use them. Tully looked down and saw Hitch standing by the jeeps with his weapon in hand. "Sorry Sarge, I didn't mean to wake everybody."

"What happened?" Moffitt asked as he checked Tully for injuries.

"I almost got run over, that's what happened." Tully brushed some more dust from his uniform and coughed. "I saw some movement out on the desert and I moved into a position where I thought I could catch anyone trying to sneak up on us." Tully paused as both sergeants waited for him to continue. He shook his head. "It turned out to be a couple of camels. They came up behind me and almost ran right over me. If I hadn't thrown myself backwards they would have knocked me flat."

"It's a good thing you did," Moffitt replied. "Wild camels don't go around obstacles in their path, they run over them. You could have been seriously hurt."

"Wild camels?" Troy's skepticism was obvious in his tone. "I didn't think there were any wild camels around here."

The Brit shrugged. "There aren't many, but there are some. Some escaped from their owners while others were born wild from the ones that escaped. I heard rumors at the last village we passed. It seems the wild camels have been raiding the village, stealing food meant for the camels of passing caravans."

"That would have been nice to know before they paid us a visit," Tully groaned. "They almost squished me."

Moffitt smiled in sympathy. "Well, I'm glad they didn't."

"I'm glad they chose to cross up here and not go through the wadi. You guys were sleeping, they might have stepped on you before you even knew they were there." Tully shivered at the thought.

"You were here to warn us," Moffitt smiled.

"Warn you!" Tully yelped. "I barely got out the way myself, and I was awake!"

Troy looked from Moffitt to Tully and shook his head. "Do you think they'll be back?"

"Not likely," Moffitt answered. "Tully probably scared them as much as they scared him. They'll avoid this area for a few days. We should be fine until morning."

Troy nodded. "Okay, then let's get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." He glanced out over the desert before turning and heading back to their camp. Moffitt smiled at Tully and followed the other sergeant back to their camp.

"Is everything all right?" Hitch asked as the sergeants returned to the jeeps.

"Fine," Troy answered.

"What happened? Why did Tully yell?"

"He almost got run over by a camel," Troy answered as he began to rearrange his blankets.

"The Red Ghost."

Hitch's quiet announcement in a hushed tone made Troy pause. "What are you talking about?"

"You never heard about the Red Ghost?" Hitch grinned in the darkness. "This close to Halloween I figured someone would have told you that story by now."

"What story?" Troy demanded. "Don't tell me you are listening to ghost stories."

"Sure," Hitch shrugged, "it's almost Halloween. Ghost stories are a big part of how we celebrated Halloween at home, only this one is a true story."

"Come on Hitch," Troy growled.

"No, really, Sarge, it's a true story! I heard it even before I came here. Being here just reminded me of the story."

"I'd like to hear the story, Troy." Moffitt sat on the fender of the jeep and urged Hitch to continue.

The4 blond grinned and turned to face the British sergeant. "It happened in the United States in the late eighteen hundreds. Down in Arizona a family heard their neighbor scream. When they went out to check on her, they found her dead. She had been trampled to death." Hitch's voice dropped lower as the story continued. "The only tracks they found were too strange to identify. They were cloven hooves that made the tracks. But they weren't any kind of deer or cow or sheep. Nobody could identify them. Some folks thought they were a mark of the devil. They believed in that stuff a lot back in those times."

Moffitt nodded; he knew the devil got blamed for a lot of things that couldn't readily be explained. "Go on Hitch."

"Well, the tracks weren't the only thing they found on the dead woman. There were big clumps of red hair on her clothing. Nobody could say what the hair belonged to either. They started calling whatever killed her the Red Ghost. There were more sightings of some big creature that ran around in the night and left those strange tracks. Then one day some farmers saw the Red Ghost and took a couple of shots at it. It took off, but it left something behind." Hitch paused to let that sink in.

"Go on Hitch," Troy growled, "tell us what it left behind."

"A human head," Hitch added.

"A human head? Come on Hitch!" Moffitt scoffed. "Do you expect me to believe that?"

"It's true Doc! I swear! It wasn't a human head exactly," Hitch paused again but continued just as Moffitt started to say he knew it. "It was a skull, from a skeleton. Folks who saw the Red Ghost said it had a skeleton riding in a saddle mounted on the back of the Ghost. Over the next decade it was spotted by numerous people, some saw the skeleton, others couldn't say for sure if it was there or not."

Moffitt was shaking his head in denial. "I don't believe it Hitch."

"You can look it up yourself Doc, there are books about it."

That stopped Moffitt's planned objection. "Books about it?"

"Yep." Hitch looked vindicated.

"Did they ever find out what the ghost was in reality?"

"Yeah," Hitch nodded. "Some farmer saw the ghost eating in his garden. He shot it and killed it. It turned out to be a camel. Nobody knew what it was because they had never seen a camel before. Most folks never knew something like them even existed," Hitch went on to explain.

"I suppose not," admitted. "I wasn't aware that there were any wild camels in America."

"There aren't," Hitch answered, "not anymore. They're all gone now."

"Come on Hitch," Troy interrupted, "camels aren't native to the United States."

"Nope," Hitch agreed with a nod. "But the story is true just the same."

"How do you explain it?" Moffitt asked.

"Simple," the blond responded. "The government wanted to ship supplies across the deserts of Arizona. Mules or horses could carry supplies but they needed lots of water and they couldn't carry large loads. Someone came up with the idea of using camels. They don't need much water and they can carry a lot more than a horse or mule. The government had a bunch of them shipped in as an experiment. They made a couple of trips across the desert and they were working out just fine, until the transcontinental railroad was finished. The train was cheaper, could carry more freight, and passengers at the same time. That was the end of the experiment."

"So they just turned the camels loose to go wild?" Moffitt asked in disbelief.

"Not exactly," the blond answered. "They sold some of them, but a couple of them got away. I guess they are the ones who went wild."

"And the ghost was one of them?"

"Apparently," Hitch agreed.

"But what about the skeleton?"

Hitch shrugged. "When the ghost was killed it was wearing a saddle and there were rope scars around it's body. The story is that a soldier was afraid of the beasts and his commander tied him to the saddle as a lesson, only the camel escaped and the soldier couldn't get loose. He died and the ghost carried his skeleton until it fell apart during his travels. Nobody can really say for sure. It happened a long time ago. They knew the camel was part of the experiment because it was still wearing a bell tied to the halter that was traced back to the camels the government brought in."

"That's quite a story Hitch," Moffitt yawned and stretched his arms, "but I think Troy is right, we should try to get some sleep."

"That's all right with me," the blond answered, "I have the next turn on watch." Cradling his rifle, he nodded at the sergeants and turned to go back to bed.

"Thanks for the Halloween story."

Hitch turned back and smiled. "No problem, Doc, just thought you might be interested in the story."

"Why didn't you ever tell me that story before?"

Hitch laughed. "It wasn't Halloween before. I guess I just never thought of it. Besides, Tully never almost got run over by a camel before."

The camp got quiet again and Hitch could hear Tully's quiet passage as he patrolled the outskirts of the wadi. He fell asleep again only to be awakened later by Tully.e fell asleep again only to be awakened

"Hitch. Hitch, it's your turn to stand guard."

"Okay," Hitch nodded, instantly awake. "Any sign of anybody else out here tonight?"

"Only those camels," Tully answered, "and they haven't come back."

"That doesn't bother me," Hitch answered. "They don't have to ever come back as far as I'm concerned."

"Tell me about it," Tully grunted. "You aren't the one that almost ran over."

"Glad you're okay buddy."

"Thanks," Tully answered. "I think I'm going to turn in, I'm beat."

Hitch began his first circuit of the wadi while the others slept. His thoughts kept going back to the story he had told the sergeants. He couldn't imagine getting trampled to death by a camel. The animals were ill tempered and stubborn, but they hadn't seemed dangerous, until tonight. Hitch made sure to keep his eyes open for a return of the wild camels.

"Is everything quiet?"

Hitch turned as Troy brought him a cup of coffee. He took the hot brew gratefully, rubbing his hands over the tin cup to warm them. "Everything was quiet for me. I didn't see any sign of Tully's late-night visitors."

Troy nodded and scanned the desert around them. "Moffitt says we're close to where those spies disappeared. The patrol that was chasing them said they lost them around here somewhere. We'll start doing a search of any possible campsites. If we can find where they camped, we may be able to track them from there."

"The wind will have erased any tracks Sarge."

"Some of them," Troy agreed, "but hopefully we'll find something to help us. We have no idea which way they went from here. Maybe the wadis will still have some tracks."

"It's a long shot Sarge."

The sergeant nodded as he glanced toward their camp. "I know, but it's the only plan we have at the present."

"Can't Moffitt guess which way they went?"

"Maybe," Troy nodded. "But we were sent to retrieve the information they took, and a guess may not be good enough to get the job done. We need real information if we want to find them."

"You said nobody saw them after they camped for the night," Hitch stated. "Maybe they snuck out during the night and kept going. If that's the case, they probably already reached a German base by now."

Troy nodded again. "Could be, but I hope not. I'm not sure just what those papers were that they took, but they must be important. Headquarters really wants them back."

"Maybe they shouldn't have left them lying out in the first place," Hitch grunted. He finished the coffee and handed Troy the cup. "If that had been us, we'd be in the stockade right now."

"The benefits of being an officer," Troy agreed. "But our job is to get them back."

"That figures," Hitch replied. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as we eat. I'll send Tully up with your breakfast. Moffitt and I are going to check the maps and see if we can come up with any ideas where to look."

"Red Ghost huh?"

Hitch smiled as Tully handed him his breakfast. "Yep. I guess Sarge or Doc told you the story."

"Doc filled me in. I guess I was lucky last night after all."

"Yeah, you could have been the first victim of a whole new legend of the Red Ghost."

"Only camels do run wild around here," Tully argued. "And the folks around here know what they are."

"That doesn't mean they won't get run over," Hitch suggested.

"It's the first time it ever happened to me."

"It's never happened to me, that doesn't mean it can't."

"Okay, let's let it drop. I don't want to jinx us. I just hope nobody ever has to write home to my folks and say I got killed when I got run over by a camel. I'd never live it down."

"You'd be dead Tully." Hitch explained patiently. "Maybe you could start a whole new legend."

"No thanks, I'd rather not."

"Sarge says those spies disappeared around here somewhere." Hitch changed the subject as Tully watched the desert so he could eat. "He says we're going to start checking the wadis. Maybe we'll find your friends from last night."

"They don't worry me during the day, I can see them coming."

"You'll still have to get out of their way."

"I can see where I'm putting my feet in the day time."

"You fell?" Hitch tried not to laugh.

"Very funny," Tully growled. "I could have been run down."

"Sounds like you were already down," Hitch grinned.

"Huh," Tully grunted again. "Eat your breakfast, Sarge wants to get going."

The morning started out fairly quiet. They searched the wadis in the immediate area but found nothing. Moffitt was looking at the map again when Tully noticed the buzzards.

"I wonder what is drawing them," Troy spoke out loud. "The patrol that was out here didn't report running into any trouble out here. They said they didn't see anyone or anything out here."

"I guess they missed the crazy camels," Tully grunted.

"They were driving loud trucks," Moffitt replied. "The engine noise would have driven the camels away. They only approached us because we were being quiet."

"The spies disappeared out here." Troy's quiet statement broke the sudden stillness. "Maybe they did meet those camels. They could have killed one of them."

"I suppose they could have," Moffitt answered. He looked toward where the vultures still circled. "They may have left some clues as to where they went."

"I guess we'd better go take a look," Troy decided.

"If they killed one of those camels, wouldn't the patrol have heard the shot?" Tully glanced across the jeep at the sergeant.

"The patrol didn't camp too close to here. They set up a perimeter right away to keep the spies from slipping away. It's possible they wouldn't hear a shot. They were set up far enough apart that they didn't see the spies slip through their perimeter."

"Are we going to find them in time?"

"I don't know Tully; I sure hope so."

The two jeeps separated to keep from making themselves too tempting of a target. Only one of them would enter the valley or wadi at a time, leaving the second one to stand guard. Tully and Moffitt drew the wadi where the buzzards circled.

Tully slowed the jeep to enter the small wadi. The gangly birds swept into the sky as the vehicle moved into the shallow wadi. Moffitt pulled his ascot up over his face and motioned for Tully to stop the jeep. Glancing around, the sergeant slipped from the jeep and moved closer to the bundles wrapped in blankets on the ground. The buzzards had begun their work, feeding on the tender parts of the bodies first. The sergeant tried not to gag as he searched the bodies for identification. He pulled the blankets up over the faces, hiding them from view, and from the buzzards. Walking around the small camp, he stopped to pick up a bundle of papers lying next to one of the bodies. He gripped the paper tightly as he turned back to the jeep.

"Did you find what we're looking for?" Tully asked as the sergeant slid into his seat.

"I'm afraid so," the sergeant answered. "Troy will be glad to get these papers." He glanced back at the bodies and shook his head.

"Can you tell what killed them Doc?"

The sergeant nodded. "They met the same fate you just missed last night."

"Doc?"

"It looks like they were run over by those wild camels. There are camel tracks all over the place."

Tully glanced back at the bodies and shivered. They had been lucky that the camels had decided to stay on top of the ridge and not run through the wadi. Tully could just picture the others sleeping as the camels ran over the camp.

"I guess we should go tell Troy." Moffitt motioned for Tully to get the jeep moving.

Troy slid out of his jeep as Moffitt climbed out of his to talk to him. The two sergeants met between the two vehicles.

"Here are the papers the spies took from the base." Moffitt handed the stack of papers to Troy. "I read a few of them, I can see why headquarters was so eager to get them back."

"Are you sure they're all here?"

"Pretty sure," Moffitt nodded. "I found them tied together in a bundle. I looked around and I didn't see any sign of any others."

Troy glanced up at the circling birds. "I take it we don't have to worry about the spies telling the Germans anything."

"No, we don't," Moffitt agreed. "We were looking for three men, and there are three bodies in there."

Troy waited for the other sergeant to continue. When Moffitt just stood looking back at the wadi, Troy asked the question he wanted answered. "How did they die?"

"I guess you could say a ghost killed them," the Brit responded.

"A ghost?"

"A ghost," Moffitt repeated. "They were sleeping when those wild camels ran through. They were trampled to death."

Troy made a face.

"That could have been us!" Hitch exclaimed from his jeep.

"Yeah," Troy agreed, "but it wasn't. Tully was on guard."

Hitch looked over at Tully.

"I'd have shot them all before I let them run over you," Tully insisted.

"Yeah, I guess you would," the blond nodded. "But I don't want anyone learning I got killed by a ghost either. From now on, I'm keeping my eyes open for wild camels."

"From now on?" Troy growled. "You should keep your eyes open for anything out there at night, every night. Do I have to sleep with one eye open when you're on guard?"

The blond blushed. "No, I watch for things."

"You'd better," Troy growled, "even ghosts."

Troy turned away and Hitch glanced at Tully. "I'm sure glad Halloween is almost over. I don't think I like ghost stories anymore."

Moffitt and Troy laughed as they climbed back into their respective jeeps. "Let's go home," Troy ordered. The two jeeps made it back to the base in time for Halloween.