Family Care
By:AliasCWN
Chapter 3
Hitch tried to pull free of his captors as the Arabs fell to the ground. The German soldiers holding his arms laughed and pushed him into the hands of other soldiers waiting to restrain him. They spun him around and produced a pair of handcuffs that were clamped around his wrists. Once he was secured he was turned to face the German commander.
The German officer smiled as he watched Hitch turn to look down at the dead Arabs. "Surely you aren't upset about their deaths." The officer grinned as he looked Hitch over. "From the looks of you they weren't particularly kind captors."
Hitch looked at him but he didn't respond to the dig.
"They did have an eye for horseflesh though." The officer continued. "I am a bit of a horse fancier." He watched as his men led the Arab horses toward the gate. "I have a small stable where I keep a few of the best animals I have accumulated."
"Stolen you mean."
The officer shrugged. "A matter of opinion. You must admit, their owners no longer have a use for them." He smiled as he dipped his head toward the dead Arabs.
"What happens to the ones you don't want?" Hitch asked as curiosity got the better of him.
"Those we don't eat we sell."
Hitch nodded toward the dead men. "Is that how you keep your deals?"
"Why would I keep a deal with the likes of them? They are all thieves and liars. You should understand that. Just how did you fall into their hands Private?"
Hitch stayed quiet.
"Just as I thought." The officer smiled knowingly.
"So what now?"
"Now I will ask you some questions," the officer explained, "and you will answer them."
"Don't count on it." Hitch snorted.
"Oh but I do." The officer smiled. He cracked the riding whip in his hand against his leg. "I'm sure I can convince you to cooperate Private, in fact, I can promise that you will talk."
Hitch snorted again. "Yeah, we know how you keep your promises."
The officer laughed out loud. "I like a challenge Private. I look forward to speaking with you. Before I am through I will break you."
Hitch looked at the crop in the German commander's hand and tried not to show his uneasiness. "You can try."
"Please, defy me. Give me a chance to show you what I have learned from previous prisoners. Believe me Private, they didn't want to talk either, but they did, eventually."
"All of them?"
"Yes, all of them."
The way the officer said it sent a chill up Hitch's spine. Hitch tried to struggle as he was taken through the gates but it was no use.
Troy, Moffitt and Tully watched helplessly as the events unfolded below them. They watched as Hitch spoke to the German commander and they all noticed the subtle change in his posture. None of them missed the sudden tension in his body or the way he tried to shift away from the officer. A moment later the guards grabbed him by the arms and manhandled him through the gate and onto the base.
"I don't like it."
Troy glanced over at Tully and shook his head. "I don't like it either but there is nothing we can do about it now. All we can do is wait until dark. As soon as it gets dark we'll go in after him."
"I don't think I like that officer." Tully declared.
Troy ignored the comment as he watched the soldiers drag the bodies of the Arabs out into the desert. He expected them to form a detail to bury the bodies but they just piled them up and left them there. It didn't look as if they had any intention of returning to dig graves. All three men watched as the soldiers returned to the gate and disappeared inside.
"We should get some rest if we are going in after dark." Moffitt stated in the silence that followed the end of the drama. "Since I had the most rest last night I will take first watch."
Troy nodded, his eyes still on the bodies sprawled in the desert sun. "Wake me in three hours. Tully had watch last night so he can go last." Troy handed Moffitt his binoculars and started to turn away. He paused and turned back to catch the Brit's eye, "Wake me immediately if anything happens."
The British sergeant nodded that he understood.
"I'll cover the jeeps before I turn in." Tully offered. "Just in case any planes fly over." He added.
"I'll help you." Troy volunteered.
"I got it Sarge; I kind of want something to do anyway."
"I'll help you." Troy repeated. "Then we'll both get some sleep so we are ready to go in tonight."
Tully opened his mouth to argue but Moffitt caught his eye and shook his head. Realizing that the sergeant wanted to keep busy too he refrained from arguing and turned toward the jeeps.
"We'll get there in time." Troy said as they draped the netting over their vehicles.
Tully stopped and looked over at the other man.
"He'll be all right." Troy insisted.
"Yeah I guess." Tully admitted. "I just hate the idea of leaving him there at all."
"You're worried." It wasn't a question, Troy made it a statement.
"Yeah." Tully agreed. "They made a deal with the Arabs and they double-crossed them. That kraut doesn't seem very trustworthy."
"But Hitch won't be making any deals with them."
"That only makes it worse." Tully mumbled.
"We're going in tonight. He won't have time to do much before then. You know the routine; they usually let us sit and think a while to make us nervous before they start to ask a lot of questions." Troy reasoned.
"Who are you trying to convince Sarge, me or you?"
Troy looked down quickly. "He'll be all right Tully."
Tully nodded and tucked the corner down on the netting. "I'm going to get some sleep Sarge; wake me when you need me."
Troy nodded without looking at Tully.
Taking the blanket that he had pulled from the rear of the jeep before covering it Tully went to find an out of the way spot to bed down. He couldn't get his mind off of the attack on the camp the night before. It still felt like it should have been him instead of Hitch that was taken. Under normal circumstances he would have felt regret for the deaths of the Arabs, they had been double-crossed and murdered without a chance. But they had taken a human being and sold him for money. Someone not even a part of that a culture. Someone who didn't belong to them. They had taken someone who belonged to him; a part of him; a part of his extended family. Family meant a lot to him, and Hitch, just like Troy and Moffitt, was family. It didn't matter that they weren't related by birth, or even by marriage, they were family just the same. They were related by blood, shared and spilled; by the bonds formed by shared dangers and time spent together. A bond far stronger than some nature provided. Tully wasn't about to forgive them for what they had done. He considered their deaths payback for taking Hitch.
He could hear Troy rolling around in his blankets. It seemed that the other man was having trouble falling asleep too. That gave Tully some comfort, knowing that Troy was as worried as he was about their friend. He knew that Troy and Moffitt would not leave the blond with the Germans. That thought followed him into a restless sleep while Troy still tossed and turned.
Tully rolled over and his blanket caught under his hip pulling it off his back. The sudden influx of cool air woke him. He reached for the edge to cover himself when he heard voices. He wondered why Troy was still on guard duty since the sun had clearly set. Rising to his feet he made his way toward the voices.
"I only heard it a few times and it was faint." Troy spoke in a low voice.
"Are you sure it was him?" Moffitt asked, following Troy's example and keeping his voice low.
"I couldn't be certain, like I said, it was faint." Troy frowned as he tried to recall the sound he had heard. "We're pretty far away and it was carried on the wind…but I think it was him." Troy peered at Moffitt through the gloom. "What other prisoners do they have?"
"I don't know." Moffitt answered. "It is possible that there are others."
"I don't want to take that chance." Troy decided. "I'm going to wake Tully and we're going to go in as soon as it's dark enough."
"The guards will be more alert that early." The British sergeant warned.
"We'll have to take that chance; I'm not letting Hitch in there any longer than necessary."
Moffitt nodded. "All right, I'll go back and stand watch while you wake Tully. Both of you should get something to eat before we go."
"Thanks. We'll bring you something before we get ready." Troy turned to go wake Tully and spotted him standing in the shadows near the jeep. "Tully, how long have you been there?"
"Long enough Sarge."
Troy glanced at Moffitt before looking back at Tully. "How much did you hear?"
"That kraut officer started on him already, didn't he?"
Troy licked his lips and nodded. "I think so."
Tully looked up at the sky and noticed that the stars were starting to twinkle in the velvet background. "ow much longer asre we goingto wait"HHow much longer are we going to wait?"
Troy glanced at the sky too. "Moffitt says it's going to get cloudy tonight. Those clouds are moving fast and it shouldn't be long now. Let's get something to eat; I don't want anybody's stomach growling and giving us away. Once we get Hitch I want to be well clear of that base before we stop for the night."
"Cold rations?"
"Cold rations." Troy confirmed. "No fire to glow and draw their attention."
Troy paced in the sand next to the jeep while he ate the meal that Tully had dug out for him. The faint cries he had heard coming from the base played over and over in his head. He hadn't slept well so he had decided to stay on guard and let Tully sleep. The cries had started toward evening, after the heat of the day had started to diminish. He wondered if the closed windows had muffled any earlier cries to the point that he had not heard them. Had it been his driver? Were there other prisoners, and if there were, what shape were they in? What were his options? He thought about Tully and Moffitt. Just how much could he ask of them without going too far? Shaking his head he pushed those thoughts aside to concentrate on what they actually knew.
They knew the general layout of the base from their hours of observation. The routine of the guards had not changed as darkness fell so they had a good idea where each guard was located and how often they moved. The number had remained the same so they had a reasonable guess as to how many they had to avoid. Moffitt had identified the building where the commander had set up his headquarters as well as the mess hall, the motor pool, and the officer's quarters. They hadn't located the barracks or the supply or fuel depots but none of those were targets on this mission. Troy paused in his pacing to check on Tully.
Tully sat on the net covered fender of his jeep eating his meal.
"Do you know what we have in the way of explosives?" The sergeant asked.
Tully glanced back at the covered jeep and nodded. "We have all of the usual stuff. Hitch made sure we were restocked before we headed out."
Troy did a mental inventory of the usual stuff. He wanted a few charges to use as distractions if they ran into any resistance on their way out.
"This isn't your fault Sarge."
Troy looked up at Tully in surprise. "I know Tully, but he is my responsibility. It's my job to get him back if at all possible."
"Is that all we are?"
What do you mean?"
"I mean, is that all we are to you, a job? Just another responsibility?"
"Tully?"
"I just thought that we meant more." Tully rolled his matchstick in agitation. "We're friends aren't we?"
"Of course! I didn't mean it that way! I want him back Tully! Not just him, I'd feel the same if it were you or Moffitt in there! I just can't let my personal feelings interfere with my duties. It can't affect my decisions. I thought you all understood that." Troy added more somberly.
Tully lowered his head and nodded slowly. "We do understand Sarge, but it's still nice to know that it isn't all duty. I feel the same way about you guys. You're like family, and I was always taught that you take care of your family."
"We're doing that Tully. We're going to take care of him. We're going to get him back."
Tully nodded again but there was a faraway look in his eyes.
"You okay?" Troy asked with concern.
"Yeah Sarge, just thinking."
"About what?"
"Family."
Troy smiled and nodded. "Finish eating Tully and let's go take care of family. I'll take Moffitt something to eat."
Moffitt turned as Troy climbed the slope with his meal. "Are we ready?"
"As soon as you finish eating." Troy confirmed.
"Is Tully all right?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't he be?"
Moffitt shrugged and glanced down at the jeeps. "He thinks that the Arabs snuck up on our camp while he was on guard and Hitch took over before they had time to attack him. He thinks it should have been him."
Troy grimaced. "I guess there is more than enough guilt to go around. I don't think it makes any difference who was on guard at the time."
"Apparently it does to Tully." Moffitt answered quietly. "He says Hitch is family and you take care of family. That concept is very important to Tully. Let's not forget that his whole life revolved around his family before he joined the Army. Now we're his family and he feels protective of us. It's only natural that he would be worried about Hitch."
"We all are Moffitt." Troy growled.
"True, but Tully is closest to Hitch and he has the strongest family ties of all of us."
"I just hope he doesn't take any unnecessary chances because of it." Troy growled to hide his worry.
Moffitt shrugged. "Tully is Tully. He'll do his job and take care of the rest of us." Moffitt smiled fondly.
Troy had to agree with Moffitt's assessment but it didn't relieve the worry. "I think it's time to go. Those clouds are moving in fast and the moon will be covered by the time we reach the wall."
"One last check on the guards and I will be down."
Tully had finished his meal and was burying his garbage when Troy returned. "Moffitt will be down in a minute."
Tully nodded wordlessly.
When Moffitt joined them and the three of them picked their way carefully toward the wall surrounding the base. The night sky had darkened with the arrival of the massive clouds and the moon was once again blocked from lighting the desert below. Troy thought about the previous night and hoped that he wouldn't be given any reason to once again regret their presence. Using every bit of darkness to their advantage, the three men approached the base.
Troy, in the lead, paused at the base of the wall and waited as one of the guards patrolled the top of the wall above their heads. He waited until the guard turned a corner before giving the signal to move.
Moffitt handed Tully his weapon and waited for Troy to cup his hands. When Troy obliged Moffitt put a foot into Troy's hands and bounced on his other foot. Troy lifted as Moffitt pushed himself off the ground. Reaching as high as he could Moffitt was able to catch his fingers on the top edge of the wall. Troy shifted his grip and pushed the British sergeant's foot higher, giving him the boost he needed to pull himself onto the top of the wall. Tully handed him his weapon and Moffitt dropped soundlessly to the ground on the other side.
Tully and Troy waited to see if an alarm was sounded. Both men relaxed a bit as the base remained quiet. Once the guards had made another pass Tully propped his machine gun against the wall and Troy helped him to the top. He leaned down and Troy handed him both weapons. Placing them on top of the wall, Tully made sure they wouldn't get bumped as he leaned down to offer Troy a hand. Troy gripped Tully's hand and pulled himself up to sit next to Tully. With one quick glance around he dropped down on the other side. Tully handed him both weapons before following him down. Moffitt stood in the shadows and waved them to cover. The three of them huddled in the darkness of an alley and took their bearings.
A low cry tore through the still night air. Tully froze against the rough surface of the wall against his back and listened. The cry was not repeated but Tully noticed that Troy was straining to hear it too. Tully thought that he heard a moan but that too was too low to be certain.
Troy shook himself and motioned for the others to follow him. They had only gone a few steps when the cry carried to their ears again. Louder this time, it lasted longer, dropping off to a keening moan. There was a third cry and then silence once again. All three men clenched their jaws and kept moving.
