Read Online The Rat Patrol 2: Desert Danger by David King - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: David King
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rotting. In the confined and airless place it almost choked him.
He had advanced for twenty-five feet when his hand slid around a corner in the wall and he touched the wood of a gate or door. He pulled Tully up to it, placed both of Tully's hands on it and both of them searched for a latch or handle. They could find nothing, not even a hole or recess where one might have been. They put their shoulders to the wood and strained against it. If it were a door and hinged it was securely barred from the inside because it did not give so much as a fraction of an inch.
"We haven't got time to fool and we don't dare go on," Troy said in a whisper. "Get on my shoulders. This may be just a wall and not a part of the building."
He stood to the side of the recess, clasped his hands together for Tully's foot and boosted him. Tully clambered unsteadily, first one knee on a shoulder then the other. Steadying himself against the wall, he gradually got his feet planted on Troy's shoulders.
"Uh," Tully grunted, swaying, almost toppling.
"What is it?" Troy hissed.
"A wall, but there's broken glass on top. I cut my hand."
"Pull off your robe," Troy ordered. "Fold it over the top." He thought he heard voices from somewhere, muted by the buildings. "Get gone."
He felt Tully balancing himself against the wall as the robe dropped, draping Troy's face for a moment, and then the weight left Troy's shoulders and he heard Tully scrambling atop the wall.
"Helped some but it still jabbed," Tully muttered. "Catch. I'll drop the rope to you, then jump down the other side, catch the end and brace myself."
Troy reached above his head in the blackness, groped only the empty night. The voices he had heard came again, still muffled but louder now. He started to grasp the air wildly for the rope, grinned, let his arms fall to his sides, then reached upwards searching the void in a careful pattern with his thumbs hooked together and palms extended near the wall. One palm touched the rope, lost it. The voices sounded near the mouth of the passage. He found the rope again, grasped it with both hands, gave a tug to make sure Tully was at the other end, and walked up the wall, hand over hand on the rope, feet against the vertical surface. The shouting was plain now, not voices but sharp orders in German. He wriggled over the folded robe, feeling the sharp thrusting shards of glass even through the cloth, found a finger hold for one hand between the jagged pieces and hung on while he plucked at Tully's robe. It clung to the glass. His fingers began to slip. Light appeared abruptly in the night at the entrance to the passage. Troy yanked desperately at the robe as his fingers slipped and he fell into the thorns of a shrub. The robe fluttered down and covered him.
He stayed where he was while on the other side of the wall lanterns made the passage a lighted vault. The voices sounded as if they were speaking directly to him. He could not understand but he thought he detected two voices, both giving orders. That would be Dietrich and the other officer. He did not think there were more than four men in the passage and wondered whether they had found Colette. If they had, Troy was certain they had left her where she lay.
A pair of shoulders slammed against the door once, and then again.
"Nein!" a voice Troy thought was Dietrich's called out and a gutteral string of words followed in which he recognized only dumkopf.
The banging at the door stopped. Troy chuckled softly. He could imagine what Dietrich had said to the guards, "dumbells, they would scarcely hide in German headquarters and anyway, how would they get in?"
Which was a good question to be settled in reverse for future reference, Troy decided. When the lights and voices went away and Troy could no longer see nor hear a sign of the search party, he moved along the wall to the door and examined its entire surface minutely with his palms. It had, he discovered, an iron bar in brackets that held it solidly
He had advanced for twenty-five feet when his hand slid around a corner in the wall and he touched the wood of a gate or door. He pulled Tully up to it, placed both of Tully's hands on it and both of them searched for a latch or handle. They could find nothing, not even a hole or recess where one might have been. They put their shoulders to the wood and strained against it. If it were a door and hinged it was securely barred from the inside because it did not give so much as a fraction of an inch.
"We haven't got time to fool and we don't dare go on," Troy said in a whisper. "Get on my shoulders. This may be just a wall and not a part of the building."
He stood to the side of the recess, clasped his hands together for Tully's foot and boosted him. Tully clambered unsteadily, first one knee on a shoulder then the other. Steadying himself against the wall, he gradually got his feet planted on Troy's shoulders.
"Uh," Tully grunted, swaying, almost toppling.
"What is it?" Troy hissed.
"A wall, but there's broken glass on top. I cut my hand."
"Pull off your robe," Troy ordered. "Fold it over the top." He thought he heard voices from somewhere, muted by the buildings. "Get gone."
He felt Tully balancing himself against the wall as the robe dropped, draping Troy's face for a moment, and then the weight left Troy's shoulders and he heard Tully scrambling atop the wall.
"Helped some but it still jabbed," Tully muttered. "Catch. I'll drop the rope to you, then jump down the other side, catch the end and brace myself."
Troy reached above his head in the blackness, groped only the empty night. The voices he had heard came again, still muffled but louder now. He started to grasp the air wildly for the rope, grinned, let his arms fall to his sides, then reached upwards searching the void in a careful pattern with his thumbs hooked together and palms extended near the wall. One palm touched the rope, lost it. The voices sounded near the mouth of the passage. He found the rope again, grasped it with both hands, gave a tug to make sure Tully was at the other end, and walked up the wall, hand over hand on the rope, feet against the vertical surface. The shouting was plain now, not voices but sharp orders in German. He wriggled over the folded robe, feeling the sharp thrusting shards of glass even through the cloth, found a finger hold for one hand between the jagged pieces and hung on while he plucked at Tully's robe. It clung to the glass. His fingers began to slip. Light appeared abruptly in the night at the entrance to the passage. Troy yanked desperately at the robe as his fingers slipped and he fell into the thorns of a shrub. The robe fluttered down and covered him.
He stayed where he was while on the other side of the wall lanterns made the passage a lighted vault. The voices sounded as if they were speaking directly to him. He could not understand but he thought he detected two voices, both giving orders. That would be Dietrich and the other officer. He did not think there were more than four men in the passage and wondered whether they had found Colette. If they had, Troy was certain they had left her where she lay.
A pair of shoulders slammed against the door once, and then again.
"Nein!" a voice Troy thought was Dietrich's called out and a gutteral string of words followed in which he recognized only dumkopf.
The banging at the door stopped. Troy chuckled softly. He could imagine what Dietrich had said to the guards, "dumbells, they would scarcely hide in German headquarters and anyway, how would they get in?"
Which was a good question to be settled in reverse for future reference, Troy decided. When the lights and voices went away and Troy could no longer see nor hear a sign of the search party, he moved along the wall to the door and examined its entire surface minutely with his palms. It had, he discovered, an iron bar in brackets that held it solidly
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