Hunter Sniper

“All I can give you is an aspirin,” the medic said. He nodded at the mug in Deke’s hands. “What did that Filipino fella give you?”

“Some kind of tea, I reckon.”

The medic wrinkled his nose. “Well, it smells like it will kill off that fever, so drink it down. These people know how to treat these things. They’ve been doing it for centuries, right? Then take two aspirin as a concession to modern medicine. Whatever you do, don’t make me carry you.”

“Do not worry, I will carry him if I have to,” said Yoshio, who was listening nearby.

“Nobody needs to carry me, dammit,” Deke said. He gulped down the dregs of the bitter tea, swallowed two aspirin, and lurched to his feet. The surrounding greenery spun alarmingly, then settled into a dizzy spell that left Deke struggling to keep his balance. He felt queasy as hell.

If the Japanese decided to launch an attack, Deke realized that he would be an easy mark. He didn’t seem to have the strength to lift his rifle.

“Here, give me that,” Philly said, slipping Deke’s rifle over his own shoulder. Yoshio picked up Deke’s haversack. Danilo nodded approvingly, then moved forward to lead the column up the jungle trail toward Ormoc and the sea.

Captain Merrick came by, checking on his men. Some were walking wounded, their wounds stiff with the morning dampness. One thing for sure, the jungle and the Japanese had beat this company to hell.

Merrick stopped in front of Deke, frowning at him. “Dammit, Deke. You picked one hell of a time to get sick. You can’t seriously expect the rest of us to fight the Japanese all by ourselves?”

Deke grinned. “You can just prop me up to stop the bullets, sir. Glad to make myself useful.”

“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Merrick said. “With any luck, we’ll link up with the rest of the division today outside Ormoc. They might even be able to offer you and the rest of these poor bastards more than a couple of aspirin.”

“Sounds good to me, sir.”

Merrick turned his attention to Yoshio.

“What I said the other day, when we were interrogating the prisoner, I was wrong. I got a little hot, is all. Glad to have you on our side, son.”

“That is why I am fighting, sir. To show everyone that I am an American. That my family is as American as them.”

Merrick offered his hand and Yoshio shook it, then moved on.

Watching Captain Merrick go, Deke said, “It’s about time that Merrick got his head out of his ass. You don’t have anything to prove to me, Yoshio. You’re a damn good spotter. I would have been dead ten times already without you watching my back.”

Philly had been listening to the exchange and snorted. “That’s high praise coming from the likes of Deacon Cole. What about me?”

Deke grinned. “Jury’s still out on you, city slicker.”

The captain stopped to give other men a kind word. Lord knew they needed it. It was part of an officer’s role to instill confidence, and Merrick was doing a good job of it. An officer had so many concerns and so much to worry about that praise was usually at the bottom of his list.

However, the captain’s confidence may have been premature. They didn’t know it yet, but they were going to have one more fight on their hands today.

CHAPTER SIX

The heat of the day was growing as the morning was force-marched toward afternoon. Around them, the jungle felt sullen as a wife whose husband had forgotten their anniversary. Sure, things were quiet now, but sooner or later, there would be hell to pay.

Sweat dripped into the men’s eyes under their helmets, which felt more and more like heavy steel buckets with each passing mile. Most of them had given up on waving away the insects that buzzed into their faces. It wasn’t worth the energy. Instantly, more bugs would appear.

“Everyone stay sharp,” Captain Merrick cautioned the soldiers in a low voice, moving along the column threading its way through the forest. “If there are going to be organized Japanese forces anywhere, we’ll find them as we get closer to Ormoc. They’ll be dug in around there and looking for a fight.”

“Is that a bad thing, sir?” asked Lieutenant Gurley. Even after several days of hit-and-run fighting in the jungle, the young lieutenant hadn’t lost his gung-ho attitude. “Aren’t we here to kick those Japanese in the teeth?”

“To be honest, Lieutenant, I’d rather dodge the Japanese and link up with the rest of the division,” Merrick said. “There’s safety in numbers. Once we get near the beach, we’ll be dealing with much larger enemy units. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re a little worse for wear. These are damn good men, but they’ve sure taken a beating.”

Lieutenant Gurley nodded, although he looked disappointed. The captain had spoken quietly, intending his words for Gurley’s ears only. However, some of the men had overheard the exchange and tended to agree with Merrick. They had done their part. Now it was time for somebody else to step in and pick up the slack — or to fight alongside them at the very least.