Tomb of the Lost (32 page)

“
Crazy fool, is he trying to get himself killed,
”
Rogers shouted as he threw himself down next to Burroughs.

“
Ready boys,
”
Wilf shouted
“
shoot these bastards down if they so much as scratch him.
”

At a thousand yards distance Chuck Holts levelled his wings and put his finger lightly on the machine cannon trigger. He looked into his sights and then peered above it. Some fool appeared to be in the middle of the square waving what looked to be some sort of white flag. He grinned and spoke into his headset to Billy.

“
This one
’
s mine. Kiss your arse goodbye Jerry.
”

“
Holy shit! Don
’
t shoot! Don
’
t shoot!
”
Billy screamed
“
They
’
re British!
”

It took a moment for the words to sink in.

“
Bank left! Bank left!
”
Billy yelled.

Their engines laboured as they banked steeply away.

Alf was left in the middle of the square. His heart was thumping, his breathing deep. He had faced death many times but this had been the closest yet.

The noise from the fighter planes deepened as they climbed.

“
How did you know that they
’
re British?
”
Chuck called into his headset.

“
H.Q. said over the transmission that we were to look out for a British group mine clearing in the area of Matmata. Didn
’
t you hear it?
”

Chuck looked down at his radio.

“
No it
’
s turned off.
”

“
You bloody idiot!
”

“
Shit! I hope we didn
’
t hurt anyone!
”

“
We
’
ll fly past slow so that they know we know. I hope you
’
re right. Chuck I think I saw blood in the road.
”

“
Aww no! Sure hope not.
”

The british men all met in the centre surrounding Alf.

“
It worked Alf, you did it. You saved us.
”

“
Somehow they knew. It could have been a decoy but they knew.
”

“
Here they come again,
”
It was Johnny Larder. He still couldn
’
t believe that he
’
d survived the first strafing run without a scratch.

This time the planes came in much slower, one of them dipped its wings at them ,

“
Everybody wave at them
”
Alf said.

They could see the pilots wave back.

“
Well done
”
Alf said,
“
yes well done you nearly fucking killed us!
”

Burrows was beside the wounded men,

“
Alf?
”
He called.

All attention now diverted to the two wounded.

“
Poor old Jack
’
s dead Alf!
”

There was a stunned silence. Burrows closed the dead mans eyes.

Alf watched the two disappearing aircraft.

“
They
’
ll probably never know what they did here today.
”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Beyond the hills where the planes had circled the land was flat. Here it was blisteringly hot in summer, warm in winter, freezing at night.

Obergefreiter Klaus Stuck was wondering for the umpteenth time how that was possible. He was the lead motorcycle in the convoy, his side car empty. He was the lucky one. He had a clear road ahead of him. He looked into the small round mirrors attached to his handlebars. The first two bikes behind he could see. They were abreast of him but some distance back. Beyond them he couldn
’
t see the convoy of trucks that were following. They were there though. Carrying the team of archaeologists just arrived from Germany led by the Colonel of the Wehrmacht and the Major of the SS. Both officers travelling in a Mercedes saloon with the Doctor. The anaemic looking man in the white suit.

The Doctor was furious. They had passed through the small village of Matmata four days before and had travelled over two hundred miles from the town only to find they were travelling in the wrong direction. They had come full circle and were now approaching Matmata again.

“
It
’
s just over those next few hills Herr doctor,
”
the Colonel said.

“
That
’
s provided of course that there are no more mistakes on your army map Herr Colonel,
”
the Doctor replied sarcastically.

“
The map is accurate enough Herr doctor. The Herr Majors map is the same as mine. The problem lies with the British Herr Doctor. They are the ones who have removed all the road signs and to be honest with you, out here in the desert, all the roads look the same.
”

“
Do you not follow rivers and railroads?
”

“
What railroads? What rivers? Most rivers here in North Africa run dry during the summer months. Why you could be standing in a dried up river bed right now and not even know it.
”

“
I have spent most of my adult life in deserts excavating. I could have made the greatest archaeological discovery ever. Carter found it first! Why? Because I took a wrong turn once. Ended up in a dry river bed. It was so vast that we didn
’
t even know it. We camped there for the night. Then it rained. It quickly became a flash flood that took away three quarters of my team and equipment. I had to wait six weeks for replacements. I would appreciate it gentlemen if these events weren
’
t repeated here. We are on the brink here Colonel of the greatest archaeological find ever. The tomb of Alexander the great.
”

It gave the Doctor an unexplainable shiver. The Colonel felt no emotion. He wished he was back in Berlin.

On the lead motorcycle Stuck shook his head. He was tired. So tired. He had been fighting the war for almost three years. Most of it here in Tunisia.

Then unexpectedly a month ago a new assignment. He was to be part of an escort for a team of archaeologists who would be excavating some distance from the front line fighting which had moved further north.

He couldn
’
t wait for the war to be over. For whoever to win. He didn
’
t particularly care which side won, he just wanted to go home. He had joined the army in 1936 because there was no work available in his village on the Rhine near Cologne. As a boy he had driven motorcycles on his grandfathers farm and it was only natural for him to join a motorcycle regiment. He had been accepted and spent his war years riding bikes in the Wehrmacht. He wanted to leave the army and pursue a career racing them. This was his dream and he thought about it every day. It kept him going all those lonely months away from home. He was married with a young wife and baby. He thought about them now. His beautiful wife Lotte and daughter Giselle. He had seen them only for a few days since Giselle had been born. To have left them was the worst pain he had ever known. It had been heartbreaking. He carried a photograph of them in his wallet. He looked into his rear view mirrors again. Would anyone notice if he stole a quick look at the photo. It was black and white and worn around the edges from looking at it so much. But Klaus Stuck couldn
’
t resist its charms. He reached into his left breast pocket with his right hand and pulled out his wallet and opened it. Through his dusty goggles he could see them, his loved ones, Lotte holding the baby up for the camera. Her seductive smile. Klaus felt the ache in his heart again.

He never saw the mine which exploded under him, tearing the bike to pieces and throwing him clear of the wreckage to land heavily in the road. The bikes fuel tank had exploded on impact and a brief fireball rose quickly turning to thick black smoke. The following vehicles ground to a halt narrowly avoiding each other in the dust.

Stuck lay stunned on his back in the road. He was briefly aware that something had thrown him bodily off his bike. There was an initial feeling of pain around his loins and buttocks but that whole area was now numb with the shock. His vision was poor due to the dust on his goggles and he reached up with his right hand to remove them. His actions were slow, his senses dull. He could hear his breathing. He couldn
’
t find his goggles with his hand. Something red dripped onto the goggle lenses.

‘
I
’
m hurt,
’
went through his mind.

He was vaguely aware of shadows appearing around him. He could now taste blood in his mouth. Then the daylight was blinding him. Someone had removed his goggles. He turned his head to his right side.

’
I
’
ve lost my arm!
’

It was just a stump. It was missing from the elbow down. Strangely he still felt no pain. He was aware of people standing over him. He needed a drink of water. He tried to speak but couldn
’
t.

“
What
’
s going on now?
”
the Doctor asked.

Koenig reached for the door handle.

“
I
’
ll find out Doctor von Brest.
”

He made his way through the stopped vehicles ordering personnel to remain as they were. Then he could see the wreckage. Black, twisted metal, some still burning. Then he saw the red in the road.

“
Dear God!
”

Major Otto Wurtz was running up the road behind him. They stopped together and looked down at Stuck, looking tiny without his legs. Koenig put his hand over his mouth. There was a motorcyclist standing on either side of the fatally injured man. One of them had removed his goggles.

“
Is he still alive?
”
Koenig asked through his horror.

The man holding the goggles nodded.

Wurtz undid his hip holster and pulled out his Luger handgun. He offered it to Koenig who looked at it in horror and shook his head. Wurtz cocked it and approached the mash of flesh that was once a man. Stuck was bleeding to death and fast. Nonetheless Wurtz pointed the Luger at close range and fired. Koenig jumped involuntarily at the shot. Wurtz put the Luger away, bent down and ripped Stuck
’
s dog tags from his neck.

“
Drag it out of the road,
”
he ordered the two standing by.

“
Yes sir. Shall we bury him sir?
”

“
Be quick about it. You
’
ll have to catch up.
”

He turned and held out the dog tags so they dangled from his hand.

“
One of yours I believe.
”

Koenig took them.

“
What was it?
”
the Doctor asked as they got back into the Mercedes.

“
One of the motorcycles ran over a mine. The rider is dead.
”

“
Are we able to get through it?
”

Koenig looked at him incredulously.

‘
Cold hearted bastard
’
he was thinking.

“
Yes,
”
Wurtz replied calmly.

The Doctor leaned forward and tapped the driver on the shoulder.

“
Drive on.
”

The Mercedes wound its way through the wreckage. They stopped at the front of the vehicles. Two sappers were in the road with mine detecting equipment. They moved to the side as Koenig wound down the window.

“
You
’
ll have to wait here sir. We
’
re just checking for other mines.
”

The breeze blew the photograph across the road. It came to rest against a very small thorn bush. A photograph of Klaus Stuck
’
s wife and baby daughter.

Alfred Dennis and the engineers had heard the explosion. They were, most of them getting to their feet. A cloud of black smoke was rising over the distant hills.