Ziff under fire

Part 37 - Where's Ondy?

It took my scrambled brain some time to think. Parts of my consciousness began to reconnect. I could see, although everything seemed darker than I remembered. And I could hear!

'Ziff, are yeh receiving me. Over.'

I remembered Dunc's radio phone was still in my ear. I tried to speak but my larynx was still paralyzed.

I tried really hard. 'Guluk . . . oyk . . . Dunc . . .'

'Good work, laddie,' Dunc said, the relief audible in his voice. 'Keep talking. Dinna go back to sleep. Ah'm trying to locate you.'

'Wha's . . . where's . . . Ondy?' The effort of thinking seemed almost too much for me. 'How's Beryl?'

'Beryl's trying to restart the kübelwagen and Ondy is on his way.'

Dunc had told me not to sleep, so I kept fighting to stay awake. I could move my head a little so I looked around. I was alone in what looked like a farmhouse kitchen. The dim light came from a old fashioned kerosene lamp near the sink. My arms and legs would not work but I kept trying to move them until they started to tingle. Gradually, I could wiggle my toes and fingers.

'Keep talking,' Dunc said in my ear. 'Ondy and Ah can only triangulate your position when yeh're transmitting and that only happens when yeh're talking.'

'Where . . . 'm I?'

'Okay, that's good. We got it. Yeh're five kilometres off the road. Ah'm on the way.'

'Dunc! Murga is here!'

'Copy that. Ah'll tell Ondy . . . Triple Oh.'

'Where is . . . Triple Oh?' I asked but there was no reply. I lifted my left arm. Murga had not bothered to tie me down. I moved my left leg a little. My right side was still not responding so I concentrated on that.

It seemed to take an age but slowly I was able to sit up and then stand without staggering too much.

There was no sign of Mom and Dad but there were several people talking in the next room. I moved to the door and listened. I recognized Murga's voice although he was speaking German.

I stumbled over to the exit door and cautiously peered out the window into a large farm yard with barns on two sides. There was just enough daylight left for me to see a truck and two cars parked near the road. I couldn't see any guards.

'Beryl,' Dunc's voice said in my ear, 'are yeh nearly there?'

I could hear the roar of an engine which all but obliterated Beryl's reply.

'Quick as you can,' Dunc said. 'Ziff's in trouble.'

'Dunc,' I said quietly. 'Where are you?'

I repeated this several times but there was no reply.

I looked around outside while tried to think of a way to find Mom and Dad. My thoughts were interrupted by a approaching roar of traffic. It sounded like a whole squadron of tanks. But then the noise suddenly stopped and a minute later a small, dark figure walked around the barn toward me calling out, 'Ziff?' in a low voice.

I ran toward Beryl and we hugged each other in relief. 'You're okay?' we both said.

'We gotta get out of here before someone notices you're gone,' Beryl said.

'My parents. I don't know where they are?'

'I saw Murga loading something into the truck and they were not with the kübelwagen when I got back. They must be here somewhere.'

'We have to get them out of Murga's clutches,' I said.

'We should wait for Triple Oh,' Beryl said. 'Dunc says he's on the way. Let's get you out of harms way first.'

I ran with Beryl around the barn to the kübelwagen. 'We will have to push-start it,' she panted. The starters kaput and I can't find the handle.'

The kübelwagen was pointing the wrong way so we had to turn it around first and then we both pushed with Beryl running alongside with one hand on the steering wheel. We must have pushed the kübelwagen for half a kilometre before Beryl yelled, 'Keep pushing,' and vaulted into the driver's seat. She pushed the clutch pedal down and shoved it into gear.

The little engine in the rear of the kübelwagen roared into motion sounding more like a tank engine. The muffler had fallen off. Beryl shouted something that I couldn't hear over the racket. She beckoned and I jumped into the passenger seat as she floored the gas pedal and we rocketed down the old farm road.

Dunc's voice in my ear said, 'Ondy . . . Beryl, and Ziff are in the kübelwagen.' I didn't hear a reply.

We made good speed for about two kilometres before she slowed down a tad to round a bend. A farm cart had been pulled across the road. I ducked and braced for impact just before we hit it. We smashed one of the wooden wheels and slid underneath the cart just before my head collided with the windshield. No seat belts. The engine at the back was still running and the headlights cast enough light to see the two men who quickly arrived.

Beryl made an unsuccessful grab for her Schmeisser but one of them hauled her out of the kübelwagen and swung her away. I was dizzy from the collision so I couldn't resist when the other man dragged me out of my seat and dropped me on the road.

From this position I had a good view of the sky. It was cloudy and a couple of search lights were pointing at a light aircraft. It was low enough to make out the black crosses on its wings. I watched as something fell out of it. It drifted down slowly but I couldn't see a parachute. I guessed it was a black balloon.

There was a lot of shouting in German, mostly from Beryl who was fighting back. My assailant yelled, 'Schiesse Nicht! (sheeser nicht - don't shoot),' and went to help subdue her. I staggered to my feet and charged around the kübelwagen after him. I kicked him behind his knee and he fell hard on his side. Beryl manage to trip the other one but he recovered and lifted her off the floor in a bear hug. She kicked backwards but she wasn't wearing her steel toed sneakers. He merely swore until I jumped on his back and tried to twist his head around. Then the other man punched my head and dumped me on the road again.

A large round shape was speeding toward us. It was about three metres above the road and descending rapidly and it was wearing jackboots. Then I remembered the almost transparent, black parachute glider Triple Oh had used in Hong Kong.

He was too low!