“There’s too many of them,” Deke said. “They haven’t seen us yet, so what do you say we skedaddle? Do me a favor and try not to get lost this time.”
Keeping low, they beat a hasty retreat down the alley. The sniper moved as silently as smoke, and the boy did his best to follow just as quietly. Some distance away, the others were waiting for them. Roddy saw now that it wasn’t the whole patrol that had arrived, but only Deke, Philly, and Juana.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Philly said. “I thought for sure that you were dead.”
“He doesn’t need to hear that right now, Philly,” Deke snapped. “Besides, if you haven’t noticed, there’s a passel of Japs headed our way.”
That seemed to get Philly’s attention. “Huh, you don’t say?”
Sure enough, the Japanese had come back into view, prowling down the length of the alley. Lucky for the GIs, they still hadn’t been spotted.
“Think we can take ’em?”
Deke shook his head. Juana didn’t look convinced either. “Too many. One of them is Sergeant Inaba. I’d recognize his ugly mug anywhere. As much as I’d like to shoot that son of a bitch, I don’t like our chances. We need to get this kid the hell out of here anyhow.”
“I’m not afraid of those Japs!” Roddy blurted.
“I like your spirit, kid. But let’s see if we avoid getting killed today.”
They began to beat a hasty retreat, but they had delayed too long. A shout came from the direction of the alley. They had been spotted. Moments later, a rifle shot rang out. The bullet went too high, but it made an unsettling twang as it split the muggy air. Another bullet shot struck a chunk of concrete and ricocheted with an off-key note not unlike the sound made by plucking a bent saw blade.
“Move it!” Deke shouted, although it wasn’t necessary. The four of them quit trying to be stealthy, keeping low and under cover, and started running for all they were worth.
A spray of bullets pattered viciously on the rocky moonscape around them, but nobody slowed down. To Deke’s relief, the boy didn’t have any trouble keeping up. He was running like a jackrabbit. Deke dodged and weaved, trying to make himself a difficult target, helped in part by the uneven ground. The others did the same.
Juana spun around and fired a shot at the Japanese. Not to be outdone, Deke did the same, but it was like spitting into the wind. The Japanese were running now, shouting encouragement to one another and sounding to Deke’s ears like baying hounds with the scent of quarry in their noses.
Thankfully, the bank building loomed into sight. The others sheltering there heard them coming and started firing at the Japanese. One of the soldiers who had been firing a submachine gun dropped, bringing some welcome relief from the storm of gunfire following them.
As the covering fire from the bank building increased, it became clear that the tables had turned. Now it was the Japanese who were in trouble. Another soldier dropped. To Deke’s disappointment, it was not Sergeant Inaba who had taken a bullet.
The Japanese stopped their advance and began to fall back, keeping to the cover offered by the rubble.
Deke led the way into the shelter of the building, the boy in tow. He turned to get off a couple of shots at the retreating Japanese, but once again they had scurried away into the rubble just like rats. At this point he couldn’t pick out Inaba anyhow. Settling his score with the Japanese sergeant would just have to wait.
Lieutenant Steele was waiting for them. “Good job, you three,” he said, then turned his attention on the boy. “Listen up, kid. Don’t go wandering off. You need to stick with us. I don’t know what happened out there or what you were thinking, but don’t let it happen again. Do I make myself clear?”
The boy gulped. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” The lieutenant turned to the others. “Now that we know the Japs are launching patrols from their hidey-hole there, let’s see if we can catch a few of them on their way out.”
To call the massive legislative building a hidey-hole was just the sort of understatement that a good GI found humor in. To call it a fortress was more accurate. The tall, brooding building commanded the ruined city square. Though quiet and still, the square was deceptive in that anyone who dared to cross it found himself under the enemy guns. A few desperate civilians tried to get across in hopes of finding safety, but they found themselves at the gates of heaven instead.
Even stray dogs weren’t safe — they watched one pick its way across the square. A shot rang out from the Japanese bastion and the dog went down, spasmed, and was still.
“Those sons of bitches shot that dog,” Deke said, incredulous. He’d always had a soft spot for dogs, even these strays that seemed to plague Manila. “What the hell is wrong with them?”
