“I’d make you a list, but I don’t have enough damn paper,” Philly grumped. “Besides, maybe we ought to thank that dog. It was a good reminder that if we try to cross that square, the same damn thing will happen to us. The whole damn place is a big damn Japanese shooting gallery.”
“Damn,” Deke added, just in case Philly hadn’t said the word enough times.
The legislative building was far too formidable for Patrol Easy to launch a direct attack on the enemy position. They needed to find a way to take down the enemy forces holed up inside the legislative building without putting themselves in too much danger. Lieutenant Steele was right that if they could catch a few of the Japanese out in the open, away from the cover of the building that the enemy had turned into a fortress, so much the better.
No sooner had they escorted the boy to safety than they set out once again to deal with the Japanese. Keeping to the cover of the buildings that still stood, Patrol Easy worked its way toward the rear of the legislative building, Deke leading them to where they had found the boy and encountered Sergeant Inaba’s patrol. With any luck, they might catch the patrol out in the open. This time Deke had more firepower with him, so he hoped that the outcome would be different.
Attempting to stay out of view of the Japanese so as not to lose the element of surprise, they moved away from the square and followed streets one block away. However, he soon grew confused in the back streets that they passed through because they all looked the same. It was odd that he’d never felt lost in the jungles or mountains that they’d fought through so far, but the city was something altogether different.
He wasn’t the only one who seemed to feel this way. Even Danilo, who was so adept at navigating the forests of the Philippines, just looked at Deke and shrugged. He appeared as lost as Deke felt.
After taking a wrong turn that led them away from the square, rather than closer to it, Deke had to admit, “This damn city all looks the same to me.”
“This way,” said Juana, stepping forward to take the lead. Instead of feeling miffed, Deke had to admit that he felt grateful.
Juana, a city girl who was somewhat familiar with the layout of Intramuros, suggested using the tunnel-like alleys that ran between the buildings. Even the boy seemed to know the way, and at one point he and Juana conferred briefly about which direction to take.
These alleys had been used since the Spanish colonial times. If the brooding stone walls could have spoken, what tales would they have told? No doubt these walls had seen their share of murders, thievery, and liaisons over the centuries. Dark and narrow, the alleys provided a sheltered route that enabled Patrol Easy and the Filipinos to work toward the rear of the legislative building without being seen. Their success depended entirely on the element of surprise.
It was risky, considering that at any moment they might go around a blind corner and run smack-dab into the Japanese, who could be planning to ambush
Cautiously, they made their way through the dark and rubble-strewn alleys until they reached a point directly behind the legislative building. Like city alleys everywhere, the sides were lined with trash cans, many of them knocked over, their contents not smelling very pleasant in the heat. An alley cat raised its head and glared at them as if considering holding its ground as they approached, then thought better of it and ran down the narrow crack between two buildings, dragging half a fish skeleton with it.
Clumsily, Philly’s boot kicked a garbage can lid, making it skitter and clang along the cobblestones.
“Dammit, Philly!” Lieutenant Steele muttered. “Watch where the hell you’re going.”
If there were any Japanese around, there was a good chance that they had heard that. They all went on high alert, straining to listen. Of course, the city itself was far from silent, with the constant thump of artillery and the crack of small-arms fire, most of it in the distance.
Sure enough, they could hear faint voices and even a few footsteps nearby, the sound of hobnails crunching through gravel or grinding on pavement, indicating that the Japanese were on the move. However, the confusing echoes in the narrow alleys made it hard to tell which direction the Japanese were taking. They were out there, but where?
“I hear them, but where the hell are they?” Philly wondered.
“I reckon they’re wondering the same thing about us,” Deke whispered harshly. “They sure as hell heard us. Now kindly shut your piehole or they’ll find us before we find them.”
This was going to be a game of cat and mouse. It was entirely possible that the Japanese had already guessed that the Americans were there. Would Patrol Easy get the drop on them, or would the Japanese turn the tables?
