Ambush II

Outside in the street people were beginning to leave their houses. Crouched in the shadows just inside the doorway to the street Holden looked at von Junzt, it was clear from his face, he could clearly hear the same shouts of "Allahu Akbar" as Holden. The shouting was a sure sign the mob had started to work itself up into a frenzy.

Prior to seeing the news story which lead to landing the job with Armburst Holden hadn't been interested in the war in Iraq, apart from observing when his old regiment appeared on the television. One story had attracted his attention though and as he hid in the house the details came flooding back. In 2004 a security team for an American company called Blackwater had been ambushed by insurgents in the town of Falluja, the details weren't clear but after the ambush they'd been overwhelmed by the mob. The men were killed, their burnt and mutilated bodies hung on a bridge on the towns outskirts, Holden tried not to think about it but decided if he couldn't shoot his way out, he'd shoot himself before he let the mob get their hands on him.

Ideally Holden thought the mob would simply not to know they were around, sad as it was the fact Pat and Jock's bodies were still in the car would probably prove a distraction. Even so they simply couldn't risk being seen, opening the door just a crack Holden maneuvered himself so as to be able to look up and down the street, reassured the only people he could see had their backs to them and were at the far end of the street he told the von Junzt to keep close then sprinted across the road through an open gateway and into a walled garden.

steps up the side of the house gave access to its roof, an old faded settee, cushions and blankets and a battered television typical of most Iraqi families they would sleep on the roof, trying to escape the summer heat, Holden was grateful the summer heat now kept many people inside allowing them to use the rooftops to quickly put some distance between them and the site of the ambush before using another set of stairs to descend into a another walled garden

Holden didn't stop to look around but quickly made his way to the far end of the garden where he clambered onto what looked to be a rabit hutch before he hauled himself onto the wall, he stopped straddled it long enough to pulled the wheezing von Junzt up behind him then swinging his other leg over and dropping down into the next garden, he caught sight of an attractive young Iraqi woman standing in the open doorway to the house, a child perched on one hip a basket of washing in her other arm, the expression on her face didn't change, she simply stepped back into her house and shutting the door quietly behind her.

Preffering to think the woman was simply ignoring them rather than ringing some friends with the guns, Holden moved over to what had once been a ornate garden gate in three quick strides. The gate had long ago been reinforced through the simple expedient of welding a thick steel plate to it. Holden pressed his face upto a small gap between steel plate and the gate to look out onto another street almost as empty as the first, either people were hiding inside or everyone was busy at the ambush site.

Holden lent back against the wall trying to think. At the top of this road should be the rendezvous point where if he was lucky the rest of the team would be waiting for them, he honestly didn't hold much hope of that, it was unlikely the rest of the team would have escaped the ambush without injury and they'd want to get to somewhere they could get medical attention probably the nearest American base and they'd certainly want to keep clear of the mob.

Going to the rendezvous point would mean going up to what passed for a busy main road, it had been lined with shops which meant lots of people. The rendezvous point had been the forecourt of an apparently derelict petrol station, there would be places to hide but he and von Junzt would be incredibly exposed, it didn't make Holden feel much better when compared to the prospect of running through the streets of Tikrit chased by the mob.

Holden wiped the sweat from his face and turned to see how von Junzt was holding up. Holden wasn't happy by what he saw, extremely red faced and breathing heavily the German squatted next to him, his face seemed slightly vacant. Looking at the German now, noticed his lips moving and when he lent closer Holden could make out the same whispered Latin prayers repeated over and over again. Holden had hoped the adrenalin rush from the last few minutes might have shaken him out of the daze he'd been in since they'd taken cover in the house immediately after the ambush, but apparently that was not to be.

Momentarily, Holden wondered whether he shouldn't simply abandon the German in the courtyard and make a run for it on his own but the German had friends here in Tikrit and there was the faintest chance he'd get out alive without Holden in which case Holden's career would be over, although he wasn't sure wasn't sure a career change wasn't in order anyway. There weren't many choices really

"Enough deliberation" thought Holden as he grabbed the German under the arm and hauled him to his feet and pushed him out of the gate. Outside, almost had an air of normalacy about it, there was no evidence of the violence which had occurred only a few hundred meters away; people were simply getting on with their everyday life. Holden wondered how long it would take before they were noticed, he slung the Demarco over his back and drew his pistol he held it down by his side then grabbed the still mumbling von Junzt by the shoulder and started pulling him along

Ambush.

At the back of his mind Holden thought the attacker, whoever he was wasn't particularly well trained. Rather than firing short controlled bursts the shooter was simply firing one long burst and marching his fire up the street towards the car. Holden watched almost transfixed as tracers ricocheted down the narrow street, while others kicked up gout's of tarmac, dirt and concrete from the road each round getting closer and closer to the car.

The Ambush hadn't been particularly slick or well planned, they'd turned into a street which they hoped would lead them to a main road heading directly out of the town, but as the first car had made the turn two vehicles had pulled out to block their path a dusty red pickup and a battered white Mercedes, the shooting started as the drivers of both vehicles had jumped out and ran for cover.

Considering the accuracy of the ambushers in retrospect Holden thought it was probably a fluke the first burst of fire had blown out the windscreen, throwing Pat and jock back in their seats before Holden even had a chance to tell Pat to reverse.

Holden lent forward past the drivers seat to try and pulling Pat off the steering wheel where he'd slumped, Paddy's chest was covered with blood and Holden struggled to find a pulse, he gave up when the another round hit the car, it sounded like someone had just jumped on the bonnet. The second round blew the remainder of the windscreen out and punched a fist sized hole through Paddy's body, the drivers seat, and the rear passenger seat, filling the car with smoke, glass,dust and blood. Holden didn't have to to check on Jock he wasn't going to stay in the car, he grabbed von Junzt by his jacket and kicked the passenger side door open only to have it torn of its hinges moments later as it was struck by one of the large rounds pummeling the car.

Almost crawling on all fours the two of them piled out of the Hyundai, as they did so they felt it lurch almost tipping them out onto the kerb another heavy round had struck the front axle and broke it in two. Clear of the four by four they sat momentarily in the gutter.
Fifty metres down the road the other 4x4 had stopped, it was slewed across the road the with the remainder of the team using it as cover as they poured fire down the road towards their ambushers. He saw Dennis wave frantically trying to get them to run back to the rest of the team. He thought momentarily about grabbing the German and dragging him along the road to the safety of the others, but the car continued to be hammered by their unseen attackers another tyre blew out while they sat their. Holden decided they'd never make it they needed a safer route.

He hauled the German to his feet and pushed him towards the rusted iron door which marked the entrance to someones home. The door was locked or bolted but definitely not opening, they squeezed themselves into the doorway as their attackers continued to pour fire into the car behind them, distracted by the pyrotechnics their ambushers systematically shot it apart.

Suddenly the door was pulled open from the other side and Holden found himself staring into the face of a very startled Iraqi. The Iraqi started to shout and both fumbled to bring their weapons to bear, Holden slammed his shoulder against the door pushing it open at the same time dragging his Demarco around and pushing its muzzle through the now open doorway and burying it in the mans stomach before pulling the trigger. It wasn't like the movies the man wasn't thrown back he simply crumpled where he stood.

Pulling von Junzt through the door Holden found himself in a small courtyard, he put his back against the door and started pushing it closed. The second Iraqi came running out of the house just as the door was shut, he was struggling to load an RPG launcher as he went and was totally oblivious to Holden and von Junzt. Holden emptied his whole magazine didn't stop firing until he heard the dead mans click.

They were both careful to stepped over the Iraqi as they went through the doorway into the house.

Holden moved to stand just inside the doorway hidden in shadow, every so often he'd lean forward just enough, to scan the small courtyard; the two Iraqis they'd run into as they entered the courtyard, lay bleeding in the sun, the one with the rocket launcher was definitely dead, but every so often in the lulls between bursts of fire outside, he'd hear the first one crying softly to himself.

Outside the gunfire seemed to slacken and he could hear at least one of the team's cars driving away. He knew the team would be driving back to the last agreed rendezvous point, an alley a several hundred meters back along their route, he hoped conditions would allow them to wait there a few minutes so he and the German could get back to them, but if the team had other casualties they'd want to get back them back to the US base and proper medical attention, he and the German would be expected to hide or extract themselves an unlikely proposition.

Holden tried his radio handset again, he must have damage it as he pushed through the doorway as the handset had a large crack in it and all he could get out of it was the hiss of static. Behind him the von Junzt crouched in the middle of the doorway by the body of the second Iraqi; Holden thought he might be having a bit of a breakdown until he heard him muttering to himself, momentarily he wondered why Latin then realised he must be praying.

Noise at the back of the house made them both look up, Holden gripped the Demarco and shifted towards the corner of the room away from the doorway from where he could cover both the doors, he hissed at von Junzt trying to attract his attention, but the German simply held up a hand to silence him rocking backwards and forwards on his heels he reached forward and started to draw in the Iraqi's blood with his finger.

"Fuck he's flipped" Holden thought. standing, he took two steps to across the room, reaching out with one hand intent on grabbing the von Junzt by the collar and pulling him back into the corner, but as he did so he realised he'd made a serious mistake, the Iraqi who stepped into the doorway had his weapon already at the shoulder and instantly swung it to cover where the two of them crouched by the body. There was absolutely no way Holden was going to be able to bring his gun to bear before the Iraqi shot them both, unlike the amateurs in the street this man carried himself like a professional.

"Its alright mate, no need to get all hasty"

Holden laid the Demarco down on the ground, then held out his hands palm up.

"see mate no gun"
The Iraqi lent into the room checking the corners, he yelled in Arabic to someone out of sight behind him, somewhere from the the back of the house came a response. Holden continued trying to keep his voice level and not show any fear.

"We just all need to be calm about this, no reason we can't be friendly, we're worth more to you alive than dead eh."

The Iraqi ignored him, walked into the room and knelt down by the body quickly checking for a pulse, then frisking the body. Holden wondered whether he should try overpowering him but the Iraqis gun rested on his knees muzzle pointing uncomfortably at his crotch, unless he could overpower him straight away he'd likely wind up seriously injured after which the Iraqi's friends would likely arrive and kill them both.

"he was like that when we got here mate, we tried to save him but he was dead already".

Still the Iraqi ignored him Holden didn't think they'd have much chance unless they could get him to recognise them as human beings rather than some kind of irritation, yet nothing he said seemed to make any difference to the Iraqi fighter, who seemed to act as though they weren't there.

Holden made to start another overture, thinking perhaps he could offer him money. Just prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq Saddam announced a general amnesty for virtually all the nation's prisoners, while some of these were political the greater part were common criminals most of whom were happy to shoot at Coalition forces in exchange for the money from any number of sources including Al Queda and Iran. Holden didn't think the offer would work, apart from not killing them both immediately this bloke seemed to be acting pretty professional, but even if he was, it didn't hurt to offer.

"We're worth a lot of money alive mate we..."

Holden stopped mid sentence the Iraqi had simply stood up and walked outside hadn't even given them a backwards glance, outside Holden watched as the Iraqi checked the body in the courtyard and then pulled the door to the compound open just enough to slip through and disappear out into the street.