The rest of the men crept forward as quietly as possible. They all knew that if the machine gun opened fire, then they’d be cut to pieces. It was a huge gamble, but they really didn’t have any choice.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Deke gave Danilo a nod, then started after the others filing out of the bunker. The open clearing wasn’t more than a hundred yards across from the bunker at its center, but it felt like miles. By some miracle, most of the others had reached the other side before the first shot rang out.

With a certain amount of relief, he recognized the deep boom of Lieutenant Steele’s shotgun. Whoever had been on the business end of that muzzle wouldn’t be sending any more letters home to Tokyo.

“Run, dammit, run!” he heard Steele shout. “Once you’re on the trail, don’t stop for anything!”

Fortunately, the bulk of the men were almost across the clearing. As if by a sixth sense, Steele must have managed to find the entrance to the path in the dark. They were luckier still that the enemy machine gun wasn’t brought into play immediately, allowing the rest of the group to get across.

Everyone except for Deke and Danilo, that was. Tracers lit up the night as the machine gun opened up, pecking at the bunker. Lucky for them, the machine gunner didn’t seem to know where to direct his fire. Not bothering to crouch anymore, Deke sprinted for the cover of the jungle, Danilo right on his heels. He caught a glimpse of one of the Filipino fighters, no more than a ghostly shadow up ahead, gesturing to show him the entrance to the path. He saw the sprawled body of the dead Japanese soldier in time to jump over it, then was running down the trail.

He couldn’t believe that they had given the encircling Japanese the slip. But then he had the thought that it hardly mattered. There was no way they could outrun the enemy. Once again, this was going to be a running battle that wouldn’t end until they reached the American lines — or one side or the other was wiped out. Either way, it was a grim prospect.

Already he heard angry shouts behind him that were all too close. The enemy was giving chase, and already gaining on them. Ahead of him, the rest of the team was bunching up as the struggling ex-POWs slowed them down. Their rear-guard trio kept running into the man in front of them, probably the same fellow who had waved them toward the trail.

Deke cursed their slow pace, then reminded himself that these POWs were the whole reason they were here in the first place.

“This isn’t looking good,” Philly pointed out, once he had drifted back to join them. “Maybe we ought to have stayed in the bunker.”

“We were trapped like rats in that place,” Deke said. “No, thanks.”

He slowed down long enough to turn and fire a couple of shots at the dim blur of movement behind him. He was painfully aware that he was almost out of ammunition. The three of them hung back for a moment, catching their breath and letting the rest of the column advance.

“I’m almost out,” Deke said. “How about you?”

“I just put the last clip in my rifle. Next thing you know, we’ll have to beat them off with sticks.”

“Danilo? You got any ammo? Bullets?”

The tough Filipino seemed to comprehend the question well enough. He simply shook his head and patted the bolo knife hanging at his side. Deke nodded, understanding all too well that Danilo was already out of ammunition, although he still carried his captured Japanese rifle slung over one shoulder. Deke would have tried to go back and steal some ammo or guns off the Japanese, if he had dared.

“Let’s go,” Deke said. “We really don’t have much choice except to make a run for it.”

The three men started down the path, but all too soon they came across the others ahead of them. There was a small clearing where a large tree had blown down in a storm, leaving enough space for the ex-POWs to huddle. In the darkness, Deke could sense their exhaustion, even if he couldn’t see it. He found Faraday helping a man who had twisted his ankle on a root jutting across the trail. Faraday was trying to wrap the ankle tightly with a strip of rag to give it support. Maybe the man could go a little farther.

“Why did you stop?” Deke asked. “Where the hell is the lieutenant?”

“He doesn’t know we stopped. He thinks we’re right behind him. He went on ahead with Rodeo and Yoshio, seeing if he could contact some of the advance units of our own boys,” Faraday said. “Right after that, Mason here got tripped up by a root. I’m trying to get him back on his feet.”

“You’d best hurry. The Japanese are right behind us.”

No sooner had Deke spoken those words than a bullet snapped through the branches nearby, then another. The Japanese had seen them. Then to their surprise, an arrow zipped past, so close that Deke could hear the thwip it made cutting through the air. It meant that Colonel Yamagata was even closer. Deke raised his rifle, but there was no sign of the archer.