Memories In Ink

Chapter Nine: Tōgoku no omomi

          The abrupt shudder of the cell door opening brought my attention far from the notebook. The shadow of a soldier marching danced off of the wall in my cell, indicating they were coming for me. I quickly shoved the book up under the cot and awaited my fate. The thud of the soldiers boots echoed off of the stone walls as he came to a stop in front of my cell door. The distinct metallic rattling of the keys filled the rooms pillar of silence. As the door let out a loud thud, the soldier slowly approached me. My irregular breathing due to the anxiety filled the room. A small, strong hand grabbed my arm and shook me, as if he was trying to wake me from my sleep. As I slowly turned my head, I could see the soldiers face of sympathy , peering a hole into my eyes as I stared back at him. The soldier held up a rusted pistol in front of me. I glanced at it nervously as I knew what was about to happen. The soldier handed me the gun handle first, smiled slightly at me and nodded. I was beyond confused, though my memory may have been fading, I couldn't tell why he was smiling at me. Before I could understand what was happening, another man came in, yelling at the soldier that was in front of my face.
          The two soldiers began arguing right in front of me. Unable to understand Japanese, I was clueless. In the midst of their argument, I noticed the man in the cell across form me. He had a familiar look, but due to my memory, I couldn't place his name. He was bent over his cell door, trying to get one of the soldier's attention. As the soldiers continued to argue, they began to throw punches at one another, causing streams of blood to fly through the air. The soldier who had the shackles in his hand was hitting vigorously, until the other soldier pushed him onto the ground. As the soldier lay there, the one on top began administering blows to his face, emitting sharp thuds and eventually a sharp crack. The soldier on the ground let out a blood curdling scream. In the midst of it all, I sat there, unsure of what I could do. Two more soldiers came storming into the building, kicking the cell door further in. One of the soldiers grabbed the attacker, and put him in a choke hold. As they escorted the attacker out of the building, a pair of keys fell out of the soldiers pocket, and onto the ground about 3 feet from the young man's cell who was across from me. The keys went unnoticed as all three of the soldiers exited the building. The lone soldier lay there in his own puddle of blood. I couldn't help but feel worried about him. I looked down at him, as he was choking on his own blood, spraying it all over his face, and the wall beside him. I slowly got off of my cot, and looked around with my one good eye. I eased up to him, my boots emitting clouds of dust as I approached him. The soldier, shaking and covered in blood looked up at me. He reached for my hand as I looked at him in sorrow. I grabbed his hand as I leaned closer, to see if he had anything to say. He let out broken breaths and attempted to speak. He pulled his head up with the thread of strength he had left. He opened his mouth and said: "Karera wa anata o korosou to shite imashita. Watashi wa karera o tomeyou to shimashita" I looked at him confused, as I did not know Japanese. He then reached down into his belt, and pulled out his pistol. The soldier gasped for air as he motioned me to take the gun. I did slowly, feeling unsure about what he was attempting. Was it a trust exercise? Would he pull out another and shoot me? As I grabbed the revolver he looked up at me and spoke in broken English. "Take. They try and kill you. Try and escape." As he spoke, he let out a rough cough, spraying blood all over his face, and shirt. The soldiers head went limp and rolled to the side, as a river of blood flowed from his lifeless lips. I looked up slowly, trying to process what had just happened. I quickly took the gun, and hid it under the cot along with my journal. I turned back to my open cell door, contemplating on making another run for it, but something stopped me, unsure if it was a gut feeling or not. I limped over to the cell door and pushed on it, the hinges let out an ear stabbing screech as I pushed the cell door until it latched. The man across from my cell was appalled. He looked at the door and back up at me as the dust settled. "What are you doing?! Let's make a run for it Everett!" I looked at him, and shook my head slightly. "Not yet." I said. The man looked at me furiously. "What do you mean not yet!? I have the keys! Let's get the hell out of this place!" He said, as he held up a set of the soldiers keys. I held up my hand, in an effort to calm him down. "We need to wait until the time is right. We will have our chance, but not yet." The man scoffed as he looked into the darkness at me. "You don't remember me do you?" He asked as he slowly sank down into his cot. I looked at him in confusion as I replied. "I do know you, I just don't remember you. I don't remember your name, hell, I don't even remember mine anymore." The man slowly sat up with an interested expression. "So you don't remember how you got here, do you?" I closed my eyes tightly as I tried to answer him. I slowly opened them back and looked back into his helpless stare. "I- I fell, from a plane, and that's all I remember." The man looked at me with a sign of relief in his face. "Yes! You did! You fell, and your parachute failed to deploy. But that's the last we heard on the radio transmission." I looked at him knowingly, as my memory began to slightly come back. "Thats right I, I hit my head! But I don't remember what we were doing here. I don't remember anyone in the unit, I know I was in one, but remember no names, no faces, not even mine." The man looked at me once again, as he spit on the ground next to him. "I'm George, I was in your training unit. You gotta remember me. I was the one who couldn't do any marching, couldn't keep rhythm. I helped you contact the main base once the Monte Cassino mission became too risky, Garry had to retreat. I figured they were conspiring a way to get us out. But it's been three months so far, and nothing." I slowly backed away from the cell door, staring in disbelief. Had it really been that long? Was it that long since I had been free? Since I had left home, or even saw the face of my love? The memories came rushing back as I came to. I slowly looked up at George with knowing eyes. "My name, is Everett VonDyke, I was born in Arkansas in 1924, and I had a love named Sarah." George looked at me in amazement. I looked behind me in the clouds of dust roaming the room, and noticed the dead soldier. "He was trying to save us." I said as I knelt down beside him. "W-what are you doing Everett? George asked as he clinged to the cell door, watching me slowly undress the soldier. "I'm taking this, as a disguise. It may not work close up, but it's our only chance." I said while taking the rest of his clothes off. George replied: "you'll have to hide it under your bed, and we will have to dispose of the body. As I undressed him, I had an idea erupt into my damaged mind.
I put on the uniform, holstered the pistol, and put on the soldiers helmet. "Give me the keys." I said to George as he excitedly fumbled them in his hands. He tossed them as far as he could, landing right in front of the door. I began to unlock the cell from the inside. "What are you going to do?" George asked me as I swung the door open. "I'm going to dump the body, and come back inside. I've got to do it fast, before my memory fails me again. It comes and goes, giving me a small lucid window. If I act fast, I'll be successful." I said, as I reached down into the dirt, and applied it to my sweaty face, using it as a barrier of disguise. George gave me a worried look. "Good luck Everett." I nodded at George as I grabbed the mangled body and made my way through the dimly lit corridor.
          I slowly eased the door to the building open, as the sunlight poured into my one eye, temporarily blinding me. As my eye adjusted, I took a sharp look around. Nothing was there, except for the sharp clouds of dust in the distance. I quickly carried the dead soldier to the back of the building, where a small storm drain was located. I eased through the muck of the drain, and eased the body into it. I grabbed handfuls of mud, trying my best to cover him up. Once I was done I eased out of the drain and walked my way back to the building. I opened the door, to see George nervously awaiting my return. I eased into my cell and locked the door shut. "We're one step closer." I quickly pulled off the uniform and stuffed it under my cot, along with the pistol, and my journal. As I stood up, the throbbing pain behind my eye began to take over again, causing me to hit my knees. I groaned loud as the pain intensified. George looked at me in horror as I hit the ground in pain. The pain so severe that it made me scream. As the pain began to die down, I couldn't remember what had happened. I eased up and walked to my cell door. "Everett? Are you okay?" The man asked in a concerned tone. "Who?" I replied. "I don't know that name." George slammed his hand down into the cells wall. "Dammit! We were so close!" I looked at him in confusion. "So close to what?" I asked as I stared into the darkness. George sloped down with a look of disappointment on his face. "Nothing." I turned back to my cot and reached for my journal, hoping to bring some light on the situation at hand. I couldn't remember what had happened as I lay in the darkness. The soft sobs of the man across form me filled the room, I lay there in total frustration. How could a man, who's lived an amazing life not remember it? It just didn't seem right. I couldn't understand why it had to be this way. As I began to drift off to sleep, I noticed the brown bloodstain, settled into the dirt floor of my cell. As I saw that stain, memories began flooding back. I shot up from my bed and looked at George. "My memories keep coming back! Maybe it's a sign it's almost over." I shot up as George looked at me in an flustered manner. "So what now Everett? Before your memory is gone again." I looked at him as my hands were placed upon my hips. "We need a plan. No one is going to come for us, so we need to figure out a plan to get the hell out of Japan." I grabbed a broken piece of stone by the window and used it on the wall, making a plan of escape. George and I stayed up that night, devising a plan.
I stepped away from the wall, observing it hard. "So, here's the plan." I said as I cleared my throat. "I'll put on the uniform, and walk out of the building, escorting you. Surely there are some soldiers here who speak English. I will tell them you're being transported to another camp. We get into a truck, and drive through the gates, needing a form of identification, luckily the soldier had one on him. If I cover my face in enough dirt and grime, it may work." George asked as I paused: "and if it doesn't?" I cleared my throat as I held my fist up to my mouth. "It has to, otherwise we're-" George finished my sentence. "Dead". He said as he leaned over the cell door, straining to read my plans. I slowly pulled my fist away from my mouth. "Yeah, dead."
The morning sun filled my eye as I woke. I didn't remember dozing off the night before, but one thing was different, my memory was all there. My mind began flooding with thoughts of Sarah and my way back home. The sudden thud of the door opening jolted me. I looked to my right and noticed the plan was still in plain sight. I jumped up, frantically rubbing my knuckles to erase the plan. I scrubbed hard enough that blood began to stain the surface as the guard approached. Fortunately, the uniform and gun were erased, but the map and truck still remained. I quickly grabbed my notebook then proceeded to frantically erase the plan as I heard the distinct thud of the cell door opening. I froze in fear as dust filled the room. Footsteps slowly approached behind me as I tensed up. My head was slammed against the wall. My vision jarred as it was slammed three more times. As my head met the wall a fourth time, I bent my knee and kicked the soldier in the crotch, knocking him to the ground, emitting a scream and a large cloud of dust. As he hit the ground, I slowly pulled myself off of the wall, trying to stand straight up. As I stood up, I ran my hands along my forehead to reveal thick, red blood. As I looked down at the soldier, my memory began to fade again. The sharp pain came back into my head, causing me to be immobile. I fell backwards onto the soldier, my memory beginning to fade more. As I lay there practically lifeless, another soldier came in and grabbed me harshly. The soldier struggled as he pulled me out into the morning air. The sun's rays filled my eye as he shackled me, and escorted me. As we walked along in the morning air, I felt my head throbbing. The soldier walked me over to a tree, then stopped. Out of my one eye, I could see the slow descent of a noose coming down to greet me.