The Amazon Triangle (NaNoWriMo 2016 Project)

Chapter 14 (Military Encounters)

Ben slumped against the broad base of a mahogany tree, enjoying the respite from the blazing sun and taking the last swig of mostly-clean water as he did so. Carnossus rubbed against his chest.

"We're almost there, right, Carnossus?" he panted.

She gave a low, rumbling purr that sounded like stones in a wire basket.

He'd wandered till the first nightfall, slept till Carnossus woke him at dawn, and eaten the last of the soup for breakfast. Hours later, he had seen nothing but jungle, varying in density, a whole host of interesting creatures, and not much else. A few times, the only way through was a deep slough of mud, so Ben climbed onto Carnossus' back and rode across. Now, the delicious soup was only a distant, souring memory, barely flavoring the creek water he'd filled the jug with. The afternoon sun beat down unmercifully, making the thick, palpable humidity that much more unbearable. Broad, dark stains marred the uniform he wore, and what had been merely tight before now clung to his body, chafing in many uncomfortable areas.

After resting, Ben force himself to continue. He headed away from the sun—eastward—since he figured if he just kept wandering in that direction, he was bound to hit the coast at some point.

A flash of metallic red caught his eye. Being so deep in the jungle for so long, his immediate thought ran from flora to fauna, but when he stopped to pick it up (once he established that it wasn't poisonous or alive), he found that it was a wrapper belonging to a granola bar—the same ones he had packed and carried off the sinking cruise ship with him. It puzzled him, how such a thing could have shown up randomly in the midst of the jungle—until he remembered that Edith had picked up his pack while they ran from the caiman. Hope swelled in him, prompting a burst of energy that spurred him onward, right down a path strewn with items from a cruise ship—and the clearing just beyond, where he found a large mound of neatly-stacked belongings.

Carnossus balked, pressing up against Ben's side and practically pushing him back into the jungle as she maintained a low, steady growl. Ben stepped around her.

"Shh, it's okay," he murmured to the enormous feline in the same tones he used for his cousin's nervous Doberman.

Something glinted at his feet, and Ben picked it up.

A small gold bracelet winked at him—wasn't it the same one he'd picked out to give to Edie after she reminded him that they had been dating for exactly a month? What were the odds that she was still wearing it, and had subsequently dropped it right here in the middle of a rainforest?

Ben continued around the pile of things. Who had collected them all, and why? He noticed that the neat stack had partially collapsed on one side, as if someone had removed items from the lower portion, causing the smaller, lighter items on top to tumble, but he still couldn't figure out where Edith had gone, if she had been there at all.

He saw a flash of green that made him think of Justin—yes! He snatched up the tee shirt. It was undoubtedly the same one he'd last seen worn by his best friend—but why had he taken it off? Had he traded for a random shirt he'd found in one of the suitcases? Ben puzzled over the large tear at the sleeve, and that confusion turned to alarm when he saw the dark stain at the collar. If both Edith and Justin had left behind articles in the same area, did that mean they had escaped the caiman together? What had happened to his friends?

Ben barely heard the slight rustle of the bushes just beyond the clearing before Carnossus bounded around the corner and practically threw herself on him again, her insistent growl several decibels louder this time.

Ben took the hint and followed her into a deep thicket, grateful at least for the muddy, bland color of the uniform, as it blended right into the undergrowth.