The Amazon Triangle (NaNoWriMo 2016 Project)

Chapter 17 (Deja Vu)

Ben regained consciousness to the sound of dripping water. The surface under him felt at the same time firm as well as lumpy and unstable. He slid a hand underneath his shoulder to prop himself up and simultaneously tried to pry his eyes open.

A monstrous groan resounded all around him, and the once-flat surface tilted sharply, sending him rolling forward and over the edge of whatever he lay on. His eyes finally flew open as his knees connected with the floor of his cell.

His hand immediately went for his ribs as the jarring motion sent waves of pain through his sore, beaten frame. The room groaned and tilted again, rocking Ben to his feet as he avoided crashing into the door like last time. He staggered to the door, agony ripping through his left leg, which the crocodile had nearly severed.

He could still hear the murmuring voices in the distance The Japanese were back to ignoring him again.

"Hey!" He yelled to the empty corridor. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

As much as he didn't want to spend another day getting the snot beat out of him, Ben did wonder why they would lock him up again, after finding out he knew so much the day before.

Ben jerked out of his musings when he finally saw someone—two soldiers, in fact. They came through the same door as before, carrying on the same conversation, based on their familiar inflections and reactions to one another. Ben stuck his arm through the hole to wave.

"Hey—"

Something clicked in his mind, and he quickly withdrew his hand as a soldier right beside his cell unleashed a string of Japanese expletives, and his thick club crashed against the door. Ben watched with more fascination than fear as the soldier continued to bang on the door and scream in some sort of intimidation tactic, while his buddies joined in behind him, banging and yelling threats in Japanese as well.

Ben knew what came next. He didn't know how he knew, he just expected the foremost soldier to break of and fumble with the key ring on his belt while the other two took turns banging on the door with their staves to watch him flinch at the noise.

At least this time I'm not dealing with a near-fractured arm! He thought as he watched events unfold in a rather predictable manner.

He knew it would be the third key the man tried, and he was already bracing himself for the oncoming beating before the first blow landed. The whole sensation of déjà vu overwhelmed his fear, and Ben recalled how futile it had been to beg for assistance or understanding from this trio. Rather than waste his time, he went right for the option with the most potential.

"Taisa!" he shouted between blows. "Take me to the Taisa! Taisa, I said!"

He tucked under his hands in case the beating intensified, but his words seemed to have the desired effect. At least the soldiers stopped beating him sooner than they had before.

"Taisa to anashitaidesu ka?" one of the soldiers muttered, bending down to get in Ben's face. "Taisa, hai? Hai?" he clocked the American in the side of the head, so hard that Ben felt soreness in his cheek from how hard his teeth knocked together.

"Please," Ben croaked, his overextended nerves causing tremors in his arms and legs. "Taisa!" It was the only word he was sure of; that, and "Amerikahito."

His last feeble petition got their attention. Soldier-With-The-Keys turned and barked something to his compatriots. They pounced immediately, grabbing Ben by the crooks of his arms and dragging him out of the cell. They jabbered to one another, and Ben heard both his buzzwords in the mix. He let his head sag as a smile crossed his swollen face. Everything that had happened before felt like a dream. Perhaps he hadn't time-traveled, perhaps Carnossus hadn't tried and subsequently failed to save him, perhaps there was a chance—