Twenty Seven: Muffled Screams
A/N: An alternate ending to 'Land of Black Gold'. I have used the Romanized translations for the Arabic phrases to make this easier to read, but will include the Arabic script in the translations as well. Again, if any of these are wrong, please blame Google translate.
Blistering barnacles, if we ever get out of this, I'm never going to make fun of Tintin's paranoia ever again.
Haddock leant his head back against the stone wall, the cool sensation being a welcome distraction from the horrific noise in the next room. Even though he had a very strong suspicion as to what was the cause of the noise, he chose to actively ignore it for the sake of what was left of his sanity.
They almost had Müller, but the sneaky bastard had managed to fool both of them. He'd turned away from them when he'd find the pistol and dropped to the ground, only to pull a third, hidden gun on Tintin when he'd sprinted over to see if he was still alive. Haddock had been forced to drive back to the castle, with a screaming Abdullah in the front seat demanding some ice cream. Surely an eternity with Beelzebub and his hellish minions can't be any worse than this…
He shifted his backside closer to the wall, hissing at how the motion jerked on his restraints. Apparently they decided that he and Tintin were too good for regular rope, and instead tied them with spare electrical cables. While they didn't chafe as much as rope normally did, they had been secured so tightly that he swore he had lost circulation in his fingers. God save me if I have to chop them off…I'll never hold a whiskey bottle again!
Haddock's thoughts drifted towards Tintin. He hadn't seen the young man since they were brought back to the castle and restrained, for he was dragged away by Müller himself. It didn't take a genius to work out that he wanted to punish Tintin for becoming involved in yet another of his schemes, and Haddock had heard stories of what the man had done to Tintin on previous 'adventures'.
He'd realised very quickly that Tintin was in the next room over, yet his mind couldn't help but wonder what sorts of horrific procedures he was being subjected to. Is he being injected with some sort of poisonous drug? Being stabbed? Brainwashed? He couldn't make out much besides some muffled screaming, though he hoped it was because the walls were so thick.
Whatever Tintin was going through, it was enough to make him scream almost non-stop, and that made his heart shatter.
But nothing compared to actually seeing the aftermath of that screaming.
His head immediately turned towards the cell door as it was forced open, revealing two guards carrying a limp body between them. His fury rapidly increased as his brain took a few moments to process what his eyes were seeing, and it made his blood boil. "THUNDERING TYPHOONS!"
Both men were dragging an unconscious Tintin underneath the arms, who simply slammed forehead-first into the floor as he was callously dropped, the sound making Haddock physically cringe. White tape had been wrapped around his mouth so tightly that not only was the outline of his lips were visible, but the skin of his cheeks bulged around where the tape was sitting. His hands and feet were still bound securely with cables, although Haddock was more horrified by how the young man's fingers were so pale that the blood stains were easy to spot. I hope he's got some blood going into those fingers…
"Blistering barnacles, what did you bastards do to him?! Is he dead?!" Haddock screamed so loud he thought his vocal cords would snap in half. "Answer me!"
"Hu ealaa qayd alhayaa!" The henchman snapped, spitting at the Captain's feet. "Now be quiet!"
Seething with anger, Haddock remained silent as he watched the man exit the cell, locking the door behind him. He sat for a moment, listening for any signs of life, and gasped in relief as he heard Tintin's breathing. That sounds a bit noisy, to be honest. Don't think you're supposed to breathe that loudly, and I don't think it's because of the gag…
Extending his legs as far out as they would go, Haddock focused all of his strength into pushing Tintin onto his back. It took a few attempts and a lot of silent swearing, but he was ultimately successful, and it allowed him the opportunity to better assess his friend's injuries.
Tintin's right eye was now a kaleidoscope of colours and almost completely swollen shut, with blood slowly oozing from a deep laceration across his eyebrow. Parts of his ginger hair were now stained red from various unseen wounds on the skin beneath his quiff. The front of his bloodied, sweat-covered jumper was torn open in places by what looked like a knife, with multiple cuts from the offending instrument visible on his chest through the holes. Suspicious red marks decorated the front of Tintin's neck, which Haddock ultimately concluded were either from a garrotte wire or human hands.
What alarmed the Captain the most, however, was how a section of Tintin's head was noticeably bulging. He'd heard the doctors' ramblings about the damages of blunt force trauma from being present in many of Tintin's hospital admissions, and all of the potential ramifications of such an assault suddenly made their way into his mind. Headaches. Memory loss. Brain bleeds. Seizures. Paralysis. Coma. Death…
"Tintin, lad, can you hear me?" Haddock leant over the young man, his worry increasing at the lack of a response. His voice cracked as he desperately pleaded with the unconscious man: "Tintin?! Tintin, don't you bloody die on me, young man, when we're in some godforsaken dungeon in the middle of the desert!"
"Mmmm." Tintin stirred slightly, his eyelids fluttering. He struggled to open his left eye, opting instead to squint through his right. "Hmmhmn?" Captaine?
"Yes! It's me, lad! It's Haddock," The Captain hoped his voice was reassuring, but given how dazed Tintin was, he would be impressed if he remembered this conversation at all.
Just as quickly as he regained a grip on consciousness, it seemed to slip from his grasp, for Tintin's eye fell closed as his chin slumped towards his chest. The young man grew deathly still, his laboured breathing being the only indication that he was still alive.
Haddock found himself trying to repress the urge to cry, though he quickly realised it was a battle he would lose. His chest ached as he heaved for air. Oh my Lord…he looks dead! Dead!
He leant back against the wall and allowed his body to become overwhelmed with sobs. Tintin, my boy, what have you gotten us into?…
Had it been hours? Had it only been minutes?
He did not know, for all he knew was that his eyes were bloody sore. This is why I don't cry often.
Once he had wept until his tears ran dry, Haddock had begun to talk at Tintin, furiously begging him to wake up, to make a noise, to open his eyes; give him some indication that he was alright. His despair only deepened as Tintin refused to rouse from his unconscious state.
But he's always come out of these sorts of situations! He tried to fight the doubting voice in his mind, but the more he stared at Tintin, the harder that voice was to ignore.
"Ha hum!" An unfamiliar voice floated from outside the cell, jolting Haddock out of his misery. "Aftahha!"
A few minutes passed before the steel cell door was pulled open, revealing a group of the Emir's guards standing in the corridor. Two remained outside while the others rushed into the room, making a beeline for Haddock and Tintin.
"Hallelujah!" Haddock sobbed in relief, gesturing with his head at Tintin as he rambled. "Thank goodness you're here! I-I think he's got a concussion, or brain damage, or something - he hasn't really woken up since they dumped him in here-"
"Do not worry, my friend," One of the guards spoke calmly as he began to cut through the Captain's bonds. "The Emir has asked his personal physician to inspect you both upon your return. You will be looked after."
Haddock nodded slowly as he watched the guards begin to release Tintin from his bonds, his eyes threatening to release a fresh batch of tears. Hang in there a bit longer, lad. Please...do it for me.
A/N: Arabic translations:
Hu ealaa qayd alhayaa هو على قيد الحياة= He is alive
Ha hum ها هم= Here they are
Aftahha افتحها= Get it open