by Tom Hunter
He sighed as he sat down cross-legged and waited for his team to find them. Noah’s groans quieted and Thomas felt relieved. He’d lost sympathy for the man from the very first moment he’d stolen from him, so many years ago. I should have realized then, Thomas thought. I should have done something, THEN, he admonished his youthful self. “Ugh. If onlies, and shoulda, coulda, wouldas are of no use now,” he muttered into the dank air.
“Thomas!” a voice called.
His head jerked up and he raised his arms. “I’m here!” he cried. “I’m down here!”
“Thomas!” the voice called again bouncing and echoing off the walls.
Once more, he wrapped his hands around his mouth, and dug deep so his voice would carry. “Alexia! I’m below you!” he bellowed, hoping his voice would carry. “Throw me a rope!” he shouted looking up. He still couldn’t see anyone yet, but he could hear their voices. He was about to shout again, when Pediah’s face appeared at the ledge of above.
“Catch!” He threw the rope down and it slid easily through his hands. Pediah and Robbie made quick work of tying the rope around their waists first, then rearing back as Thomas tugged; he was ready to be pulled up.
He’d caught the rope neatly and with practiced hands lashed it around his waist. Thomas worked to keep well below his waist. He was sure his body had sustained more injuries than bruises and cracked ribs. Every bit of him sparked with pins and needles as he snapped the carabiner clips in place.
“Steady on!” he cried as they began to pull him up. When he reached the summit, he rolled onto his back and looked into the faces of his team. He gasped for breath and called for water.
Alexia handed him her canteen as Robbie peered over the edge. “Is Noah -?”
Thomas drank heartily and nodded his head. When he’d finished, he gasped. Then, added, “Ms. Welker, too.”
Pediah and Abby reached to help him up. “Can you stand?” Abby asked concerned. “Or do we need -?”
“No, it’s okay, Abs. I can stand up.” He reached his arms toward them and pitched forward. “Just need a little assist.”
Pediah laughed. “You got it, Thom.” He gently lifted Thomas to his feet and made sure he was steady on his feet before letting go. Alexia raced toward him and flung her arms around him.
“Thomas, you’re –“
“Oof!” He groaned. “Possible. Cracked. Ribs,” he explained through gritted teeth.
“Oh, sorry.” She stepped back and lowered her eyes.
“Don’t be.” Thomas reached out and pulled her toward him. “I’ll live.”
Pediah, Robbie, and Abby smiled at the exchange as Thomas turned to them and sighed. “Let’s go home.”
Thirty-Six
It was slow going back toward the surface. They were all battered and bruised hanging on to one another for support. Hours passed as they walked, stopped, talked, and found the energy to move forward once again.
“I’m glad there’s nothing, er no one to fight,” quipped Alexia. “I don’t think I’d have the energy.”
Robbie pointed. “Well, Alexia. Allow me to quite literally introduce you to ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’.” Burnished yellow filled the space in front of them. The sun was just beginning its trajectory to set. Dappled shadows crossed its path and the team groaned inwardly. “There can’t be anyone left!” exclaimed Abby.
Thomas smiled. “Well, it’s not as bad as it seems. Take a look.” He gestured awkwardly with a limp arm. He was exhausted and could barely lift it. Pediah was the first to realize what Thomas meant.
“Uniforms!” he crowed, his ruddy face, a deep pink in the yellow glow. He smiled giddily and began to stride more quickly ahead of the others, to clear some space. It was an innate response from years of working with Thomas and as they all came through into the light of day, swarms of people surrounded them.
Intrepid reports thrust mics in their faces and billeted them with questions.
“Do you have that drum thing?” someone asked.
“Did it really control those creatures?”
“Was the whole thing CGI-ed. Robbie Blake! Was this a stunt for your YouTube channel followers?”
“What are the Woidnuk (a mangled pronunciation) like? Are they friendlies?”
“Aren’t they just as dangerous as those lizard things?”
“Who is Noah Ashbridge?”
Some questions were repeated by different reporters. Some questions were asked by government officials. FBI, park rangers, and federal officers their arms spread wide worked to herd the non-government and non-essential personnel back from the rag-tag archeological team.
A blur of white and someone shouted, “Let me through!” and “Do you know who I am?” a cultured voice demanded.
Abby looked up in surprise. “Donald!” she called waving to him. “Let him through! This is Doctor Donald Cunningham of the California Museum of Natural Science. He’s the benefactor of this dig,” she explained to the nearest official she could grab. He reached Abby first and hugged her fiercely when he finally broke through the ranks.
He turned to Robbie, who smiled, and slipped to the other side of Abby. Pediah was next and stuck out his hand which Dr. Cunningham took in stride. The two men clasped hands and Donald opened his arms to hug Thomas who shook his head imperceptibly. With his arms still wide, he turned to Alexia, who smiled sweetly, then made a point of gripping Thomas Knight’s arm tighter.
Sweat poured from his brow, but Dr. Cunningham beamed. “I am so glad you are all safe!” he exclaimed with relief. Then, his smile vanished and concern clouded his eyes. He leaned in and asked, “What happened? There’s been a lot of talk…a video…earthquakes…” his voice trailed off in. confusion. He looked around. “Where’s Mo – Mu – Mow-sh -knee?” he asked slowly realizing he’d gotten used to the giant extra member of Thomas’s team.
Thomas smiled and clasped Donald’s hand in both of his. “It’s a long story.” He jerked his head toward the feds. “We’re probably gonna have to tell them and I’d rather get it all out in one sitting. I have no desire to keep reliving it.” He looked to his team. “Do you guys?”
“Um, no.” Answered Robbie. “And I think I speak for us all,” he finished as everyone nodded their agreement.
Thomas sighed. “Well, we better get to tellin’ it, then. This story could take all night and well into tomorrow. Need water. Want coffee.”
Dr. Cunningham turned to a nearby volunteer. “Go set up the mess tent with plenty of water and coffee. Make sure the generators are in working order to keep the temperatures even. And start herding the officials toward it and get them seated.”
“And the reporters?”
“See if you can’t get rid of ‘em,” he replied. Then, he turned his gaze back toward the team. “And Mochni? What’s become of him?”
Robbie cast his eyes to the ground and kicked at the sand. He already missed his bleed brother and friend. “He’s gone,” Robbie replied. “And he’s not coming back.”
Thirty-Seven
Robbie would never forget his last conversation with Mochni. He remembered the giant youth with the same pang of sadness and loss he felt when he recalled his father-in-law and young wife.
He and Mochni slumped against the cool rock wall reliving the battle. Still flush from exertion, Robbie exhaled and wrapped his arms around his knees. He’d pulled them up to his chest. Mochni mirrored his position. “I cannot believe,” Mochni said slowly. “That no one ever thought to destroy the drum.” He sighed. “Well, until now.”
“Yeah, I don’t know who did it. But, between that gun shot, the explosion, and the ruckus you and the other Woidnuk made, it looks like the Kisgar are back under control.” Robbie looked at some of the bodies which were splayed in a half moon around them. “Well, almost.” He put a hand on Mochni’s arm. “I’m sorry some of the Kisgar had to be destroyed. But, you were in battle –“
Mochni jutted his long, pointed chin toward other bodies before them. “And the
Woidnuk, too? We did not have many to start with,” he finished lowering his head as if in prayer.
“Yes, but it was your courage and determination which brought everyone to heel,” Robbie replied. He looked up to see Thomas and the others. “Let’s go see what happened to good old Noah Ashbridge and his evil ilk. Shall we?” At Mochni’s curious gaze, Robbie nodded his head in Thomas’s direction. “I think he’s recovered enough, for now, to talk.”
“Don’t get up, Robbie. Mochni,” Thomas said quietly. “I think I need to sit down. Again. I’m wiped out. May I join you?” The two nodded and Thomas Knight collapsed in a heap against the cool wall. Mochni and Robbie moved in front of him joining the others.
Thomas Knight stretched his legs in front of him and placed his palms first on the smooth slab, then settled them in his lap and clasped them tight. “It’s over,” he began. “Noah, Ms. Welker, and Ecknom’s Folly are all dead.” At their collective gasps, he smiled. “You heard right. Ms. Welker shot Ecknom’s Folly and professed her love for Noah –“
“Seriously?!” exclaimed Alexia. “The idea that either of those two was capable of love is mind-boggling.”
Thomas shrugged. “Well, I was a little out of it as he’d tried to beat me to a pulp, but I’m quite sure she jumped for unrequited love.”
Pediah raised an eyebrow. “And Noah? What happened to him?”
“I stabbed him,” explained Thomas matter-of-factly. “With a stalagmite.” He coughed and a chorus of “are you kidding mes?” greeted his ear.
“What?” he asked perplexed. “He was gonna stab me with it. I just beat him to the punch, so to speak.”
Abby had been quiet her eyes flitting from Mochni to Thomas and back again. Thomas had taken his revenge and she hoped he would be satisfied that the danger to his people was now gone. Both dangers. But, she had to be sure. “What happened to the drum, Thomas?”
He shrugged. “Ms. Welker shot it.” He paused as he considered a new thought. “Though I’m not sure if she was actually aiming for Noah or me and simply hit the thing by accident. That woman looked like death warmed over. She wasn’t exactly the cool, classy assassin we’d all come to know and not love,” he replied.
Thomas left out a few details, but nodded that his team now knew the meat of his story. This was confirmed when Robbie breathed a great, exaggerated sigh of relief. “Well, hallelujah!” he crowed. “Now that our little problem, er problems, have been solved, we can go home and –“
“There is one more problem to solve, Robbie bleed brother,” Mochni corrected.
Robbie smiled. “I know. I was getting to it.” He turned back to face the others. “Now, we just need to convince our surface world, that the Woidnuk are a peaceful people and that it was an artifact in the hands of a madman which enraged perfectly docile creatures to destroy.” He sighed. “Okay, so we’ve got A LOT of work ahead us. But, ultimately, we must convince the authorities that the Woidnuk committed no crimes.”
Mochni shook his head. “You don’t understand, my friend.”
“I don’t understand what. Once they get to know you –“ At the look on Mochni’s face, Robbie froze in sudden understanding. “Oh.”
“I’ve been thinking and it has occurred to me that this land, Death Valley, is so full of mystery there must be artifacts like Ecknom’s Folly. There will also be other Noah Ashbridges, other Ms. Welkers, other Ramons….” Mochni’s voice trailed off as he looked at the shocked faces of his new friends and the beaming smile of his mother. “Even without Ecknom’s Folly, the Kisgar could be powerful weapons. Who is to say someone will not steal their eggs and raise them to be destructive and to breed them more and more aggressive?” he asked.
Mouths twitched and murmured sympathies. “Hadn’t thought of that,” someone muttered. “Two sides to everything,” muttered another voice. “We understand,” Thomas’s voice cut through the murmurs in a clear declaration of support.
The Woidnuk youth looked at him and smiled. “Thank you.” He put his head down and clasped his long fingers together, then after a few deep breaths, he added, “My father was right. You are a good man and we know now you meant no harm. You tried in your own way to preserve our heritage. Our culture. But, that is not your job. Not with the Woidnuk people still on…” he caught himself and chortled. “Under the earth,” he explained stressing the location of the Woidnuk community beneath Death Valley. “I must stay, to ensure our civilization remains safe from those seeking to abuse their power,” he finished.
“But, Mochni. You could do the same on the surface!” exclaimed Robbie. “You could join us – Thomas’s dig team – and keep your people safe at the same time.” Mochni shook his head sadly.
“I cannot, my friend. I have even greater responsibilities beyond even what I have said. I am a chieftain now.” He ducked his head in acknowledgment toward Thomas. “Like your Knight. To us, he is a surface chieftain.”
Robbie chewed at his bottom lip straining for a way to have the best of both worlds. He’d thought being a YouTube celebrity had been his piece de resistance, but far from it. With Abby, Thomas, Pediah, and Alexia he’d found a tight-knit family. Mochni had been like a brother. He could think of no other word save one. “But…” he began, hoping someone else would fill his unasked question or solution with their own ideas. No such luck.
Abby stood up and came to stand between them. She laid one hand on Robbie’s arm and the other on Mochni’s and looked at both of them, her heart heavy for what must be done. “Robbie,” she cooed. “This is for the best. Mochni must get to know his people and keep them and their cultural artifacts safe from desperate hands.” Then, she twisted on her heels to face Mochni. “It is a brave step you take. Your mother is proud of you. Your father would be, too. We hope that perhaps one day we may see you again…” her voice trailed off as she choked by tears of goodbye.
Alexia followed Abby’s example to extend her own well wishes. Then, Pediah. Then, Thomas.
“To my friend, Thomas Knight,” whispered Mochni. “If there are more men like you on the surface, then I have no doubt it will be safe for my kind to explore someday.” He took Thomas’s hand in both of his and wished him well in a silent prayer.
The others melted into small groups as Robbie approached Mochni to say his goodbyes. “I know we didn’t get off to the best start…” Robbie paused. “Okay, new word for you. I was a little shit. A brat,” he explained with smile as Mochni looked at him quizzically.
“B-RAT?” the Woidnuk chieftain asked sounding out the word.
“Yes, like a small child who cries when he doesn’t get his favorite toy,” Robbie explained.
Mochni smiled in agreement, then added as he took Robbie’s hand. “From b-rat to bleed brother. I think we have learned much from each other in our short time together.”
“Yes, my friend. I will never forget you either,” Robbie said raising his hand as Mochni turned to walk away.
After a few steps, Mochni stopped and whispered something to his mother. She clasped his hand in hers, and nodded excitedly. Over his shoulder, Mochni added, “When I have checked on people and we have begun to reorganize, I will bring them to the surface, so they can see for themselves, there is nothing more to be afraid of. It is then, my friends, we will say goodbye once more and for the last time.”
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It’s a tomb for six million people…
The catacombs beneath Paris aren't somewhere that Mitchell, a desperate gambler, ever saw himself going...
He's in debt to Jimmy "the Ratchet" for $600,000. Mitchell knows Jimmy's debtors don't have a prayer… until Jimmy gives him a mission that will erase most of his debt if completed.
He must go deep into the deathly blackness of the catacombs to retrieve something.
Will Mitchell make it out alive, or will his bones join the groaning masses already entombed there?
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