Revelations

by Robert Storey

  ‘What is that?’ He pointed to Sarah’s chest.

  Automatically wondering if her bra was showing, she looked down in embarrassment, only to realise he meant her pendant. Idiot! she chided herself, of course he meant the pendant. ‘It’s a piece I found on a dig in Turkey,’ she said.

  ‘I’ve seen those symbols before. May I?’ He held out his hand.

  ‘Sure.’ Sarah took off the larger of the two pendants and handed it to him.

  ‘You have another one, too,’ he said, as the smaller metal pentagon was revealed beneath.

  ‘Yeah, I found this one near to that one. You said you recognised the symbols?’

  ‘Most definitely. I can’t quite believe what I am seeing, to be honest. Only a year ago some artefacts were discovered under the Pirámide del Sol at Teotihuacán. I’m not sure if you are aware, but there is a manmade tunnel underneath the pyramid which leads to a cave. Initially it was theorised the underground chamber was used as a royal burial tomb, an assumption that persisted for decades, right up until last year.’

  ‘What changed their minds?’ Jason said.

  ‘The artefacts recovered are clay tablets. It looks like the cave was used as some kind of library. The interesting thing is, they don’t have any hieroglyphics on them. They contain symbols, akin to an alphabet, and some of them are identical to these.’ He held up her pendant.

  ‘You’ve seen the tablets, then?’ Trish said.

  ‘No, not first hand, anyway. A friend of mine showed me some photos he had printed out. I studied them with him for a bit, but we couldn’t make head nor tail out of them. He was supposed to meet up with me again so we could continue our work, but I haven’t heard from him since and he’s not answering my calls or emails.’

  Sarah exchanged a meaningful look with Trish that spoke volumes.

  ‘Do you know where we can find this friend of yours?’ Jason said.

  ‘I do if I can find his card.’ Yochi rummaged about on his desk again. ‘Ah ha!’ he said triumphantly, and waved a small business card in the air which he then passed to Jason.

  ‘Victor Fernandez. Conservación Científico y Filólogo. Museo Nacional de Antropología,’ Jason read aloud, then passed it to Trish who then gave it to Sarah.

  ‘He will be able to help you, I’m sure – if you can reach him, that is. If not, someone else in his department will be able to help you.’ Yochi handed the pendant back to Sarah. ‘I would ask a favour of you though, if I may?’

  ‘Of course,’ Sarah said, only too happy to help.

  ‘Once you track Victor down, can you tell him to call or email me? Also, if you find out anything to do with those symbols and your map, I would be very interested to know. Actually,’ – he withdrew a wallet and passed his business card to Sarah – ‘all my details are on there.’

  ‘Not a problem, I’ll be sure to do so. Thank you so much for your time,’ Sarah said, shaking his hand, ‘you’ve been extremely helpful.’

  After more pleasantries were exchanged, they made their way back out into the depressing darkness of the day, where they hurried back towards the hotel through the deserted streets of San Benito.

  ‘That was a pretty successful trip,’ Jason said, as they crossed another empty road.

  ‘You’re telling me. We’ve got to get a look at those tablets,’ Sarah said, bristling with enthusiasm. ‘God knows what they would reveal if they could be deciphered.’

  ‘I don’t think we should even try and find out,’ Trish said.

  Jason and Sarah looked at her in disbelief.

  ‘You heard what he told us,’ Trish said in answer to their expressions, ‘he hadn’t heard from his mate in ages. Bit of a coincidence, don’t you think? After they find tablets with symbols we believe are proof of Homo gigantis?’

  She has a point, Sarah thought. Had she learnt nothing from her past experiences? She’d got so caught up in their successes she’d almost forgotten the precarious nature of their position. ‘We don’t have to see the actual tablets themselves, do we,’ Sarah said, ‘we just need to get hold of those photos. If it seems too dodgy we can just ask searching questions without being too obvious. At the very least we can find out what the place is called on the map.’

  ‘I don’t like it.’ Trish turned to Jason. ‘Surely you must agree with me?’

  ‘You’ll just accuse me of taking sides again,’ he said despairingly.

  ‘Ah, so you do agree with her, then!’

  Jason threw his hands up in disgust.

  ‘Trish, it will be fine,’ Sarah said. ‘Look, we’ll go up there, I’ll go on my own to see this bloke and you two can stay back with all the gear and protect our finds. I’ll be less conspicuous on my own.’

  ‘What, a tall, leggy blonde in Mexico? I’m sure you’ll blend right in,’ Trish said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  ‘There are such things as hats and trousers, you know,’ Sarah said, giving her friend a playful nudge with her arm. Trish glared at her, but Sarah put on a pout and tried to look pathetic.

  Trish smirked and then laughed. ‘Bloody hell, you’re really annoying, do you know that?’

  ‘You love me really,’ Sarah said, laughing with her.

  ‘Group hug!’ Jason said, and squidged them all together.

  ‘Jason, get off you idiot!’ Trish said, trying to be angry but unable to keep the smile from her face.

  ‘Mexico, baby!’ Jason said as he released them. ‘Can we go to Cancún for a stop off? I need a bit of R and R.’

  ‘If you fancy sunbathing in the dark, you can,’ Sarah told him.

  Jason looked up at the black sky.

  ‘Oh, yeah, I forgot about that,’ he said, his mood lowering.

  They continued their journey back to the hotel, their momentary elation quelled, but not extinguished. When they arrived some time later Trish prepared yet more reservations via the establishment’s in-house internet service, and with nothing else to do but wait, they settled down for the night.

  Eight hours of restless sleep faded into memory, ushering in a difficult next day as they adjusted to the absence of sunlight. Many people in the hotel also had strained looks on their faces as the realisation of a new type of existence dawned on them, in more ways than one.

  By mid-morning they’d returned to San Benito’s airport and they were airborne again hours later, the three explorers leaving the city behind ablaze with artificial lighting, the next leg of their quest beckoning them onwards.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Shrouded dense and sinister blackness hung over the city of Albuquerque. It should have been daylight and yet no sun had risen. The dust cloud must have passed over in the night, Rebecca concluded, as she huddled close to Joseph in the ruins of the burnt-out care home. It had been days since the fire and yet half the city was still being left to fend for itself by the authorities. The rioting had died out seventy-two hours after it had begun; looting and destruction had now taken precedence.

  It was amazing to think how fragile civilisation actually was. People complained about the police and government but without them society’s darker side asserted its control. Gangs and criminals, usually below most people’s radar, thrust to the surface. The cold reality of life without law and order exerted its unyielding grip on the district; taking a walk down the street was now a very dangerous proposition, triply so if you went unarmed or alone.

  The rain had been beating down for the last two days straight, which was extremely unusual in New Mexico. Rebecca assumed weather patterns must have been disrupted, as predicted and discussed on a few TV shows prior to the impact. Ordinarily this wouldn’t have posed too great a problem, but they now found themselves crowded into a couple of rooms, the only two which still had a roof over them. Thankfully one was a small kitchen so they’d been able to get a steady supply of food as they waited for help to come. Help had not come, however; only the pervasive darkness and a keen drop in temperature.

  Every now and then gunshots rang out and
the occasional scream shattered the oppressive silence that closed in around them. Only three of the carers remained now; Julie, Rebecca and a young timid girl who was about as much help as those they looked after. Joseph had been very quiet since the fire crew had left the scene to attend a blaze in another part of the city. He wasn’t alone, though; the home catered for twelve mentally disabled people of various ages. One in particular was of great concern; Edna was in her nineties and had come down with a chill two nights before.

  ‘How is she?’ Rebecca asked Julie as she came over to where the old woman had been covered up on one of the beds they’d been able to salvage.

  ‘Not good,’ Julie said, concern etched deep on her face. ‘I don’t think she has much time left.’

  Rebecca didn’t know what else to say. She put her hand on Julie’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze before she went round the other patients to feed and comfort them and to make sure they had enough to drink. The other carers had slowly disappeared when it became apparent that they had been left to fend for themselves. Maria had, of course, been the first to go; she’d claimed to be going to get help, but Rebecca had seen an unbridled fear in her eyes indicating that the only one she cared about was number one. Her job was just that, a job, whereas to Rebecca it had been a calling and a profession. She found it very hard to understand how someone could leave such vulnerable people to fend for themselves. In fact, she didn’t care what their reasons were; it was just unadulterated selfishness and a lack of compassion, sadly an attitude that seemed to have grown quite prevalent in modern society.

  A while later, after completing her rounds, Rebecca moved over to Julie as she rooted through the stores. ‘Everything okay?’ she asked her.

  ‘We’re running out of fresh food,’ Julie said, without turning round.

  Rebecca looked into the cupboard over her shoulder. Only a few cans remained, along with some long life milk and a couple of boxes of cereal. The main kitchen that provided for the patients had burnt to the ground along with the rest of the rooms. ‘We’re going to have to restock,’ Rebecca said.

  ‘Where from?’ Julie asked, her voice quavering. ‘We can’t go walking around out there, it isn’t safe.’

  ‘Have you got any other ideas?’

  ‘We could try asking at some of the houses down the street. It would be better than going near a shop. I think that would be too dangerous.’

  ‘Good idea,’ Rebecca said. ‘They might not want to open their doors, though.’

  ‘When they see it’s just a woman they will though, won’t they?’

  ‘Would you?’

  Julie looked on the verge of tears. ‘What else can we do?’

  ‘No, you’re right,’ Rebecca said with a conviction she didn’t really feel. ‘I’ll go and see what I can get. You stay here and look after everyone, I’ll be as quick as I can.’

  Julie nodded her head and Rebecca picked up the black vest she’d worn to scare off intruders; without hesitation, she inserted the heavy metal plate into it, too. She was only going down the street, but its presence supplied her with some semblance of comfort and protection. Picking up one of the two torches, she looked about at the pitiful scene of their forlorn group as they huddled around a small fire in the middle of the room. Without another word she climbed over some fallen debris and made her way out into the darkness.

  There was movement some distance away but all was quiet nearby as she shone the light in front of her. The first house she came to had its front door ajar. Furniture and clothes littered the ground outside. She considered entering, but only briefly. Don’t be stupid, she thought, anyone could be in there. Moving on, the next house also lurked in darkness, but it didn’t show any signs of having been disturbed. She crossed the front yard, knocked and waited. No response. She tried again; still nothing.

  Returning to the sidewalk, she started to cross the road, but raised voices approaching from her right stopped her in her tracks. Quickly deciding that being hungry was preferable to any kind of confrontation and that discretion was the better part of valour, she beat a hasty retreat, walking quickly back to the remnants of the care home. As she neared safety, a shadowy figure emerged from behind a tree. Heart pounding in her chest, she stopped and shone the torch in its direction. The light revealed a large dishevelled man; a deep cut had lacerated the skin on one cheek and his eyes gleamed with a disturbing oddity.

  ‘Can I help you?’ Rebecca said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

  The man said nothing, but moved closer. She took a step backwards and bumped into something. Jumping forwards, she swung round. Another man stood there.

  ‘A pretty girl like you shouldn’t be out here alone,’ the second man said, an ugly smile distorting his face.

  Rebecca dropped the torch and ran towards the home. The first man reacted quickly, cutting off her escape. Cruel fingers dug into her flesh, dragging her backwards and she kicked and screamed as the second man closed in from the front. The sound of other voices closing in on them made her scream out.

  ‘Help! HELP ME!!’

  Torchlight appeared as she struggled to free herself. ‘Found yourself some new game?’ a gruff voice said as more men came into view.

  To her horror Rebecca realised they were friends of the two that now held her.

  ‘Leave her alone!’ a familiar female voice shouted out.

  ‘Julie!’ Rebecca wanted to tell her to run, but a hand had clamped down over her mouth.

  ‘See who else is inside and bring them out,’ the third man said, clearly in charge.

  Rebecca continued to struggle, but the person who held her tightened his grip and she began to find it hard to breathe. Her captor stood up straighter and her feet lifted off the ground, her toes just brushing the pavement. She heard Julie scream and then she glimpsed Joseph and the others being herded out into the fractured torchlight.

  Joseph, who walked with his head bowed, looked up and caught sight of Rebecca. Crying out in anguish, he rushed towards her and her eyes widened in shock as one of the men kicked away his legs. Others waded in and blows and kicks rained down on him as he curled into a ball on the ground. Rebecca bit hard into the hand holding her mouth and the grip that held her released, sending her sprawling to the sidewalk. She scrambled up to reach Joseph, but someone grasped her from behind. A vicious blow exploded against her head, knocking her from her feet once more. Crawling forwards, she reached out a despairing hand to Joseph, but she was grabbed again and thrown onto her back. A punch slammed into her temple and light flashed before her eyes. Rough hands pulled off her trousers and spread her legs while others held down her arms. She screamed out as a man’s face bent over her own, his dead eyes staring into hers. As a tear rolled down her cheek she heard the sound of vehicles passing by. Why aren’t they stopping? she asked herself, shutting her eyes as time slowed and her mind shrank away from her body.

  Moments later a bright light shone through her eyelids. Blinking, she opened them in time to see the large man on top of her being yanked backwards like a rag doll. He appeared to float in mid-air for a moment and then disappeared from view. A second after the grips on her arms also vanished.

  Shouting and blinding light was everywhere now. Huge arms encircled Rebecca’s shoulders and legs, and she was picked up off the ground and carefully placed on her feet. Disorientated, she swayed slightly as she stared around her.

  Someone gently tugged her trousers back up, but she hardly noticed as armed, black-clad soldiers swarmed everywhere. The men who had attacked them lay bound, face down on the ground; most struggled against their bonds while a few lay unnaturally still.

  ‘It’s all right, miss, it’s over now,’ her rescuer said in a deep powerful voice. ‘I want this area secured and cleared in three,’ he told a passing soldier. ‘We can’t afford to stop for long,’

  ‘Yes, Commander.’ The man saluted and moved off, issuing orders.

  Rebecca looked for Joseph and the others. Then she saw them next to
a large armoured vehicle. The officer who’d saved her guided her over to her group. ‘Will you be okay, miss?’ he said, but she didn’t really hear him.

  She bent down to Joseph who was being tended by a woman with a medikit. ‘How is he?’ she asked her.

  The woman gave her a reassuring smile. ‘He’ll live,’ she said in a strong South African accent. ‘It’s lucky he was wearing this flak jacket otherwise he might have sustained serious injury.’

  Rebecca felt dizzy and the ground lurched beneath her.

  Someone caught her from behind. ‘I think you need to sit down,’ a new voice told her as they lowered her down next to Joseph.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said as a sob escaped her lips, sparked by the compassionate tone in the man’s voice; it had been a long time since she’d been cared for. As her tears flowed, Joseph cuddled into her and she clung onto him as he held her close.

  ♦

  Goodwin left the young weeping woman in the arms of her friend and made his way over to Hilt.

  ‘Good job, Commander. What are you going to do with those?’ He pointed at the men who had been bound and placed face down on the roadside.

  ‘There are a few things I’d like to do with them, but this is still the United States and unfortunately on the spot capital punishment is not an option.’

  ‘What about them?’ Goodwin indicated the three dead bodies of the rapists.

  ‘Casualties of circumstance; they made their choice and paid for it. I’m a soldier, sir, not a politician. I act as required.’

  ‘I can live with that,’ Goodwin said.

  Hilt looked over at the small group of people they had gathered together. ‘Are we taking them with us?’

  ‘We can’t leave them out here now. This part of the city is a free-for-all. No, we can squeeze them in.’

  ‘They may be better off here,’ Hilt said.

  Goodwin considered the traumatised woman. ‘Given what they’ve just gone through, I think they might disagree.’