"All we had to do was give them five thousand," Jason said as they scrambled into the cave for shelter. The number of flashlights in the same cluster illuminated the way and they avoided the pitfalls on the way in.
Suddenly, they heard sounds of raging water. No one could tell if it was within the walls of the rock or above, but the longer they tried to figure it out, the louder it got. The ones that were close to the exit had no clue what was about to befall them. Just as some of them had predicted, a few flashlights unveiled the massive volume of water that rushed toward the exit while they stood in the way. It was now down to each one's ability to run on the craggy path toward the exit. One misstep and one could land on serrated areas of the floor. Some were also trampled upon. The exit was about ninety meters from the last man as at the time they heard the rushing water. Some were caught up in the torrent, and some trampled upon. Most of them had to drop the equipment they carried with them on the floor.
The water didn't come empty. As soon as an individual yelled, "Snakes!" and another person said the same, screams followed. They finally exited the cave with a few injured and others, holding on to their lives by a thin thread after a few venomous snake bites.
Outside the cave, they were stuck between going to the processing facility, which was about two hundred yards, and a structure that appeared on sight a few meters away under the quick flashes from the sky. Jason and some others helped the injured toward the processing facility. There was another building by the side used as the facility for emergencies. Samuel treated the wounded there.
The rest of the team, who were unhurt and able to run up the hill, followed Miles to the structure that nature had unveiled to them. It was a parish house, as they later discovered. It looked abandoned. Most parts of the fence had collapsed. Close to it, there was what appeared to look like a chapel with no roof or walls. There were a few seats, desks, and a giant altar.
Zoe turned the doorknob at the parish house, but it appeared locked. She tried again, applying more pressure on it, but it didn't give in. It was still pouring heavily, and most of them shivered from the cold.
"Excuse me," Jasper said to Zoe, trying to put his muscular body to use, but Zoe hadn't had enough. She hit the door with her shoulder, and it yanked open.
The building had two floors, multiple rooms, and the only room on the first floor stuffed with books, bottles of wine, various liquor brands, a plentiful supply of waffles, and other items. There was enough space to walk around on the roof. And it was an excellent spot to view the forest, the mining facility, and other areas within their visual range.
Hayden found a map in the room where he and Robert had planned to share if the rain continued for the rest of the night. He wasn't sure of the content at first. Robert also had a look at it. They debated among themselves, with Robert suggesting a possible discovery of a region or an island different from their current location.
"I hardly think so, Rob. There is no watermark or any of those symbols to indicate that it is an island."
"It doesn't have to. If they did, they would be giving away the location to strangers like us."
Hayden still wasn't convinced. He called Jacques's attention. The old man looked at it with his portable magnifying lens.
"It looks like a lot of networks surrounding a specific region. If Robert's assumption is right, then that red spot should be the place they kept the good stuff."
Jacques's opinion only pointed to the obvious. Of course, the yellow lines and others in thickly dotted patterns indicated a road network. The long blue line that divided into two sections at some point could be the waterways.
Hayden took his curiosity to the roof of the building. The moment Miles saw it, his tiny eyes lit up with pure joy.
"That is it. That will lead us straight to the core of the mine. I don't know what that intersection there means, but, hey, that is it. This might be over sooner than we thought."
Miles didn't need to look at the whole demographics on the paper to select a few features that were similar to the map Doug Pfeifer gave them. The discovery made up for the stolen map. The outlines and distinctive features of the map were more detailed and yet more complex than the previous one they had. They identified the cave where the surge swept them off.
Jody checked the kitchen cabinet to see if she could make coffee for the team. She found a can of cocoa instead. She ransacked the kitchen a little more, but there was no coffee or milk to go with the cocoa. She found two big bowls of raw sticks and decided to do something with them. Zoe joined her a bit later as they fried the sticks. The vegans among them settled for the cocoa. They fried enough sticks that would have lasted for three days even if all of them ate sticks.
___________
The rain stopped fifteen minutes ago. Miles and the others took as many drinks and waffles as they could in their backpack. Zoe couldn't have enough of the sticks. She put some in her backpack as they went back to the cave with a better perspective of the location in mind.
Jason and his recruits were already waiting at the mouth of the cave by the time Miles and the others joined them.
"How are the boys?" Miles asked.
"They are holding up. Samuel and his assistant have been quite busy. A lot of them are responding well to treatments."
"That's good news."
Contrary to some opinions, there was no waterlog at the entrance. There were some areas where the water level was close to the knee. They did their best to circumvent such sites to avoid snakes or any creature that came with the overflow as they moved forward.
They turned right and then left, with Miles and Hayden leading the way. The walls appeared to have survived many generations, with perches of algae embedded in some writings of ancient settlers.
Hayden and Miles stopped a few feet before a wall.
"Is that it?" Jody inquired.
"I don't understand it either. The road on the map shows that it continues for at least another fifteen to twenty minutes of walking," Hayden said.
Miles pointed his finger on a tiny line that intersected the yellow line. Jody and Hayden nodded their heads in understanding. Miles went further to examine the wall and discovered a small opening by the right.
"Guys?" he called as he entered the opening.
The road was almost as wide as the one they came in from. They noticed that water was logged in few places, similar to what they had seen before. Ten minutes later, they found themselves looking at the parish house.
"How is that possible?" Jason asked people who were equally as bemused.
Some of them went around, checking to see if they had discovered another route. Hayden kept comparing the details on the map and describing the path they had taken, making a demonstration with his hands.
"Hey," Miles called to Hugh, who had just lit a cigarette. "Can I have one of those?"
Hugh opened the pack of cigarettes in his chest pocket and handed Miles a stick. Miles coughed softly as he took in the first puff. It was his first cigarette in the past month.
Hayden, Robert, and Zoe decided to check again instead of wondering about what had happened. They were joined by the others shortly.
Miles picked some leaves off some tree branches before he joined the others. He was the last man to enter this time.
They got to the wall again, saw the same exit they had taken earlier, and one after the other, they took the exit, observing the walls, the floor, and everything as they walked.
"Wait," Zoe said, picking up a green leaf. That's the third leaf I've seen since we came out through the exit this time."
While Hayden and Hugh pondered on the newest item that contrasted with what they had seen before they got to the wall the second time, Miles said, "Don't bother. I dropped those."
Again, they came out of the cave, back to the same entrance. Some of them suggested they retired to the parish house for the night.
"What would you call this, Miles? Magic?" Daphne asked, but Miles had no response for her.
> The illusion went over everyone's head. Still, Miles felt the need to go in for the third time. Hayden followed. Robert would stay behind if Hayden were in there, so he joined too. And then the others, including those that had suggested they retired for the night. This time, they spent enormous time looking for anything that appeared out of the ordinary. Hayden saw Miles using his UV light to examine the walls and also did the same with his. While Miles focused on the left wall, Hayden pointed his UV light on the right. They spotted mercury and traces of bismuth within the rocks. They continued along the wall, and then Miles spotted something. When he flashed the UV light, something apatite fluoresced. The apatite was used to inscribe numerals in a square shape.
"Jacques?" Miles called. "Got any ideas?"
Under the UV light, the historian came close to examine the numerals that read 0, 1, π, e, i.
He shook his head, letting them know it was over his head. Hayden took pictures of it and wished there was internet. After about an hour, trying to come up with possible ideas for the symbol, the intersection, and the illusion behind the exit that kept taking them back to the same entrance, they retired for the night.
Miles and his crew, including some members of Jason's crew, spent the night at the parish house.
Jason and the rest went back to the lodge.
13
Chapter Thirteen
Ave Fountain
South Africa
Sharp grazing sounds cut through the silence. Someone whimpered. Flashlights bobbed around the small space as they sought clues that would let them out. The map was nothing more than a useless piece of paper to them now.
Daphne sank to the damp floor in despair. She put her arms around her as she rocked herself back and forth. She struggled to hold back the angry tears that were about to spill down her cheeks.
"Daphne, are you okay?" Zoe asked.
"No, I am not okay." She choked on a sob. "How can anyone stuck in this cursed rat hole be fine? For all I know, we could be trapped in a mystical magic globe, and those goons are having the laugh of their life watching us."
"C'mon, Daphne. Your imagination is getting out of proportion. We are only in the middle of a mine. Lost, perhaps, but not stuck."
"And what is the difference? Because you can't get out either way. And it's his entire fault." She pointed at Miles. She approached him like an angry leopard. "How convenient it is that you are our captain, Pierce Neumann? How many bucks were you promised to lure us into this dungeon and finish us off?"
"Stop jabbing me with that saber," Miles replied quietly. He glanced at Daphne's long nail, which she prodded into his chest. Daphne poked him again, and everyone held their breath, wondering what Miles would do next.
"Guys, I can't find the markings I made on the wall," Ian announced excitedly. "Maybe we aren't going around in a circle after all." He had been busy studying the walls around them. "I found the markings the second time we walked into the parish room, but I can't see them now."
"That was smart, Ian. What are we waiting for? Let's go right away," Hugh said.
The group followed Ian until they came to a small wooden gate in the tunnel.
"We didn't see this the last time," Hugh pointed out.
"I'll just knock it down." Jasper stepped forward and raised his leg to take a good kick at the gate, but Jacques stopped him in time.
"Hold it, kickboxer. The soil here seems very loose." He moved his hands as high as he could close to the roof, and a pack of loose soil fell to the ground. "You don't want to be buried alive in twenty feet of sand and rocks with your life flashing slowly before your eyes for twelve hours."
Jacques carefully examined the gate; surprisingly, it was made of only bamboo, and termites had eaten part of it. There was a rusted lock on it and a soggy piece of paper between two of the sticks. There was nothing significant on the paper, just a sudden image of a bikini-clad pop star. Some miners who had been there must have found a way to entertain themselves when the boring routine got unbearable.
There was a stairway beyond the gate that seemed to lead deeper into the earth. The steps looked like they were etched out of the rock.
"That looks like the stairway to the core," Jacques said.
"Here, I'll pick the lock. Knocking down the gate could create more problems," Miles said as he took out a pin from his pocket and began to work on the lock.
The rest of the team exchanged subtle glances.
Finally, the lock opened, and Miles walked through the gate. There was an endless flight of narrow stairs before them that disappeared into thick darkness. Miles's heart pounded with excitement—this might be the elusive core.
He went down the stairs two at a time, and the others followed suit. Jasper was the last to get down the stairs. He closed the gate carefully and put the lock back on it so anyone following them would not know they had gone through the gate.
"What's that draft?" Zoe asked. "It feels like it's coming from the walls, and that's strange." She gasped when she pointed her flashlight on the wall. It was the same wallpaper and paintings that were in the parsonage's living room.
"Finally, we left that hole!" Daphne cheered.
Nobody else shared her enthusiasm. For a while, they had thought they were close to an important discovery. That map must have been jinxed or something. It baffled Miles and his team how they kept ending up in the parish room every time.
Jacques suggested they give it another try. This time, they would split into two. One group would go ahead into the mine while the other group stayed back and saw what happened. At first, it sounded like a good idea, but besides Miles and Jasper, no other person was willing to venture into the mine again. They were exhausted from all the walking and crawling.
They decided to put up in the house for the night. Miles and Jasper went over to the back of the house to see if they could get the electricity going. It took another hour and a few more cranks, knocks, and swears to get the generator on.
Miles couldn't sleep a wink. He was tired of listening to Hugh's endless tales about his imaginary conquests across Europe and could do with some solitude. While the others laughed at Hugh’s narration, Miles went up to the rooftop.
Hundreds of stars graced the moonless sky above. An owl hooted nearby before it swooped down on prey hiding in the grass. Its large wings flapped noiselessly as it carried off the hapless catch to another tree. Miles's thoughts wandered off into the stillness of the night.
Around midnight, Miles saw car headlights come up the valley. At first, he thought they were travelers on their way to the next town until he noticed the lights moved steadily toward him. It was not unusual in these parts for travelers in need of shelter to stop by the parsonage. These visitors usually left the following day, but a few lingered for some days until they were ready to continue their journey.
As the car drew closer, Miles noticed that three other cars were coming behind the first one. This was rather unusual. Fearing an attack, Miles quickly ran down to the powerhouse and turned off the generator before he returned to the rooftop.
He could not go back into the house because that would be the first place an intruder would attack. The rooftop was a vantage position for him to gun down anyone and give the others inside enough time to escape or launch a counterattack.
The cars drove up to the church gates, and Miles crouched among the deck chairs. If the visitors were wayfarers, they would have hooted at the entrance. But a monk stepped out of one of the cars and unlocked the gate from the outside. Miles could not recognize the monk from his hiding place, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he drew just a little bit too close to the railing so he could see what would happen. The cars parked on the church grounds, and fifteen more monks stepped out of the vehicles.
___________
The sound of cars driving onto the premises woke Hugh. He was a bit disoriented at first and could not remember where he was. The lights had gone out, and everywhere was dark and eerily quiet. Then he heard a car
door slam.
Hugh went to the window to see what was going on and was surprised to find several monks standing on the church ground. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, jumpypants, it's only me," Zoe whispered. "What was that noise?"
Hugh drew aside for Zoe to get a better view.
"What on Earth are they doing here? There's so many of them."
"I have no idea," Hugh replied. "Some special prayers, perhaps."
The monks stood in a single file facing the west and chanted something in a strange language. They changed direction again. This time, they marched toward the parsonage as they continued their peculiar chanting.
Miles got his gun ready; there was no way he would let those monks get to his team, even if that was the last thing he did. The monks continued to move undeterred toward the house but turned to the altar at the northern end of the church instead. They spread themselves around the altar and lifted their hands to the sky as they sang gustily. The monks moved around the altar as they continued their chant. When the chanting and marching stopped, the monks linked hands as they chorused another hymn in Latin.
"I think that's a strange way of praying. I attended catechism once or twice when I was a teenager. This is either some advanced Catholic stuff, or we might be looking at a cult."
"Or Protestants or Anglicans or Buddhists; it can be anything," Hugh replied.
Zoe and Hugh watched as two monks broke off from the group and returned to the car.
"I think they're done with whatever they came for. Now I can go get some sleep," Zoe said as she moved away from the window.
The Lost Treasure of the Aztec Kings Page 12
