Lost City of Gold

by Rai Aren

  Rick felt his heart beat faster as he tried to figure out what caught Sergio’s attention. Then he realized. Silencio. “No good,” he said, repeating what Sergio had said. He glanced back down at his compass. This time the needle was pointing straight ahead, perfectly still. “What the hell is going on?” he asked, showing it to Sergio again.

  Sergio’s face was grim as he looked at it. He pointed in the direction they had come. “Back,” he said, “we go back.” His eyes were wide, his face alert for signs of danger.

  Rick shook his head. “No,” he said, “we’re not giving up.” He’d be damned if he was turning back now. “Una momento, por favor,” he said, holding up his hand. He took off his rucksack, unzipped a side pocket, reached in and pulled out his notebook. He flipped through the well-worn pages. “I remember something...”

  He had been keeping a journal of his research and experiences in his quest for the lost Amazonian city...Z, as some had called it. He tried to recall the details of something he had heard prior to meeting Sergio, in one of the villages rimming the jungle. He searched his scribbled notes, quickly flipping the well-worn pages. “Here it is!” he said. He read the passage aloud:

  ‘The spirit quiets the jungle. Incredible wonders await those who travel beyond the veil of silence, but the path will not be clear. You will feel the pull, but your senses may deceive you. Only proceed if you are truly prepared and worthy for what lies beyond. A terrible death awaits those who fail to heed this warning.’

  Sergio was quiet. He appeared startled at the passage Rick read. Then he shook his head. “Bad, no further,” Sergio insisted.

  Rick took a deep breath, growing frustrated. He wanted this so badly, and it was within his grasp, he could feel it. His instincts told him so. But the jungle was still silent. He knew how dangerous that could be. Creatures fell quiet when a deadly predator neared them.

  Sergio stood his ground, not moving, his arms crossed.

  Just then the hairs stood up on the back of Rick’s neck, and his skin crawled with goosebumps. He stood still as a statue. He felt something approach. He saw a flash out of the corner of his eye, and he spun around. He saw a large black shape move through the jungle maybe fifteen feet from them. He gasped.

  Sergio looked around. “¿Qué es eso?”

  “Did you see that?” Rick said, pointing in the direction of the form he had seen.

  Sergio shook his head. He had a strange expression on his face. He made the sign of the cross, pulled out his crucifix and kissed it. He tucked it back in his worn, tan-colored, sweat-stained shirt.

  Just then, Rick felt a vibration in his hand. The needle of his compass was again firing wildly. Then it stopped. A split second later it pointed forward again, in the direction they had been heading. ‘Deeper into the jungle,’ Rick thought. He swallowed hard. He knew what they had to do.

  Sergio stood still, watching Rick.

  Rick listened for any movement. Still nothing. No sign of whatever it was he had seen. He prayed it wasn’t a jaguar. Maybe he had imagined it. He could only hope it was just his senses playing tricks on him. “Sergio, even if we ran, if that was a big gato, we will never outrun it.”

  Sergio nodded. “Si, no outrun. I told you we should not be here.”

  Rick locked eyes with him. “Stay with me, man,” he said. He felt compelled to stay the course. He didn’t know if it was the pull that the warning had spoken of, or just his own obsessive tendencies. He turned to look back into the jungle. He squinted, trying to peer beyond the thick veil. He checked the compass. It was still pointing straight ahead.

  He finally convinced Sergio to head deeper in. All it cost him this time was the promise of his cigar collection. Valuable currency in these parts.

  Sergio rechecked the map. It agreed to the compass direction. He wiped away the sweat that stung his eyes, shook his head, and grumbled. He then picked up the machete, gripping it tight and began slashing away at the thick, strong foliage. Every few feet, he would glance back over his shoulder at Rick, then past him at the path they had taken.

  Rick followed, keeping an eye on the compass, and their surroundings. The black shape hadn’t reappeared, but he couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched.

  On they trekked, deeper into the jungle. The air was still cooler here. Rick took a deep breath. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks.

  Sergio moved forward, now several feet ahead.

  Rick listened. “Detener! Stop!” he shouted.

  Sergio turned.

  Rick cocked his head. He heard it again. A whisper? He couldn’t be sure. He listened, but it was gone. “Did you hear that?” Just then, he felt something brush against the back of his neck. He whipped around.

  “Señor Rick?”

  Rick rubbed the back of his neck. His skin felt clammy. A breeze picked up, blowing across his skin. He shivered. “It’s just the wind,” he said. “Viento.” He was letting his fear get the best of him.

  The breeze picked up again, blowing small leaves and huge palm fronds around.

  “Let’s go,” Rick said, pointing into the jungle.

  Sergio frowned, then nodded reluctantly, trudging forward once again.

  They marched forward for another forty-five minutes, stopping only once when the foliage was especially tangled. They had some water and took a short breather. Neither man spoke.

  Without being asked, Sergio took up his machete again, struggling to carve out a path through thick, primeval overgrowth.

  Suddenly, they came to a small clearing, surrounded by thick jungle. They had stepped through into it, before they realized what it was. It was only about fifteen feet in diameter, but nearly perfectly round. It almost looked artificial.

  Sergio went to take another step forward. Rick grabbed his arm, holding him back.

  “Hold up there, buddy,” he said scanning the ground. It was odd. It was covered in bright green grass, several inches tall, and nothing else. The area looked very different from anything they had seen up to this point. “Something’s not right here.”

  “Si,” Sergio said, nodding.

  Suddenly, a shadow passed over the clearing, as if the sun was speeding down over the horizon. The light was dim.

  A low growl came from behind them. Close. Very close.

  Sergio inhaled sharply. “El gato Diablo,” he whispered. “It follows us.”

  Rick nodded. The leaves rustled above them, signs of other creatures making a speedy exit. The air was again chilled. “Not good,” Rick said.

  Just then, a giant black form came rushing at them from the depths of the jungle.

  Rick turned and saw a pair of amber eyes and powerful body barreling forth as he let out a guttural cry, instinctively turning to flee into the clearing. “Jaguar!” he yelled.

  Sergio hollered loudly, then followed close behind Rick. They hadn’t taken five steps out onto the grass, when the ground gave way beneath them.

  Both men shouted in panic as they plunged through what was swampy and highly porous grassland into a dark cavern far below. There was a huge splash as they hit water, followed by small rocks, and chunks of the thin, unstable ground they had stepped on. The water was cold and deep.

  Rick surfaced first, gasping for breath. He tried to get a footing, but the water was too deep. Frantically, he peered around searching for solid ground, his eyes not yet adjusted to the dark. “Sergio!” he called out. He heard some splashing behind him. He whipped around. “Sergio?!”

  Sergio’s head popped up above water, about four feet away. He was coughing hard, and spitting up water.

  Slowly, Rick’s vision became accustomed to the new surroundings. They were in the middle of some kind of deep underground pool. He could see the edge a few feet away at the closest border. The water appeared black.

  Sergio was gasping and coughing at the same time, struggling to stay above water.

  “Hang on buddy! I’m coming!” Rick shouted. He swam over to him. The water was bone-chillingly cold. He re
ached Sergio who was panicking and shivering.

  “No...can...swim!” Sergio said, coughing.

  “That’s OK,” Rick said, as he placed an arm around Sergio’s chest. “I got you, don’t worry.” He struggled as he made his way to the edge, hauling the big man with him. Rick grabbed hold of the edge of the pool, and with a huge thrust, shoved Sergio half up onto it.

  Sergio quickly pulled himself up the rest of the way out of the frigid water. He was on all fours, coughing up water.

  Rick followed behind, lifting himself out of the pool onto the wet, slippery, rocky surface. They unloaded their damp rucksacks from their backs and tossed them aside. ‘At least our packs are mostly waterproof,’ Rick thought, ‘unlike us.’ They were both drenched from head to toe. Once out of the water, Rick flopped down onto his back, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. The unexpected turn of events had been a huge shock to his system. He lay there for a couple of minutes, trying to calm down and get his bearings.

  Sergio coughed up the last bit of water he had swallowed. Exhausted, he collapsed over on his side, squeezing his eyes closed. “Gracias, Señor Rick,” he said, in a raspy voice.

  Rick smiled, just glad they were in one piece. “De nada.” Feeling steady enough from his ordeal, Rick slowly propped himself up on his elbows and looked around. “So, what the hell just happened?”

  Sergio glanced over at him. “We fell.”

  Rick laughed. “No kidding!” He sat up. “What I mean is, what did we just fall through and where are we?”

  Sergio didn’t answer. He winced and placed a hand on his chest. His lungs burned from all of the water he had inhaled.

  Rick wiped his face on his sleeve. He glanced to the right, then the left. The tunnel carried off in both directions. “It looks like we’re in some kind of subterranean tunnel system.”

  The walls of the tunnel were made of dark rock and the pool they had fallen into was almost the same size and shape as the grassy area they had seen above. The water, now almost still save for a few small remaining ripples, was an inky black. Rick looked up. There were shafts of diffused light about thirty feet up from the grassy area they had plunged through. They had fallen a long ways down.

  “How the hell are we getting back up there?” Rick asked. He turned back to Sergio.

  Sergio turned his head to scan the area above. He had no suggestions to offer.

  “Have you ever heard anything about that swampy trap up there or these tunnels?” Rick prodded.

  “No,” Sergio said, grimacing from the ordeal. “I no know of this place.”

  “That’s not good,” Rick said. He stood up, shaky at first, then sized up the area. The uneven edges of the underground pool were rimmed by a few inches of solid ground all around it. ‘At least we can get by it without having to jump back in,’ he thought, shivering at the memory of the icy cold water.

  Sergio shook his head, then slowly and painfully stood up. He hunched over, hands on his knees, trying to breathe normally.

  Rick assessed their surroundings. “Rainwater must have accumulated in the area above, probably over hundreds of years if not more,” he said as he scanned the area.

  “Si, a long time,” Sergio agreed, eyeing the pool. “Much longer even.”

  Rick nodded. “Eventually the water likely carved out this natural well here, filling it up.”

  Beyond the underground pool, Rick noticed that roots were visible in the rough dark walls. Rivulets of water dripped down the sides in a continual stream. He went over to touch the nearest wall. The damp, rocky surface was rough and cool to the touch as he moved his hand carefully over it. Around the roots he felt hard-packed dirt interspersed with the rocks.

  Sergio coughed. His voice echoed down the long tunnels.

  Rick looked around, somewhat disoriented from the fall. “Which way would we go to keep moving forward in the direction we were heading?”

  Sergio scanned the area, then pointed. “That way,” he said.

  “Sounds good,” Rick said. “We need to find a way out of here.” He glanced back up, then searched the surrounding rock walls. There was nothing they’d even be able to get a foothold on to climb back up. “Going back the way we came isn’t going to be a possibility. Besides, that friendly neighborhood jaguar might still be waiting up there.”

  Sergio grunted in response. His displeasure over their predicament was obvious.

  “I also gather the map isn’t going to help us anymore?” Rick asked, secretly hoping Sergio had some kind of an ace up his sleeve.

  Sergio shook his head. “No, it won’t help now.”

  “Right,” Rick said. He set his shoulders. “Forward?”

  Sergio bit his lip, realizing there were no other options. “Si,” he said, then sighed, “avanzar.”

  “Bueno,” Rick said, smiling. His smile faded, when he realized he had no idea where they were or what they were getting themselves into. ‘I wonder how many of those people who disappeared, had done so in exactly this way?’ he asked himself, staring into the inky black waters in front of them. The thought chilled him to the bone.

  CHAPTER

  3

  After changing into drier clothes and walking for what felt like hours through the dank, dark tunnel system in the direction Sergio had indicated, they stopped for a break. Rick found a raised section of rock, turned off his flashlight, and took a seat on the hard surface. He reached into his pack for his water and an energy bar. They hadn’t come across any other subterranean pools.

  Sergio turned his flashlight off as well and took a seat next to Rick, hunched over. They sat for a while, resting, still slightly frazzled from their ordeal. All was quiet, except for the trickling and tapping of the water flowing from above.

  Rick noticed that Sergio seemed deep in thought. ‘Probably trying to figure out where the heck we are,’ he thought. ‘So am I.’ He sighed, then started adjusting his boots, which were still wet from their unplanned swim.

  Sergio started glancing around the tunnels, then suddenly sat up straight, squinting. He turned his flashlight back on and shone it down the length of the tunnel. “Señor Rick, look,” he said, pointing.

  Rick looked up from tightening his boot. “What is it?”

  Sergio waved the beam of the flashlight along the wall. “There, the wall...con brillo.”

  Rick looked, then spotted something shiny embedded throughout the tunnel walls about twenty feet ahead. “Now that’s interesting,” he said, and patted Sergio lightly on the back. “Good eye, buddy, let’s check it out.”

  They straightened themselves up, grabbed their gear, and headed in the direction of the glistening areas of the tunnel walls. They kept their flashlights focused ahead. They walked slowly, quietly, their flashlight beams cutting through the darkness, darting back and forth from the floor to the way ahead. The tunnel floor was uneven, due to large roots growing throughout the area and stones that covered it. It appeared to be uninhabited by local wildlife.

  As they walked on, the walls began to sparkle more brightly.

  “Oro,” Sergio said.

  Rick’s eyes widened. He stepped closer to the wall, shining the light directly on it. He inspected the flecks. He knew right away that Sergio was right. “Gold,” he whispered, “incredible.” He touched the wall. The flecks were not just on the surface. They seemed to be buried within the wall. “We must be getting closer. The Lost City...” he said, his eyes alight with the possibility.

  Sergio said nothing.

  Rick turned to smile at him, expecting to see a similar response, but Sergio’s face was expressionless. Rick was perplexed at the man’s reactions, but he was so excited about this discovery, he pushed those minor concerns out of his mind. He had bigger things that demanded his attention.

  “Let’s carry on,” Rick said, “this is significant.”

  Sergio narrowed his eyes, and motioned for Rick to lead.

  “OK,” Rick said, “we’ll try that for a change.” He led the w
ay forward.

  Rick and Sergio walked on for another thirty or so feet. The specks of gold continued to appear throughout the walls as they made their way by. Rick noticed there was now more water on the ground beneath their feet and seeping down the tunnel walls. Then they came to another turn. Beyond the tunnel they could see shafts of daylight piercing the darkness, accompanied by a deafening roar.

  “Waterfalls,” Sergio said.

  Rick was relieved that they might have found a way out. “Thank heavens,” he said. “Maybe we can fill up our canteens, too.” Drawing in a long deep breath, he could smell the fragrant scent of the rushing water. The end of the tunnel was shrouded with mist from the rushing water. “The falls must be close by.”

  “Si,” Sergio said, “very close.”

  They walked forward through the stretch of tunnel, feeling the fine mist, soft and warm, tingling on their skin. As they continued on, the tunnel took a turn to the right and soon the mist grew thicker, enshrouding them. The light from outside illuminated it, making it look as if the air was sprinkled with diamond dust.

  Near the edge of the tunnel, it felt like they were going through a car wash, as the spray hit them hard. The roar of the falls was incredibly loud. Instead of going through it, since they couldn’t see what was on the other side, they decided to try and skirt it. They exited the mouth of the tunnel and carefully inched their way across the slippery rocks to make their way through the dense mist around to the edge of the falls. They were instantly blinded.

  “Aieeee!” Sergio cried out as his optic nerves were assaulted by a bright light that seemed to be everywhere. He whipped around, keeping his back to the light.

  “What the...? Ahhhh!” Rick shouted, suddenly feeling a stabbing pain in his eyes as his vision was assailed by the unnatural radiance. He covered his eyes and ducked down. He had expected the sun to be bright and hard on the eyes once they left the tunnel’s dark depths, but this was an order of magnitude more intense. “Back inside!”