“What does it say?” Helga asks impatiently.
“As far as I can tell, they all say the same thing.” Noah replies. “A warning. This is a place of great danger. The artifact within is not for mortal hands to wield. Turn back and leave this place. Doom awaits beyond.”
“Guess your man wasn’t fluent in dead languages.” You comment dryly, glancing at Helga.
“Unfortunate.” She replies stiffly. “But we must proceed.” Noah nods before glancing nervously into the shadows beyond the arch. You all cautiously approach the arch, Noah sweeping a flashlight before you into the gloom. You are reminded of the cave system where you found the compass. It seems like an eternity ago. As you enter the passageway, torches on the walls ignite one after the other, illuminating the interior. You all stop dead in your tracks.
“What the hell?” You turn to Noah. “Is there someone watching us?”
“I doubt it.” He replies. “Probably a form of primitive automation, designed to scare away any thieves.”
“It’s working.” You mutter, noticing the trail of fresh blood continues into the passageway, glistening on the sandstone floor. Your footsteps echo as you walk further inside. Ahead, the blood trail abruptly stops and you can see the bloodied tips of spears jutting out of small apertures to each side.
“Traps. Great.” You murmur.
“At least this one has been sprung for us.” Helga shrugs, her tone emotionless.
“You’re all heart, you know that sister?” You reply, shaking your head as you all weave your way past the spears.
“We’re so close now, I can feel it.” Noah tells you as you continue along the seemingly endless passageway. As your footsteps echo, you suddenly feel the floor blocks fall away beneath your feet. You scream as you drop into the darkness, twisting and flailing out with your hand. Fingers wrap around your wrist, gripping you tightly as your abrupt descent is arrested. You dangle for a moment above a black abyss before Noah grunts as he hauls you back up again.
“Thanks.” You breathe, your heart trying to thump its way through your ribcage. As you pull yourself back to your feet, you notice one of the blocks in the wall appears to be loose, the mortar crumbling. Moving closer, you push against it, grunting with effort until it finally shifts a little.
“Here, give me a hand with this.” You tell Noah. He adds his weight and with a grating, scraping sound, the block slides back before falling away. He shines his flashlight into the darkness beyond.
“I can’t see much, but it looks like there’s a space behind the wall.” He murmurs. “You might be able to squeeze through and bypass any more traps.”
“Me, why me?” You object. “This is your party, pal!”
“I’ll never fit.” Noah replies before glancing at Helga. “And with respect to our esteemed Gruppenführer, neither will she.”
Climb through the tiny opening
Proceed carefully and disarm any traps along the way
“I don’t think so, buster.” You growl. “I’ll take my chances this side of the wall.” You gesture along the sandstone passageway. Noah frowns, but nods.
“Very well.” He shrugs. “I suggest we each take a turn leading the way in case there are any further traps.”
“Nein, Herr Wheatley.” Helga replies. “You are the expert. You will lead us.”
“Now, wait just a minute!” He objects.
“I insist.” Helga tells him firmly, drawing her luger from her holster. Noah glances from the muzzle of the pistol to the long passageway ahead and blanches. He looks pleadingly towards you, but you simply shrug and gesture for him to lead the way. Sighing in resignation, he takes a step towards the pit, sizes up the gap and launches himself over it, rolling on the floor as he lands. He gets to his feet and dusts himself down before glaring across at Helga. You take a couple of steps back and athletically jump the abyss, landing cleanly. Helga follows, gracefully landing next to you. Noah grunts and turns, walking on along the passageway and muttering darkly to himself. Keeping a few paces behind him and trying to step where he does, you follow him. The echo of your footsteps is the only sound and you glance over your shoulder, the tiny square of daylight at the mouth of the passageway now all but invisible.
“We must be almost to the center of the mountain.” Noah murmurs, walking a little more confidently now no further traps have been sprung.
“You think that is where the artifact will be?” Helga asks.
“If there even is an artifact.” You comment dryly. Noah abruptly stops dead.
“Herr Wheat…” Helga growls.
“Shhh!” He tells her, turning, his face stern. She falls silent and you realize Noah is listening for something. You listen too. You can hear the crackling of the torches on the walls and… something else. A faint sound, like the rustling of leaves on a brisk autumn morning.
“What is that?” You whisper.
“I don’t know.” Noah replies before his eyes widen. “Behind you!” You turn and see what appears to be black water flowing out of gaps in the walls. As the flow of black begins to run along the wall towards you, you realize it is thousands of insects. Ants, beetles, scarabs, crickets and cockroaches tumble and crawl over each other, flooding the floor behind you in a writhing mass.
Run for your lives
Wrench a torch from the wall and try to keep them at bay
“Run!” You call out to the others, sprinting away from the thickening carpet of insects. Helga and Noah quickly follow in your wake. You watch in horror as more and more insects spill out of the walls to either side, pouring out onto the floor ahead of you until they merge together blocking your escape.
“Oh God, we’re trapped!” Noah moans as you all slide to a halt. The mass of crawling creatures sweeps slowly but relentlessly towards you. You turn, but behind you, a wave of insects closes in. You jump as a deafening gunshot echoes down the passageway followed by another and another as Helga empties her luger into them. A desperate and futile gesture. Noah cries out in fear and sprints back along the passage and straight through the insects. He makes it a few steps before he twitches, staggers and reels towards you, his face contorted with pain. He drops to his knees and you watch in horror as the insects rise up over him, swiftly engulfing him. He claws at his body, crying out before slumping forward into the mass, twitching for a moment before falling still. Your blood runs cold at the sight and you turn to Helga.
“Got a couple more bullets for that thing?” You ask her, glancing at the spent luger in her hand. Ashen faced, she slowly shakes her head.
“Stupid bitch.” You reply bitterly as you helplessly watch the terrible black mass of insects close in.
THE END
Go back a few moments and rethink your actions
You step across the passageway and pull at one of the torches on the wall. You grunt with effort before it finally comes loose.
“What the hell are you doing?” Noah calls out as you advance towards the advancing mass of crawling insects. Ignoring him, you stoop, sweeping the torch towards them. The flames lick at the tiny creatures, wisps of smoke rising off the burning front lines. The insects slow their advance but still keep coming. You sweep the torch back and forth again and this time, the tide turns as they tumble over each other to avoid the flames.
“It’s working!” Helga cries out before turning to Noah. “Quickly, grab another torch!” As you keep the insects at bay, you hear their grunts of effort as they too prize torches from the walls. Working together you drive the terrible wave away until the creatures scurry back through the walls, returning to whatever darkness they had come from.
“Quick thinking.” Noah grins. You nod, your heart pounding with the adrenaline rush.
“I think I can see the end of the passageway ahead.” Helga tells you. “Come, we are close!”
Exhilarated that the end is in sight and confident that you have negotiated the last of the traps, you all hurry along the passageway. You can see the passageway opening out into a wid
er chamber just ahead.
“There it is!” Noah calls out, breaking into a jog. You hear a click as one of the stones in the floor beneath his feet sinks slightly and then hear a rumble as sections of wall begin to slide across the passageway both behind and ahead of you. If you sprint, you may be able to make it through the gap before the wall closes, but the others would be trapped inside.
Abandon the others and sprint through the gap
Stay together and try to escape
Unwilling to abandon the others to their fate, you watch as both walls slide closed with an echoing thud, trapping you within this section of passageway.
“What now?” Noah wails.
“Keep calm.” Helga snaps at him in disgust. You move to the wall, pounding on it with your fists. It feels solid. Immovable.
“Shit.” You mutter.
“There must be a way out.” Helga insists, running her hands along the sandstone walls.
“What’s that sound?” Noah whispers. You all listen. You can hear it now, a creaking sound from beyond the walls. Abruptly, streams of sand start pouring into the passageway from holes along the tops of the walls. One after another in quick succession until each wall is a cascade of falling sand. It covers the floor, rising rapidly around you.
“We’ve got to get out of here!” Noah gasps.
“Let’s try to pull the sliding wall open again.” You tell him. “With our combined strength, we should be able to force it back.” Helga and Noah nod and you all wade through the rising sands to the wall, slipping your fingertips into cracks between the blocks for purchase.
“One, two, three… now.” You tell them. All three of you grunt with effort, but the wall remains immovable.
“Again!” Helga growls, the sand rising up to your waists. Each of you strain every sinew, but still the wall won’t move. The sand is up to chest height now and the torches flicker as it threatens to extinguish them.
“No, no, not like this.” Noah moans. You are plunged into total darkness as the sands rise still higher. As panic threatens to overwhelm you, you claw at the walls, tilting back your head as the sand rises above your shoulders. Somewhere in the darkness nearby, you hear Helga spitting out sand as she fights for breath. You hold your breath and close your eyes as the sand rises over your face and drums on the top of your head. You feel a hand reach out through the sand, finding and clasping yours. Helga’s. Noah’s hand clutches your other hand as you each hold each other, knowing these are your final moments. Unable to hold your breath any longer, you inhale, the dry powdery grains of sand flowing down your throat and filling your lungs.
THE END
Go back a few moments to rethink your actions
You sprint towards the gap and hurl yourself through it just as it closes with a thud. Quickly scrambling to your feet, you can hear the panicked muffled voices of the others beyond the wall.
“I’ll try and get you out!” You shout, wondering if they can hear you and what gruesome fate awaits them if you don’t act quickly. The chamber at the end of the passageway is just a few paces away and you wonder if there is something you can use to lever the section of wall open again. You run along the last stretch of passageway, your eyes widening as you enter a wide circular room. Torches burn brightly on the sandstone walls, which seem to be decorated with many elaborate carvings and artifacts. While you’re no archaeologist or historian, you can make out several diverse ancient cultures: Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Tall, thin ivory statues that bring to mind the tribesmen of central Africa. Carved dragon heads from the Far East. A large ornately engraved circular stone with a fierce face at the center that looks like it may have come from an Aztec or Mayan civilization. In the center of the room you can see an immaculately carved waist high stone column. An ornate jeweled dagger protrudes from the top, half the glinting blade buried into the stone. The beautiful knife seems to softly glow, but you guess it’s just a trick of the light, the flickering of the torches perhaps.
“Where’s King Arthur when you need him.” You murmur, wondering if you could use the blade to lever open the section of wall and free the others. Glancing behind you, you notice a large bronze lever next to the mouth of the passageway. It seems to be connected to a linkage that passes through the wall along the side of the passageway. You guess it must be a switch to disarm all the traps. Stepping towards it, you reach out and grasp the lever before pausing. Just for a moment, you are tempted to leave the others to whatever fate awaits them, trapped between those sliding walls. You shake your head. No, you’re not a murderer. However, the thought lingers. After all, Noah’s a lying, deceitful son of a bitch and Helga’s a Nazi fascist…
Deactivate the traps
Leave the others to die
Ignoring your conscience, you slowly release your hold on the lever and glance at the sealed passageway. You walk back towards it, standing beside it and listening, hearing muffled cries and thumping on the wall. Telling yourself neither Helga nor Noah is worth saving, you harden your heart to the panicked muted sounds before they finally stop. Wondering what fate you condemned them to, you walk back to the chamber and throw the lever. The linkage shifts and you hear a series of clanks as the various traps are deactivated. The walls slide back and you watch as sand spills out onto the floor, draining away through a series of holes in the floor that the lever must have opened. As it disappears, you see the bodies of Helga and Noah, both covered in sand. You shudder, quickly pushing the sharp pang of guilt to the back of your mind and turning your attention back to the dagger. As you step back into the chamber, it seems to beckon to you and you stride across the room towards the column.
“Beautiful.” You breathe, examining the jewel encrusted golden hilt, a sphere of amber set into the end. Reaching out, you grasp the hilt of the blade. The dagger slides easily out of the stone and you hold it, gazing curiously at it. The ground seems to tremble beneath your feet, but you barely notice as you feel a peculiar tingling in your fingers. The sensation grows until you can feel a strange power coursing through your body. A stronger tremor shakes the chamber yet you smile down at the dagger, feeling strong and invigorated. You hear a whisper in your mind and you blink in surprise, realizing the dagger is calling out to you. It wants blood. Your blood. Not much, just a few drops to strengthen your connection.
Do as the blade commands
Drop the dagger and get out while you can
“What’s going on?” You ask him.
“We have reached our destination.” The sailor tells you, his words heavily accented.
“And what’s our destination?” You reply, but he has already hurried away along the passageway. “Great.” You mutter, following him. Emerging onto the deck, sailors are shouting and calling out as they go about their duties. You walk forward, looking for Helga or Noah, but seeing neither. What you do see is a huge fog bank dead ahead. Is that what all the fuss is about?
“Told you.” A voice murmurs smugly behind you. You turn to find Noah beaming at you.
“Told me what?” You growl irritably.
“Told you the compass wasn’t broken.” He tells you. “It’s led us here!”
“A patch of fog in the middle of the Atlantic? Incredible.” You reply, your words dripping with sarcasm.
“No, the fog is just a shroud.” He laughs. “Look.” He points up above the hazy cloud and your eyes widen as you notice the peak of a mountain piercing the top of it.
“An island.” You murmur.
“The hiding place for the artifact.” He tells you. “We’re launching a dinghy to go ashore. My benefactor has requested you join us.”
Half an hour later, you carefully descend a ladder down the side of the ship to the dinghy. Helga and Noah are already aboard with a soldier and a couple of sailors, one of whom helps you onto the boat. You sit down next to Helga while the two sailors push the boat away from the ship and begin to row towards the fog.
As you enter the fog, the sounds from the Herkules fade behind you and t
he dinghy seems to be enveloped in an eerie silence. The only sound is the gentle lapping of the waves and the creak of the oars in their oarlocks as the sailors sweep them back and forth. The fog seems to grow thicker as you progress. Helga reaches into her jacket and pulls out the compass, flipping open the lid and gazing down at the needle.
“Steuerbord.” She calls out to the sailors, gesturing to the right. They nod and bring the dinghy about. Jagged dark rocks jut out of the water as you move deeper into the fog.
“We must be close to the island.” Noah murmurs as the sailors navigate around them. Sure enough, you can see the imposing shape of the mountain emerging through the gloom.
“Land.” You point towards a dark smudge of beach above the waterline ahead. The sailors row hard towards it and the dinghy judders as they beach it on the dark sands. You all quickly clamber out while the two sailors grunt as they drag the dinghy up away from the waterline. Glancing around you, you take in your surroundings. While it is still morning, the dense fog makes it feel like dusk. A steep rocky incline rises from the top of the beach and you guess it is the lower slopes of the mountain.
“Judging by the rocks and the dark sand, I’d say the island is volcanic.” Noah muses.
“Thanks for the geology lesson.” You reply dryly.
“Stay with the boat.” Helga tells the sailors before turning to the soldier. “You. Come with us.” As the soldier falls in behind her, she turns to Noah. “Well, which way to the artifact?” He blinks in surprise.
“I… uhhh…” He looks around at the bleak and barren landscape. “Well…” Helga’s eyes narrow while the soldier’s hand rests on the butt of his holstered luger.
Help Noah out
Throw him to the wolves
Adventures of the Aviatrix Page 25