by David Meyer
Aiming my beam at the ground, I saw paw prints, roughly six inches in diameter. Five pointed toes surrounded each roundish heel pad.
It looked like the creature had been an efficient walker, with its rear feet stepping into the paw prints left by its front feet. As a result, the tracks were partially smooshed. Still, I was able to make out two long scratches on the right-side tracks. They ran across the heel pad, crisscrossing each other.
"Do you recognize them?" I asked.
"Not exactly," Graham replied. "But they belong to a cat. You can tell by the heel pad and the position of the toes. Based on their size, I'd say they came from a jaguar or a large cougar."
I exhaled. "Great."
"They're pretty recent." Beverly knelt down. "I can probably track them."
"Wait here." Graham hustled back to his tent. He emerged a minute later with a rifle in his hands. "Let's go."
Alonzo continued to bark as Graham and I followed Beverly into the jungle. As soon as we reached the tree line, the paw prints began to shift around a bit. They meandered to the west, to the southeast, to the southwest, and then northeast.
Beverly held up a hand.
I stopped.
She pointed a revolver to the east. "Aim your beam over there for a moment."
I shifted my light toward a large thicket.
Graham steadied his rifle and moved forward. "It was definitely here." He swallowed. "You guys should see this."
I exchanged glances with Beverly. Then we crept toward Graham. "What is …?"
My voice trailed off as I laid eyes on Yohl Ik’nal. She was hidden in the thicket, partially covered by a bed of leaves and twigs. A deep cut ran from her chest to her abdomen. Her ribs and sternum had been ripped open, exposing her chest cavity. Her organs, including her heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs, had been neatly plucked out of her carcass.
I exhaled loudly. "It ate her."
"Two or three days ago, from the looks of it." Graham frowned. "That's why it came to our camp tonight. It's hungry for more."
Chapter 42
"Are you sure?" Wrinkles appeared on Tum's forehead. "Because if you're right …"
"We're right." Graham jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "If you want, we can show you where we buried her carcass."
I wrinkled my nose. My clothes smelled like wet dog. It was nauseating and depressing at the same time.
Prior to calling the group meeting, we'd buried Yohl Ik’nal's remains far from where we'd found them. According to Graham, large cats often returned to snack on their prey over a period of several days. By denying it food, he hoped the cat would move on and find somewhere else in the canyon to hunt. However, a part of me wondered if it was a mistake. After all, we were ensuring it would need another meal soon.
"I believe you," Tum said. "But it doesn't make sense. Wild cats are skittish around people. Plus, they fear dogs. And not just big dogs. I've seen large jaguars run like the wind from small puppies."
"Me too," Graham replied. "I think it's because they confuse dogs with wolves. In any event, I'd say the cat probably prowled around our camp for a few days. Once it figured out there was nothing to fear, it decided to strike."
"But why? Why not stick to its normal prey?"
"Maybe pickings are slim right now. Or maybe it wanted to try something new. Regardless, Pacho and Rigoberta were too sick to even know about it. And Alonzo was too frightened to put up much of a fight. Without any repercussions, the cat probably figured it was safe to strike again."
I glanced at Alonzo. The doc had bandaged his wounds an hour ago. Now, he lay in his usual spot with his gaze locked on the southeastern jungle. For the most part, he rested his head on the ground. But every now and then, he'd lift it quickly as if seeing something in the shadows.
"I've heard enough," Crowley said. "We need to kill the cat."
Tum shot him a firm look. "We're not barbarians."
"It's only a matter of time before it comes back for Alonzo. And what if it catches one of us instead?"
An uncomfortable silence fell over the group.
"We can't just start killing every large cat that lives here," Tum retorted. "All animals, even predators, are precious. Plus, this is a small ecosystem. Any changes we make could have unexpected consequences."
Crowley exhaled. "I'm not talking about killing lots of cats. I'm talking about killing a single cat. A cat that, by the way, has taken an unhealthy interest in our camp."
"How do you hunt a cat anyway?" Emily asked.
"A large cat runs fast, but generally doesn't have good wind," Beverly said. "So, you send a couple of hunting dogs after it. Once it gets tired, it runs up a tree. From there, it's a simple matter of a reliable gun and good aim."
"That doesn't seem sporting."
"It's not supposed to be sporting," Graham said. "And it's not as easy as it sounds. You have to kill it on the first shot. Otherwise, the cat will go on a rampage and kill anything in sight."
Emily glanced at Alonzo. "Unfortunately, he's not much of a hunting dog. So, how are we going to handle the cat?"
"Unfortunately, the trail has gone cold. Our best bet is to stay vigilant and stick together during the daytime. At night, we should set up guard shifts."
"What if we see it?" Miranda asked.
"Then you shoot it," Crowley said.
"I've never killed anything before."
I took a quick glimpse outside. It was early morning, yet still dark out. Rain fell from the overhanging clouds. It was a lighter rain than when I'd gone to sleep, but it still annoyed me.
Beverly cocked her head. "I thought you grew up in the jungle."
"Well, sure. But I never participated in a hunt. Can't we, I don't know, tranquilize it or something?"
Crowley rolled his eyes. "Does anyone have a tranquilizer gun?"
Heads shook from side to side.
"Then we set up guard shifts and use regular guns." Graham lifted his rifle. "If you see a large cat, shoot it. If you're unarmed, make yourself as big as possible and yell like crazy."
"I don't know." Miranda shook her head slowly. "I just hate the thought of killing a wild animal."
"You can't show mercy. If it decides to eat you, it'll go after you over and over again. And it won't give up until you're dead."
Chapter 43
"Cy. Over here."
I dumped a stack of freshly cut firewood on a table and turned my head. Looking through the small crowd, I saw Graham. He stood with Beverly in the northwest corner of the dome tent.
While Renau had stood guard, I'd taken an axe into the jungle. The trees at the outskirts were too large to chop down. Plus, the rain had soaked them. But there were a few smaller and drier ones in the interior.
"I'm coming," I called back. "Give me a minute."
Renau yawned as he dropped a load of firewood on the table.
"You look tired," I said.
"Dora and I couldn't go back to sleep. So, we worked on the gold plate the rest of the night. Actually, it's a good thing we did. We learned some interesting details about this place."
"What kind of details?"
"We need to confirm them first. After all, we were working on very little sleep. But it could be big. Very big."
I left Renau and walked to the northwest corner. "What's up?"
Beverly handed me a bowl of cereal with powdered milk as well a cup of orange liquid. I studied the liquid with a close eye. "What's this?"
"Orange juice," she replied. "For some reason, Emily brought along dozens of cases of powdered juice packets. We've got enough juice to last us until the next century."
I took a sip. The juice tasted terrible.
"We wanted to discuss plans for today," Graham said.
I dipped a spoon into the bowl and ate some cereal. It tasted bland. Still, it was food. Sort of. "Sounds good. Where's Miranda?"
"She said to let us know if we need help. Otherwise, she's going to start drawing up plans for the main dig."
&
nbsp; "Okay." I glanced at the pyramid. "Our first step is easy. We need to locate an entrance."
"Actually, I was hoping to work on something else." Beverly produced a strange device. "This is a mass spectrometer. Usually, you need big, expensive machines to perform mass spectrometry. But one of my old colleagues developed this handheld prototype six months ago. I'd like to use it to analyze the limestone samples I took from the pyramid last night."
"How long will that take?"
"Not long, actually. But I'd also like to run some tests with my compact geochemistry laboratory. It's got everything you can imagine. That'll take a couple of hours."
Graham frowned. "How are a bunch of tests going to help us?"
"Most likely, Hunahpu plugged the entrance after finishing the pyramid. The plug was probably mined long after the base layer was completed. So, it might contain different concentrations of minerals and metals than the blocks around it. If so, my work could identify it. Also, we'll need to remove the plug at some point. The more we know about its composition, the better job we can do."
"That's good enough for me." I turned to Graham. "I was thinking—"
"Hold that thought." Graham put down his bowl of cereal and turned toward some stacked crates.
"What are you looking for?" Beverly asked.
"Alice, Clara, Virginia, and Mae."
She arched an eyebrow at me.
I shrugged.
Graham opened a crate. It contained numerous cameras. He held one up so I could see it. "In other words, thermographic cameras of my own design. They're like regular cameras except they form images using infrared radiation rather than visible light."
"How does that help us?" I asked.
"Objects with a temperature greater than absolute zero—which is pretty much all of them—emit infrared radiation. These cameras will be able to see that radiation."
"Like night vision goggles?"
"That's one application of the technology. There are plenty of others." Graham glanced at Beverly. "Like you said, the entrance is probably concealed behind a plug. Hopefully, these little babies will help us find it."
"How?" She looked skeptical. "Won't the plug emit the same infrared radiation as the other blocks?"
Graham walked to one of the tent's northern entrances. He held the camera steady and took a quick photo. Then he turned around and showed Beverly the image on the screen. "See?"
"It's just a blue blob."
"A blue blob shaped like a helicopter. At the moment, it's not giving off much heat."
"What are those red dots?"
"Those are trees on the other side of the helicopter," Graham replied. "Alice can't see through objects. She just produces an image of the outermost thermal profile. However, empty spaces—like an open window in the helicopter—allow her to peek a little further."
"But the tunnel is sealed off," I said. "There are no empty spaces."
"None that we can see. But if the plug was added at the end, it's probably not a perfect fit. There should by tiny cracks surrounding it on all sides. If so, my girls will be able to catch a glimpse of whatever lies behind the plug."
I nodded thoughtfully. "It's worth a try."
"I'd like to set them up after breakfast," Graham said. "Since it's cloudy out, we won't have to worry about sunlight playing tricks on the images."
"Where do you want to put them?"
"One on each side, about fifty yards from the pyramid, should do the trick. I'll mount them on poles and program them to take images on the hour. Tomorrow morning, we'll examine the results."
"I'll help you set them up." I tapped my jaw. "Unfortunately, they won't see everything. They'll only be able to give us images of the walls."
He frowned. "Where else is there to look?"
"The summit shrine. There might be an entrance hidden in the floor. We'll have to take a closer look at that on our own."
His frown disappeared. "Sounds good."
"Okay." I took a deep breath. "Let's find ourselves an entrance."
Chapter 44
"Come on." I slammed the metal pole into the soil. It slid a few inches before striking a firm, gritty surface. "Stay in there."
I released it. The pole wavered for a few seconds. Then it toppled into the marsh.
"It's no good," I said. "There must be a big rock under us."
"Or maybe just packed dirt." Graham nodded at the ground. "Can you get my hammer?"
Mud and water squelched under my feet as I walked to his toolbox. A harsh wind rustled the grass. Raindrops splattered into the marsh.
The air grew thicker, clogging my throat. Sweat beaded up on my brow and hands. The rain washed it away. But more sweat took its place.
I grabbed the hammer and gave it to him. He struck the pole a few times. It slid a few inches into the soil before grinding to a halt.
Graham released the pole. This time it remained standing. He opened a duffel bag and extracted Alice from it. He quickly installed her on top of the pole. "Well, that's the last one," he said. "Are you ready to check out the summit shrine?"
I nodded.
The rain intensified as we walked up the staircase. At the top, Graham strode into the shrine to examine the murals. I turned my attention to the platform. It was empty, save for the giant stone table.
I touched the table's speckled surface. Then I knelt down and studied its thick legs. Seeing nothing of interest, I stuck my head under the table and examined its underside. There were no hidden carvings.
I was just about to stand up again when I noticed something odd about the ground. It consisted of individual blocks, cut into uniform rectangles. However, the block underneath the table was a perfect square, equivalent to the size of two rectangular blocks.
I got down on my stomach and slid under the table. I studied the block for a few minutes. But other than its shape, I didn't see anything special about it. I was just about to leave when I felt it shift beneath me.
Carefully, I slid out of the space. Then I placed my hands on the block and pushed down.
It sank a fraction of an inch into the pyramid.
"Do me a favor," I called out. "Get everyone up here."
"Why?" He turned toward me. "Did you find something?"
"Sure did." I grinned. "I found an entrance."
Chapter 45
With a loud yawning noise, the giant block sank further into the pyramid. I waited for it to stop moving. Then I pulled out my flashlight. My beam revealed a set of steep stairs leading into the pyramid.
I lowered my boot to the first step. It held my weight without a problem. I took another step. Then I slowly descended the staircase.
At the bottom, I entered a tunnel. I waited for Emily and the others to join me. Then I headed south. The tunnel's slope quickly steepened to a forty-five degree angle. After ten feet, I turned west and entered a new tunnel. The slope steepened to sixty-degrees. I found it difficult to maintain my footing on the smooth surface.
I reached another corner. A perpendicular tunnel led off to the north. I stopped short of it. The floor block in front of me was gigantic and steeply slanted. Its southern end was flush to the block under my feet while its northern end was on a much lower level.
Leaning out, I glanced around the corner. The perpendicular tunnel continued at an extremely steep angle for a couple of yards before hitting a dead end.
"Something's wrong here," I said. "It—"
"Get away." Emily's scream reverberated in the tight space. "It's mine."
I spun around.
She slammed into me, taking out my legs in the process. My body twisted. I fell on the mysterious floor block. Fighting off wooziness, I lifted my chin. Emily lay sprawled on top of me. Her eyes looked dazed, disoriented.
The tunnel rumbled. A cracking noise filled my eardrums. Rock scraped against rock. The floor block shifted underneath me and started to sink into the ground.
"Get out of there," Beverly shouted.
I looked at the southern wa
ll. It consisted of a large slab of rock. The slab started to vibrate and shake.
I shoved Emily. She rolled into the other tunnel.
The block jolted as it slammed to a halt. The slab slid toward me.
I suddenly realized the sloping block was more than just a floor. It was a wedge. For centuries, it had kept the slab in place.
But no longer.
I clambered to my feet.
The slab picked up steam.
Graham reached his hand out.
I grabbed it. He yanked.
I flew out of the tunnel. The giant slab hurtled past me, narrowly missing my right leg. Stone crunched as it slammed into the dead end.
I touched the back of my head. I felt sticky blood.
Beverly shot Emily a furious glance as she raced to my side. "What's wrong with you?"
Emily blinked a few times. Her eyes cleared. A look of confusion crossed her visage.
Beverly examined my head. "We need to get you to Dr. Wu."
"We're going to have to be more careful from here on out." As I stood up, I glanced at the ancient trap. "Because it looks like Hunahpu is playing for keeps."
Chapter 46
The mist parted and I saw the clinic. As I walked toward it, something stung my arm. It felt like an oversized raindrop. I slapped at it. Then I slapped my neck. And then my leg.
Damn flies.
Flies swarmed me, feasting on my flesh. They left behind layers of itchy bites. It took every ounce of strength I possessed to keep from tearing off my clothes and itching myself from head to toe.
Beverly had offered to walk me back to camp, but I'd insisted on going alone. The back of my head stung a bit, but otherwise I felt fine.
I veered toward the fire. The smoke drove the flies away. Then an ear-piercing scream rang out. I forgot all about the booby trap and sprinted to the clinic. Wrenching open the flap, I darted into the interior.
Dr. Wu glanced in my direction. He wore a respirator over his nose and mouth. "Stay back."
Pacho lay on a sleeping bag. His arms trembled. His legs kicked out. His head twisted from side to side. "Where … what …?"
"You're fine." Dr. Wu grabbed his hand. Clasped it hard. "You're okay."