by David Meyer
Chapter 51
Sweat dripped into my eyes, but I didn't blink. Raindrops, no longer red, soaked my clothing. I ignored them. Wind howled at my ears and caused my clothes to flap. But I didn't move a bit.
The shadow emerged from the southeastern jungle. Cautiously, it crept toward our camp.
It measured about seven feet from its nose to its swishing tail. Its shoulders stood about three feet off the ground. Its head added another foot or so to its height. I couldn't see its coat or its facial features. So, I wasn't sure if it was a jaguar or a cougar. But it was definitely a cat.
I aimed my pistol at the creature. My finger touched the trigger.
Abruptly, loud barking rang out.
The cat, momentarily startled, froze in place.
I adjusted my aim and squeezed the trigger. The pistol recoiled in my hands as a bullet streaked out of the barrel. It soared across the muddy earth.
The cat roared as the bullet streaked through its right shoulder. It twisted toward me and I got a good look at its startling eyes. I knew the sapphire color meant it had an extra layer of tissue behind its retinas. This tissue, known as the tapetum lucidum, provided it with enhanced night vision.
The cat darted toward the jungle. I tried to keep an eye on it, but it was too fast and quickly vanished into the shadows.
As people poured out of their tents, Alonzo ran to the edge of camp. He howled at the sky.
I sprinted to where I'd seen the cat and pointed my flashlight at the ground. I saw bloody paw prints. Leaning closer, I noticed two scratch marks crisscrossing each other on the right set of heel pads. "It's the same one from the other night," I called out. "It—"
With a loud bark, Alonzo raced toward the jungle. My jaw tightened as I remembered Yohl Ik’nal's horrible fate.
I ran after Alonzo. The land sloped upward. The air grew thicker. It was the sort of air that sucked your breath out and left you gagging for oxygen. Before long, I felt like I was going to pass out.
I sprinted past the tree line. The ground continued to slope upward. Coupled with the loose mud, it made for difficult traveling.
The trees around me were massive and ancient. Their thick trunks drifted high into the air, vanishing into the mist. They'd clearly been around for a long time, at least a couple of centuries.
Dead leaves hung from the branches. They swayed from side to side, rustling quietly in the breeze. The jungle was pristine, but far from beautiful.
Just ahead, I saw Alonzo. His nose was pointed at the earth. He moved back and forth, sniffing the ground, bushes, fallen branches, and leaves.
"Stop," Crowley shouted. "I see it."
I pulled to a halt. "Where?"
"Above you."
I looked up. My heart skipped a beat.
A large cougar stood on the branches of a tall tree, just ten feet over my head. It roamed back and forth, shifting from branch to branch.
I backed up a step and pointed my gun at the cougar.
It stopped. Stared down at me. Bared its fangs.
"Wait," Graham shouted. "You're too close."
A loud gunshot rang out, inches away from my head. I cringed and instinctively clutched at my ears.
The giant cougar toppled out of the tree. It smacked a few branches on the way down before landing in a heap, less than five feet away from me.
I waited for it to jump up. But it lay in the muddy grass, unmoving.
Gradually, I became aware of my surroundings. Rustles sounded out along with deafening shrieks and low-throated growls. Some noises sounded far away. Others were uncomfortably close.
I glanced at Alonzo. He continued to roam the area, sniffing the ground. I was proud of him for overcoming his fears. At the same time, I was puzzled by his lack of interest in the cougar. Had he found another scent? A stronger one, perhaps?
"Looks like I got it," Crowley said.
"You should've warned me." I glared at him. "What if you'd missed?"
"I don't miss," Crowley said.
"Don't be too sure about that." Graham bent down and inspected the cougar. "These paws are clean, free of marks."
"Who cares?"
"We all should care. Because you killed the wrong animal."
Chapter 52
Rigoberta, looking far better than I remembered, cleared her throat. "So, this isn't the one that killed my baby?"
"It doesn't look that way." Graham pointed at Alonzo, who was still sniffing the ground. "Otherwise, he wouldn't be searching for a scent. Plus, the heel pads don't match up."
"We've been endangering animals by cutting them off from the marsh. But at least we weren't killing them." Tum glared at Crowley. "Until now."
His reaction took me by surprise. It was the first time I'd seen Tum lose his temper.
"Maybe it's not the animal that's been hanging around our camp," Crowley retorted. "But it's still a predator."
"So, we should just kill any animal that might do us harm?"
Crowley shrugged.
"Most likely, it would've ignored us. Cougars rarely attack people."
"That's because they've learned to avoid people," Graham said softly. "That's not the case here."
"Why stop now?" Tum's hands formed fists. "Why don't we just go kill the rest of the cougars while we're at it?"
"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Crowley said. "Maybe that'll teach the survivors to fear us."
"Or take revenge on us."
"Animals don't take revenge."
"Certain animals, including big cats, are capable of grudges," Tum replied sharply. "Revenge isn't a far step from that."
As he spoke, I realized Miranda, Tum, and the Maneros made for an interesting team. They'd grown up together in the Lacandon Jungle. Yet, they'd developed different views along the way.
Miranda cared about the Classic Maya civilization and global environmental issues like climate change. Yet, she showed little interest in her tribe. Plus, she seemed uncomfortable in nature.
Tum hadn't expressed an opinion about big-picture issues. Yet, he cared deeply for the life of a single cougar. As a shaman, he drew on the ways of his Classic Maya predecessors. At the same time, he continued to be an active part of his tribe.
Dora and Renau, in contrast to Miranda and Tum, seemed to have little interest in nature except when it impacted the Lacandon tribe. Although they studied ancient Mayan hieroglyphics, they didn't seem all that interested in the Classic Maya civilization.
"I've hunted animals across the globe," Graham interjected. "And I've never seen a single animal try to take revenge."
"That's not the only issue," Tum said. "We're standing in a unique, well-balanced ecosystem. If we don't respect it, we could cause a catastrophe."
Graham snorted.
"He's got a point," Miranda said. "Look at what happened to the Mayas when they started tearing down trees. If we begin murdering animals, we could unleash hell upon this canyon in ways we don't even realize."
"In case you haven't noticed, we're already in hell," Graham said.
"Think about it from the perspective of the cougar," Tum urged. "It was just protecting its land, its family. We're the invaders here, not it."
"Are you really siding with animals over people?"
"When people act stupidly, yes." Tum waved at Crowley. "He didn't just hurt a predator tonight. The prey will suffer too. The relationship between predator and prey is self-regulating and as ancient as life itself."
"You're talking about the Balance of Nature theory." Graham arched an eyebrow. "Too bad it was disproven decades ago."
"Nonsense."
"Predators aren't just eating machines. They show mobbing behavior. They participate in surplus killing. In fact, they've been known to eat themselves right out of existence. And prey—"
I held up my hands. "Stop it, all of you."
They turned to face me.
"We're not going to kill random animals. But we have to be able to protect ourselves. Agreed?"
E
very head—except Tum's—bobbed.
"We need to increase our defenses. Let's set traps around the southern edge of the jungle. That should help." My face turned grim. "Like it or not, the cat is still out there. And we need to get it before it gets us."
Chapter 53
"Hold on a second," I called out.
Our group came to a halt. Heads swiveled toward me.
I perked my ears. In the distance, I heard a soft rushing noise. It sounded a little like wind. "Does anyone hear that?"
Crowley listened for a second. "It's just a breeze."
"I don't think so."
I turned around. Before anyone could stop me, I was marching southeast, away from the camp. I heard a few sighs. Then the others started to follow me.
I stepped hard as I walked, making as much noise as possible. I kept my flashlight beam constantly moving. I hoped my actions would convince predators to keep their distance. But just in case, I kept a firm grip on my machete.
A thought occurred to me as I continued my climb up the slope. The canyon, to the best of my knowledge, had been sealed off for thousands of years. Species that had resided within it would've faced unique challenges and experiences. That might've caused them to undergo divergent evolutionary paths. So, maybe the animal that had killed Yohl Ik’nal wasn't a cougar or a jaguar.
Maybe it was something else.
Memories of the stone mosaic above the summit shrine flooded my brain. Maybe the strange jaguar-like nagual was more real than I'd imagined.
We reached the canyon wall. It was gigantic and nearly sheer. I couldn't even see the top through the thick mist. From experience, I knew it would've been nearly impossible to climb down it. Either the Mayas had scaled an easier section of wall or they'd found another way to enter the canyon.
I veered east and hiked alongside the wall. After a few minutes, it began to curve. Turning north, I continued to follow it.
The rushing noise grew louder. I still couldn't identify it. But a theory was starting to form in my head.
"I see something." Beverly pointed. "Over there."
I followed her finger to a large niche. It was twenty feet tall and extended roughly fifty feet along the eastern canyon wall. Boulders of all shapes and sizes were piled inside it.
We drew closer. The rushing noise grew louder.
Miranda swept past me. She went straight to the rock pile and aimed her beam at the cracks. "I see hydraulic cement," she announced. "This is manmade."
I stared at the massive wall, at its many boulders. I realized caves and tunnels lay just beyond it. Most likely, that was how the Mayas had found their way inside the canyon.
The wall reminded me of all the other gigantic barriers mankind had built over the centuries. The Great Wall of China. Hadrian's Wall. The Berlin Wall.
Large empires had built those structures, supposedly to protect civilization from outside threats. Of course, those walls also had an unstated second purpose. Not only did they keep invaders, barbarians, and western influences out, but they also kept citizens in.
But the wall in front of me had no second purpose. Its sole reason for existence was to keep outsiders from entering the canyon.
Beverly produced a small hammer and chisel set. Kneeling down, she began to harvest samples from the wall as well as from the surrounding boulders, taking great care to seal each one in a marked bag.
I placed my hand on the wall. It was wet, thanks to the blowing rain. Carefully, I leaned my ear against it. The rushing noise increased in volume.
Emily put her ear next to mine. "It sounds like water."
"It's a river," I replied. "A pretty big one too."
Renau gazed at the wall. "Hunahpu sure went to a lot of trouble to hide this place."
"Yes," I replied. "Yes, he did."
Chapter 54
"Cy," Beverly's whisper filled my ear. "Wake up."
I sat up. My heart raced as I remembered the events from just a few hours earlier. "What is it?"
"Shh." She gave me a stern look. "It's still early. At least, I think it is."
With a loud yawn, I crumpled back into my sleeping bag. I was utterly exhausted. Prior to takeoff, Emily had confiscated my satphone and I hadn't thought to bring a watch. Even worse, the annoying clouds refused to let in much outside light. Thus, with every passing hour, I felt increasingly unmoored from time. "Why'd you wake me then?"
"I want to talk."
I rubbed my eyes. "About what?"
"I've been thinking about what you said earlier. And it's selfish."
I blinked. "How so?"
"For the last four months, you've put your fears above everything else, including my desires."
"I was trying to protect you."
"You don't have to protect me. The same goes for Dutch. We can think for ourselves."
"I didn't quit just for you guys. I did it for me too." I exhaled. "Like I said, treasure hunters die."
"Then why'd you come here?"
"I guess a small part of me hasn't been able to let go yet. I'm hoping that when I see the library, it won't matter to me. Then I'll know I'm ready to give up treasure hunting for good."
"But what if that's not the case?"
I didn't reply.
"If you don't care about treasure hunting, then quit. I'll even quit with you. But don't you dare stop doing it because of me."
A few seconds passed. Then I nodded.
"Okay." She brightened up. "Now, onto the second topic."
I groaned. "There's a second topic?"
"I finished analyzing the samples. The pyramid, the red rain, and that manmade wall are very similar in composition. My working theory is that the strong winds and our crash sent a bunch of rock dust into the air. It mixed with the rain and fell back on us."
"That makes sense. So, what'd you find in the samples?"
"Gold, for one thing."
That was mildly interesting. It explained the source for the gold plate from the sarcophagus. It also added further evidence that the Library of the Mayas had been etched in gold.
"They also contain an abundance of other metals," she continued. "I was able to identify several radioisotopes—iron-60, lead-205, samarium-146, and quite a bit of curium-247—in each sample."
"So what?"
"So, they shouldn't exist. They're extinct radioisotopes."
A jolt of electricity ran through me.
"Let me explain. Radioisotopes started to form prior to the emergence of our solar system. They immediately started to decay. We measure the rate of decay by using half-lives, which is the amount of time it takes for half of a radioactive sample's unstable atoms to lose energy."
"I know how half-lives work."
"Some radioisotopes have enormous half-lives. Tellurium-128, for example, has a half-life of over two septillion years. Others last less than a second. Something like iron-60 is in the middle. It has a half-life of nearly three million years and eventually decays to cobalt-60."
"So, naturally-occurring iron-60 should've decayed out of existence a long time ago." I shrugged. "Your equipment must be faulty."
"It's never failed me before. Plus, it produced similar results for all three sets of samples."
"Maybe they were created after our solar system was formed."
"Ordinarily, I'd agree with you. For instance, cosmic rays can create radioisotopes through a recurring process. But such processes don't exist for iron-60. And it's not a decay product of a longer-lasting isotope. The fact is iron-60, lead-205, samarium-146, and curium-247 don't exist anywhere in nature." She gave me a knowing look. "Except here."
Skepticism was an invaluable tool. Many true believers and pseudoarchaeologists found it frustrating. However, skepticism wasn't about rejecting other people's claims. It was about suspending judgment until those claims could be properly tested and verified.
But just because I believed in skepticism didn't mean I rejected incredible claims out of hand. Indeed, an open mind was just as important as
a skeptical one.
"I believe you." I frowned. "So, how did they get here?"
"I don't know," she replied. "And that scares the hell out of me."
Chapter 55
I sat up with a start. It took me a few seconds to get my bearings. It took me a few more to remember the trapped passage, the strange cat, the dead cougar, the ancient wall, and the extinct radioisotopes.
More memories came to me. My heart skipped a beat as I recalled Graham's thermographic cameras. Their images would be ready soon.
I glanced at Beverly. She was still asleep. So, I quietly grabbed my gear, unzipped the flap, and stepped outside. Warm rain struck my skin. I held out my hand and gathered some drops. They were clear.
I secured my sheath to my belt and looked to the sky. A few rays of sunshine managed to pierce the thick clouds. But for the most part, the clearing remained dark.
I strode to the dome tent. I saw Graham and Tum. They stood close to each other and appeared to be arguing.
"—is an untouched paradise," Tum said. "What if we ruin it?"
"What if it ruins us first?" Graham retorted. "You might love nature. But trust me. It doesn't love you back."
I cleared my throat.
Graham glanced at me. "You look like hell."
"I feel like it too." I stretched my aching muscles. "Did you set the traps?"
"Yeah. Crowley and I placed about thirty snares just inside the jungle, near where we found the tracks. The snares are made from braided metal cables so if something steps into one of them, it's not getting away."
"Good job."
"I thought so." Graham jabbed a thumb at Tum. "But he disagrees."
Tum exhaled.
I didn't feel like getting involved so I nodded toward the marsh. "Let's go check the cameras."
"Sounds good. Let me get my tools."
"I'm sorry," Tum said softly as Graham hurried out into the rain.
"For what?" I asked.
"All the arguing. I like Dutch. But he sees nature in purely scientific terms. He doesn't recognize its magic, its balance."