by Mina Carter
“Don’t lay your shit on me, Kate. Don’t you dare judge him just because of your experiences with Kurt, or any other man. You’re always the one who is supposedly so open-minded, so liberal, so academic. I’ve got some news for you, all of that stuff applies universally to ALL people. Not just the ones you think are somehow more deserving of an honest and considerate conversation. So get over it. Ryan is a person just like everyone else here. Allow him that much respect. He clearly knows his job, since he just saved your ass. I think you should have a bit more courtesy and refrain from the name calling.”
Abraham and Ryan quietly watched the drama unfold on center stage. When Lexi completed her pointed tirade, Kate got up and walked a short distance away. She turned her back to the others and stood like a silent sentinel gazing over the desert.
“Damn. You guys think about the plan and let me talk to her alone.” Lexi waited a few minutes to allow her and her sister time to cool down. With a deep cleansing breath, she stood up and dusted off her clothes, as if to dust away the negative energy that had seemed to hover over her and her sister.
When Lexi walked over to Kate, she was surprised at how Kate was first to apologize. “Lex, I’m sorry, truly sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me or why I am freaking out, but I suppose it’s because this whole mess is my fault.”
“No, it’s not your fault. This all started because of what happened long before you ever got involved. You were looking for answers. Looking for answers about Kurt and his death. Can you see that no matter how hard you try, no matter what you look for, you can’t ever comprehend any of this? None of us can. I mean that our existence is life, but our fate is always going to be death. Kurt is gone and I don’t know why. Our parents are gone and I don’t know why. I do know that the man over there, Ryan Kidd, is a good man and I love him. We only met and that is true, but I refuse to let my life be defined by death. The death of mom and dad, the death of Kurt. I want my life to be about how I choose to live, and I am going to love every part of it. I have decided that I’m not going to be afraid to dream and to hope. I’ve let death take away life from me too, and I’m not playing its game any longer.”
“You are so right, Lexi. There is one more than one reason that I’m so upset. I did learn something out here. That cult was responsible for Kurt’s death. They wanted the amulet, and he gave his life to prevent them from getting it. He also did it to protect me and you. I’m not a violent person, but God, I’m not going to lie to you. I relished the sight of those evil bastards laying in their own blood back there. I fucking relished it. I am going to make this right. I am going to redeem myself and I am going to stop those witches, just like Kurt would do.”
“Are you looking for redemption? Or are you looking for revenge, Kate?”
“Aren’t they the same thing, Lexi? I don’t even know anymore. I started out on this journey looking for redemption, but I’ve sort of let revenge take the wheel. The problem is I don’t even know how to stop the witches, so I may not be able to redeem myself or avenge Kurt’s death.”
“You know, Jakub found out the same thing, Kate. He was filled with the desire for revenge. I think later he tried to redeem himself, but he never could shake off the bitterness or hate he carried. That’s precisely why he got rid of the amulet. It didn’t matter. Years of carrying around that kind of hatred changes a person. Even if you try to tell yourself that you are going to change, it will still haunt you. Don’t be that person, Kate.”
“What should I do, Lexi? Really. Tell me. Because at this point, I really don’t know.”
“Then trust in Ryan. Give him a chance. Give US a chance. We are all in this together, and we will get out of this together.” Lexi sincerely begged for Kate to return to the group and renew their plans for a nighttime visit to Gobekli Tepe.
“Ryan, I want to apologize to you. I really didn’t mean what I said earlier. Really.”
“Hey it’s okay. I understand, if anyone deserves to-”
“Have a meltdown?” Kate replied.
“Ha! Let’s just say that it’s understandable. You have had one hell of a day, or week, or months.”
Kate went up to Ryan, wrapping her arms around him and in a quiet voice gave him a warning meant for his ears only, “Just be good to her Ryan. She is all that I have left.”
“I intend to, Kate.” Ryan then directed his voice to the others. “Abraham and I have thought about this and we’d like to hear what you ladies think. We propose that we take a tour of the site. After all, we have some pretty esteemed archaeologists that can claim to be visiting the site. Lexi and I will be the assistants or interns. We should all keep our eyes open, but I think Abraham and Kate can look over the place for any sort of structural evidence that may let us know something more about this whole spiritual portal. Lexi and I will be looking at the security measures and-”
“Reconnoiter!” Lexi shouted and the others laughed.
Chapter Eighteen
LEXI POINTED OUT that their vehicle still had four flat tires, and they were now on the Syrian border far from anyone. Everyone checked their phones, but found they had no service at all.
Ryan stepped closer to Kate. “Kate, how did that cult get you here? Do you know if they have any vehicles nearby?”
“They came in trucks, but the trucks left after they set up the camps. It was in the middle of the night, so I don’t even know which direction the trucks went when they left.” She answered.
“Okay then we have no choice but to stay here with our vehicle tonight. Kemil said that his team was going to be making a sweep along the border tomorrow. We’ll flag him down, that’s how we will get out of here. We can have them take us up to Urfa. It’s a pretty good sized city, only six miles or so from Gobekli Tepe.”
The sun set as the group gathered at the disabled Range Rover which was far from the main highway. “I think our best option is for all of us to stay inside the vehicle tonight. I would rather nobody be outside wandering about or making any noise. We can’t say for certain that someone else involved with that cult won’t come looking for us. We can keep it locked up, and I’ll stay up so the rest of you can get some rest.”
“And we don’t know where Ben went to either.” Lexi added.
Everyone agreed with Ryan’s plan to stay confined to the shelter of the vehicle. Ryan and Lexi took the front seats, while Abraham and Kate settled into the rear seat. Before long the two in the back were sound asleep. Lexi curled up next to Ryan and they talked under the starry sky. It was just past midnight when Lexi finally succumbed to sleep.
Ryan’s training allowed him to maintain an alert state even as the night wore on. Just after three a.m. a wind picked up. A gust blew with the strength to gently rock the vehicle. Ryan was certain he heard the same whispering that blew though the tents earlier in the day. He picked up the night-vision goggles and repeatedly scanned the area, but didn’t see anything.
The wind stopped as suddenly as it started. A voice spoke louder than a whisper. It seemed like a woman’s voice, but the words were not any language he could recognize. Ryan strained to find where it came from and repeated his night-vision scan once more. The voice seemed to dart about as if it were on one side of the vehicle and then suddenly on the other side. He shook Lexi. “Lex, Lex! Wake up. I think we have visitors.” Lexi sat upright and retrieved the gun that she stashed in the center console. Ryan had already readied his pistol. The activity from the front seat woke up Abraham and Kate.
“What is it?” Abraham asked.
“I don’t know. There was a gust of wind that started blowing pretty hard and then it stopped. I heard a woman’s voice, but I didn’t understand the language. It seemed to be coming from both sides of the vehicle.” Everyone stayed completely silent as they listened. The voice seemed to call out from the shadows. It was followed by many whispering voices. They seemed to be close, whispering and hissing right outside of the windows, but the four could see nothing.
“Listen!” Kate s
aid in a hushed voice.
A light scratching sound came from under the Range Rover. It sounded like a single clawed hand running its nails across the length of the vehicle. The noise became louder. Each person in the group listened in terror to the scratching and clawing as something crept under their vehicle. It moved in a slow and frightening caress as if the creature was trying to sense their fear. The creature repeated the scratching several times, and then it suddenly became silent.
Kate was the only one to speak and when she did, it was a whisper. “What the fuck was that?”
With the sudden shock of a lightning bolt there was a thunderous thump on the roof that startled everyone inside. It was silent again for only a minute, but to the inhabitants of the vehicle it seemed like an hour as their anxiety grew. They feared what would happen next. Then it started. A relentless pounding on the roof. The vehicle rocked back and forth as a huge beast slammed its closed fists down on the roof.
Without giving any warning Lexi pointed her pistol toward the roof, and fired off four quick shots. Everyone’s ears rang from the gunshots. “Jesus Christ, Lexi!” Kate yelled.
“Ha! Take that you son of a bitch!” Lexi shouted. The pounding stopped. “Yeah! That’s right! I got you!” Lexi’s show of bravado was cut short when the pounding restarted, only this time it came more rapidly. The intensity of the hammering was powerful and furious.
“I think you just pissed it off, Lex.” Ryan shouted, because of the temporary hearing loss he incurred being next to the wild barrage that erupted from Lexi’s gun. He started the engine, turned on the headlights and put it into gear.
The rubber-less wheels futilely spun in the loose dirt. The pounding on the roof ceased once again. Ryan left the lights on, but stopped the engine. A different sound emanated from the roof. It was the sound of scraping. It seemed as if someone was dragging something rough and heavy over the top of the Range Rover. Ryan and Lexi looked upward to the top of windshield to see what could be making the hideous sound.
A face suddenly dropped down over the edge of the roof and looked directly at them. Everyone jumped back in terror from the sight before them. It was a dried out, decayed and rotten face resembling an old corpse that had been left to decompose in the desert sun. Pieces of leathery flesh hung loosely over the bare facial bones. It bared its gnarled, twisted teeth. More scratching sounds came from both sides of the vehicle. Faces just as hideous peered in through all of the windows and chanted the same strange words.
In the distant darkness they saw a shadow. A silhouette appeared against the moon with large sweeping wings. When it flew into the flood of light from the headlights they could clearly see what it was.
“Look, a giant owl!” Lexi yelled.
The hideous creatures disappeared and the owl flew off into the darkness. Lexi clutched the little owl pendant that Ryan had given her and muttered a thanks to the owl. Abraham was badly shaken and mumbled something in Hebrew while Kate clung to him in shock.
Ryan spoke to nobody in particular. “I don’t know what the hell those things were. I’m guessing those things were the witches. I’d say that owl is definitely after them as well. That could be a good thing for us.” The headlights illuminated a mysterious figure standing in the distance. It was the figure of a woman, but it was not the figure of one of the monsters that had attacked them. The woman was too far away to identify, and she did not move an inch. She disappeared into the dark in the blink of an eye.
They welcomed the dawn that wiped away the terror of the night. Clouds of dust were rising behind them and coming closer. “It’s Kemil. Thank God!” Ryan shouted. The envoy that arrive included several military vehicles. Some had the Turkish flag painted on the doors, others were non-descript, offering little to no identification. Ryan stepped out and met Kemil who had come out to meet them.
“So what happened here?” Kemil asked.
“We got Lexi’s sister. She was being held by some sort of extremist group. You’ll find their bodies down there by their camp.”
“It doesn’t surprise me. Did you know that you are only twelve hundred meters from the Syrian border? It could be any one of several groups operating in there. You have every terrorist group in the region trying to get in on the fight in Syria. My guys will go down and see if they can identify them, or get some information off them at least. Anyway, good job.”
“We were ambushed, though. Your vehicle is trashed I’m afraid.”
“No worries. It wasn’t mine to begin with. Let me take you guys up to Urfa. You can rent a few rooms there, and arrange for transport out of here.”
Ryan decided not to mention their plans for Gobekli Tepe. “Sounds great to me, Kemil. Thank you!”
Ryan and his party gathered up their gear and loaded into one of Kemil’s vehicles. Before long they arrived in the city of Urfa. They found an ancient but bustling city of nearly half a million people. Kemil dropped them off at a small, clean hotel where Ryan and Lexi checked in together. Kate and Abraham opted for their own rooms. After Lexi gave Kate some clothes to change into they went off to relax, and agreed to meet back in the lobby at five o’clock. Ryan arranged for a rental car to be ready for them so they could continue their mission.
Chapter Nineteen
WHEN THEY ARRIVED at the foot of the hill on which the ancient site was located, Abraham and Kate gave Ryan and Lexi a quick overview of what to expect. Ryan spurred the necessity for the lesson with his lowly opinion of the site. “Wow! It’s really kind of a letdown for me. I was expecting something really big for some reason. Something above ground, like Stonehenge.”
Abraham responded with an explanation. “Ryan, you have to remember that it is a huge site, but it has been buried in the earth for probably 8,000 years. The people that used this site actually buried it on purpose. They sealed it up, and it has been hidden for that whole time. So it will take years before it is completely excavated.”
“Why do you suppose they buried it?” Lexi asked.
“Well, I can think of a number of reasons. We may never know for certain, but as we uncover more of this place and we study more of its history, we will probably garner quite a few theories.” Abraham replied.
Kate added, “Abraham and I have a number of theories about why it was buried. First of all, ask yourself this question. Historically, what do people do with things that they are trying to save from an impending disaster? One that is sure to be on the catastrophic scale? Either natural or manmade disaster?”
“I suppose they try to move whatever they can to a safer place.” Ryan answered.
Kate continued with her questions. “What about the things that can’t be moved? For example, a sacred place? Or, what if they doubt whether they will even be able to save themselves?”
Abraham didn’t wait for Lexi or Ryan to respond, and moved to make a point. “They bury it. They seal it up. They cover it in some way to protect it. Even when we aren’t talking about a cataclysmic event, people save things by burying them. Look at most tombs, time capsules, buried treasures, and the like. Now, let’s talk about some ideas as to why they buried this place. It coincides to the time right before the great flood. Perhaps they somehow knew of the impending deluge and they decided to bury it, because it was such an important location. Perhaps they expected to be invaded by an enemy, and so they buried it in order to hide it until they could restore it later. When you look at it that way those reasons both make sense, except for one thing.”
Lexi knew what Abraham was getting at. “Those reasons don’t make sense, because they didn’t leave a record of it and nobody ever came back to uncover it. Right? Meaning, if you are going to hide it from some catastrophe, you would go back to it at some point, or at least leave some clue as to where it was.”
“Exactly, Lexi. It was covered up to seal it for good. The most likely reason is because people suddenly realized that it was dangerous. It was a bad place. A place that frightened them. Perhaps it was the source of an evil sorcery they sealed up
to prevent it from ever being discovered, or used again.”
“Now that makes perfect sense.” Ryan said.
Kate added in her research. “At the risk of sounding redundant, because I know you’ve learned quite a bit about this so far, my research tells me that this place was used exactly in that manner. A group of powerful sorcerers or witches were using this as a spiritual portal. They were caught with their hands in the cookie jar, and their little demonic business was shut down. Then came the flood that wiped away the known civilizations.
When civilizations cropped back up in places like Sumer, perhaps one or two thousand years after the flood, some evil sorcerers learned of the old demonic conjurers. They decided that they needed to get this spirit portal reopened. Apparently, they were caught or something happened to them that prevented them from accomplishing their goal. Then along came people like our parents who started digging it up. So now the structure is all ready to go. The worst part is the old witches were somehow able to hang around waiting for this alignment.”
Lexi asked. “Do you think this portal is like a time machine? Can people go back in time through it?”
Kate thought about what Lexi asked and offered her answer. “No. I don’t think so. Not in the way you’re thinking. I believe that through the use of some kind of magic it can be a type of a time machine, but only for the spirits. Imagine spirits or demons that were locked away, bound to a time and place long ago. Now imagine you had a portal to the past that could free them, and bring them into the present.” Kate said.
“Yeah, that would be bad. Incredibly bad.” Lexi said.
“Of course, there is no way to know all of the secrets this place could hold, since we have only unearthed a portion of what is here on the dig.”