Cave Dwellers

by Randall, Jonathan

  The afternoon was spent with reporters and cameramen recording videos for their broadcasts. There seemed to be an endless supply of questions about what they had to endure, how they felt going through it, how did it feel to finally be out, and on and on.

  Zaac and Ramira were glad to see them leave. He wanted to spend a few minutes with his family before meeting everyone at Aemilio’s.

  They were in the middle of dinner when the media showed up there. Zaac knew that it was probably a publicity stunt. What better way for Aemilio’s to get free advertising? They tried to ignore the cameras and video equipment but didn’t quite succeed.

  A comment from Ramira—“This is the best pizza in the world”—was a perfect advertisement for Carlo, and more than he could have dreamed possible. Of course, what pizza wouldn’t taste like the best if it was your first piece after being trapped underground for several months?

  The next week they went to school to see whether they could take their final exams. The teachers were more than willing to accommodate them under the circumstances.

  Zaac was able to finish his eleventh grade and start into his twelfth. Ramira finished her twelfth year and got her diploma. She would have loved to graduate with her friends and the other students in her grade, but that, she guessed, was life.

  A few days later, when the real estate agent got back to them, Laura learned that the land was separated into four different deeds. The owners had died and left it to their children. Two of the children had died. These two were never married and had no heirs. The other two lived with their children in other parts of the country.

  The land was indeed for sale but the paperwork had been languishing on some lawyer’s desk while he dealt with things he considered more important. It turned out the descendents owned all of the land Zaac and Ramira had targeted and the two mountains behind the farmhouse. The tract was a little more than 500 acres. The lawyer told them the sellers were hoping to get $1.1 million for the whole parcel of land.

  Zaac and Ramira agreed to the price and they were soon the owners of two mountains and the 500 acres, including the old farmhouse.

  Zaac bought an axe and a machete. They spent the next week clearing a path through the rhododendron thickets up to the cave. He got the measurements for the cave opening and had special steel doors made two inches thick with a combination locking mechanism to seal off the opening to the cave. While they were being made, he got the chisels and sledge hammers he needed and made holes in the rock opening to fit the new doors. Once the doors were ready, he carried them up the mountain.

  They needed another man to help him with the task and chose Ramira’s dad to be the one. But first he might need to know a detail or two. They took him out to the farmhouse one evening and walked up the mountain to show him the cave where they came out of the tunnels. While they were walking, they approached the subject that needed to be discussed.

  When they were a third of the way up the mountain, Ramira said, “Dad, while we were in the caves, a couple of things happened to us that gave us some unusual capabilities.”

  Frank paused a moment while they were climbing looking at her with a strange expression on his face. “What sort of things are we talking about?”

  “Nothing to really concern you,” Ramira said as she stepped around the top of a dead tree that had fallen. “But one of the abilities is that Zaac now has a very unusual strength. He can lift and carry some very heavy things.”

  “How heavy?” he asked, giving Zaac a side glance.

  “We don’t know for sure.” Ramira knew that this answer would totally blow his mind. “But we’re guessing a couple of tons.”

  This comment brought Frank to a dead stop in his tracks. “He can what?”

  Ramira stopped and faced her dad. “He can carry some very heavy things, like boulders and heavy steel doors.”

  Frank raised his eyebrows at her. “And you are telling me these things because?”

  “Because you’ll see an example shortly of what he can carry and we could use some help to put them in place.”

  “So this little trip is not just to show me where you two emerged from the tunnels?” He suddenly understood.

  “Well, we did want to show you where we got out and all, but we had an ulterior motive too.” She smiled at him.

  Frank looked at her with a big grin. “You’re becoming more like your mother every day. And to answer your unspoken question, yes I’ll be glad to help you.”

  Zaac and Frank got the steel doors installed. Frank was able to see Zaac’s unusual strength firsthand. He watched in fascination as Zaac lifted the heavy doors and put them in place. When they were finished, they stood back to admire their handiwork. The tunnel was now sealed off.

  The next thing they wanted to do was have a small lake built about three to five acres in size at the base of the mountain. They planned to divert the stream through it for a water supply with a dam allowing the water to flow back into the stream. Getting the state’s natural resources permission was easier than they had expected and they hired a construction team to dig it out and install the overflow dam. When it was finished, the water was diverted and the lake started to fill.

  Zaac and Ramira discussed what would be the best possible thing to do about the gold. Get it all out at once and cash it in or get small portions at a time. They finally decided to get it all out. They would cash it in and invest the money.

  When it was done, news spread rapidly of the find. It was the largest gold discovery on record. All of the bars came to $43,376,000. The coins were cashed in at a value of $22,800,000. The total of both came to $66,576,000.

  Again they were flooded with inquiries from the news media wanting to know the story behind the gold. Everyone wanted to get a piece of the pie but no one could provide any proof that they had any claim to it.

  The coins were traced back to the army mule train. How it ever got back to North Carolina was yet to be discovered. The gold that made the bars was still a mystery.

  Zaac and Ramira wanted to build something that would allow them to bring Rogue and Siri out of the cavern but also keep them safe. The megapetomeinon were the reason the lake had been built. It was going to be stocked with fish to provide a nice food supply for them. They finally agreed to build a chalet on the top of the mountain with a large garage that had an apartment over it. Rogue and Siri could stay in the garage while Zaac and Ramira stayed in the apartment or the cabin.

  They contacted an architect who drew up the designs. While he was working on that, they had a switchback road built and paved to go up the mountain. They wanted the garage built first.

  The road was completed, plans were drawn up, and construction started on the garage.

  25

  Zaac’s school days were no longer the same. The experiences he had faced and now, with the popularity he had acquired from the vast treasure he and Ramira had found, made him the talk of the school.

  Everywhere he went, he noticed students staring at him and talking in whispers. He could only imagine what was being said.

  Zaac was constantly being asked by teachers to speak about the ordeal, what it was like, how he coped. The science and biology teachers were at the foremost of this list.

  Matt joined him one day at lunch. “I feel like I’m with a celebrity now,” he said, sitting down across from Zaac in the cafeteria.

  “Some celebrity! Why is it that I feel that I’m the talk of the whole school?”

  “It’s not just the school. It’s the whole area. You and Ramira are the biggest thing that has happened around here in years. And that gold find. Wow! I’m having a hard time getting use to the fact that my best friend is a millionaire.”

  “Millionaire or not, I’m still just me,” Zaac said, blushing as he looked down at his plate.

  “Is it true that you bought a couple of mountains?” Matt asked.

  “Yes, a couple of mountains with the surrounding land. We had a dam and lake built. Now they’re working on a garag
e. We plan to build a chalet up on one of the mountains,” Zaac responded.

  “That’s so cool. Do any of them offer a good chance for us to practice our mountain climbing skills?”

  “There are two or three spots that offer some pretty good challenges for climbing. You want to try one of them this Saturday?” Zaac figured it would be interesting. Matt had no idea of his new climbing ability and he didn’t think it was a good idea for him to know about it.

  “I would love for us to do some climbing. Plus, I’m off work Saturday.”

  “Great. I’ll be by to pick you up around eight in the morning. How does that sound?”

  “Awesome. I’m looking forward to it. It’s been awhile since we’ve done anything together.”

  “I know. Since we’ve gotten out of the caves, life has been pretty hectic.”

  “I’ll see you Saturday morning, bright and early.” The two friends finished their lunch and headed off to class.

  Saturday arrived and Zaac showed up at Matt’s house a few minutes before eight. Matt was ready and came rushing out of the house to greet him.

  “Morning bro,” Matt said as he climbed jubilantly into the SUV and buckled his seatbelt.

  “Morning. You seem awful chipper,” Zaac said, looking at him with curiosity.

  “I guess I am pretty excited. I think this is so neat, climbing a mountain that you own. Go figure.”

  Zaac didn’t have a response for that; he hadn’t thought about it in the way that Matt obviously did. He and Ramira hadn’t owned the property very long, not to mention all of the ramifications that went with it. He pulled out of the driveway and headed toward their mountains.

  Before long, Zaac and Matt arrived at the road where the two farm houses were located, one of which was the house where Zaac and Ramira had called their parents when they emerged from the caves. Zaac pointed out the houses and said, “Our property line starts here. Those mountains you see are ours. We own several acres on the other side of them as well as all of the land on this side.”

  He turned into the dirt road that led to his driveway and pointed to the mountain that would not be the site of the chalet. “That’s the mountain we will be climbing today.”

  Matt looked up at it with excitement. Glancing over at the other mountain, he could see the construction that was taking place. “I see you’re building your chalet up there.”

  “After we’re through climbing, I’ll take you up there and show you what we’re doing.”

  They got their backpacks out of the SUV. The packs had all of the necessary supplies for climbing—harnesses, ropes, cams, carabiners, and belay devices along with bottles of water, Gatorade and energy bars.

  It took them ninety minutes to hike to the start of the climb.

  When they arrived, Matt looked up to see a rugged rock wall that ascended for more than 250 feet, “This ought to provide a nice challenge.”

  Zaac, following his line of sight, saw a rocky face that would defy most climbers, but with his newly acquired talents, it would be like taking a stroll in the park. The only thing was he couldn’t let Matt know about his newfound ability. The biggest challenge for him was to try and climb it normally. Then again, he could have some fun with it too.

  They got the harnesses out of the packs and fastened them on.

  “You want to go first or would you like me to?” Matt asked.

  “I’ll give it a try,” Zaac said, stepping up to the base and looking at the rock face as if he were studying which parts would be the best for handholds and ascent.

  He kept a close eye on Matt out of the corner of his eye waiting for him to be distracted. When Matt turned facing the opposite direction for a few seconds, Zaac quickly climbed up sixty feet to a small ledge. Hearing a noise overhead, Matt looked up to see Zaac placing a cam in the rock wall.

  “How did you get up there so fast?” Matt asked, astonished, with his mouth gaped. “One second you were on the ground and the next you’re over fifty feet up the wall.”

  Zaac pulled on the cam making sure it was secure. Looking back down at Matt, he said, “I don’t know. After choosing the route, I just shot up it. Let me go up to the next point for the cam and you can climb up to this little ledge.”

  Zaac secured the rope in the carabiner and started up the face of the wall. He acted like he was looking for the proper hand and foot holds but it was really just for show. With his supernatural strength and climbing capability, he could probably climb this wall with his eyes closed.

  With the proper show of exertion ostentatiously displayed, Zaac soon was placing the second cam into the wall, a carabiner in the end, and securing the rope in it.

  He shouted back down to Matt, “You can come on up now.”

  As Matt started up the side of the mountain, all of his attention was focused on his climb, as it should be. While Matt’s concentration was centered on the rock wall, Zaac hastily climbed up the cliff, placed another cam in the wall, secured the rope, and climbed up to the top before Matt reached the first ledge with the cam. He tied the rope around a rock, cinching it tightly.

  When Matt reached the first cam, he looked up to see Zaac’s progress. Not being able to locate him, he shouted, “Where are you?”

  Zaac peered over the edge, barely able to see the top of Matt’s head, “I’m at the top. The rope is anchored firmly with a rock.”

  “No way! I’ve just now reached the first ledge where you placed the cam. What did you do, jump and hop up there like a mountain goat?”

  Not exactly a mountain goat, Zaac thought to himself, but close. “I just climbed it the best way that I could and before I knew it, I was at the top. I’ll just enjoy the scenery while you climb the rest of the way up. Take your time and be careful.”

  Zaac did indeed enjoy the view while Matt struggled up the side of the mountain. When his head finally popped over the top, he was sweating profusely.

  “You definitely look like you had a workout. Are you out of shape or something?” Zaac asked, looking at him with amusement.

  “Very funny. And no, I’m not out of shape.” Matt gasped for breath. “That was one more climb.”

  “I thought it was fairly easy. Since you had such a hard time, come over and rest and see this panoramic view of the Smokies.”

  Matt walked over taking off his pack. He took out a bottle of Gatorade and a couple of energy bars and sat down next to Zaac. It was past peak season for the change of the leaves but the view was still beautiful.

  After resting for an hour, they rappeled back down to the base of the mountain, gathered their supplies and hiked back to the vehicle.

  Zaac drove up the driveway to the place where the garage was under construction. He showed him the spot where they were planning to build the chalet and tried to describe the layout of it.

  They each drank another bottle of water while they walked around among the construction talking about life in general. Progress seemed to be coming along smoothly as far as Zaac could tell.

  Finishing their water, Zaac drove Matt back to his house and dropped him off.

  “Later bro,” Matt said as he got out of the vehicle.

  “I’ll be seeing you Monday.” Zaac pulled out of the driveway and headed home.

  26

  Since Zaac and Ramira found their way out in early October, Ramira was not able to enter college at the beginning of the fall semester. She was planning to start college the next semester at the beginning of the year. Her plans were to major in Sociology at a university in northeastern Tennessee a couple of hours from where they lived. With the university being so close, she was hoping to spend weekends at home with her family and of course, Zaac.

  Zaac and Ramira were now officially dating. They had just celebrated Thanksgiving with their families and were eating at a Greek restaurant in the city. The restaurant was known for its gyros which they both loved.

  They were at the cash register paying for their meals when they heard the first sirens. When they went out on t
he sidewalk, they could see smoke rising from the top of an apartment building down the street.

  Ramira looked at Zaac with an unspoken question on her face. Zaac responded without saying a word and they started walking toward the scene.

  When they arrived, two fire trucks were there and firemen were scrambling to get the hoses attached to the fire hydrants. Before they could get that done, however, an upper floor window burst and flames poured out. Soon others exploded and the flames seemed to be shooting everywhere. The fire was building.

  All of a sudden a woman let out a scream: “My baby and the babysitter are still trapped in the building.” It turned out her apartment was located on the sixth floor, at the far back corner. The apartment building was seven stories high.

  Zaac and Ramira looked at each other knowing that this would be the perfect opportunity to use their new abilities. Why did they have them if they could not serve a good purpose?

  They rushed around to the back of building. It seemed to be deserted; all of the commotion was on the street in front. Zaac and Ramira went to the far side and counted up six floors, where there was a window on the far corner.

  Without hesitation, they clambered up the wall, busted in the window and entered one of the bedrooms. The door to the rest of the apartment was closed so they wanted to feel it before opening it.

  Ramira remembered that in a fire situation, you should always make sure a door was not hot. If it was hot to the touch, it meant that there were flames on the other side.

  When she touched the door, she jerked her hand back quickly. It was definitely hot to the touch.

  Looking at Zaac she asked, “What do we do now?”

  He walked to the wall that joined the room next door. “Maybe we can knock a hole through this wall to the next room. If they aren’t in it, we go through to the next room.”

  He punched a hole through the wall and quickly enlarged the hole enabling them to walk to the next room. The next room was the bathroom and no one was in it. The bathroom door was close. He lifted his hand to feel of it. It also was scorching hot to the touch. Smoke was filling the room from under the door.