Quickly, she and the other two rushed back to the room they’d just left. Both of the men she’d sent into the middle passage were laying on the floor. Their bodies had multiple puncture wounds throughout the torso and limbs. The red head had received one through the left eye. A pool of blood surrounded the bodies and was draining towards the main entrance to the room, slowly.
She’d been lucky. Whatever it was that killed them hit them with enough force to knock them out of the tunnel. “They’re gone,” she said two the last two as she pointed to the third doorway. “This must be the way.”
Hunter Carlson considered the situation for a moment. There was no way he could take them all out. His only hope was to negotiate. He’d done his research on Schultz and Wyatt, though he had no idea who the others were. “The people I work for only want gold,” he said after deliberating. “While you, Mr. Wyatt and your friend over here care more about the historical side of things. You want to make sure antiquities are preserved. The money is of no consequence, right?”
“What are you getting at?” Tommy asked from behind.
Carlson’s gun moved a little to the right as he moved his head slightly at the question. That was all Will needed. His weapon fired, sending a painful echo around the room. The bullet was true though, and found its mark squarely on the gunman’s wrist. The impact of the round caused Carlson to instantly drop his weapon to the floor, grasping his arm with the other hand.
Tommy grabbed the gun and held it at his side. Hunter’s face contorted in mixture anger and agony.
“You ok?” Sean asked her. She nodded.
“Glad you could catch up,” Tommy said, calming down a tense moment. He smiled at his friend.
Sean grinned, “Next time, make sure you check who’s driving before you hop in a car.”
Angela and the remaining two men on her team heard the gun shot echo through the passageway. They froze in place, wondering if the shot was directed at them. There was no bullet ricochet. Still, the sound meant that they weren’t far away. “Keep your lights low on the ground in front of us,” she ordered. “We don’t want to announce our arrival.”
Tommy smiled. “Glad you brought those,” he said pointing at the backpack containing the golden leaves. “It looks like they go on that pedestal over there.” He walked over and knelt down on the hard stone. Carefully, he lifted the frail looking objects out of Sean’s backpack and admired them for a moment; the intricate craftsmanship was stunning. “There must be a counter balance system here like the one we found in Georgia.”
“Not more ancient elevators, I hope,” Sean joked.
“Only one way to find out.” Tommy stood up and walked over to the stone altar. He gently laid the first leaf into place where it matched the design.
Will paid no attention. He just kept staring at Carlson with his gun pointed at the man’s head. Carlson was returning the gaze but wasn’t sure what was going through Will’s mind. He clutched his bloody wrist with the other hand but gave no indication of pain. The gears of Will’s mind were turning. He needed to find out who Carlson worked for. Then he would kill him.
Tommy had already laid the second leaf into place and was now setting the third one down. He cautiously let the object settle into its seat. A clicking sound came from within the pedestal and the center wall. It was then joined by a deep rumble that shook the entire room. Suddenly, the center wall then began to move, revealing a seam along the top and sides. A huge doorway was opening from the middle of the wall.
“A hidden door,” Adriana marveled at the sight.
The enormous piece of stone continued downward, shaking ancient dust from its surface as it moved. Sean and Tommy pointed their flashlights through the opening as it continued to widen. Through the darkness, they could see the reflection of their beams on the other side.
Adriana stepped next to Sean. She could see a glimmer of something metallic just through the short passage between the rooms.
“You all go on ahead,” Will said loudly. “I’ll stay here with this piece of crap.”
The others nodded and stepped slowly into the tunnel as the large door finished its descent with a loud thud. Sean reached into his pack and pulled out a handful a large, white glow sticks. He bent one until the bright light illuminated and he dropped it on the floor. The stick cast an eerie white light on the walls and ceilings of the stone. Then he took a few more, activated them and tossed them ahead into the next room. As the sticks began to glow, their eyes were filled with an unbelievable site. Statues, gold panels, scrolls, medallions, plates, ancient armor were all placed neatly around the room.
Sean glanced at Tommy. His friend’s face beamed with excitement. Before he could say anything, Schultz was on the other side of the chamber looking at a stone placard with a Babylonian engraving on it. Then he moved quickly to another piece, a thin golden scroll with ancient Hebrew imprinted on it. He traced his fingers along the writing for a few seconds before going to the next object.
The room was gigantic, running around seventy feet long and probably just as wide. Each wall was decorated with precious objects from an ancient civilization. In the center of the room, a triangular stone pedestal sat alone. Sean walked over to it and noted the designs that covered the sides of it. On each side was a pyramid of varying sizes, shapes that were eerily familiar. At the top of the pedestal, a small, round stone sat silently. It was the third stone.
Adriana could not help but admire the work that represented so many ancient cultures. She wondered, “Why are all of these from things here? They’re from civilizations on the other side of the world.” Something in her voice told Sean she had already come up with the answer.
“We’ve been trying to figure that out,” Tommy answered.
“Think about it,” she continued. “These relics represent nearly every major society from antiquity. There are even some here that the history books never mention. How did they get here?”
“There are theories that maybe there was an ancient trade route that people from the old world took long before Columbus came to the new world,” Tommy responded as he kept examining the cache.
“Perhaps,” she said. “But what if it was something else?”
Tommy stopped where he was and looked over at her. Sean did the same. “What are you getting at?”
“I have been investigating the lost chambers for some time now. When you two found the first one in Georgia, I knew that there were many symbols and signs pointing to ancient civilizations. But most of what you found was just words and gold. “Now that I see these relics with my own eyes. I am convinced of the truth.”
“What truth?” Sean asked, suspiciously.
“The people who brought these things here were not traders. They left their home out of necessity. And they brought as much as they could from their history to preserve it.” She looked at them both before continuing. “A collection like this could only have come from one place. The Library of Alexandria.”
Will watched the others out of the corner of his eye. When he thought they were too far away to hear him he sneered at Carlson.
“Now here is what’s going to happen. You’re going to tell me who you work for; then I’ll make sure that you die quickly.”
Carlson’s eyes flashed in surprise. “What are you talking about?”
Will held the gun lower, pointing it at the man’s right knee. “Have you ever been shot in the knee, Hunter?”