Kate jumped up catching hold of the wooden torch. She was now hanging in the air a few feet above the ground. She quickly found a foothold helping Jason as he lifted her up hand over hand until he was able to reach her. Then with all his strength, he lifted her up and out, both of them landing on the floor.
Then they heard a loud screeching sound as the mist rose itself into a serpent-like form high above the tomb entrance. Without warning it dove down just as Jason and Kate were clear of the opening. The screeching sound increased, forcing them to cover their ears. The snake-like mist entered the underground tomb with tremendous force, whipping up a strong gust of wind behind it, creating a vacuum effect and closing the lid back in place.
Then there was silence, the cavern did not make a sound. Jason and Kate heard the fast pounding of their hearts as it quickened its beat.
They then turned to each other saying, “let’s get out of this damned place!”
Sally was waiting at the top of the stairway.
“You made it! My god! What was that thing? And what about the king’s treasure? Aren’t we going to tell someone what we have discovered?” Asked Sally.
Jason looked back as they walked out of the cavern.
“Some things are better left untold!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The sun was above the trees when they stepped out from the rocky entrance. Jason covered the opening as best as he could, hiding it from the rest of the world. He hoped no one would ever find it again.
The day began to heat up, drying the rain-soaked trees and soft ground. Animal life emerged again, and exotic birds sang their song as the sun’s rays penetrated the jungle canopy. Monkeys leaped from tree to tree, chased by a dominant male.
Jason and the girls hiked their way back to civilization, stopping only to rest and drink from a cool stream of water. They finally emerged out into the open with the Chichen-Itza temples towering above them. They walked their way through the crowds of tourists who were staring at their blood soaked clothes as if they just had a battle with the devil himself.
Jason then heard somebody calling his name from the furthest end of the crowd. He saw Danny running towards them.
“My god! What happened to the lot of you?” Asked Danny.
“You don’t want to know. Just get us out of this place,” Jason said as he held onto Danny’s shoulders.
As they boarded the waiting plane to take them back home. Kate turned to Sally and said, “here Sally, a souvenir for you.”
From her pocket, she took out a small golden statue in the image of a young Mayan princess, dating back nearly two thousand years. The plane took off and circled the jungle for the last time, leaving its secrets behind.
Little did they know, the ground shook deep inside the ancient cavern as its protector burst its way out from the king’s tomb aware something was missing.