Jesse stopped at a fork in the tunnel, pointing his flashlight to the right. “That’s where we’re headed.”
Sandi glanced to the left where the main tunnel seemed to continue on. “Where does that lead?”
“About four hundred feet down.”
She arched a dark eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yeah. Of course, it’s mostly flooded now, but it was fully operational up until three years ago when Smith and Rochford determined it was no longer a profitable run. I could get the pumps going again, and keep working down there, but truth be told, it would probably cost me more in diesel to keep the water out than I would ever find in gold. I can give you a tour of the gold mine if you’re interested, or I could show you the mask…”
She nodded. “All right. Let’s see where you found that mask…”
Jesse fixed the beam of his flashlight on a large opening of fractured obsidian. “It’s through there, but mind your step. The blast took out part of the ground, leaving a wide hole that extends more than thirty feet deep.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll keep an eye out for it.”
“Make sure that you do…”
She ducked as she climbed through the opening. A thick piece of rope ran from a disused mine cart, through the gap and down the hole in the obsidian floor.
Sandi’s eyes narrowed as they darted between the void and Jesse. “We’ve got to go down there?”
Jesse grinned. “Sure do… It’s like the Temple of Doom all over again, hey?”
“It’s too bad you had to blast,” Rodier said. “I wonder if there had been any other artifacts.”
“There wasn’t any sign of anything on the walls,” Jesse said emphatically. “I had no idea whatsoever, until I came down here after the blast. All I knew was that there was a plug of obsidian in my way.”
“Did you find any gold?” Sandi asked.
Jesse crunched his face up tight, opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again.
“What is it?” she asked.
He made a little shrug, like she’d caught him out on a would-be lie. “I found some pretty worthless low-grade gold ore. The kind that isn’t rich enough for the mining companies to bother about. That’s why this place is abandoned.”
“Ahh,” she said, avoiding his gaze. There was no doubt the man was lying about something. She toyed with the idea of questioning him further, but decided against it. After all, what did she care if the man was stealing ore from a disused mineshaft? She said, “Let’s see the mask! I’m dying to see whether it’s Neanderthal or Mayan!”
He handed her the rope. “After you.”
Her lips formed an incredulous smile. “We’re just going to climb down the rope?”
“Sure, why not?” Jesse replied. “It’s a thick rope; I’m sure someone like you would have no trouble climbing it.”
“I’m not afraid of that… it’s just…”
Sam Reilly said, “You can wait here if you want while we go look at the mask.”
That was enough encouragement for her. “No, thank you. I think I’ll go first, shall I?”
Jesse spread his hand out, motioning toward the rope. “Be my guest.”
She climbed down, hand over hand. Reilly and Rodier followed immediately afterward, with Jesse climbing down last.
Sandi cast her eyes around the empty obsidian vault. It was magical on its own. Most likely forming after a large air bubble developed in the rich lava of an ancient volcano.
Next to her, Jesse shined his flashlight on the mask.
It was embedded — or more accurately, frozen — within a solid wall of clear obsidian.
She felt her breathing speed up. It was as though a feeling had come over them all, one that seemed to touch upon the mysteries of the universe.
The Great Pyramid of Egypt.
Stonehenge.
Easter Island.
And a mine shaft outside the Monarch Mountains, Colorado.
Behind her, Sam Reilly said, “Good God! It’s true. You found one of the Eternity Masks!”
She turned to face him. “The what masks?”
“Never you mind.” Sam already had a handgun out and level with her chest. “I want you all over there, where I can see you!”
“What the hell is the meaning of this?” Jesse said. “You won’t get away with stealing the damned mask! What do you think, I’m an idiot? Betty knows where I am. If we don’t come back she’ll come looking with the sheriff.”
Reilly said, “You can keep the mask.”
Sandi backed up against the obsidian wall. “If you don’t want the mask, then what did you come here for?”
“I needed to make sure it stayed buried forever.”
Sandi asked, “What does an oceanographer care about an ancient mask staying buried?”
Rodier said, “I knew it. You’re not really Sam Reilly, are you?”
The stranger with the gun shrugged. “Afraid not.”
Jesse said, “Then who are you?”
“Someone who’s devoted his life to keeping those masks buried.”
Rodier spread the palms of his hands outward. “Okay. If that’s what you want, we won’t examine the mask. We’ll just climb out and forget it ever existed.”
The man kept his gun levelled at the three of them. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple. I really am. I’m not a murderer. I didn’t choose to come here and kill you. I did this for you, for everyone, really. If it makes you feel better, you can stay here for eternity to study the damned mask.”
Rodier dived forward, jumping at the gun.
The stranger squeezed the trigger three times. Rodier cried out as all three bullets slammed into him, two in his chest, one just below his diaphragm.
Sandi dropped to the obsidian floor, holding pressure on the lower of the three gunshot wounds. There wasn’t a lot of blood coming out of the top two wounds, but the third one must have severed a major artery — probably the abdominal aorta — there was likely nothing they could do to save Rodier. Even so, she held her hand on the wound as best she could.
In the scuffle, Jesse made an attempt to reach the handgun, but the stranger hit him in the jaw with his elbow. It was a solid blow. Not hard enough to knock him unconscious, but plenty hard enough to daze him.
Sandi looked up, but already the stranger was climbing the rope.
“Wait!” she shouted. “I need to know why…”
The stranger glanced down from the top of the rope and met her eye. “I’m sorry. Truly, I am. I wish to God Jesse had never found the mask. All I’m doing is what needs to be done.”
“No wait!” she screamed.
But the stranger had cut the rope and disappeared, leaving them trapped inside the obsidian vault.
Jesse cursed.
Sandi noticed the blood had stopped spurting. She released her hand. There was no longer any need to apply direct pressure.
Rick Rodier was already dead.
There was nothing they could do for him. Not that it mattered any more, there was nothing they could do to save themselves.
Jesse squeezed her hand. “You tried your best. It’s not your fault.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “I know.”
“I wasn’t lying when I said that Betty would come looking for us with the sheriff as soon as we don’t return tonight. It might take a while, but they’ll reach us. All we have to do is wait.”
They did wait.
Not wanting to use up all their batteries before Betty came for them, they switched off their flashlights.
Time passed slowly.
Maybe an hour went by, maybe more. It was hard to say. But somewhere along the line, they heard a muted rumble. Their entire world started to shake in a giant earthquake.