He stole a quick look at the guard nearest him to the left. It was the guy he'd been across from in the back of the truck, the one in whom Sean had planted the seeds of madness.
Over his shoulder, in a hushed tone, Sean whispered, "Do you see the spirits?"
The guy's head twitched, and he clenched his weapon a little tighter. He said nothing.
"Can you hear them? They're coming. They're coming to protect what belongs to them."
The guard blinked rapidly and took a wary step back. "Quiet," he ordered. It was the first time the guy had said anything. His accent was distinctly Eastern European.
Sean's delirium only served to heighten the madness in his tone. "It won't matter how quiet I am, or any of us. We are on sacred land. The spirits are coming."
Tommy looked over his shoulder at his friend, wondering what he was going on about. He only caught the last few words, but his initial thought was that Sean had lost it.
Under the slab, Jack's legs jerked back and forth. "I… I think I've got it!" he shouted. "It's… beautiful. And it's really heavy."
Sean paid no attention to the former rugby player. He was locked in on his victim now.
"Turn around," the nervous man said. "And keep quiet."
Jack wiggled out from under the slab. He was dragging something heavy, straining as he pulled the object from its hiding place. His head appeared last. Once he was clear of the slab, moving the object became easier. He put both hands under the stone and tugged.
At first, the only thing visible to the rest of the men was a yellowish, narrow object about three inches wide. As Jack removed the entire, thing, everyone's eyes widened as the golden boomerang glimmered in the rays of sunlight streaking through the canopy above.
"I can't believe it," Jack said with a huge grin. He grabbed the object at both ends and held it up to the sky. "I can't believe it!"
Tommy noticed the engravings on the boomerang as Jack held it high. He sighed at the thought of this grunt getting his hands on it. They could learn much from what was carved into the precious metal. Not now.
Sean never looked back at Jack holding up the treasure. He was too busy staring into the guard's soul.
"I told you to turn around," the man's voice grew louder.
Suddenly, a deep vibrating tone echoed through the leaves. The guards simultaneously snapped their heads around to find the source of the noise, but they could see nothing.
The sound was joined by a similar one from another part of the woods. The eerie tone sent a chill up Sean's spine. He didn't let the guards know that. Another didgeridoo came to life in yet another part of the forest, completely surrounding the group in the noise.
"I told you the spirits were coming," Sean said to his guard.
Jack lowered the heavy object and looked around. He tried not to panic but couldn't find the ones responsible for the noise. He set the boomerang on top of the slab and pulled out his pistol, waving it around in all directions.
Sean's guard took a step back. His hands clutching the assault rifle trembled. "Turn around," he said in a quivering voice. "Turn around, and shut your mouth."
Sean had no intention of obeying. He used the noise to his advantage. "They're here because we disturbed a sacred place. And now they will make you pay."
"I told you to shut—"
The man's heel struck a root, and he tripped. His arms flailed wildly as he tried to keep his balance. He fell over backward and accidentally fired his weapon, sending a bullet harmlessly into the trees.
Sean pounced like a hungry lion. One step, and he jumped on the man, even before the guard's back hit the ground.
Jack saw what was happening and aimed at the American. Sean was too fast, though, and grabbed his victim by the shirt. With what little strength he had left, Sean rolled the guard over — putting him squarely between himself and Jack's weapon. Jack pulled the trigger rapidly, sending round after round into the human shield's back.
The man's face grimaced with every bullet that sank into his body until one struck his spinal cord. Then his body went totally limp. Sean felt it go heavy but managed to keep the dead man propped up.
The other four guards saw what happened and turned their attention to Sean, momentarily forgetting about Reece and Tommy. The two big men charged the guys closest to them. They both yelled like rabid wolves, driving their shoulders into the guards before they could whip their weapons around and fire.
Tommy plowed his man into the ground, landing on top of the guard with all his weight. The side of the guy's head hit the ground and dazed him for a moment. Tommy summoned the last remnants of his strength and straddled the man's chest. He pummeled the guard's face over and over again with clenched fists, each blow pushing the victim closer and closer to unconsciousness.
Six feet away, Reece had tumbled over his guy and rolled beyond him. The guard stood up and lunged at the big Aussie, who clambered up from the ground and sank a fist deep into the guard's abdomen.
The guy grunted and doubled over, but he stayed on his feet and deflected Reece's next punch, countering with his own to the Aussie's jaw.
Sean heard Jack's gun click. He was out of rounds. It wouldn't take him long to reload. Sean had to act fast. Then he noticed the other two guards taking aim at Tommy as he pounded one of the guards into oblivion.
Sean's instincts kicked in. He grabbed the knife off his human shield's belt and flipped it over. It only took Sean half a second to size up the distance between him and the guard closest to him. From his backside, he twisted his upper body and flung the blade as hard as he could.
The knife zipped through the air. The tip sank deep into tissue to the right of the gunman's shoulder blade. He yelled and fired his weapon wildly into the air as he dropped to the ground.
The last guard turned around and aimed his rifle at Sean. The dead guy Sean had used before wouldn't help him against that weapon.
He saw the gunman's finger tense on the trigger as he was about to pull it and effectively cut Sean in half. Out of nowhere, something struck the man in the neck. It protruded like a dangling white ornament made of a fuzzy material. The guard winced and grabbed at the dart. He looked around desperate to find the new assailant, but the forest was empty.
Then the poison took hold.
He started shaking as the venom worked its way through his blood, aided by the fact that he'd taken the dart squarely in the carotid artery. He clutched his neck with both hands, squeezing it with his fingers to keep the burning from going any farther. It was too late. The venom did its job quickly. The guard dropped to his knees as his throat tightened. His face reddened as he desperately tried to force air into his lungs. The last sound he made before he fell face-first into the dirt was a desperate gurgle.
Sean stole a look around into the trees. He couldn't find the shooter, and there was no trace of the blowgun. If they were an enemy, he'd be next. Something in Sean's mind told him that whoever was in the trees had no intention of hurting him.
Jack reached into his belt and grabbed a fresh magazine. His hands moved fast as Sean sprang up from the ground and charged. One thumb pressed the button that loosed the magazine from its housing. The other hand deftly brought the magazine around and slid it into the base of the weapon. Sean took one more big step, and Jack held the gun down and jerked the slide back to chamber a new round.
Sean flew through the air, yelling like a banshee. Jack raised the weapon and fired. The round whizzed past Sean's head, missing by mere inches.
The second shot never came.
Sean crashed into Jack, his weight driving the big man back against the stone slab. Jack brought the gun around to take another shot. Sean raised his forearm and blocked the move then smashed his fist into his opponent's jaw. Sean followed the blow by grabbing the gun with his other hand and twisting it at an awkward angle. Jack had no choice but to let go or have his fingers broken by the weapon.