"Do me a favor," I called out. "Get everyone up here."
"Why?" He turned toward me. "Did you find something?"
"Sure did." I grinned. "I found an entrance."
Chapter 45
With a loud yawning noise, the giant block sank further into the pyramid. I waited for it to stop moving. Then I pulled out my flashlight. My beam revealed a set of steep stairs leading into the pyramid.
I lowered my boot to the first step. It held my weight without a problem. I took another step. Then I slowly descended the staircase.
At the bottom, I entered a tunnel. I waited for Emily and the others to join me. Then I headed south. The tunnel's slope quickly steepened to a forty-five degree angle. After ten feet, I turned west and entered a new tunnel. The slope steepened to sixty-degrees. I found it difficult to maintain my footing on the smooth surface.
I reached another corner. A perpendicular tunnel led off to the north. I stopped short of it. The floor block in front of me was gigantic and steeply slanted. Its southern end was flush to the block under my feet while its northern end was on a much lower level.
Leaning out, I glanced around the corner. The perpendicular tunnel continued at an extremely steep angle for a couple of yards before hitting a dead end.
"Something's wrong here," I said. "It—"
"Get away." Emily's scream reverberated in the tight space. "It's mine."
I spun around.
She slammed into me, taking out my legs in the process. My body twisted. I fell on the mysterious floor block. Fighting off wooziness, I lifted my chin. Emily lay sprawled on top of me. Her eyes looked dazed, disoriented.
The tunnel rumbled. A cracking noise filled my eardrums. Rock scraped against rock. The floor block shifted underneath me and started to sink into the ground.
"Get out of there," Beverly shouted.
I looked at the southern wall. It consisted of a large slab of rock. The slab started to vibrate and shake.
I shoved Emily. She rolled into the other tunnel.
The block jolted as it slammed to a halt. The slab slid toward me.
I suddenly realized the sloping block was more than just a floor. It was a wedge. For centuries, it had kept the slab in place.
But no longer.
I clambered to my feet.
The slab picked up steam.
Graham reached his hand out.
I grabbed it. He yanked.
I flew out of the tunnel. The giant slab hurtled past me, narrowly missing my right leg. Stone crunched as it slammed into the dead end.
I touched the back of my head. I felt sticky blood.
Beverly shot Emily a furious glance as she raced to my side. "What's wrong with you?"
Emily blinked a few times. Her eyes cleared. A look of confusion crossed her visage.
Beverly examined my head. "We need to get you to Dr. Wu."
"We're going to have to be more careful from here on out." As I stood up, I glanced at the ancient trap. "Because it looks like Hunahpu is playing for keeps."
Chapter 46
The mist parted and I saw the clinic. As I walked toward it, something stung my arm. It felt like an oversized raindrop. I slapped at it. Then I slapped my neck. And then my leg.
Damn flies.
Flies swarmed me, feasting on my flesh. They left behind layers of itchy bites. It took every ounce of strength I possessed to keep from tearing off my clothes and itching myself from head to toe.
Beverly had offered to walk me back to camp, but I'd insisted on going alone. The back of my head stung a bit, but otherwise I felt fine.
I veered toward the fire. The smoke drove the flies away. Then an ear-piercing scream rang out. I forgot all about the booby trap and sprinted to the clinic. Wrenching open the flap, I darted into the interior.
Dr. Wu glanced in my direction. He wore a respirator over his nose and mouth. "Stay back."
Pacho lay on a sleeping bag. His arms trembled. His legs kicked out. His head twisted from side to side. "Where … what …?"
"You're fine." Dr. Wu grabbed his hand. Clasped it hard. "You're okay."
Pacho blinked. His eyes flickered open. They looked dull, nearly lifeless. "It hurts … oh my God, it hurts so bad."
"What hurts?"
"Forehead." He clenched his teeth together and shoved the side of his head into a pillow. "Hot … like fire."
"Okay, I can help you. But you have to stay calm."
Pacho thrashed to his right. Then to his left.
The doc grabbed Pacho's shoulders. Firmly, he pushed the man into the sleeping bag. "I know it's hard, but you have to stay still. We don't know what's wrong with you yet."
Pacho quaked violently. "Please hurry."
Dr. Wu rooted through his bag. "Dang it all."
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"He needs a sedative. But I'm out of vials. Can you watch him while I get my other bag?"
I nodded.
Dr. Wu threw me a box of latex gloves and a respirator.
I frowned. "Is this necessary?"
He jabbed a thumb at Pacho. "Do you want to look like that?"
I quickly donned the gloves and strapped the mask around my head. Its foam face seal clung tightly to my skin.
As the doc ducked out of the clinic, Pacho groaned under his breath. His cheeks puffed out. His skin took on a reddish tint. "It's hot, real hot. Feels like I'm in the desert."
"Try to relax," I said.
"They're starting to hurt."
"What's starting to hurt?"
"My bones. They hurt like hell. They …" His voice died off.
"Pacho?" I shook him hard. "Wake up."
Dr. Wu raced into the clinic with a second bag in his hands. His jaw tightened as he laid eyes on Pacho. Quickly, he threw the bag on the floor and started to rummage through it.
The tent flap moved behind me. "What's wrong with him?"
I glanced over my shoulder. Rain poured off Tum's head, soaking the grass at his feet. "He's got bone pain." I felt Pacho's sticky forehead with a gloved hand. "And he's hot. He's definitely running a fever."
The tent swished. And then Tum was gone.
"We have to move fast." Dr. Wu produced a vial. "I need your help."
Pacho convulsed on the sleeping bag. His face contorted in pain.
"What can I do?" I asked.
The doc swabbed alcohol on Pacho's skin. "Hold him down."
I grabbed Pacho's arms. They felt slippery in my grip. He convulsed again. I pushed harder, trying my best to pin him to the ground.
Dr. Wu prepped a needle.
The tent swished again. "Hey doc."
The needle paused an inch above Pacho's arm. "I'm busy."
Tum held up a handful of evergreen leaves. "I've got Chi ke' leaves."
"So what?"
"So, they'll help him."
Dr. Wu exhaled loudly. "You need to leave."
"Let me feed these to him."
"They're not even clean. Just—"
"A little dirt never hurt anyone." Tum leaned over Pacho and pressed a handful of the leaves into the man's mouth. "Eat these," he whispered. "You'll feel better."
The doc's eyes practically exploded out of his head. "Are you insane?"
Pacho stopped fidgeting. His jaw started to move. His throat swallowed.
Dr. Wu dropped the needle and lunged for Pacho's mouth. He pried it open and reached inside. A dark frown creased his face. "Help me prop him up," he said to me. "I'm going to induce vomiting."
"The leaves will help him," Tum said. "Anyway vomiting won't work. They're already in his system."
"What did you give him?"
"It's a traditional Lacandon remedy for fevers and—"
"It's shaman bullshit."
"My leaves are better than your drugs."
"Is that right? Then what's in them?"
Tum hesitated. "I don't know. But they work."