The Forbidden Script (5 page)

While Jason and Danny were collecting supplies, Helen and her aggressors were already halfway to the site. They bound her hands pushing her to the limits in an attempt to reach the site before Jason and Danny caught up with them.

Diego did not agree with what Carlos was doing.

He whispered to him, “we do not have time to go searching for gold! We should be heading back to our vehicle with the woman.”

Carlos thought otherwise.

“This will be our backup money if Mr. Tony does not pay us in full. If we do find treasures, it will be worth much more than what he is paying us.”

They pushed Helen along both excited about finding something of value.

Helen was thankful for Jason coming up with the tree notching as she relied on it to get to the site. She prayed for Jason and Danny to be alive. Helen was sure her assailants would kill her once they found gold. Helen had no idea she was to be taken back to the States to decipher the same tablet that she had discovered.

“They have at least a twenty minute head start on us. I just hope I’m right about them going back to the site,” said Jason.

Danny was walking behind Jason, trying to keep up with his long strides. He kept his flashlight low to the ground so as not to give themselves away. Jason didn’t need a flashlight but held on to one so as not to cause any suspicion to Danny.

Then he saw fresh tracks, meaning Helen was taking the attackers to the site.

Jason said, “good girl, she’s following my tree markings, leading them straight to the entrance. We have to get there on time. I’m sure they’re gonna put a bullet through her pretty head once they find the way in.”

Danny agreed, saying, “the Chief will have our heads if anything happens to her.”

Jason stopped and faced Danny.

“Well, the stupid woman should have hid herself in a better place! It’s her own fault.”

The agents tried to quicken their pace, but the jungle is a difficult place to navigate especially during the night. Now and then they would hear the hoot of an owl and even the growling of some wild animal. Jason was not bothered by the sounds, but Danny stopped now and then to check behind him, expecting at any moment to be pounced upon by the animal responsible for the growling sounds.

It was after nine when Helen reached the entrance. She didn’t have her flashlight with her and was surprised when Carlos handed her one.

“You show us where we can find gold, and I will let you live a little longer,” said Carlos, shoving her forward.

They entered the narrow passageway making their way through the same rooms and started the descent down the long flight of stone steps. Helen was rather excited knowing she will soon be entering the area where she had stopped with Jason and Danny. But she wished the circumstances were different, exploring the site as an archaeologist and not as a hostage.

They were now at the bottom of the steps. Helen shone her light upon the large statue. She was about to enter a place where nobody had been for many hundreds of years. Carlos and Diego stayed close behind. The only thing on their minds was finding gold. As they were about to enter the unknown, Helen’s heart began to beat faster, she could feel her chest pounding, the adrenaline surging through her body. She took the first step inside the pitch black cavern. With flashlight pointing in front of her, she could see the place was enormous. The height of the cavern exceeded well over seventy feet, not even her flashlight could penetrate deep enough to reach the other end.

Hanging on each side of the walls were rows of wooden sticks with some sort of wicker wrapped around the top part. Helen knew immediately what they were used for. Below the first wooden stick was a bowl filled with thick liquid. She dipped her finger into it smelling the oil.

She asked Carlos, “do you have a match or lighter?”

He looked puzzled, but just the same he gave her his lighter. She unhooked the wooden torch from its holding place and dipped it in the oil. Next she ignited the lighter, and the wooden torch blazed to life. She smiled to herself at the wonder of a thousand or more year old technology still very useful to this day. Approaching the opposite wall she did the same. Helen then encouraged Carlos to light up one row of torches while she lit the other side. After all of them were alight, she then turned around holding a flamed torch in her hands. What she saw next was astounding. She was looking into a deep underground cavern, so vast it would take more than a day to explore the entire place.

In front of her were more stone steps leading down to a large precisely centered enclosure. It had twelve large statues representing the gods of the underworld. All twelve gods were placed in a circular fashion measuring over a hundred feet in circumference. Positioned below each statue were stone benches, probably used by the high priests while they sat in meditation, as they entered the spirit world in communication with the gods. Standing exactly in the middle was a large stone boxed like table where sacrifices were performed. On the outer side of the cavern walls were doorways waiting to be explored.

Carlos walked past Helen and made his way down to the statues followed by Diego. Helen was now confused. She had a chance to escape or follow the two men. When Carlos reached the first statue, he began to pound on it with a large rock. Helen saw what he had in mind. Her heart was dedicated to archeology, and to see newly discovered masterpieces being destroyed right in front of her eyes was enough to forget about escaping. She ran as fast as she could down the steps shouting out to Carlos.

“Stop! You’re going to destroy it! There is nothing of value here. They’re just made of marble and granite. We can search around. Maybe we will find something valuable.”

Carlos put the rock down, saying, “okay lady we look around. Don’t you do anything stupid. I will not think twice to kill you.”

Helen then convinced him that as long as nobody destroys anything, she will keep her word and not try to make a run for it.

The jungle outside was becoming colder by the minute. Jason and Danny were still pushing forward as fast as they could. They had at least another twenty minutes before reaching the entrance to the tomb. Danny wondered if they were still heading in the right direction. He thought twice about asking Jason, so he kept up his pace walking behind him.

Not too far away, Danny heard rustling among the bushes. He directed his flashlight to see a pair of ghostly eyes staring back at him. He was not sure if it was human or some wild animal following them. He kept quiet, not wanting to tell Jason for fear it was just something harmless.

Helen proceeded to the outer perimeter doorways she had seen. Carlos and Diego followed her with deep interest. The flamed torch she was holding lit up the entrance to a small passageway leading them into a twenty foot square room. In the middle of the room was what seemed to be a sarcophagus made entirely of granite. The lid was covered with Mayan inscriptions.

Carlos said, “we find gold inside coffin yes?”

Helen reads the hieroglyphs. “It seems to be the burial chamber of one of the high priests. This is old, very old, dating back to the ancient Mayans. It could be hundreds, even thousands of years old.”

Carlos pushed her aside.

“We open up, see if gold is inside.”

The sarcophagus itself was not very large since the Mayan people were a small sized race. The lid was about two inches thick and did not seem to be that heavy to move. It slid open quite easily despite being untouched after all these years. Helen made sure the two men were careful not to break anything. Once the coffin was open, she held the flamed torch over the open sarcophagus. As expected, there lay the bones of a high priest. Placed around the skeleton were small marble figurines and jade beads, which were used as an offering to pass over into the underworld. Carlos picked up some of the items but threw them back inside.

“No gold! There is nothing of value here,” he said.

Carlos then grabbed Helen by the neck.

“You find us gold! Or I kill you right now!”

Helen tried to explain to him that gold was not considered valuable to the Mayan people. It was just another item like jade, marble and obsidian which was one of the mostly used minerals of the Mayan civilization. Helen encouraged them to close the sarcophagus and continue their search for something of value.

They Left the high priest’s burial place and entered the next doorway only to find a sarcophagus of another high priest with the exact items inside the coffin. Helen saw where this was going. She was convinced the remaining burial chambers all contained generation after generation of high priests. So as like before, no gold was found in the coffins, and Carlos was becoming impatient.

“Lady! Your time is up. We find no gold so now you die!”

He reached for his gun, pointing it to Helen’s forehead, forcing her to her knees.

“Wait! Please stop!” Said Helen, begging for her life.

Click… click, Carlos cocked the firing pin of his gun, ready to press the trigger. With her arms stretched out as if to block the bullet, she said, “you saw twelve identical burial chambers, but I saw thirteen. There could be one more sarcophagus left that we haven’t opened.”

Carlos looked over to Diego, who shrugged his shoulders as a gesture to think twice and check out the remaining burial chamber. He lowered his weapon and lifted Helen to her feet. She stumbled over, still shaken by her assailant’s actions.

“Get up! Lead us to the remaining burial chamber,” said Carlos.

Helen managed to gain some strength and got to her feet. She led the way back out and into the large cavern. They went past the statues and up to higher ground. Carlos immediately grabbed her by the arm.

“Where you go? Why we are going back out?”

Helen pulled her arm free from his grip and continued walking towards the cavern entrance where the flamed torches were lit. She then looked down over the large cavern area, pointing to the far end.

“There! Over there on the opposite side is another doorway. It’s separated from the others, which must mean, whoever is buried in there must have been of great importance.”

Jason was having second thoughts to whether or not they were in fact, going in the right direction, when he noticed the rock that Helen had sat down on.

“We made it! See Danny we found the site. Hurry! Before something happens to Helen!”

They entered through the hanging moss and began the descent down the stone steps.

Danny said to himself, “here we go again.”

Helen knew she was in trouble if they did not find gold soon. They made their way to the last burial chamber. She could hear Carlos breathing deeply behind her. This was her last hope once they passed through the doorway. With her flamed torch held out in front, they walked for five minutes through a passageway taking them upwards. When they came to the chamber, Helen saw right away that this room was not like the others. The room was much larger and had Mayan inscriptions and drawings on all four walls. The sarcophagus was also much larger, with clay pots filled with colored beads and small figurines and daggers made of obsidian laid all around it. The sarcophagus lid was painted with liquefied gold. Carlos was anxious to open the coffin, but Helen stopped him.

“Wait! I want to see who lies here before we disturb it.”

Helen read the inscriptions and after a few seconds her eyes sparkled with delight.

Carlos said, “what is it? Who is buried inside?”

She ran her fingers over the inscriptions.

“This is the burial chamber of a king who ruled nearly two thousand years ago. He must have been a well-respected ruler for him to have a chamber of this size, and with so many offerings.”

The men pushed Helen aside ready to open the lid to the sarcophagus. Helen was the first to take a look inside. What she saw astonished her. It was not a skeleton that lay in front of her, but a body having skin and facial features still intact. This king was amazingly well preserved. The sarcophagus must be airtight, keeping the body from decomposing. The body was decorated with a necklace of golden beads and bracelets with precious gemstones. Across the chest lay a breastplate of solid gold, decorated with emeralds. The Mayan people secured their king’s spirit a certain passage into the spirit world.

Carlos and Diego went for the gold, filling their rucksack to the fullest.

“At last we found treasure! Now we must get out of here before your two friends arrive.”

Helen moved back a few steps.

“I found you gold! You can let me go now. That is what we agreed.”

Both men looked at each other laughing.

Carlos said, “no Missy, that is not what we agreed. You find gold, you do not die, that is what we agreed. Now you come with us.”

She made a dash for the exit, but Carlos was quick enough to stop her. He grabbed her by the arm, twisting it, forcing Helen to shout out in pain.

“Okay! Stop, please!”

Carlos threw her face down onto the floor, laughing at her as she lay helpless on the ground. She lay there, tears rolling down her face. Carlos and Diego then stood Helen to her feet. Diego strapped the rucksack of gold to his back as he followed Carlos and Helen back into the cavern area.

Meanwhile, Jason and Danny reached the bottom of the stone steps. The whole cavern was lit up before them with flamed torches blazing away as they cautiously entered with their weapons drawn. Danny couldn’t keep his eyes off the marvel that he saw before him. Jason was fully concentrated on the task ahead of him. His eyes were scanning the whole area for any sign of movement, when he heard voices coming from the other side. He was about to warn Danny to keep low, when he heard Helen shout out to him.

“Jason! Help me!”

He swore out loud as gunshots were fired from all directions.

“That idiot of a woman couldn’t keep her darn mouth shut could she!”

Jason urged Danny to back out from the cavern. They were now positioned on either side of the entrance. Jason chanced to take a look inside, but was held back as a shower of bullets penetrated the sides of the walls.

“Them sons of bitches have automatic weapons!” Said Jason.

Danny blindly fired a few shots, but Jason stopped him for fear of hitting Helen instead. After a few minutes, Carlos shouted out.

“Hey mister! Back off or the lady dies right now! Show yourselves and drop your weapons!”

Jason answered back, “how about you let the woman go, and I won’t blow your head off!”

Carlos laughed.

“You have big words mister. You Americans always the same with your big mouths. Me and my friend here we not afraid. We kill you down here where nobody finds you. Put down your guns, and I let you live.”

Jason was about to explode. His face turned red with rage as he reloaded his Colt, ready to charge out shooting.

“Jason!” said Danny, “wait! Think of Helen. I know you can take them out even without my help. But you’re putting Helen at risk. We can get them later. Think about it, will you!”

Before Danny could continue. Jason was already out in the open. He had the two men in his sights at almost forty yards away. All it took was a single shot to the head, bringing Diego down in a second. Helen screamed as she saw the bullet penetrate his skull.

On instinct, Carlos grabbed her, using her as a shield. He had underestimated his opponent. Carlos knew by experience that only a handful of men could make a shot like that. He took hold of his dead friends rucksack and slung it over his shoulder while holding Helen at gun point. Jason kept Carlos in his sights, ready to take a shot. Danny came out, standing between the gun and Helen’s assailant.

“Danny move! Or I’m gonna shoot right through you!” said Jason, as sweat ran down his forehead.

“Jason! Don’t risk the shot, we can get him later, listen to me for god’s sake!”

Carlos called out, “lower your gun, or I shoot her right now!”

Helen spoke out to him, “Jason! Listen to Danny, please!”

He slowly threw his weapon to the ground and backed away from the entrance while Carlos and Helen approached them.

“Move further inside! Do it now!” Shouted Carlos.

They moved further away from the entrance while Carlos and his hostage walked slowly out of the cavern. Helen disappeared into the darkness, her eyes filled with tears. Carlos then took out a small plastic explosive, lighting it. He threw it against the wall of the cavern entrance. The explosion was enough to bring down the above wall blocking the entrance. Debris and dust engulfed the cavern as Jason and Danny tried to run for cover.

Carlos and Helen made their way out into the jungle again. He tied her hands together. Helen thought this must be it, this is where he is going to kill me. Instead, he took hold of the rope and walked in the direction where they had come from.

She held back, saying, “where are you taking me? Why won’t you let me go?”

Carlos continued walking, pulling her by the rope.

“I take you back to America where my boss is waiting for you. Now hurry. There is a private plane waiting for us.”

The dust began to settle as Jason and Danny gained consciousness after having been blown at least twenty feet by the blast. Jason came around first and went over to his friend Danny checking for any signs of injury. He sat Danny up who was shaken by the blast.

“Are you hurt?” asked Jason.

“No, I don't think so. What about you?” said Danny.

Jason replied. “I’m okay, but that bastard is gonna pay, big time!”