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It was a faint thrum at first, something easily ignored among the screeches, cheeps and rustles of the jungle. Then came tremors – the ground, the walls of the dilapidated temple...
And the thrum turned into a roar as the slope by the ruins was being covered by mud, a dark brown flood rushing down and taking everything with it.
Randy and Rory ran to the only safe place they could see at the moment – into the temple. Continuing deeper as the mud followed them, they finally found a room where the flood couldn’t reach them anymore, having crawled there through an opening gaping at the height of their shoulders.
They waited still, waited for the rumbles and shaking to subside, until finally, there was silence.
Too much silence, the life of the jungle not letting any sounds deep enough for them to hear. At least some holes in the ceiling offered some light, even if the corners of the room stayed in the shadows.
Looking around, they didn’t particularly feel like admiring the ancient architecture.
“We need to find a way out,” Randy voiced what they were both thinking. Rory nodded mutely and pulling out their torches they started slowly walking along the wall, searching for any way out of the room. If it would lead them outside or deeper into the temple, they didn’t know, but they also knew that staying there would do them no good. There was only one more member of their team, and what was Tony himself supposed to do? Dig up several tons of mud to uncover the path they had come through?
Luck was on their side, as the second door of sorts they had found was clear to go through, after the first one had been buried in debris, possibly centuries ago.
They followed the dark hallway, lighting their way forward the best the could. There was soon another room, a larger one too, and – a new source of light. Not their electric torches and not any sunlight form outside. This was greenish-blue, coming from the centre of the room.
Could it be…
They knew what they were supposed to look for, vaguely. A sort of mineral shaped by human hand, although the shape itself was unclear. Focusing on their self-preservation, they had forgotten their original task. Well, as they were already here anyway, they could just grab it. It wouldn’t make their search for the exit any easier or harder.
“Wow, look at this,” Rory whispered as they came close to the… thing. A sort of translucent cone that seemed to float slightly above its pedestal, though that was probably a trick of light. The glow of it made everything look a little unclear.
Rory reach for the object and took it with one hand. It just felt like a polished rock when touched.
“Well, at least we got something for our trouble,” he snorted and Randy barked a laugh back, when a third sound made itself heard.
From behind them. A growl.
They whipped around and the light available to them wasn’t enough to illuminate whatever had started moving in the shadows. But from the little they could see – it was huge. And moving towards them now, its steps resonating in the room.
“On a second thought,” Rory spoke up faintly as he noticed six arms, each holding a sword, “maybe it should have stayed lost.”
They ran. The creature was slow.
But it had friends.