Temple of the Jaguar (7 page)

It can’t be a normal reptile if the blood’s warm...holy shit!

Its blood flowed quickly, and a cloud of deep crimson soon surrounded me. As the corpse drifted away, I caught a glimpse of something else moving rapidly towards me from further below. I would never survive another battle if I didn’t get back to the surface first. I thrust myself upward, and must’ve briefly blacked out.... I heard someone calling to me from nearby.

Ishi?

I gasped for air, coughing as I tried to determine where the voice was coming from. Meanwhile, a large shadow passed between the dead lizard-man and me, and the ink-like cloud of blood dispersed as this new menace came within a few feet of my dangling legs.

Ishi called again...along with Marie.

“
What? Where in the hell are you two?!”

Maybe I had died after all. When I scanned the ledge above me, I didn’t see either one. But when their unified voices called to me again, I realized they were calling to me from inside the darkened hole in the earth that I had seen earlier. Their voices echoed eerily against the cave walls on either side of me.

“
We’re in
here!”
shouted Marie. “We’re right in front of you, Nick!”

“
No...no you can’t be in there and talking—It’s not frigging possible!”

I began to swim over to the river’s edge, intending to try and scale the smooth walls that would get me back on top of the ledge.

“
Look, you dumb ass—the river’s running past us. You’ll never make it out of here unless you join us, Nick!”

She sounded angry and at the same time pleading, which brought to mind images of Siren demons that were fabled to lead sailors to their graves on the high seas. Could this be a version of what Sirens are like a couple hundred feet below the earth’s surface?

“
She speaks the truth, Nick! I would not believe...but we stand here safe, watching the river flow by,” said Ishi. “I told her to take her own damned chances, but she pulled me with her when she jumped into the hole. I’m sorry I didn’t jump in to save you.”

Not that either one could’ve saved me, since Ishi can’t swim, and our Da Vinci girl doesn’t look the alligator/crocodile wrestling type.

“
Nick, you’ve got to trust us!” urged Marie. “Trust us before—oh shit, what is that thing behind you?!”

Well…let me see. It’s bigger than the last critter, with longer, sharper teeth. No eyes—just glowing antennae, but with a mouth that looks as big as our four-wheeler waiting far above us...Hmm, I’d say it’s just what we call a hungry mother that seems intent on taking a huge bite out of my ass, Marie!

“
Okay, I’m coming!”

This latest aggressor skimmed toward me along the surface, half in and half out of the water. I suddenly pictured losing everything up to my Johnson if it re-submerged itself. That’s all it took to get me moving again.

I breast-stroked it out of there quickly, wishing I’d given myself a better head start. I soon felt the thing’s tentacles trying to grasp my pant legs. Were they barbed with painful poisonous tips? I sent a fervent prayer heavenward that the answer to that question would forever remain a mystery.

I heard Marie whimper, as if she might actually shed tears if I succumbed to my pursuer. “Nick, please quit screwing around!”

“
Hurry up
, man!” added Ishi.

“
I’m coming! But, this had better not be a bunch of bullshit—Augh!”

As I approached the spot where I had heard their voices, I began to be sucked down into what looked like a whirlpool a few feet below the river’s surface. As far as I could tell, my two options were either being eaten by the creature chasing my ass, or being sucked down into deeper depths. The water was much, much colder than where I had swam from. Of worse concern was the fact I couldn’t see anything in the darkness ahead—not a damned thing. The luminescent creatures apparently liked the frigid water as much as I did.

The current suddenly pulled me under. This happened right after I cast an anxious glance over my shoulder at the big mother closing in from behind. It hovered close enough to where a sudden lunge would end my debate as to whether or not I’d find out if Ishi and Marie were still among the living.

Two pairs of hands grabbed my arms.

“
Hold on Nick!”

The shrillness in Marie’s voice sent an unpleasant ring through my right ear. In the next instant, I was lifted out of the water and then fell backward. Actually, it was more like being thrown into some sort of slimy foliage that resembled seaweed—at least the texture reminded me of the kelp beds I once played in when my dad briefly taught anthropology at UC Berkeley.

“
Thank God you’re okay!” She poked me in the darkness, and I realized she couldn’t accurately determine where I was—despite the advantage she and Ishi had for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. “I really thought we’d lose you back there!”

So she really did weep, huh? At least a little bit.

“
I’m fine, I think. That was close.” True. But no broken bones, and my ass was still intact, despite the ache from when I had landed hard on the ledge during my battle with the lizard-man. “This is one jacked-up expedition you rooked us into, little lady. I think my retainer just doubled.”

“
Sounds good to me!” enthused Ishi.

“
Always conniving, huh?” Marie sounded slightly amused, somewhat frightened, and a whole lot of annoyed. “Sure, I could pay you that...but it would reduce your take on the treasure, once we find it.”

I couldn’t see her clearly enough yet, but pictured her smirk. I detected the outline of someone standing where I heard her feet kick away rocks and the weird kelp-like shit lying in abundance around our feet.

“
I don’t suppose your map is going to help us anytime soon. Do either of you still have a flashlight?”

“
Mine fell into the river,” said Ishi. “I was trying to catch your leg when you slid off the ledge. It fell out of my hand.”

“
How about you, Princess D?”

Marie’s silence told me she was in no mood to kid around. Yes, things were looking grim, but I’ve always found that in the bleakest moments laughter inspires ingenuity.

“
Mine quit working shortly after we left the other level.”

“
You shouldn’t have bought them at K-Mart.”

“
There isn’t a K-Mart here in Honduras, smart ass!”

“
What’s K-Mart?” Ishi sounded confused.

“
What they don’t have in Honduras,” I said. “Apparently, finding a good flashlight in these parts is like finding a woman with an agreeable temperament.”

“
I suppose that’s supposed to be funny?” Marie sounded even less amused.

“
Yep...just not in—”

“
Don’t say it, Nick!” Her voice was closer, as if she had just walked back toward me. “I’m starting to freak out a little...this is supposed to be where my father found the secret passage. But without a light we’ll never find it.
Shit!”

She fished out her cell phone from her front pocket. It was one of those smart phone deals that had lots of gadgets, none of which were protection from water.

“
It’s ruined!” she lamented.

I should’ve anticipated this happening at some point. Marie hadn’t come across as a female prone to panic. But, the rising tension in her tone told me it was coming soon.

“
Are you expecting a call?” I asked.

“
Don’t be such a jerk, Nick. My phone had everything. GPS, maps, satellites...hell, even a light.”

“
I’m sorry for your loss.”

“
It’s
our
loss. Shit, shit,
shit!”

“
You’re right,” I said. “What will we do now without an iPhone to guide our way?”

“
You’re working my last nerve, Nick Caine.”

I chuckled and so did Ishi. Neither of us used such phones or gadgets. Sure, I had an old cell that worked half the time. Other than that, we used maps, compasses, flashlights, and even firelight, if need be. I said as much to her.

“
I like my phone,” she said. “It’s better than your old-fashioned way of doing business. I feel safe with my phone.”

“
It sounds like you and your phone might need some time apart.”

Something loud and sharp filled the small cavern. The noise, amazingly came from Marie’s throat...and her frustrated scream was soon followed by something else.

“
What in the hell’s up with you now?”

Now, she was working my last nerve.

“
I’m...I’m...hype...hyperventilating.”

“
Because you ruined your iPhone?”

“
Yuh..yes.”

I rolled my eyes, despite the fact that no one could see me. “Jesus. Well, try to relax, will you? You’re not helping anything.”

I left Miss Da Vinci to figure out how she would live life without her iPhone and found Ishi in the dark. Not too hard to do since he was chuckling lightly.

“
Your girlfriend is funny,” said Ishi.

“
She’s not my girlfriend,” I said irritably.

He chuckled some more, then grew somber. After a moment, he asked, “So, how’d they travel through here in the old days?”

“
Hey, you’re right,” I said, surprised I hadn’t asked myself this question yet. “There’s got to be a torch somewhere along the walls. Marie, check the cave wall to our left, and I’ll check the one to our right. If it follows what we’ve seen in other older caves in this part of the world, we shouldn’t have to search for long.”

“
I’ll look for two rocks to create a spark,” said Ishi. “We can use our clothes and my pickaxe handle to make a torch.”

“
Great thinking, as long as something’s dry...you won’t find a dry stitch on me,” I said. “Let’s see what we can come up with in here...just try not to get bit by anything.”

“
By what?” asked Marie, worriedly.

“
Spiders, bats, snakes, things like that,” said Ishi, his tone nonchalant.

I could almost hear her gingerly touching the walls....

“
Maybe I should handle this on my own,” I suggested. “You can’t treat this like a country club luncheon, Marie. Just work your hands through the webs and whatever else is stuck to the walls, and—”

“
Got it!” she cried out.

“
So you know what I’m getting at?”

“
No, I mean I am holding a torch!” she advised, and I could hear the triumph in her voice. “Give me your lighter.”

“
My what...oh, shit. Here it is,” I said, after fishing it out. Yeah, I know. I should’ve thought of it right away. But I thought I’d left it with my smokes in the Jeep. “It might not work after taking a bath in the river.”

But it did work, and I saw that she was indeed holding a torch. Not an ancient one, which was probably a good thing, although it wasn’t exactly a recent torch either. “You’re father’s old torch?”

“
Undoubtedly!” she said, triumphantly.