"Wake up Mary!" Inez shouted as she found the unconscious widow lying in the thick fog of smoke.
Through the stinging in her eyes, Inez was able see other shapes in the grey. Some of them were slumped across the ground unconscious, their faces covered in garish masks. The few who were sitting up were swaying unsteadily as they tried to retain some coherence while inhaling the noxious smoke. Inez did not understand what this was about but she did not intend to remain long enough to let the smoke affect her.
It taken her some time to find Mary but eventually, she saw a glimmer of gold hair through the billowing clouds of grey. Mary was unconscious, clutching the amulet tightly in her bleeding palm. Inez immediately felt for a pulse and thanked god to see the widow still alive. She tried to lift Mary to her feet but the woman was a dead weight and Inez could not hope to make any kind of escape with Mary in this condition.
Inez shook Mary hard, when suddenly she noticed the swirl of smoke behind her. She turned around and saw a shape wearing a raven's face mask lunging towards her. His movements were sluggish and unsteady and Inez guessed he was suffering from severe smoke inhalation. Inez was able dodge him easily and she shoved him hard as he stumbled past, sending him crashing into the fire. He screamed loudly as tongues of orange flame were quick to offer embrace. By the time he rolled out of the fire, she saw his hair and clothes were on fire.
Inez ignored his attempts to extinguish the flames around him, knowing she had little time. The others were struggling to rise and while they were not dangerous because their smoke induced stupor, Inez feared that they may alert other worshippers who were not as disadvantaged. Wasting no further time, she grabbed Mary's arm and dragged the woman from the ground towards the door. The smoke was starting to affect Inez and she started coughing as they slipped through the leather flap.
Outside the air was fresher but not by very much. The smoke was gaining similar potency beyond the ceremonial chamber and soon the air in the passage would be just as toxic. However, Inez estimated the fire itself would soon burn itself out now that there was no one left to feed it. Carrying Mary as far down the corridor and away from the smoke as she could, Inez finally laid Mary on the ground, knowing that there was little time to spare in reviving her.
"Come on Mary!" Inez shook her hard. "Snap out of it!"
Mary's head lopped from side to side as Inez tried desperately to rouse her. After a few minutes, Inez was rewarded with a weak cough as Mary Travis' shallow breathing gained momentum and she started to regain consciousness. The line of concern running through Inez did not dissipate however, until Mary's coughing become stronger and she was gasping for air. The widow's face was covered in smoke and soot, making it difficult to gauge her pallor. Inez hoped she had not inhaled enough smoke to cause her considerable harm.
"Where am I?" Mary asked, her voice little more that a hoarse whisper.
"Same place." Inez replied unable to hide her relief at Mary's coherence. "Worse trouble. Can you walk? We've got to get moving."
Mary nodded weakly and tried to stand up. Her head still swam and she felt pain in her right hand. Glancing down at her palm, she saw that she still holding the amulet firmly in her palm even though it had caused her to bleed. She tried to recall what had happened after she had fallen unconscious but the images were vague and uncertain. However, now was not the time to decipher her cryptic dreams. Through some miracle, Inez had freed herself and had found her. The chance could not be allow squandering.
"I can walk." She said shakily. It hurt her throat to speak. The smoke had burned her lungs and she still felt dizzy from its poisoning effects on her system. Mary rose to her feet with Inez's help when suddenly saw something behind Inez.
"Look out!" She screamed.
Inez spun around to see the man in the raven mask rushing at her. His body clothes were smoking from where he had fallen in the fire and Inez's stomach hollowed when she realised some of it had been seared onto his skin. Without thinking, she swung the spade at him, connecting with his face. He was practically swept of his feet from the powerful blow and hit the wall hard. Unfortunately despite the fact she had delivered a formidable blow, he was merely dazed and still capable of giving pursuit. Inez knew the next time he attacked; she may not able to come away unscathed. She decided not to give him the opportunity.
"Come on!" Inez grabbed Mary's hand and pulled her down the corridor. Seeing Inez deal with their attacker snapped Mary back to almost full coherence. Even though she was still suffering the effects of the smoke and her ankle had not completely recovered, Mary had regained enough control of her faculties to keep in stride with Inez as they tore down the passageway. With adrenalin coursing through her veins, she noticed neither injury nor the damaging effects of smoke inhalation. She suspected tomorrow was another matter entirely but if she had a tomorrow to suffer, Mary would little reason to complain, since at the moment that seemed unlikely.
With Inez leading the way and appearing to know where she was going, Mary followed her lead without question. She was glad that one of them had some sense of direction because winding passageways of rock and mud were indistinguishable from one length of corridor to another. While she had no idea of their progress, she could no longer smell the awful stench of smoke from the ceremonial chamber. However as they drew further away, the stench of smoke was replaced by another sound that was hauntingly familiar, even if its tone was different.
For a moment, she was unable to place it until they drew closer to the source and the noise began to permeate the passageway.
They were voices chanting. Judging by their number, Mary guessed that they were many of them.
"Inez!" Mary managed to ask. "How are we getting out of here!" It was now clear to Mary from where the chanting was emanating. As they passed by the main entrance of the city, the voices were clearly coming from below the cliff face. She did not need to see the scene for herself to know that they were in serious trouble indeed.
"Not that way." Inez replied quietly, as she crept past the edge of the doorway and indicated Mary to do the same quietly. As Mary darted across the doorway quickly, the widow stole enough of a glance to discover what Inez had learnt earlier, that to reach the ground they would have to expose themselves to the cult worshippers. Despite their celebration for the dawning of a new age that would never come, Mary saw they were well armed, carrying guns and knives that were more than a match for two frightened women.
"That looks really bad." Mary said trying not to sound afraid but not quite able to manage a brave front. Despite Inez's quick thinking, her best friend was similarly terrified except Inez reacted to it better than Mary.
"You!" Mary looked over her shoulder to see the raven mask sidle up behind them without a sound until he was in reach of them both.
Mary ducked in time to avoid being caught but Inez was not so lucky. She reacted a fraction slower and it was all the time the raven mask needed. He grabbed a handful of her dark hair and yanked her to him. Inez let out a short scream that jarred Mary into action. Picking up the spade that had fallen from Inez's hand, she struck his charred shoulder. He cried out in pain as flat metal slapped hard against raw skin. Taking advantage of his distraction, Inez tore herself away from him and both women turned on their heels without looking back.
This time, their attacker did not give chase. As they ran further down the other direction, Mary heard him cry out for assistance to his celebrating companions. The chanting died abruptly and was soon followed by shouts of outrage when at the discovery that the ceremony had not been completed and she had run off with their precious artefact. She did not need to see the scramble of worshippers up the uneven steps herself to know that she and Inez were going to have company.
"Do you know where we are going?" Mary shouted at Inez. Neither woman as willing to stop running. The angry voices behind them were providing a formidable incentive to keep moving at all costs.
"Not particularly." Inez exclaimed breathlessly. "I'm making it up as I go."
"Making it up as you go!" Mary said horrified. "This is hardly the time for blind faith!"
Inez paused long enough to give Mary the filthiest look. "Don't get me started."
Behind them, they could hear the enraged voices giving chase through the tunnels. By now, Mary realised begrudgingly, the raven mask now had plenty of help to search for them. Somehow, being armed with little more than a spade was not going to be effective an army of religious fanatics.
"We've got to find another way out of here." Mary declared.
"Trust me," Inez retorted as they turned down another corridor. "Nothing could be further from my mind." They were fast running out of breath and light. There were no torches lighting this section of the city and the air had started to become dank once more. What little illumination there was emanated from torches in the previous corridors.
"We're going to have to hide Inez." Mary said firmly, thinking of no other recourse. They could not keep running because for all they knew, they might be travelling in circles. It was unlikely they could find their way out in this maze of dark tunnels and there were too many people searching for them to remain in the open.
Inez stopped running and met Mary's gaze. "You're right." She agreed. "We've got to keep out of sight for as long as we can." However, even Inez could not be sure how much time would be enough with so many hunting for them. The unseen pursuers giving chase were closing in on them and Inez started to feel the situation was hopeless, that the trap sprung upon them was fatal with no escape. She tried to think of a plan but her mind was drawing a blank.
They kept running because it was the only thing they could think to do, knowing that they could continue this indefinitely. There were enough men behind them both to run them into the ground for sheer exhaustion and both Inez and Mary were starting to falter. Mary first because her lungs were still suffering the effects of smoke inhalation. Mary took note there were many chambers but very few that possessed doors. Wetherill had conducted large-scale excavations of this site many years ago and it appeared he sealed some rooms to protect the artefacts they might have contained. By now, the more valuable of these were removed but the chambers remained as well as the doors. As the footsteps behind them grew increasingly louder, Mary grabbed Inez's hand and pulled her into one the chamber.
It was almost the last chamber in the corridor and Mary suspected that they were still at large because the worshippers were searching such annexes as they kept in pursuit. A wise course of action Mary decided, since they could not afford for her to hide the amulet from them, when it was so vital to their ceremony. Understanding her intent, Inez slammed the wooden doors as quietly as possible and immediately looked around for something to barricade it. After her escape from her cell earlier, she knew that it would not take much to break down these doors
Mary on the other hand, studied their new enclosure briefly. It was dark except for a small window placed high on the wall. Through the ragged clay edges, she could see the welcoming sight of the night sky and hear the sound of running water. Upon hearing it, Mary remembered the river they'd seen when they had come in search of this place. There had been little reason to investigate it then because larger issues captured their attention.
"This lock is not going to hold." Inez informed dutifully.
"Is there anything to hold it with?." Mary asked hastily searching the room. The darkness made it difficult to see and she took a few steps forward, when suddenly her foot struck something hard and she fell over. Whatever she had walked into slumped forward and Mary picked herself up only to find herself staring at the bony face of a very mummified corpse. The scream that escaped her lips gave away their position immediately as she scrambled away in fright, Mary heard Inez swear loudly behind her. However, the damage was done. The response to her cry of fear was immediate and suddenly, their situation took on an entirely new urgency.
"Damn it!" Inez exclaimed. "They heard us!"
"I'm sorry!" Mary apologised futilely almost to the point of tears but knew the mistake was fatal. "It caught me by surprise."
"It's a burial chamber!" Inez retorted angrily as she pressed her body against the door and braced herself for the invasion that was coming. Mary hurried forward and took up position next to Inez in what was fast looking to become their last stand.
"I'm so sorry Inez!" Mary stammered trying not to cry at a time like this but there was so much regret inside her she could barely contain it. "I should have never got you involved in this! What was I thinking?"
"It's a gringo thing," the Latin woman declared sarcastically. "All your people have it. Always so curious, without any ability to see the train until it runs over you!" She hated to be so cynical at a time like this but at the moment was difficult to feel anything positive when death was approaching with such speed. "We're not going to be able to keep them out for long," Inez continued as if any commentary was needed. "The walls are very weak, they'll be able to break the door down without damaging the lock. The doorways just crumble."
"They do?" Mary looked at her as a spark of inspiration ignited within her. As the idea took shape inside her head, Mary scoured the floor looking for their trusty space. It had helped them so far, she hoped it would do so again. It was not far from where she had tripped over the corpse and Mary ran forward, picking it up off the ground. Running to the far wall, she controlled her revulsion, trying not to squeal or cringe when she pushed aside the corpses stacked against it.
"What are you doing?" Inez demanded frantically. "I need help holding this door! I cannot do it myself!"
"I'm getting us out of here." Mary said confidently and then added with less certainty. "I hope."
"Whatever you're going to do, make it fast." Inez cried out because the voices coming down the corridor were too close for comfort. Inez estimated they had less than a minute before the worshippers reached them. After desecrating their ceremonial chamber and stealing their precious religious icon, Inez did not want to be on the receiving end of their wrath. Inez did not believe that they would limit the bloodshed to just her. She had a feeling that Mary Travis no longer had the same value she once did.
Mary took a deep breath and prayed this worked. Swinging the spade forward, she sank it deep into the wall and forced it through the crumbling bricks of mud. Using the tool as a fulcrum, she used all her strength to dislodge the bricks holding the wall together. Mary pushed so hard her arms started to ache but after a final sharp thrust forward, one of the bricks loosened. When it fell on the ground and a small hole appeared in its place. Without wasting time, she started working on the others.
While she could see very much else on the other side of the opening, the sound of rushing water was even louder and that gave her the incentive to continue. However, the spade was taking too much time and they had little of it to spare so Mary began kicking at the opening with her boot. It had the effect of dislodging several bricks at a time until the whole wall seemed on the verge of collapse.
"Help me!" She shouted at Inez.
Inez glanced over her shoulder and saw what Mary accomplished. She did not want to leave the door but decided to take a gamble on Mary's plan. While she did not wear boots, her shoes gave her flexibility to deliver more powerful kicks and with their combined effort, the mud holding the wall together crumbled completely, taking most of the wall with in its final demise. Some of the bricks had fallen through the orifice but most of it piled on the dirt ground.
The wind outside whipped at her skin as Mary peered through the opening first. As suspected, she found they were standing at the edge of an almost thirty foot drop. Directly below them, Mary observed the wide expanse of white water below. . Judging by the flow of rushing foamy water, Mary guessed the river was deep.
"Oh god." Inez caught Mary's gaze and guessed what was coming. The sounds were in earshot now; requiring neither echoes or tunnels to carry their voices to the prey.
"It's the only way," Mary looked at her with as much confidence as she could display at this moment, which was to say not very much. "We're going to have to jump."
"What is it with you and jumping from great heights!" Inez snapped terrified. Inez was never good with heights and it was the one thing capable of making her a complete gibbering wreck. Like she was at this moment.
Mary saw the terror in her eyes and came to a decision. There was not going to be an easy way to do this. "Inez," Mary said taking a deep breath. "I am so sorry."
"You said it already." Inez's expression softened. "This is not your fault, you were doing what you thought was right. I could not let you do this alone anyway," she said trying not to become emotional. She was never very good at it. "You are my friend and I am honoured to know you. Besides, I could never say no to adventure." That was an untruth but they were about to die so she perfectly all right with telling a white lie.
God would understand and if not, she'd set him right when she got to heaven.
"No," Mary shook her head, although Inez's speech was sweet and made it all the more difficult to do what she about to. "I was not apologising for that. was apologising for this."
Without another word, she shoved Inez over the edge.
Mary saw Inez plunge downwards, filling every second of her downward journey with a terrified scream. As the door burst open behind her, Mary did not look behind as she closed her eyes and stepped off the edge with one thought in mind.
If we die, Inez is going to be so mad at me…..
