Chapter 10: Buried alive
Dr. Jones didn't miss a beat. Belloq had to hand it to him. He really did improvise quite well.
'Why don't you come down here and find out?' he suggested wryly.
'Another time.' Belloq smirked. 'Who knows? Maybe even a thousand years, even you will become worth something.'
Jones forced laughter and then muttered, 'Son of a bitch.' The fact that it was said in the well was why it was heard.
Belloq looked up as he heard loud protestations. The Ravenwood woman was being dragged along. Belloq realised they were going to throw her in with Jones.
'Hey, that woman is mine!' he protested.
'She is of no use to the Führer,' Dietrich responded, gesturing.
The girl was thrown in.
XXX
Indy saw Marion falling and dropped the flame torch in his hand, lurching out to catch her. She wasn't heavy at all but the distance she fell and the force of the impact knocked him onto his butt when she landed in his arms. Her arms went around his neck and he stood up, pulling her to her feet as he did so and keeping her close.
'What am I going to do with you?' he muttered as her hands slid down and gripped his jacket.
'Love me?' she suggested.
They both looked up as whatever Dietrich was saying to Belloq went quiet. Belloq went to the edge and said, 'It was not to be, Cherie.'
'You bet your life it wasn't,' Marion muttered under her breath.
'Indiana Jones,' Belloq continued, unable to hear what Marion just said. 'Adieu.'
The entrance was closed over again and Marion laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Indy wrapped his arms fully around her and rested his chin on her head. He felt slight movement about where her eyes should be.
'Honey?' he asked.
She lifted her head and looked across the chamber. 'The wall.'
He followed her gaze. There were snakes coming out of the holes in the wall. That meant there was something behind there. The question was: how did they get in there? Indy knew the statue behind them was the best bet. He looked down at Marion. As she'd predicted, she had a new dress. Indy begrudgingly admired Belloq's choice. It was very beautiful and Marion wore it well, but then again she wore everything well. He crouched down and grabbed the skirt.
'I hate to ruin your pretty dress,' he told her as he tore more of the skirt away than was socially acceptable by their western standards, 'but it's just a bit impractical for the climbing you're going to be doing.'
'You just better buy me a new one sometime,' she responded. 'Maybe not so white?'
'Consider it done,' he said as he stood up. He grinned at her. 'Jesus Christ, sweetheart, you're costing me a fortune.'
He was finding it advantageous that he didn't have to explain to her what he was doing. She already knew, being psychic and everything. She just pecked him on the lips before he went up.
'You better come down alive, buster.'
'Do my best.'
XXX
One thing that came from a father obsessed with a relic that was undiscovered but somewhere in Egypt was that Marion knew species of snakes, which were venomous and which weren't. She was surrounded by snakes that, if they bit her, would kill her within thirty minutes. The torches were the only things keeping them away and they were going out.
'Indy?' she called.
She heard a loud creaking and the next thing she knew she had to climb over the statue. She'd already lost one shoe. She threw the other one away. She didn't need it anyway. The place was full of corpses and snakes.
'Indy?' she called again, carefully making her way to the head of the statue where Indy had been. 'Indy, are you still alive?'
'Yeah.' He appeared around the side of the fallen statue. 'You all right, honey?'
'You scared me half to death,' she told him, walking to him faster. 'Don't ever do that again.'
He took her hand and leaned in, kissing her cheek. 'Yes, dear.' He chuckled. 'Now, come on. I found the way out.'
Marion followed him to the head of the statue and around it. They came to some old blocks. Up ahead, there was light coming out. Indy pointed to it.
'See?' he asked. 'Sunlight.'
He went up after it and Marion followed. Indy pushed the block out of the way first and then stuck his head out, checking that the coast was clear. Marion assumed it wasn't because she heard a thud before Indy climbed out. As she followed him, she saw the unconscious Arab near their improvised exit. Clearly Indy had stuck his head out at a bad time and had dealt with the Arab in the way he was used to.
'There.' Indy pointed.
Marion saw a plane. The Nazis were getting her ready for take-off. Marion knew what
that meant: they would be flying the Ark out on the plane. Indy led her down there, where it'd be easier to get to. Marion had the distinct impression that Indy was making this all up as he went along.