Chapter 4 - No More Digging
Lara awoke the next morning in an empty tent, which was already becoming uncomfortably hot from the sun shining fully on the roof. She quickly pulled on yesterday's clothes and braided her long hair, then she carefully unzipped the door ever so slightly to peek out. A few men were finishing their breakfast and she could see Robert striding up to the camp from the direction of the dig site. "Has anyone seen Lara yet?" he asked loudly and everyone shook their heads or answered in the negative, including Alex who she now spotted returning from the trees in the other direction, yawning widely. "Shit," Lara said under her breath, for some reason reluctant for everyone to know whose tent she had spent the night in. When everyone seemed to have their backs turned she crawled carefully out of the tent and round the back until she reached a point where she could pretend to be coming from the direction of the tent she was supposed to have been sharing with Sue, the only female archaeologist at the dig. Lara bid good morning to everyone, then blushed as she suddenly saw the older woman smiling knowingly at her. She remembered Alex telling her the previous night what a sour old thing she was and her heart sunk, but when she looked back Sue was winking at her and Lara made a mental note to be nice to her in the future. Robert was clapping his hands to gather everyone around him. "Ok, there's not much left to do today-" he began before one of the group piped up. "That's what you've been saying for the last three days." Robert glared at the speaker before continuing, "I'm confident that those darker bricks are the top of a doorway. You lot-" he gestured at the group- "get digging. West, get your stuff together." "Yes sir," Alex said, performing a joking salute. The leader shook his head and walked off after the group, leaving Lara and Alex standing together. "Not digging today? I thought you were having fun," he said with a smirk. Lara shrugged, "I don't think they need me anymore." "Well you can give me a hand," Alex said, stepping closer to her seductively. "Fine, but not like that," she said, fending him off with a laugh. "Someone might come along."
After Lara had helped Alex pack supplies, a first aid kit, flares and various items of weaponry into a rucksack they strolled over to the site together. Lara had the heavy camera back around her neck, and spare film and lenses in a small rucksack. As they approached it was clear that the darker rocks did not signify a door, and Alex pulled Lara quickly behind another piece of exposed wall inside the roped area, which seemed to be holding up another old tree. "What are you doing?" she asked, removing her arm from his grip. "You don't want to be given a shovel do you?" "You're such a slacker," Lara teased. "Yeah, so are you," Alex retorted. "I'm not being paid!" she exclaimed indignantly, punching him gently on the shoulder. Alex pushed her up against the wall and leant in for a kiss, but before their lips met Lara let out a squeal. "What is it?" "Something moved!" she said, turning around to examine the wall. A piece of rock slid back out of the wall with a grating noise. "Uh oh" Alex managed to get out, before the ground suddenly gave way beneath their feet.
Lara awoke the next morning in an empty tent, which was already becoming uncomfortably hot from the sun shining fully on the roof. She quickly pulled on yesterday's clothes and braided her long hair, then she carefully unzipped the door ever so slightly to peek out. A few men were finishing their breakfast and she could see Robert striding up to the camp from the direction of the dig site. "Has anyone seen Lara yet?" he asked loudly and everyone shook their heads or answered in the negative, including Alex who she now spotted returning from the trees in the other direction, yawning widely. "Shit," Lara said under her breath, for some reason reluctant for everyone to know whose tent she had spent the night in. When everyone seemed to have their backs turned she crawled carefully out of the tent and round the back until she reached a point where she could pretend to be coming from the direction of the tent she was supposed to have been sharing with Sue, the only female archaeologist at the dig. Lara bid good morning to everyone, then blushed as she suddenly saw the older woman smiling knowingly at her. She remembered Alex telling her the previous night what a sour old thing she was and her heart sunk, but when she looked back Sue was winking at her and Lara made a mental note to be nice to her in the future. Robert was clapping his hands to gather everyone around him. "Ok, there's not much left to do today-" he began before one of the group piped up. "That's what you've been saying for the last three days." Robert glared at the speaker before continuing, "I'm confident that those darker bricks are the top of a doorway. You lot-" he gestured at the group- "get digging. West, get your stuff together." "Yes sir," Alex said, performing a joking salute. The leader shook his head and walked off after the group, leaving Lara and Alex standing together. "Not digging today? I thought you were having fun," he said with a smirk. Lara shrugged, "I don't think they need me anymore." "Well you can give me a hand," Alex said, stepping closer to her seductively. "Fine, but not like that," she said, fending him off with a laugh. "Someone might come along."
After Lara had helped Alex pack supplies, a first aid kit, flares and various items of weaponry into a rucksack they strolled over to the site together. Lara had the heavy camera back around her neck, and spare film and lenses in a small rucksack. As they approached it was clear that the darker rocks did not signify a door, and Alex pulled Lara quickly behind another piece of exposed wall inside the roped area, which seemed to be holding up another old tree. "What are you doing?" she asked, removing her arm from his grip. "You don't want to be given a shovel do you?" "You're such a slacker," Lara teased. "Yeah, so are you," Alex retorted. "I'm not being paid!" she exclaimed indignantly, punching him gently on the shoulder. Alex pushed her up against the wall and leant in for a kiss, but before their lips met Lara let out a squeal. "What is it?" "Something moved!" she said, turning around to examine the wall. A piece of rock slid back out of the wall with a grating noise. "Uh oh" Alex managed to get out, before the ground suddenly gave way beneath their feet.