The Elusive Treasure
Chapter Seventeen
Into The Cave
Inside the cave, Scotty and Sam were stunned, lying on the ground. It was ink black there; not a single atom of light could be seen. The air was heavy and smelled like stagnant water, and they could feel slime under their hands.
"Ugh! What happened?" - asked Sam, sitting and adjusting his glasses - "Where... where are we?"
"The door opened and we fell inside, Sam" - said Scott - "It seems the door was protected with a spring; it closed back when we fell in."
"Y...y...y...you m...m...mean... we... are... trapped?" Sam was terrified and so nervous that his knees were trembling. He was biting his fingernails. He thought they were doomed.
"You alright bud?" asked Scotty, holding his glow stick towards Sam's voice.
"Y... yeah... I think. Nothing broken... But... it's... too dark in here!"
"We can fix that quickly enough," replied Scott as he reached for Sammy's helmet, switching on his helmet light.
Sam, confused at first, remembered he was wearing a helmet with a light fitted on it. He blushed and grinned, slightly embarrassed, but very relieved.
"Heh. heh... forgot about those... Thanks a lot, Scott!" - said Sam.
Now that they had light, they looked around. Sam noticed the spring holding the door in place. He realized a rusted pin held the spring to the wall. He managed to remove the pin.
"There. That should prevent the door from closing behind us again... if we ever get to open it!" - said Sam - "We should look for some sort of lever here, so we can open the door."
"A lever. Perhaps Twister could use that baton, from the outside," suggested Scott as he keyed his radio. "Guys, we're okay all things considered. Twister, could you use that baton to pry open the door? Over," queried Scott.
The radio crackled with static. It was evident that the huge walls and that door blocked the signal.
"It seems... we are alone here!" - Sam gulped.
The boy looked around, very scared. But he knew he had to control himself. He gulped again, and began looking around the cave, pointing his light to the walls and floor. Suddenly, a white object hanging from a wall caught his eye.
He turned to illuminate that object again, and to his horror he found it was a skeleton, handcuffed and hanging from a ring in the wall!
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Sam screamed at the top of his lungs. He didn't know when (or how) he managed to jump on Scott's arms.
Outside the door, the four kids were struggling to push the door open, when they heard Sam scream. They looked at each other for a moment, and continued pushing the door with all their might.
"Hm, so we found old Fortunato's final resting place," commented Scott as he let Sam down to the floor. "And from the looks of it, old Montresor didn't fare much better," Scott said, pointing to a skeleton on its belly on the floor, with a sword in its back. A belt was all that remained of whatever he had worn, on it, was a set of keys. He retrieved the sword. "Cutlass, late 17th to early 18th century. A handy weapon in its day." He returned to the door, and attempted to pry it open with it.
Sammy was glued to Scott's back, trembling and biting his nails in fear. He couldn't take his eyes off the skeletons. Something told him they were not completely alone inside that cave.
"A...and who... are those guys? How... do you know their names?" - asked, trying to think of something else to control his fear.
He was looking at Scott, but he thought he saw something - someone - standing by the skeletons. He turned, and all he could see were the two bodies.
"This is weird" - he thought out loud - "I... I would've sworn I saw Twister standing by those skeletons... He was wearing only a ragged pair of pants and a red bandana on his head, but I'm sure he was Twister... What does it mean?"
"Oh. The names? From an old story by Poe. And Twister is outside, fully clothed in a set of desert cammies," reassured Scott. "I landed kind of hard. You might want to check your radio," Scott suggested, trying to refocus Sammy.
Scott was examining the door, trying to find a place to wedge the cutlass so he could use it as a lever, while Sam checked his radio. "No use" - he said - "I only get static. That door must be blocking the signal"
Outside the cave...
"All right, guys! All together, one more time!" - said Rod, as he and the rest of the kids prepared to ram the door - "One... two..."
Inside the cave...
Scott thought he found a small crevice. He and Sam stood out of the way of the door, and prepared to use the lever. But before that, they removed the pin that held the spring.
"THREE!"
Scott and Sam had no time to step out of the way. The four kids rammed the door, which, without the support of the spring, gave way easily under their weight and opened completely.
The four kids couldn't stop; they all fell inside the cave, knocking Sam and Scott to the ground for the second time.
"WHOA!" - cried Sam - "Not again!"
After a couple of seconds, the dust settled, revealing a confusing mountain of bodies lying on the ground. All the kids had fallen on each other, and were somewhat stunned.
"Everybody okay?" asked Scott, helping untangle the human mess. "Wonder why they designed it that way. Any idea?"
"Well... I think it was a booby trap, Scott" - said Sam, dusting himself as he stood - "If somebody found the door and didn't know about the spring, would be trapped here forever. I wouldn't have noticed the spring on the wall, were not for that strange kid I told you about. I know this sounds crazy, but... I swear I saw Twister, or a kid looking remarkably like Twister, pointing to the wall. When I looked to the place, I saw the spring; and the next moment the kid had disappeared!"
"Well, as Roderick has so wisely forewarned us," Scott observed, patting the young Dutchman on the shoulder, "we're dealing with forces beyond our comprehension. But the forces we can bring to bear together are pretty formidable too."
"This gives credence to my dream!" uttered Twister, as Reggie steadied his shoulder.
"Relax, guys! You are just nervous!" - said Reggie - "Now, we better move. But first let's make sure this door won't close behind us."
The kids piled many pounds of rocks in front of the opened door - the same rocks that made the wall that covered the door. After some minutes, it was impossible for the door to move.
"Ok, guys! Let's go!" - said Reggie.
The whole party turned their helmet lights on and followed the tunnel, walking carefully.
As they proceeded, a small figure materialized behind them. It was a young boy wearing ragged pants and a bandana. His face had an expression of hope and worry. He looked as the kids ventured into the cave.
"Good luck, kids" - he muttered before disappearing again.
Meanwhile, an old brown Mazda struggled to get as near as possible to the cave in the Grody estate, but it was really difficult due to the mud.
The two teenagers accompanying Lars and Pi had to push the car for most of the way, until Josh told them to stop.
"All right, guys! The cave is right there, behind those bushes"
"Good" - said Lars, in a hollow, scary voice - "You sure this is the same cave we were talking about?"
"Of course I am!" - said Josh - "I've been exploring this cave ever since my family moved in here three years ago, and I've found several passages which apparently lead to an underground stream or river of sorts.
"There is a larger tunnel, but it's blocked with rocks and what looks like a stone wall."
"Very well" - said Lars - "That is the tunnel we are interested on. Take us there, kid!"
Josh smiled as he took a flashlight from the trunk. He entered the cave in front of the Lasers, who followed close behind with a lot of equipment in their hands. He guided the party for several tens of meters, until they reached what looked like a narrow tunnel carved in the rock. It was damp and moist, and smelled of stagnant water.
Josh was very excited with the adventure, and didn't notice some... subtle changes that occurred to Lars as he approached the tunnel. But the more they ventured into the grotto, the crueler, harder seemed his expression.
Finally, after some fifteen minutes of walking with difficulty in that tunnel, they reached a stone wall blocking the passage.
"See? I told you this tunnel was blocked, Lars! I think there is another chamber some meter back..."
"NO, there is no other chamber, kid" - said Lars in a very hollow voice - "This is the tunnel we were looking for."
"Oh, yeah? And how do you plan to pass through that wall? It's made of solid rocks!"
"Easy, kid. Look."
Lars put his hand on a certain rock of the wall, and a deafening noise was heard.
Josh saw in awe as the wall, which he thought was so solid and resistant, crumbled to the ground as if a bulldozer had hit it.
"Whoa! How did you do that?"
"Easy, kid. I designed this wall" - said Lars.
"You did? I thought it was a lot older. Anyway; we should go in that cave and recover the treasure!"
Josh was rubbing his hands in greed and made to enter the cave, but was held by Lars.
"Not so fast, kiddo. I've been waitin' tae recover that treasure for over 300 years now. I killed my little brother Felipe, who wasn't much older than you, just because he wanted to hide that treasure from me, and I'll not be lettin' a nosy brat like you put his filthy hands on my gold! "
Lars motioned Pi to take care of Josh. Pi, who had already prepared a long rope, wrapped it around Josh's body, immobilizing him so fast that the kid didn't even know what happened to him until it was too late.
"What the? Hey, what are you doing? LET ME GO!"
It was useless. Soon Josh was on the ground, immobilized with those sturdy ropes. The Lasers (or, better said, the entities that had possessed them) stood in front of him, looking at him with red eyes and evil smiles.
"Now, listen carefully, kiddo" - said "Lars"
"Yer gunna be stayin' here. If ye'r lucky, someone might help you. If not... well... you just might end up keepin' company to Felipe. Now, let's get going, gentlemen! Our treasure awaits us!"
"Lars" and his team entered the tunnel, leaving Josh, tear-eyed and sobbing, lying in the dark in that cave.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
A couple of hours later, Riley was walking along the pier. Tesoro was perched on her shoulder. The treasure hunter was wearing a pair of acid washed jeans, a blue surfer tee shirt, and a pair of flip-flops.
Her honey colored hair, which went down to her shoulders, wavered in the foreboding breeze as she neared Pier Thirteen.She was wearing a backpack that was filled with her equipment, and now able to make out the yellow submarine and its crew, who was loading cargo and gear into it. When she stepped on the dock, she noticed Izzy and Iggy yelling at each other over something. The crew ignored them as they launched into yet another fist fight. Riley, having just met the brothers, sweatdropped at the sight.
Tesoro also had a similar reaction. They both looked at each other with expressions of foreboding.
"Do you have the feeling we agreed to go on a doomed expedition, girl?" The brunette asked.
"Meow." The feline replied with a nod. Riley gulped as walked towards the feuding siblings, who had just finished their latest scrap.
"So, I see you guys had a nice workout." She remarked when she reached them.
"Take...it...back..." Izzy panted warningly to his brother.
"No...way..." Iggy breathed.
They both huffed and puffed as they glared at each other, fists held up. Their eyes were full of rage as they each thought up their next move. They growled at each other dangerously.
"I'll give you one more chance. Take back what ya said!"
"No way! I know what I saw!" The younger brother retorted. "You can't tell me you haven't been feeling it too!"
"I don't need you to tell me what I can or can't feel! You're crazy!"
"I'm telling ya, bro! That mushroom's really haunted by something freaky!" Iggy shouted. Izzy gritted his teeth in a mixture of defeat and annoyance. Not knowing what to say to his brother, he simply grunted and crossed his arms.
"Hmph! Whatever." He then noticed Riley and put on a smirk. "Well, I was wondering when you were gonna show up." He walked over to her, followed by Iggy, who had a wide, toothy grin on his face.
"Hi, Kitty!" He screamed, waving at Tesoro. He then turned to Riley. "Can I pet her, please?" He asked, putting his hands together. The treasure hunter sweatdropped again and looked at her partner, who nodded.
"Alright..." She said with a shrug. She picked the black ball of fluff off her shoulders and handed her to the excited boy. "Just be careful with her, ok?"
"Ok!" Iggy's grin widened as he carefully took the kitten in his arms and began stroking her gently for the second time that day.
"Let me guess. Never had a pet?" Riley asked Izzy, who held his forehead in exasperation.
"Well, we used to have some hamsters..." He replied. "But that was years ago."
"Oh. What happened to them?"
Izzy shuddered. "Believe me, you don't wanna know."
Riley's eyes widened in shock.
"Anyway, ready to get this show on the road?" The brunet asked.
"Uhhh... Yeah..." The female answered, getting over her fright.
"Well, that's everything." Oliver said, emerging from the hatch. "Ah! I see our treasure hunter has arrived."
"Hello again." Riley waved at the redhead.
"Enough small talk. This little treasure hunt ends today." Izzy declared, walking towards the sub. "Let's get moving, everybody!"
"Alright!" Iggy cheered, standing up. "Come on, Kitty. We're going to take a little trip."
"Meow." Tesoro mewed as she was carried towards the submersible.
As Riley followed her clients, an ill wind blew, causing her to shake slightly. She looked up at the sky, which became a dark gray. She gave a quizzical look. Wasn't it clear just a moment ago?
"I got a bad feeling about this." She commented. She shook her head and entered the sub.
A few moments passed before the hatch was closed and the submarine sank beneath the waves.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"This is so boring..." Iggy complained.
It had been half an hour since the expedition started. The Lopez Brothers, Riley, and Tesoro were in the captain's quarters, the same exact place where the younger of the siblings had his vision. The brunet, not petting the kitten anymore, was sprawled on the couch in a tired position. Riley was sitting at the desk, examining the map. Her partner was sleeping on the floor nearby.
Izzy was standing by the room's only window with his arms behind his back. His eyes were narrowed in extreme thought. It was clear what was on his mind. He was so close to victory, but there were still several obstacles in his way.
His first and foremost concern was Sam and his group. Did they already reach the treasure? If not, can he and his brother claim it before the other two groups? Will they find a quick path to where the treasure's hidden?
Well, that shouldn't be a concern. After all, he has an experienced, or so Oliver told him, treasure hunter on his side. Still... She seemed to be barely older than him. Can she really perform to his expectations?
Izzy shook his head. This wasn't the best time to act pessimistic. Besides, it was too late to turn back. He was going have to trust her.
Another worry was the visions he and his brother experienced. It's idiotic to think that he was being haunted by a ghost. Even more so that Lars was some pirate bent on getting to the treasure before his and Sam's respective groups.
And yet... Those visions were so real... It practically felt like he was standing in the middle of a plain shrouded in shadows. And when that skeleton appeared...
Izzy gulped. The pain he felt was beyond torture. He shook his head and retained his usual glower. He wasn't going to let a few bad dreams stand between him and glory! He will get that treasure at all costs, ghost or no ghost!
"Hey, Izzy was it?" Riley's voice broke into his thoughts. The boy blinked and turned towards her.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"I think I found the shortest possible route we can take to reach your treasure." She replied. Izzy gave her a small grin in response.
"Good. Let me see." He walked over to the desk.
"Here, I marked the cave with a blue circle." Riley told him as he studied the map. Izzy held his chin and nodded.
"This seems to be pretty close to where that cave in occurred yesterday." He commented.
"Speaking of which, while that's the quickest route compared to other caves nearby, it's a lot more unstable than the others." She warned. "We should take one of the safer routes."
"Ugh... I heard the same thing from Van Rossom earlier!" He roared. "It can't be that bad! We're taking that route!"
"But we can cause a cave-in!" The treasure hunter argued.
"Look! We can avoid a cave-in if we go slowly. Since it's the quickest route, it shouldn't mess up our time."
Riley sighed. He had a good point.
"Fine, we'll do it your way." She conceded. "But you better not get us killed."
"Relax, I know exactly what I'm doing." Izzy waved a dismissive hand. He looked at the map again. "Hmmm... Better go tell Oliver the plan." He walked towards the door.
"Hang on. We're going with you." Riley said. She clicked her tongue as she reached the boy. Tesoro gave a meow as she got up, padded over to her partner, and hopped on her shoulder.
"Hey, you coming?" The male asked his brother, who looked up from his place on the sofa.
"Nah." Iggy replied lazily. "I won't even understand what you guys are talking about."
"Eh, that's true..." Izzy mumbled, holding his chin. "Anyway, since you're staying behind, guard the mushroom." The younger brunet's eyes widened in pure fear as he followed his brother's outstretched finger to his backpack, where the fungus in question was hidden.
"Th-th-the mushroom...?" He gulped, shuddering.
"Yep. See ya in a few--"
"WAIT!.!.!" Iggy screamed, clinging to his brother in fright. "DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE WITH THAT THING!.!.!"
"Iggy! What is your malfunction this time?.!" The older brother demanded, trying to pry him off.
"I don't wanna guard that mushroom again!" The smaller boy answered. "Don't you remember what happened last time!.?"
"Last time..." Izzy blinked and gave his brother a sheepish look. "Oh yeah! Heh, heh... Sorry about that."
"You forgot!.?.!" Iggy demanded hotly as he watched his brother grab the backpack and put it on.
"What!.? I've had a lot on mind lately!" The taller boy retorted as they all left the room.
"So you forgot that I was put into the hospital because of that stupid thing!.?"
"Like I said, I had a lot on my mind!"
"So beating Sam is more important than my health!.?"
"I never said that!" Izzy roared as they moved through the hall. Riley and Tesoro watched the exchange in confusion.
"Well ya might as well have! I can't believe you!"
"Listen you little brat, I can care less about that blond fool! Got it!.?"
"Hmph!" Iggy turned away with his arms crossed.
"Pfft! Whatever." Izzy grunted as they reached the hatch for the control room.
Like yesterday, he turned the lock and entered, followed by his disgruntled brother, the treasure hunter, and her partner.
When the hatch closed behind them, the group was able to see the beautiful sights of the harbor's depths. The room was dim, illuminated only by the submarine's lights and the equipment in the room. Oliver turned towards his fellow teammates and raised an eyebrow.
"What happened to him?" He asked, noticing the look of anger on Iggy's face. The brunet gave a distinct huff and turned away.
"It's none of your concern." Izzy told him. He then held up the map. "We know which cave to use now."
He then showed the redhead the map. Oliver studied it for a few moments before nodding.
"Alright. I believe my associates and I have explored that cave before. We shouldn't have any problems navigating it."
"Ha! See? I told you there was nothing to worry about!" Izzy bragged to Riley, who stuck her tongue out in response.
"Anyway, we're nearing the cave." Oliver said. "We must be as silent as possible. The helmsman needs to concentrate on steering a safe course. Were we to strike a wall, we could easily be doomed."
The others (even Iggy) gulped at the warning.
"S-s-s-s-so it's really hard to navigate after all?" Izzy asked, trembling slightly.
"No, but like I said, it's easy to lose your concentration, so keep silent!" Oliver hissed.
"After knowing you for a short while, that probably should go double for you two." Riley remarked, earning herself a glare from both brothers.
"Oh everybody's a comedian today, huh?" Izzy shot back. "Why don't we set up a stage right here while we're at it?"
"Yeah!" Iggy agreed.
"QUIET!.!.!" Oliver roared. "We're almost inside."
The sub was about to enter the cavern when a thought came up.
"WOAH! Stop the sub!"
°Sceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!.!.!°
°CRASH!.!.!°
"YEOW!.!.!" Everybody yelped as they were thrown down to the floor by the force of the sudden stop. Everybody groaned as they tried to recollect themselves. As soon as everybody got up, they sent Iggy, who had made the order, a death glare.
"Uhhhh... Heh, heh, heh... Oops?" The boy sweatdropped under their stares.
Izzy, being the closest, promptly grabbed him by the throat and pulled him towards him.
"I'm gonna ask you one simple question." He hissed dangerously. "WHY'D YOU ORDER THIS TUB TO STOP!.?.!"
"Be-be-be-be-be-because I just thought of something!" Iggy sputtered.
"It better be good!" The older one roared, letting go. The younger sibling breathed hard for a couple minutes before relaxing.
"Whew... Anyway, if we're going up against Mr. Lars and Sam's groups, won't we need some kinda protection or something?"
Izzy blinked in response to that innocent sounding question and turned to Oliver.
"I never thought I'd say this, but he's got a good point. What are we supposed to do if we run into them and they try something?"
"Well, if worst comes to worst, Tesoro can always defend us." Riley spoke up. Everybody else gave her a weirded out look.
"You're kidding, right? How is that little furball supposed to protect us against them!.?"
"Here, I'll show you." The treasure gave the elder Lopez Brother an evil smirk. "Tesoro, attack!"
"Rrrrrrreeeeeooooowwwww!.!.!" The cat hissed.
"Oh please! That little thing couldn't harm a--"
That was all he got out before Tesoro let out a terrifying screech and clung herself to Izzy's face.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!.!.! GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME!.!.!" He screamed, running around the whole room.
"Ok, Tesoro! Come back." Riley called. Hearing the command, Tesoro retracted her claws, jumped off Izzy, and ran back to her.
"Awww... What a good kitty..." Iggy praised, scratching the cat behind her ear.
Izzy meanwhile, glared at the treasure hunter. His face was covered with various scratches. He shook a fist at all three of them.
"That was NOT funny!"
The rest of the crew struggled to stifle their snickers at the sight of the boy. The brunet slapped his forehead and muttered several obscenities. He then turned to Oliver.
"Weapons, NOW!.!.!"
"Erm... Well, seeing as we're explorers we--" He gulped as his irate partner fixed him with a cold glare. "--Don't have any?"
Izzy stomped towards him.
"I-I-I mean, we have some right there!" The redhead cowered, pointing towards a closet that was near the room's only exit.
The brunet stopped his advance, but never let his glower leave him.
"Good..." He hissed, stomping over to the closet. "Now let's see what we got here."
He grabbed the handle and pulled.
Izzy pulled open the door to reveal...
"What!.?" He gasped. "Scented candles!.?"
Indeed, the closet was filled to the brim with candles of different colors. He instantly slammed the door and glared at the camera.
"BOSS!"
(Prince Izzy X: What? Can't take a joke?)
"You know I can't! Change it to something else now!"
(Prince Izzy X: °Sighs° Fine. Sour puss. °Snaps fingers°)
A puff of smoke emanated from the closet. It wafted through the air for a few moments before dissipating. Izzy once again grabbed the handle.
"Now once again, let's see what we got."
He pulled it open to reveal...
"WHAT!.?.!"
Inside was every type of gun imagined! Everything from your everyday handguns to bazookas to rocket launchers were inside. He promptly slammed the door, nearly throwing it off its hinges and stared at the camera with a blood-filled lust.
"Oh no ya don't! Change it!"
(Prince Izzy X: What!.? Don't you want an edge?.!)
"If you complained when Scott pulled a revolver in the rough draft, what makes you think you can get away with that!.? Use something else and this time, be realistic!"
Once again, smoke came out of the closet. The brunet, fed up beyond all belief, gripped the handle.
"I hate it when we have to break the fourth wall." He mumbled before pulling.
The door opened, revealing...
"Whew..." Everybody breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally!"
Inside was a small assortment of close range weaponry. There was a bo staff, some kendo sticks, a couple of plastic shields, which were much smaller than the kind police officers use, and helmets, pepper spray, and air guns.
Izzy sweatdropped.
"What are we, cops?" He shook his head. "Alright, I guess this'll have to do." He turned to Oliver, Iggy, and Riley. "Suit up!"
"Hey! What about us!.?" The rest of the crew protested.
"Oh don't worry." The leader waved a dismissive hand. "We'll only need a handful of you and even then, you'll only be in the background, so you won't mean squat to the overall flow of the story."
Everybody glared at Izzy for that one. He immediately noticed and glowered at them.
"What?.!"
"'I hate it when we have to break the fourth wall!'" Riley mimicked his voice. "Does that ring a bell!.?"
"Oops..."
"Ugh!" Everybody groaned.
"Ok, so I made one little mistake! Sheesh! Let's just get everything together already!"
And so, the four main members of Izzy's party grabbed what they could get out of the supply closet. Both Lopez Brothers picked the kendo sticks, Riley took the bo staff, and Oliver grabbed a couple of air guns. They each grabbed a helmet and a shield for protection. They all examined their weapons and found them to be sufficient.
Then came an announcement from the Sea Crest's first officer: "Successful entry. Stand by to surface. Welcome to the Glory Hole, gentlemen... uh, and lady."
"Ok. Now that we're, at long freakin' last, ready..." Izzy started. "Let's get that treasure!"
With that, the submarine and its eager crew entered the cavern.