Indy nearly gagged as he stepped off the last stair and onto the rocky, sandy floor. He was no stranger to crypts and tombs but the stale air made it difficult to breathe. The place must have been older than he thought.
He turned and took Penny's hand to guide her down the last few steps and locked eyes with her. Pica softly pushed her aside as he descended the stairs, bringing Indy back from his thoughts.
Almost automatically he dove into his satchel and produced a small kerosene of oil, and grabbed a torch mounted on the wall, which had long since burnt out.
He routinely poured the oil onto the top of the torch and with a flick of his lighter from his pocket, lit the torch. The room exploded in light, illuminating a very plain looking corridor. Leading Indy to again believe he was in the wrong place.
Without a word he handed the torch to Pica and made another light for himself.
"Alright, let's take a look." He said and moved down the well lit corridor, there was only room for two people to walk abreast so they decided to keep single file with Indy leading the way.
Indy subconsciously raised his hat, allowing him to see more of the tunnel; he rubbed his hands along the thick stone walls to judge how deep the tunnel went or to find clues of the artifact's location.
"Do you even know where we're going?" Penny asked firmly, her voice bouncing around the corridor in a long echo.
"Yeah." Indy replied, not giving her a clue. Indy grinned as her frustration and pressed on, holding the torch out as both a source of light and a weapon to ward off the scorpions littering the floor. He noticed that Penny wasn't running or screaming from the bugs. She'd probably seen all kinds of insects, he reminded himself.
Eventually the trio came to a door creating a dead end in the tunnel. Sighing, Indy pushed the door. No affect. With an incredulous look at Penny he pulled it, sparing himself from more 'advice' from Penny. He was almost glad when that didn't work either. He noticed the hieroglyphics on the door, and moved aside. Though Indy could probably decipher them given enough time, he knew that Penny was far more experienced in this field.
Penny looked at the door for a moment, and then brushed some cobwebs from the hinge side of the door, opposite the handle. After the webs were clear Indy noticed a small button sticking from the site.
"I wouldn't press that." He warned, remembering his past experiences.
"I'm not going to. The door says to pull it. Then turn it once clockwise. Pull again, turn again then push. Then the door opens."
Indy still wasn't convinced but gave a resigned shrug, his hand rested on his bullwhip without thinking.
Slowly he watched Penny complete the movements. He held his breath as she pushed the button fearlessly. With a sigh of relief the door swung open, revealing to the group another corridor, this one shorter, but wider and with a door the opposite end.
Indy stepped in first. "What is it with these people and doors?"
The corridor was more of a small room with nothing in it and there was more than enough room for the three of them to walk side by side. Sick of the door game, Indy strolled over to the door the opposite end and pulled it. Then pushed it. Crying out in desperation he searched for the button on the other edge. Irritated he pushed the button. A sickening click noise sounded.
"Damn." Indy whispered to himself as a hole emerged in the ceiling of the room, pouring in sand at an alarming pace.
"Penny, get over here!" He cried to the woman, keeping her head down from the sand emerging from more and more holes from the ceiling. She ran to the fellow archeologist.
"Read the signs, now!" Indy screamed as he frantically pushed and pulled the button and looking for another. Although they still had an exit, if the sand continued it would block their only route to the Ankh and he wasn't prepared for that to happen.
"C'mon. Now!" he said. Pica edged to the door they came from, their only escape. The sand flooded in quicker and soon they were up to their thighs in the gritty rock.
"Close the door." She said, surprisingly calm.
"What? It's closed!" Indy said, grabbing her to face him.
"No the other one, it'll stop the sand and allow us to open this one!" She screamed over the sound of rushing sand.
"That's our only escape, Penny." He warned. But he knew he wanted to take the risk. He nodded to Pica who pulled the door, shutting them in the small room. Suddenly the rush of sand ended. Penny blew a sigh of relief and performed the same movements as the previous door. It swung open, allowing the two doctors and the guide into the new corridor.
Rubbing his hair and scratching his head, Indy stepped onwards, stopping to empty the sand out of his shoes.
"I've never seen that kind of trap before." Pica said, making Indy jump in surprise.
"Could be worse." Indy said, but immediately regretted saying it. He loathed tempting fate. Even Penny winced at the remark.
"C'mon" He barked to the others, and set off further into the underground.