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Chapter 5
The next morning, Ian walked into Riley's room.
"Wakey wakey Riley," he greeted.
Ian's men unchained Riley and grabbed his arms. Riley bit back a cry of pain as more pain shot through his left arm. He felt his arms being pulled in front of him and duct tape bind them.
"Put him in the back of the car," Ian ordered.
Shaw and Victor took Riley outside to the car and shoved him in the back. They got in the front and they were off to Trinity church.
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Ben stood there pacing in front of Trinity church.
"He should have been here by now," Ben mumbled.
"Don't worry he will be," Abigail assured.
A black van pulled up. Ian got out.
"Hello Ben," he greeted.
"Where's Riley, Ian?" Ben demanded.
"Not until I have the next clue," Ian stated, "shall we?"
"What about Riley?" Abigail asked.
"Once we are inside, they will follow," Ian told her.
They went inside. As they made their way to the front of the church, Ben was looking back at the door. It finally opened and Shaw and Victor came in holding Riley between them. Riley's hands had duct tape around them and his head hung forward. When he brought it up, Ben saw the bruises on it. He became angry.
"Let him go Ian," Ben stated.
"Help me find the treasure," Ian breathed.
"No now!" Ben demanded, "or you can figure out the clues for yourself. Good luck."
Ben shoved the case that held the glasses in them, towards Ian.
"Ben I don't think you appreciate the gravity of this situation," Ian made known.
Shaw pulled a gun and pressed it hard against Riley's temple.
"Let's have a look at that map," Ian sighed.
Ben, Abigail and Ian sat down in a pew and pulled out the declaration. Ben put on the glasses and looked at the back again. He adjusted the lenses to see if there was anything else and there was.
"It is remarkable. Take a look," Ben sighed handing Ian the glasses.
Ian put the glasses on and looked at the back of the declaration.
"Parkington Lane?" he asked.
"Beneath Parkington Lane," Ben corrected.
"Why would the map take us here and lead us somewhere else? What's the purpose?" Ian asked.
Ben could almost hear his dad saying, 'It's just another clue.'
"No your right Parkington Lane has to be here somewhere," Ben mumbled.
"A street inside the church?" Ian asked.
"Not inside. Beneath. Beneath the church," Ben justified.
"Where though?" Ian asked.
"The catacombs," Ben answered.
Shaw undid Riley's hands and they all went to the catacombs. Once they were down there, they started looking for the entry way. Riley found it.
"Hey I found it...him!" he yelled.
They all rushed over. As Ben examined it, MacGregor found a small angel statue and smashed in the stone. They pulled out the casket and the bottom broke and a skeleton fell out.
"Careful no one steps in him," MacGregor warned.
They sat down the casket and peered in the hole.
"Okay, who wants to go down the creepy tunnel inside the tomb first?" Riley joked.
"MacGregor, Victor you stay here. And if anyone is to come out without me, well use your imagination," Ian instructed.
He turned to Ben.
"Shall we?" he asked.
Ben climbed in first, followed by Ian, Shaw, Abigail, Riley, and Powell.
They made their way down the dark tunnel when Ben spotted a torch.
"Got a light?" he asked Ian taking it off the wall.
Ian took out a lighter and lit the torch. They started making their way again. Ben stood to the side making sure every body got through. As Riley passed, he stopped him.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," Riley lied.
"We'll talk later," Ben whispered.
Riley walked passed. As Abigail followed him, Ben grabbed her arm.
"Come here," he mumbled turning her around and kissing her full on the lips.
When they broke apart, she smiled and moved on. Powell followed them.
"Why does that never happen to me?" he asked himself.
"What's this?" Ian asked, from the front of the group. He allowed Ben to go before him with the torch. Ben could barley make out the shape of a chandelier.
"It's a chandelier," Ben made known.
He dipped the torch down onto the chandelier and it lit fire giving off light to fill the room. He handed the torch to Ian and him and Riley undid the ropes binding the chandelier to the balcony and let it down, to hang in the middle of the room.
"Look at the elevators," Ben pointed out. "How do a bunch of guys with hand tools build all this?" Powell asked in disbelief.
"Same way they built the pyramids and Great Wall of China," Ben answered.
"Yeah the aliens help them," Riley joked.
"Right lets go," Ian stated. He went down first followed by Powell, Shaw, Ben, Riley, and Abigail.
"Were under the Trinity graveyard. Probably why nobody ever found this," Ben made known.
All of a sudden there was low rumble that made the dust come off the walls.
"What is that?" Riley asked as it passed.
"Subway," Ian replied.
They started to continue, but all of a sudden the floor under Shaw gave way and he fell.
"Shaw! Oh god Shaw!" Ian yelled.He fell further and further into the blackness. Ian looked at Ben at a complete loss for words. All of sudden, the boards started to collapse from underneath their feet. The floor Abigail, Riley and Ben were standing on started to tip downward making them grab onto anything sturdy enough. Riley jumped to another side falling onto the ground but safe.
"Get on the elevator!" Ian yelled, "jump!"
He pushed Powell onto the elevator.
"Abigail get on!" Ben yelled as they jumped on to another elevator.
Ian threw the torch to Powell and jumped to the elevator almost missing it.
"Here," Riley offered holding his hand out for the declaration.
Ben reached it out to give to Riley, but the elevator rope suddenly snapped and Ben and Abigail dropped with the elevator. When the elevator finally stopped it came apart and Abigail started to fall, but Ben caught her. Riley looked up at Ian.
"What are you waiting for? Help them!" he yelled.
The elevator started to sway back and forth. Their attention turned to the declaration as it rolled to the edge of the elevator. Ready to fall. Ben looked at it and then back at Abigail. He had a look of sorrow on his face.
"The declaration," Abigail whispered.
"Do you trust me?" Ben asked.
"Yes," Abigail answered.
The elevator swung forward one more time and Ben dropped Abigail and went for the declaration. Abigail landed on a piece of wood. Ben grabbed the declaration. He looked down and saw Abigail was safe. Then the elevator started breaking more.
"Oh no Ben hang on!" Abigail shouted.
The board was getting more loose as the nail holding it to the elevator was coming out. A rope dropped down to him at the last second. He grabbed on to it and swung across to the other side to safety.
"I'm sorry I dropped you I had to save the declaration," Ben apologized.
"No don't be. I would have done the exact same thing to you," Abigail assured.
"Really?" Ben asked.
" I would have dropped you both," Riley added, " freaks."
There was a creaking noise. They looked up to see Ian coming down with Powell in the elevator. He stopped it and then stared at them.
"Get on," He demanded.
"Ian it's not worth it," Ben stated.
"Do you imagine any one of your lives is more valuable to me then Shaw's?" Ian asked sadly looking at them, "we go on,"
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They came upon a platform of wood leading into a doorway.
"What now?" Riley asked.
"This is it. This is where it all leads," Ben answered.
Ben threw a rope around a post and pulled the elevator to it. He tied it off and lead the others in with the torch. He lit a few more torches in the room to give more light. It was empty.
"What is this?" Riley asked looking around.
"So where's the treasure?" Powell asked.
Ian looked at Ben.
"Well?" Ian asked waiting.
Ben looked at the ground in defeat.
"This is it?" Riley asked annoyed, "we came all this way for a dead end?
"Yes," Ben sighed defeated.
"There has to be something more," Riley stated.
"Riley there is no more," Ben corrected his voice raising.
"Another clue," Riley continued.
"No there are no more clues! That's it! It's over! End of the road. The treasure is gone. Moved. Taken somewhere else," Ben yelled agitated.
Riley looked to the ground trying to make himself invisible. He never liked getting yelled at. It was even worse when Ben did it. Ben had never done it before, but he didn't want him to do it again.
"Your not playing games with me are you Ben?" Ian asked, "you know where it is."
"No," Ben stated.
"Okay," Ian mumbled, "go."
Him and Powell ran back to the elevator. Ian grabbed the rope and untied the elevator and Powell raised it
"Hey wait a minute," Ben stated following them.
"You can't just leave us here," Abigail yelled.
"Yes I can. Unless Ben tells me the next clue," Ian stated looking back at Ben.
"There isn't another clue," Ben stated.
"Ian, why don't you come back down here and we can talk through this together?" Riley suggested.
"I have had enough of you," Ian stated.
He pulled back the safety and a shot fired. Riley looked down at his stomach. There was blood coming out of a bullet hole. He looked up at Ian before collapsing.
"Riley!" Ben yelled.
Ben and Abigail rushed over to him. Ben picked him up off the ground.
"Riley? Come on stay with me," Ben coaxed putting a hand to Riley's cheek.
Their attention turned to Ian when he spoke.
"Ben, the clue?" Ian asked.
"How could you do this? He didn't do anything to you!" Ben cried.
"Tell me the clue or Mrs. Chase will have to worry about two bodies," Ian warned.
Ben remained silent. Ian pulled the hammer of the gun back.
"The lantern!" Ben finally blurted out.
"Ben," Abigail warned.
"In King Solomon's temple, there was a winding staircase. It signified the journey that had to be made to find the light of truth," Ben explained, "the lantern is the clue."
"And what does it mean?" Ian asked.
"Boston. It's in Boston. The Old North Church, where Thomas Newman hung a lantern in the steeple, to signal to Paul Revere that the British were coming. One if by land, two if by sea," Ben explained, "one lantern, under the winding staircase of the steeple, that's where we have to look."
"Thank you," Ian thanked.
"Wait! You have to take us with you!" Abigail cried.
"Why, so you can escape in Boston? Besides, with you out of the picture, there's less baggage to carry," Ian sneered.
"You can't let Riley die down here," Ben growled still holding Riley in his arms.
"Oh yes I can," Ian smiled evilly.
"What if there's another clue?" Abigail asked.
"Then I'll know right where to find you," Ian stated, "see ya, Ben."
Powell started turning the wheel to make the elevator rise.
"No!" shouted Ben.
"Come back!" Abigail yelled.
Ian was gone. Ben turned his attention back to Riley when he heard him coughing.
"Ben? What's...going...on?" Riley asked weakly.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it. Just relax," Ben comforted as he laid Riley back down and took off his jacket.
He took his jacket and pressed it against Riley's wound. Riley winced and gasped in pain.
"I know it hurts Riley, but it will help," Ben whispered picking Riley back up.
"Ben...I'm sorry," Riley groaned his eyes drifting close.
"Hey hey. Stay awake come on were not done yet. Remember that promise you made me? You said you were going to be by my side when we found the treasure. Don't break that promise. Not when were this close," Ben coaxed.
"I'm sorry Ben. That's a promise I can't keep this time," Riley whispered in pain, "but don't you give up. Find the treasure. For your family. For me."
With that, Riley passed out in Ben's arms.