A/N: This chapter contains topics and mentions of miscarriage.
Cassie Drake: That's me and I'm a seasoned treasure hunter with a child on the way.
Derek Lowell: My husband with his papa bear instincts kicking in.
Henry Decker: My jackass supervisor.
Gil Vernon: A chill guy, easy to talk to.
Marcus Cote: He's quiet but he's got some skills up his sleeves.
Extended Summary
So, I have a child on the way, a second child on the way and I'm excited for my son, Evan, to have a baby sister. But, as working adults, we need jobs to pay bills and high insurance rates so we need to get a good discovery if we want revenue coming in. But once we find the Lost City of Z and bring back proof of its existence, then we should be good. It should be easy and I'm determined to take the safe route with me being pregnant and everything but... I never should've gone on this adventure.
I NEVER should've gone on this adventure.
Cassie Drake, July 2042
Chapter 1
July 2042
The Grand Canyon
Derek and I climbed the side of the Grand Canyon. I was dangling by one hand onto a handhold and if I let go, then I would plunge to my death. Eh, falling to my death never scared me. My beautiful husband, Derek, was below me, climbing up a rope that was connected to something above him.
"Hey slow poke," I called out. Derek looked above to see me dangling. He smiled at me.
"I may be the one who's slow, but you're the one dangling like a monkey," Derek countered.
I chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I guess I am." I grab a handhold with both hands. "Remember the last time we climbed a mountain in America?"
Derek paused before replying, "Yeah, our little adventure in Mesa Verde? Or that volcano on Mauna Kea."
I remembered those two adventures as if it happened yesterday. "Yeah, I remember it like it was yesterday, when in fact, it was about seven years ago." I pause. Damn, seven years? Shit, time flies fast in this world.
Thrusting my foot onto a foothold, I anchor a piton, which I always brought with me, into a weak spot in the rock wall above me. Now that it was firmly anchored, I could climb up like that monkey my husband compared me to.
"It's a weak spot here where you can plant your piton!" I told him to make life easier for my husband.
"Thanks for the tip," I heard Derek groan.
We continued climbing, handhold after handhold but I managed to retrieve my climbing piton before I lost it forever.
We were here in Arizona for vacation. It was a well-deserved break and I think it's a good reward. After all, it's been over one year since we found an ancient lost city capable of destroying humanity so we've earned the right to go climbing. Finding another lost city didn't seem as exciting as the new treasure I would be receiving in about six months.
"Derek, if I beat you to the top, you have to buy me dinner!" I jokingly say.
Derek looked up to her, a look forming on his face that reminded me of an alpha male. "I brought some MREs for us to eat." His face softened smugly. "I have spaghetti and meatballs,"
Why did you have to ruin the fun? "Why did you have to ruin the fun?" I complained but I must admit that I sounded like a five-year-old girl. Oh man, I miss being a five-year-old girl.
"Because that's my gig, dawg," Derek answered.
I shook my head. "Don't try and talk like a teenager in the year 2042, especially when you're a 28-year-old man."
"You're 28 too," he pointed out. "And how about this: if I beat you to the top, then you have to buy me dinner, huh?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever buddy." As if I would ever let Derek beat me when rock climbing was literally in my genes.
After a few more moments of climbing, unfortunately, Derek had caught up to me. When we got to the top of the Grand Canyon, Derek was smirking, that ridiculous smug look on his face making my tongue taste sour. But he did the nice thing and helped me up.
I'm 28; almost in my prime so obviously, I should be extremely fast. But, that's what happens when you're three months pregnant.
Derek didn't gloat as I expected him to and instead, turned my head so we could gaze at this view together.
"You owe a meal at one of the most fancy restaurants in Arizona," Derek reminded me.
"Alright, I will buy you dinner," I said begrudgingly. "Do you know any good restaurants?"
Derek smiled. "I know there is one fancy restaurant in Phoenix."
"How much does it cost?"
"Only a couple hundred bucks."
Yes, I better enjoy my time with Derek before we take a plane ride to South America for our next assignment.
XXXX
The Amazon Rainforest, Brazil
It was believed in the great depths of the Amazon Rainforest lay countless tribes and lost cities, just waiting to be discovered by yours truly, Cassie Drake. However, these were beliefs and legends rather than actual facts.
But how many times I have proven that lost cities exist? Too many for me to count on two hands unless I had one surgically sewn on. But, I'll save the sewing for later.
Yes, there were tribes and temples in the lost city but I would rather spare them for later, especially with the baby on the way. I looked down and found my hands running over my stomach, imagining the baby girl growing inside. It was a girl; I was sure of it. I was only three months along but when I predicted that my little prince would be a boy, out came little baby Evan.
Evan was not going to be like me or Derek: an only child with parents who were often away. No, Derek and I wanted to give Evan a sibling to keep him company. Just six more months and little Evan's baby sister would be born. I had something to look forward to, all three of us. Well, all four of us. But for right now, I had to pay attention to the task at hand.
My supervisor, Henry Decker, was giving me the stink-eye again, indicating he wanted me to meet him in his tent. I decided to comply with his demands and met up with Derek, Gil, and Marcus. With all four of us present, Henry Decker got down to business.
He held a pile of papers in his hands.
"Do I need to remind you guys what this is?" he asked. "This is the key to our future."
"A big pile of old papers," Gil snarked, "looks promising."
Marcus looked at me before looking at Decker. "Hey, the old promising papers you'll ever find is green dollar bills."
"Unless you find old paper very enriching," Derek chuckled.
"But paper kills trees," I chimed in, "how terrible for the environment and all just to make us do homework and paperwork."
Decker drops the document. "This is Manuscript 512," he groaned, "you lazyass bastards."
"Hey, we do all of the heavy work," I rebutted, "the only lazyass here is you."
Decker looked at me but didn't say anything until he did. "Is that any way to talk to your superior?"
"Apologies."
Decker nods to the document. "Read the document once more for us, Cassie. Read it."
I went along and decided to read it.
In the jungles, lies one of the most precious cities ever found. A lost city of the utmost technology ever existed. Technology that can build or destroy continents in less than three days, can make one invulnerable to all but silver and possess the ability to control the most dangerous predators in the world.
Like clockwork. "Like clockwork; always nice to have someone who understands ancient languages." And he was lucky I understood this ancient language written in this document because it would've taken me an eternity to learn it.
Manuscript 512 was the document used by the lost explorer, Colonel Percy Fawcett, detailing a lost city that would be known today as 'The Lost City of Z'. I was reading off-page lost from the document. How did Henry Decker obtain this lost page? Why, he bought it for a very high price from an auction, of course, and now, without asking me, he is expecting me to find the lost city. It would be so funny if it weren't pathetic.
"I don't see the point of this," Derek spoke up. "The Lost City of Z sounds kinda irrelevant today. Sure, it's a lost city but there's no point in finding it."
"We are finishing Col. Fawcett's work," Decker claimed, "we can make history."
It's always making history when it comes to you, Decker.
"Decker," I spoke up, "let's say we find Col. Fawcett's lost city, then what? We show it to the world?"
"We must; after all, as archeologists, our objective is to dig up the past, not bury it. The Lost City of Z, regardless of the contents described in Manuscript 512, is a historical find. You guys hate me for sounding all greedy and everything but we need more recognition and a reputation to get more job offers; I'm the only one thinking with a rational mind. We are going to find this lost city together."
"Hell yeah," Marcus cheered, "we'll be famous."
"What about the booby traps?" Gil asked.
I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry, we'll be meat shields for ya."
"Thank you," Marcus said gleefully. He turns to Gil. "Think about it, Gil-Man, we become rich and famous, and we get a lot of money; you can rent out the next cosplay convention you go to. Can you imagine, being surrounded by other dragon cosplayers?"
I lifted my head. I look at Derek. We blink and look down at the document in my hand.
"What about the first sign of trouble?" I ask. "In our experience, there is bound to be trouble so what do we do about that?"
Decker looked at me incredulously. "Uhh, do what you do best, obviously."
"Are we expendable?" I felt my hand touch my belly. "I certainly hope not because I've had enough dealing with people who thought I was expendable."
Decker laughs - oh no, the world is coming to an end.
"No, you are not expendable. After all, you and Derek are invaluable members of this group. In fact, having you guys getting killed for us would be a waste. But, we will not ignore the fact that you are beneficial to us, and wasting your talent would be sad for everyone."
I smile. "What about your talent, Decker? After all, Derek and I do all the heavy work when going on these adventures. If you're so sure about this Lost City of Z then you and Gil and Marcus should pull their weights." I put the document down. "Remember our Fire and Ice adventure? Marcus and Gil went with us, and got a taste and feel for the dangers. On the other hand, you sat back and did nothing. Honestly, you are the ones who need to hone in your talent. Especially you."
My amazing husband folds his arms over his chest. "I agree. You can't expect us to keep giving if you're going to keep demanding; at least know what you're getting into."
"I'm in," Marcus said rather quickly. "Those dragons and ancient tribe curses don't scare me."
Gil stuttered. "Uhh… y-yeah."
Decker pressed his lips together and rubbed his fingertips in a circular motion. He pondered for a moment before sighing like a tired dog. "I guess you have a point. Chances are, this could be the last adventure the five of us go on together before we're recruited by other agencies. It would be a good idea to not be too dependent on each other. In that case, I will attend this adventure with everyone. Any objections?"
No one said a single thing.
Honestly, Decker traveling along made things easy. Hopefully, we won't find that lost city but who am I kidding; I'm like a goddamn lost city magnet, ready to become a lost city ticking time bomb.
Chapter 2
When arrangments had been made and everything, Is aw that it was time for s to sit down and take a break. Tonight was our last night camping before we went off into the Amazon jungle to look for the alleged Lost City of Z. Why not have an excavation crew with us, well, Decker figured that we should do it like in those reality shoes. Those kinds of shoes where people are off in the wild and try not to die. Decker wanted to be like that and he even had a camera, a really expensive one at that, with us and recording the whole thing. This should be plenty of fun, I hope, and I hope I don't encounter any ancient tribes shooting poison arrows or darts at me.
Henry Decker got his tent, Marcus and Gil shared one, and Derek and I got the last tent. As I went outside to take a piss, I felt Derek sneak up on me. How did I know it was Derek? My man had a very distinct set of footsteps that only my keen, experienced ears could decipher. I smiled and felt him hug me from behind. He ran both of his hands up my chest, chartering dangerous territories before his hands found their final destination on my belly.
"What are you doing?" I ask. "Pretending to be a blind man?"
"Sending my positive energy to our baby," he answered softly. "And... I'm just protecting you."
I chuckle. "Derek, I think I can handle going outside to go to the bathroom."
"I'm sorry," he replied but not sincerely, "I just can't help but want to protect you; my papa bear instincts are kicking in. After all, I got two for the pirece of one to protect."
"Aww, how chivalrous of you. Don't worry; I won't die so easily." I felt something hard on his hip. "Derek, you've got a funny idea of romantic."
"It's a gun," he interrupted, "I have a sidearm with me."
I look at him. His face was covered by shadows but there was just enough moonlight to slightly illuminate his face. "Where did you get a pistol from?"
"Marcus suggested it; he said that we should take some firearms with us. Decker was quick to agree, and Gil, and me, honestly."
I wanted to say I would have voted no but experience was the best teacher and the one course I excelled in was surviving getting shot at. "Yeah, I agree. Better safe than sorry, I guess."
'This mission is under wraps," he reassured me. "Decker told no one about the Lost City of Z. So, we should not be expecting any third parties chasing after us."
"But if you had to gamble or roll a die, what would you place our odds, D-Man?"
He presses his lips. "Honestly, I would say the odds are against us."
"Correct answer." I put my hands to my stomach. I thought I felt a kick but I knew it was nothing more than my mind playing tricks on me. "After we're done with this adventure, whatever money we make from finding the lost city, we go on maternity leave and then... take a new family photo." I smile. At the place I work at, they offer paid maternity and paternity leave.
"It's going to be a girl," Derek said. "I'm sure of it, I hope so."
"Just two more months and then we can determine the baby's sex. Or do you want it to be a surprise?"
"No," Derek shook his head, "I have to know I'm having a daughter, now. As soon as possible. I have plenty of names for the little girl."
I grabbed his hands softly. "Please, enlighten me on some names."
"Elizabeth." He smiled. "Like Queen Elizabeth."
"I half-thought you were going to name our daughter after a painter rather than a historical figure."
"Well, historical painters. But, yeah, I think I was thinking of giving her first name belonging to a historical figure and then her middle name after a painter, sorta like Evan."
"Oh, so it'll be a baby trend? First name: history, middle name painter?"
"Evan wasn't named after a historical figure," he pointed out.
I was reminded of why I chose to give Evan his name. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"But, we can start that trend with our second child if you want. And then when we have our third and fourth child..."
I clench my thighs. "Jesus Christ, Derek, are you trying to have my groin split in two? Damn, do you know how painful labor is?"
"No, and God was merciful for me to not be a girl."
I laugh. "Yeah, because God is grateful we lost his ark and his staff and rod of Moses and Aaron."
"Yeah." He nods awkwardly. "I guess so."
I craned my neck, only to realize I felt much more comfortable leaning my head back and resting it on Derek's shoulder. 'whether we pissed God off or not, I don't think it matters. Let's just get this little escapade done and out the way and then we can go back home to Evan.'"
"Yeah." Derek sniffed my neck before suckling on it. "I'm sorry; I can't help myself. You're glowing, even in this darkness, Cass."
"Thank you," I remember hearing him saying that I was glowing when I was pregnant with Evan. Ahh, such good times; especially when I was constantly craving hamburgers and the sweet disgusting taste of clay. Never will I ever eat clay again.
"Can I escort you back to the tent?" Derek asks. "Please, I ask for so little."
I roll my eyes. "Sure." I turn around and wrap my arms around his neck. I planted my feet on top of his shoes and curled slightly when I felt his hands on the small of my back.
He puppets me all the way back to our tent before he helps me climb in. We get back into our tent, zip up, and go to sleep in our sleeping bags.
XXXX
One Week Ago
Maui
I had made it through my first trimester so the chances of having a miscarriage or any other complications were slightly lower. I felt comfortable bringing this news to the two more important men in my life. I first told Derek the second he got out of bed.
He was still groggy but I told him to put an egg in between two hamburger buns and set them on his plate. He looked at me, confused as he was groggy.
"What's this? An egg hamburger?"
"No," I answered. "I had a bun that I was about to put in the oven but the oven is broken."
He had the same look on his face. "Why would you put a bun in the oven?"
I flash him the cheekiest grin I could manage. His eyes widened.
"Bun in the oven?" He stands up. "You're pregnant?"
I answered by putting my hands on my belly. "Yep. Up the spout and everything."
Derek's breath left him and he simply fell into his chair, his eyes staring off into space while his tongue almost dangled out his mouth. "Wow, this is a lot to process so..."
I smile, finding his facial expression to be the funniest damn thing I've seen in a long time. "I'll give you some time to process it. Meanwhile, I have someone else to tell."
I walked into the living room, where Evan was playing with his toys and eating himself fried eggs with salt and pepper I made for him. For a 3-year-old, he sure had table manners and was very conscious to not make a mess.
"My little prince." I kneel before him. "How is it going?"
"Fine," he answered. He grabbed a block and began stacking it on other blocks.
"Evan, how do you feel about having a brother or sister?"
Evan paid attention to his blocks. "Don't want one."
"Why not?"
"Just don't."
I laugh. "Well, what if I told you that I had a baby growing inside me right now?"
Evan looked at me. His eyes drift to my stomach. "Are you having a baby?"
"I am."
Evan's eyes widened. "Whaaaa?" He reached out and touched my tummy. "Mine!"
I laughed and held his hand. "I'm yours, Evan, but this is your brother or sister."
"I don't want brother; I want doggy."
I nod. "Yeah, I remember wanting a doggy myself when I was little. We'll see about getting a doggy but for now, aren't you excited? You're going to be having a brother or sister in a few months.'
"Aww," he whined. "I don't want a brother."
"Then why did you say 'mine' earlier?"
"You're my mommy."
I can't stop laughing with this kid. "Hey, Evan, even if I have another baby, you know I will still love you, right?"
He shrugs.
"Mommy will always love you. And you will love your new baby brother or sister when she gets here."
I don't know how but Evan still didn't look convinced. As a 3-year-old, you think the world is yours to play in and I miss that kind of mentality because I HATE being an adult. I'd give anything to be young and dumb again. But, I do wish I had a brother or sister I grew up with. I mean, I had Derek but I definitely wouldn't consider him my brother. If I said that he was like my brother and then we got married, that would just be weird.
I looked over my shoulder; Derek was still sitting there in shock and not saying anything. I've had at least three months to process I had another tiny human being growing in me and the process the first time around was much more scarier than before. Yet, ironically, despite not being pregnant, Derek seems to be the most scared the second time around. Given how he's been feeling these last few years with me getting sick with something incurable and feeling like he cursed me by touching some Confederate gold, I can see how he would be nervous.
I share some of that sentiment. Because, if I mess up on one of my adventures then not only would I be leaving one child behind, I would be ruining two children's lives.
Chapter 3
This was how we were going to look for the Lost City of Z. That same paper I read which detailed how powerful the ancient city had several numbers written on the back of the paper. The numbers were 753 and 811. Now, naturally, we all assumed that these were coordinates but these coordinates didn't exactly point to anywhere on the map, a modern map, but it did on an ancient map. It turns out that Colonel Percy Fawcett made his own map of the territory of the Amazon when going on this expedition and he used his own numbering system to keep track. How did we acquire this map? Decker knew a contact who dealt with buying and selling ancient maps. Mostly selling because most of the maps he had were 100% stolen. I didn't approve of it but now was no time to be picky. We lined the coordinates on the back of the page with the lost map. It led us to this destination in the middle of the jungle, where we then used GPS to translate the coordinates in real-life times where we found our destination. It was time to get packing.
We had a just barely big jeep for all five of us to fit in. I sat in the back with Derek and Decker while Marcus was driving with Gil in the passenger side. Apparently, Derek told Decker about how horrible of a driver I am. I hadn't gotten a parking ticket this year nor a speeding ticket so put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Decker held up a camera and aimed it at me. "And here we have, ladies and gentlemen, the fantastic Cassie Drake in all her glory, on her way, voyaging to find a lost city allegedly found by the disappeared Percey Fawcett. Does Mrs. Drake here have something to say to the cameras?"
I smile. "Lost City of Z, wherever you are, just know... I'll try not to destroy you."
Decker turned the camera on him. "And to the audience watching at home, let's hold Mrs. Drake accountable for her actions." He turns off the camera. "Well then, this looks to be the start of a good TV show."
"I'm so glad I brushed my teeth this morning," Gil said, "I can't have bad breath when I'm talking on a camera."
"As if the audience will smell your fishy breath," Marcus chuckled. He sighed loudly. "How much longer until we get somewhere?" The jeep hit a bump. "After all, it's only a matter of time before we hit an impassable path."
"If the path is impassable, we'll just make it passable," I suggested. "Plain and simple; why does everyone gotta make everything so not plain and simple."
Derek laughed. "Because some of us like our hamburgers not plain and simple."
"I can't stand hamburgers," Gil commented. "Veggie burgers, now those are the real thing."
Marcus groaned and I could sense him rolling his eyes. "What is up with you vegetarians? Eating plants is so horrific; if you're going to eat something, then it should be something that is capable of eating you. Cows are capable of being you. Same as pigs. And then lions, tigers, and bears."
Oh my.
"What about pizzas?" I asked. "You eat pizza and it doesn't try and attack you. Especially pizza with anchovies."
Marcus, the master of groaning, lives up to his title. "Don't trust anchovies; they will attack you if given the chance. Especially puppies."
"Puppies are beautiful," I debate. "Especially teen tiny puppies."
"Chihuhahs are the worst and you can't trust a single bark from them."
Decker laughs - such a rarity. "I'm a cat person. Honestly, cats are so underrated. I mean, they are geniuses and you have to work for their affection."
"I'm allergic to cats," Gil informed.
"Is that why you retreat into a dragon cosplay?" Derek asked. "You can't be around cats so you pretend to be a lizard."
Gil chuckled. "Actually, there is one cat that I'm not allergic to: Kit Kats."
I laugh and wipe some spit dribbling down my chin. "Oh man, now I want some Kit Kats. Damn it, Gil, why did you have to mention Kit Kats. You didn't happen to bring any with you, did you?"
Marcus looked in the rearview mirror. "Your pregnancy hormones kicking up?"
I flinch. "Pregnancy hormones? How do you-"
"You told us you were pregnant," Gil answered. "Before we left."
I cock my head. I did? When did I tell them I was pregnant?
"Yep," Decker agreed.
I smack myself up the head. "Damn; pregnancy brains is making me dumb again."
"Don't you mean 'dumber?'" Marcus asked.
I laughed. "You're going to miss me in my usual state." I turn back to Gil. "Hey, where are the Kit Kats?"
Gil turned towards me. "Why in God's name would I bring Kit Kats out here? It is hot as hell in this jungle; any chocolate out here would melt."
I roll my eyes. "Never will I crave clay again, only Kit Kats."
"Why the hell would you crave clay?"
"Because I'm pregnant and I am going to be going on parental leave. My honorees will be kicking in, my ankles will be bloated, and I won't be wearing jeans anytime soon." I sigh. "Ah, the first time around, I'm going to be honest: I was scared... and hungry... and craving clay so badly. But no. I'm not chewing on any clay."
Derek laughs. "Don't worry; I'll be feeding you and our child nothing but strawberries."
Gil looked over at me. "Evan's so lucky; I wish I had more than one sibling."
"I'm glad I didn't have any siblings," Marcus said.
Decker shook his head. "I have two older sisters; they still bully me."
Marcus pulled the jeep to a stop in the middle of the trail and he got out to stretch his legs. I decided to follow his lead and climb out and stretch my legs as well.
"I'm driving," Gil volunteered.
"Good," Marcus sighed. "Because I got a date with a little cube." He pulled a Rubik's cube out of his inner jacket pocket, mixed the colors up, and got to work on completing the cube.
I arched my back and began doing hopscotch. Deek was staring intently at me like a father lion. I guess he was worried about my jumping possibly disturbing our baby. It was almost laughable at how overprotective he was coming but I knew his heart was in the right place so I decided to reassure him.
"Nothing's going to happen to our baby," I told him and saw him visibly calm down. "Honestly, it's good to get some exercise in every now and then; it keeps the baby healthy. Or, at least in good shape."
"If you say so," Derek relented.
"Did you guys get an ultrasound?" Decker asked out of nowhere. Quite odd for the jackass ball in our group.
"No, not far along yet," I answered.
Decker smiled, a rare gem in this bleak world. "You know, had I not been an archaeologist, I would've considered becoming an OB-GYN. There's just something about the human female womb that attracts me. I think it's because I'm seeing life grow inside a woman's womb."
I cringe. "Well, you need to work on your vocabulary but... it's interesting that you wanted to become an OB-GYN."
"I wanted to be a marine biologist," Gil offered, "I used to dream about going to the beach and swimming for all eternity... but the beach was much warmer in my imagination; definitely less cold."
"Yeah, sometimes wanting is better than having," Derek shrugs. "Take it from me: I wanted people to see my paintings when I was a wittle baby but when I look back on those years, I cringe and curl up in humiliation." His face turned beet red. "I can't believe sweet little innocent 4-year-old Derek could draw those pictures. I must've looked like a sick little bastard."
Gil looked over at me. "What did Derek draw?"
I shrug. "He was so embarrassed, he hasn't even told me."
Marcus finishes the Rubik's cube. I flinch; even I couldn't finish the Rubik's cube in less than ten minutes. I finished one in an hour but Marcus finished one in five minutes.
"We should get a move on," Marcus urged. "After all, getting left behind in the jungle at night is the last thing any of us wants." He pulls out a sidearm before tucking it back in a holster hidden in his jacket.
"Yeah," Decker nods, "let's get a move on. I think we're done stretching our legs."
I arch my back and wince. "Jeez, give the pregnant lady some time to catch up."
Chapter 4
I wasn't exactly sure how much time passed after we stopped but we had finally arrived at the corodinates sight. With our only vehicle being parked behind a log after making a U-turn, we found ourselves standing before a small temple. The temple was just barely hidden by trees and vines overgrown by vicious mother nature but not enough to be completely invisible. That worked in our favor as we got out of the jeep and approached the temple carefully.
"Well, would you look at that," Decker glamored. He took out his phone and took a picture. "First-hand evidence."
"This is just the outside of a temple," Derek pointed out, "we don't know what is inside."
"Never celebrate too early," I told them, "you never know what might happen."
As we approached the temple, we put our hands on the wall and felt it up in a way that I would assume would make us look like perverts. I opted to stay behind after a while and try to find an entrance. Of course, it is never easy; why is it never easy?
I stepped back a bit and was about to head to the jeep when I felt the ground creak under my feet. We're in the jungle; since when did the jungle creek? I looked down and spotted a wooden door. I moved some of the shrubs and vines out of the way.
"Lookie lookie here, a way down." I smile. "Anyone want to go in first?"
"how do you propose we get in?" Gil asked.
Being the ever-so-observant person, Derek spotted something on top of the temple. "A boulder up there just on the edge. We push it down, it falls in the hole, crash, bang, end of the story."
"Good." I sighed heavily and mentally prepared myself when -
"I'll climb up." Derek turned to the wall.
I was going to argue with him but that boulder looked big enough to crush me if something went wrong. I was pregnant and I couldn't take too many unnecessary risks. "Be careful," I grabbed his arm, "don't die on me."
"Never," Derek smiles before he begins climbing.
As I watched my husband climb the side of the temple in a similar method to me, I couldn't help but admire his form. I had been climbing for so long that I almost never watched myself climb but I helped teach Derek the art of 'Drake-climbing' and this was before he took my last name. The way he moved over, hand over hand, keeping a steady grip, it was beautiful. Climbing without safety equipment truly was a form of art and Derek was an artist, literally and figuratively. When Evan is old enough, I'm going to teach him how to climb, and when my daughter is old enough, I will teach her how to climb as well.
While Decker recorded Derek climbing like some kind of troll, I felt Gil scoot next to me. "Can I be your baby's honorary uncle?"
I laugh. "Why, don't you have a nephew of your own?"
Gil shook his head. "Nah. My sister was pregnant a few weeks ago but... she uh..."
I felt my heart clench. "Miscarried?"
Gil shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just... I shouldn't be talking about this; that isn't my business to share."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for your loss. But, how is your sister doing?"
"Not good. She blames herself for the miscarriage."
"Ahh, damn. Did they say what caused it?"
Gil lowered his head. "Sometimes, these things just happen, no matter how careful you are. I just... I was really looking forward to being an uncle."
I suck in a deep breath of air. I found my hand drifting to my stomach subconsciously I believe. I didn't want to think about miscarrying and I think back to when I first got this assignment. I could've turned this adventure down for whatever reason I could think of but before I went on maternity leave, I wanted to make sure that we pulled off a successful job that left us a lot of money in our banking account so we could be covered for a while.
I had to be very careful on this adventure unless I wanted to miscarry my baby. I won't miscarry my baby.
I promise, my baby girl.
I was snapped out of my mind when the boulder fell and caused the wooden door to cave in and break. With that little hiccup done and out of the way, it was time for us to climb down.
Of course, where would I be in this day and age if not for the trusty old grappling hook and climbing piton?
While Derek, Gil, and Decker roped down first, I heard muttering behind me.
"3.1415926358979323846..."
I turn.
Marcus looks at me. "Sorry, we were taking a while so I decided to count to the 100th decimal of Pi."
"You can do that, really? Count to it."
He counts to the 100th decimal of Pi. I felt my eyes go wide. "Damn, you should teach me your method sometimes."
"Sure, when you're dead." He laughed.
I chuckle before rappelling down the grappling hook.
We land in the middle of an empty hallway with very little light. That is until Derek somehow found a torch in this hallway and asked for my zippo to light it up. With everyone now in the cave, Derek volunteered to go forward.
"I'm fast, I'm agile, I got this," he reassured. "I'd rather do the traps than my pregnant wife."
I wanted to say that I could do them because I didn't want anything to happen to him... but I couldn't afford to be selfish, not when I was eating for two. "Thank you," I told him
"I'll capture it on camera," Decker said and started filming.
We began our search into this mysterious and unknown temple. Much to our surprise, there weren't a lot of traps set up in this place. In fact, there were no traps set up at all. I was starting to think that maybe this wasn't the place until I saw dried blood on the wall with a message written in English.
"The Lab," I read, "what does that mean?"
Decker filmed the message. "There's probably a lab up ahead." He pulled out a piece of the manuscript. "There was a lab mentioned in one of the pages."
"Okay, so we got a clue what to do next." Marcus steps in front of the camera and gives a peace sign with a side of a smile.
We marched forward, exploring more of this temple before we reached an open room that looked like an alchemist's lab. It had a table, a bookshelf in the corner, and even vials of strange and mysterious liquids.
"This looks promising." Derek sets the torch on a torch holder on the wall and begins exploring the lap. He heads to the table. "Hey, there's some more English written in blood on the table."
I head over and take a peek.
"Crimson Red," I read, haha. "What does that mean?" I looked over at the vials with the chemical substances inside. Still well preserved and not a shred of nature overgrowing these glass bottles. Almost impatiently, Decker, Marcus, and Gil were mixing some substances together. I decided to stay back while they worked their magic. It was mostly Marcus running the show when he was instructing the others to mix what colored substances together.
Marcus took out a lighter and he lit up the flask that had all the substance poured and mixed together. A fire of a very crimson red color lit up at a minimal height.
"Wow," Derek marvels, "more cool fire."
"Nice," I admitted.
"But what is the point of this?" Decker kept filming before pulling out the Manuscript. A page fell onto the table and landed on the blank side but Decker froze. "Cassie, look over here."
Decker gestured the document and invisible lines became visible from the crimson fire. Invisible ink. I smiled and it showed a map, a map of some kind of river.
"Hey, I recognize that river. It's the Amazon river," Marcus said. "Well, that sure narrows the list down."
"The Amazon River is only two miles from our location. We can make it there on foot," Gil said.
"On foot, my ass," Decker sighs, "we have a jeep."
I spotted something on the table. Invisible ink of an Enlgihs message revealed by the flame. 411 202. A new set of coordinates that we translated to modern maps.
"Wait, am I reading this correctly?" I ask. "According to this map... the Lost City of Z is hidden behind a waterfall? Huh, interesting."
"I hate waterfalls," Gil comments, "they make me sick. I get seasick easily."
I laugh. "You better get used to it, buddy - this is the life of a treasure hunter."
Chapter 5
We made quick work to get out of this temple, which included using the grappling hooks to climb to the top of the hole we created. I was the third one to get free with Marcus going first, then Gill, and Derek last. Marcus already hopped in the jeep and he quickly started it up. When we were all secured in the jeep, Decker gave directions of where to go on the GPS. Then he took out his phone to make a phone call. I leaned in and listened in on the conversation.
"Yes, Sanchez, I was just wondering how many boats you had available for us?" I heard muttering on the other end. "Plenty, well, good enough. Well, I was wondering if you had any boats at these coordinates, or any boat captains that will guide us? What do you mean everyone is taking a day off? Oh, well congratulations to you but we need a boat. I mean, we could travel on foot but a boat would be better because we can't reach our destination by car or on foot. Thank you for your hospitality and discretion. Yes, I know how to drive a boat. Thank you and if I have any questions, I'll let you know."
He hangs up and turns to me. "Well, good news, everyone; we do have a boat. One of my contacts said that they left a boat near the stream where our destination is. It's everyone's day off so the boat will be unattended but he told me where the keys are. He told me if I destroyed the boat, I'd be paying a large fee."
"Maybe we should leave Cassie behind," Marcus suggested.
"Hardy har-har-har," I monotoned.
"Temping but we may need her."
Marcus drove off in the direction of the boat and I sat back with Derek's hand on my thigh. I put my hand on his hands and couldn't help but admire how callous they felt. My hands were no less callous but still, I loved the feeling.
'Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived." Marcus parks the jeep near a log and hops out.
I hopped out after him and saw a small pier with a small wooden boat parked near the end. It wasn't too small but it wasn't big enough for five people to fit in and it looked to be a rowboat.
"Damn." Derek stands over the boat. "This requires keys?"
I looked at Decker, who had a sour look on his face. "That bastard; he told me he had a speedboat, not a rowboat."
"Hey, a boat is a boat." Gil put a hand on his stomach. "I throw up less on a rowboat. Although, I am concerned with Cassie and her weak stomach."
I smile. "Well, I eat for two because my daughter is a big eater; my stomach is anything but weak."
"So... fat?" Marcus suggested.
My hands drift to my stomach. "Not fat, pregnant."
"Guys, less talking, more rowing," Decker suggested. He pulled out his camera and recorded the whole thing.
We carefully climbed into this teeny tiny rowboat and sat down with Derek and Decker staying behind to make sure the boat was balanced. I sat in the middle with Marcus in front of me Derek at the very front Gil behind me and Decker in the very back. There were four oars for us to use. We each grabbed one with the exception of Decker, who was too busy filming everything.
"Ooh, it's going to be like kayaking," I laughed, "I love kayaking."
We began rowing forward.
Memories of what became before I was pregnant involved me, Derek, and Evan going on a rowboat. Evan seemed to like it because he kept begging me to go again. I told him that we would plan another kayaking trip but right now, we're trying to save money. Money wasn't a problem but we wanted enough for our parental leave. But rowing in the Amazon River, in spite of the rapids that the boat was beginning to experience felt calm and relaxing. The call of the birds chirping in the distance, the steady sound of the streams, the way the water crashed on the shore... this was one of the things I missed when being a young archeologist.
Those adventures I had with Mom and Dad were some of the best memories I'll ever experience and now I have a chance to experience new memories with my friends. My husband, and son, my friends Marcus and Gil, and even my supervisor, Decker.
The four of us were rowing with the water stream until we saw a waterfall. It wasn't that big of a waterfall. The good news was that it was a waterfall coming from a mountaintop above us so all we had to do was row through it. More good news was that the water pouring down didn't look to be too heavy.
"So, this is the waterfall," Decker told us. "The coordinates lead to this waterfall specifically."
"Yeah, basically, the waterfall is the entrance to Z. I do not know how it is the entrance though," Gil answered.
"Maybe we go through the waterfall, or maybe we redirect the water in the waterfall," Derek suggested.
"Until we get to the waterfall, let's just assume it's not going to be an easy job," Decker said.
"In our experience, it is never an easy job," I warned. "So, even if all we have to do is row right through..."
"I think it was pretty obvious," Marcus said sarcastically.
"We should row through but be very careful while we're at it," Gil suggested.
"Does anyone concur with Gil-Man?" I asked aloud.
There were murmurs and nods from everyone. I looked behind me to see Decker pack his camera in a waterproof bag he brought with us.
"Let's row through," Decker told us, "slow and steady."
"Did you say slow or squirrely?" Derek asked with a chuckle.
Decker sighed. "Let's get on with it."
We began our slow and steady row into the waterfall. We found that there was one area for us to row through that didn't have much water pouring through so we decided to go down that route. It was an easy gig and we managed to get through the waterfall without any kitties complaining about how much they hate getting wet.
What we weren't expecting was that by passing through the waterfall above us, we were rowing for a waterfall in front of us that we were going to be going over the edge.
"Reverse!" Derek shouted. "Row back!"
We tried fruitlessly to row back before we could go over but it was futile. After all, the current was too strong for us and even if we opted to abandon ship, the current would still take us with it.
the rowboat went over the waterfall and I felt my organs lifting in my stomach as we fell an unknown number of feet into the water. I could only hope and pray that the water beneath us was deep and we could swim. Shallow waters were deemed evil for a reason after all.
I made sure to angle myself so my feet went in first and felt my stomach rising in my throat as I felt myself submerge in water with no external light, making the water pitch-black.
I tried as hard as I could to keep my head surfaced, but the rough waters were making it nearly impossible. My head went under several times and every time I did, I took a deep breath and thrashed my hands to get to the surface. I was hoping for the water to be deep but not this deep and not with these strong currents.
I opened my eyes and saw a rock in my path. I crashed into it, hitting my right shoulder. I winced in pain for a brief second before my entire body went underwater and continued to be swept along the rapids.
When my left shoulder blade hit another rock, the pain was enough to make me scream. After a few seconds of being swept away, I finally felt the waters calm down and I was able to move freely without feeling like I was being pulled down. I took this time to catch my breath and swim to the nearest rock sticking out of the water. As I rested and caught my breath, I spotted land and realized we were inside a cave.
I cough as I head for land, coughing hard. I hated it when it felt like my lungs were filled with water I'm from Hawaii and I swim a lot.
I laid myself up against the rocky ground and laid down on the ground, feeling my chest thrust forward and back. I closed my eyes for a second and felt myself starting to drift off to sleep with my lungs and muscles feeling dead. I felt the familiar calloused hands of my husband grab my shoulder, which I then realized were bruised on both sides.
"Hey Cassie," Derek says in between coughs.
"Hey there D-Man, how are you feeling?"
"Feeling fine. Tired, cold, hungry, out of breath, but I'll live. We always live."
"The beauty of immortality."
I looked to my left and saw an all-soaked Gil cradling a closed-eye Marcus in his hands. Decker was crawling towards land. When he saw the closed-eye, Marcus, he froze in horror.
"Marcus, Marcus, wake up man," Gil says softly. Marcus did not wake up. I noticed a very bloody wound on Marcus's head. Gil turned to the others. "He hit his head against a rock, very badly, he drowned in the water!"
Decker quickly sprints over to Marcus's side, despite appearing out of breath, and holds his head up. I stand up and I move to Marcus and I begin performing CPR on him. CPR was one of the first techniques my Dad taught me when I was old enough to go exploring on my own or with my friends but mostly in case my friends needed it. I have done CPR on my friends in emergency situations like this so it was almost like muscle memory to me.
"Breath, Marcus," I told him, "don't drown on me!" I held his nose as I gave him mouth-to-mouth.
Marcus suddenly convulsed and I felt water spit out from his mouth and hit my chin. He folds on his side and coughs up more water and I pat him on the back. "Cough it up, man."
Marcus finally regained a slow and steady breathing and when he did, he looked at me with a purple face. He looked away and carefully sat up. "This is what we get for taking the safe way through the waterfall?"
"I am so sorry," I apologized, even though I didn't know why; there was no way I could've predicted there was another waterfall behind a waterfall. I put a hand on my belly. Nope, I sustained no injury to my belly so my daughter should still be alright. Besides, after this far into my trimester, I'm pretty sure I would've felt something. Derek came over and he hugged me from behind.
Aww, his papa bear instincts kicking in.
"Where are we?" Gil asked.
"At the entrance to the Lost City of Z," Decker answers. He pats himself down. "And I lost the camera."
Marcus pulls something out. "But I still have the gun." He holsters his gun. "Two, actually."
I look ahead and see a light coming from the end of the big and dark cave. Huh, so this was the entrance to the Lost City of Z.
Please, please, PLEASE, let me come out of this adventure unscathed.
Chapter 6
After some exploring through the cave, I found something not out of the ordinary for an unordinary person such as myself: a golden door emitting a bright light. I was at the front of the group and waited for everyone to catch up.
"So, Cassie," I hear Decker's voice, "in your experience..."
"Is this where things get difficult, yeah." I look up and down the door, trying to find any ancient doorknobs to use. Nope, nothing was easy anymore in this day and age when looking for things in the past day and age.
"So, what's the trick here, maybe we…" Decker began. He began rubbing the golden door and knocked on it.
"Maybe it's some kind of key code or something," Gil suggested. They both began putting their hands everywhere on the door. It looked like they were fondling the door.
I had another thought. "Hey Decker, do you still have the fire substance with you?"
"Yeah, of course I do," Decker said. "But I'm pretty sure Marcus has it right now."
Marcus, looking slightly better from his swim, reached into his inner pocket. He pulls out a flask of the bluish liquid. "Gil, give me a lighter,"
Gil searches his pockets. "I don't have a lighter on me."
"I do." I toss my zippo to Marcus.
"Wait a minute, what about this?" The others turned in Derek's direction as did I. He was holding a dry torch. "Light this, so we have some light at least and we can read anything that the fire reveals." He smiles smugly. "I've seen a few of these fire tricks before."
I was reminded of my Dad's Shambhala adventure when he used resin to follow a blood path.
"Good idea," Decker poured the flask onto the end of the torch before Gil lit it up.
The reddish fire lit up the entire room and on the door, there were unseen lines that were illuminated that ran from the ceiling, down the door, and into the ground. It was then Derek noticed something on the door. The line made a small star in the center of the door. Without thinking, he presses it. The door opens.
"Pretty smart thinking Cassie," Gil complimented.
Derek took some offense. "I opened the door and suggested we use this torch, hello!"
"Yes you did Derek," they told him.
I could see my husband's face turning red so I patted him on the shoulder. "Credit goes to you, babe."
When the door opened all the way, we walked into a land of trees under a blue sky. A blue sky?! Holy shit, we were outside but the only difference was the golden pyramids built.
I smiled and proclaimed proudly. "Cassie Drake, Derek Lowell, Henry Decker, Gil, and Marcus welcome to the Lost City of Z!"
Oh man, it was the thrill of being in a lost city hidden for a long time that reminded me why I loved these adventures in the first place. I've been to New York, Chicago, Shanghai, and many great big cities but none of them could compare to this. The Lost City of Z was a civilization hidden by people for a long time and when you find it, it's like stepping into a new world. We live in modern realistic times so I would compare this to something like stepping into your favorite amazing epic fantasy role-playing video game. To step foot on historical ground was the true essence of my being and I don't regret being a treasure hunter. I should savor this moment while I would because I knew it would be vanishing in a second. I was a walking destroyer of lost cities so it was only a matter of time before...
Wait a second.
The pyramids that my eyes got lost in the gaze of look oddly funny. For one, they were nowhere near the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza or those pyramids in Bosnia. And the last time I checked, I'm pretty sure pyramids had to be built all the way to the top and stay standing but no, these golden pyramids my eyes laid on were not standing at all. They were toppled over, only a quarter of their original height, and they were crumbling from the inside out. I was so lost in the trance of finding a lost city that I didn't notice that the pyramids associated with the Lost City of Z were effectively destroyed.
And not only that but the trees around me looked like they were rotting and dying slowly. The grass wasn't as green as it should've been and there wasn't a single call of an insect. Not only that but most of this place looked dried up and whatever was in the pyramids was destroyed. There may have been something inside the pyramids still standing but the pyramids were so badly destroyed, caved-in from the top, that it didn't look like they were worth exploring.
There was no denying it: The Lost City of Z was destroyed long before I ever got here.
Well, I may have destroyed Ultima Thule and Atlantis. Then the inside of the Bosnian Pyramid. And then Cleopatra's tomb. And then Scholomance, Ys, Noah's Ark, and everything else that followed, but I sure as hell didn't destroy the Lost City of Z.
Well, I finally have something good on my resume. But even with this unearned accomplishment of mine, I still couldn't help but feel a somber feeling wash over me. This feeling that I could've been here earlier to see the Lost City of Z at its peak but that was never going to happen.
But then again, as an archeologist, my job usually involves finding remains, not intact remains.
"I can't believe we found Percy Fawcett's Lost City of Z," Marcus commented.
"And this is a shock for you guys?" Derek asked.
"You guys find lost cities and mythical artifacts on a pretty regular basis," Decker claimed, "I know about your Noah's Ark adventure."
"You found Noah's Ark?" Gil asked in amazement.
"Sure did, four years ago," Derek answers. "You should have seen it, it was epic,"
"Yeah yeah yeah, let's not steer off topic," Marcus recalled everyone.
"Yeah, a good idea," Decker agreed. "So, where are we supposed to go?"
"This city is destroyed," I told them, destroying their excitement. "There's not a single sign of life here."
"What do you mean?" Decker asked.
"No life at all. I mean, there's nothing to suggest this is the epic lost city. Yes, while this may be the Lost City of Z, the state of this place shows that this place was destroyed a long time ago. Trust me, I've seen many lost cities in my time and the ones of biblical proportions show signs of still being active. If you show this place to the public, they'll see it as nothing more than the shattered remains of a lost city, not think of the Lost City of Z."
"What?" Decker gasps and his eyes go wide. "No, that can't be true."
"Yeah," Derek begins, "this city was destroyed a long time ago. I didn't want to say anything until the high of finding another lost city was over but... yeah, this place is absolutely deserted and destroyed. If you were thinking of salvaging something before our Drake curse could destroy this place, then you're wrong."
"NO!" Decker yells. "There has to be something salvageable in this place! We went to that temple and almost drowned, only to come up short. I lost my camera for nothing?!"
I held my hands up. "Decker, even something like this would be a good find. And -"
"No, this is not the lost city I was hoping for. If we want our company to receive more jobs and more chances to explore, then we need to make a discovery. We need to find evidence that this is the Lost City of Z."'
As I listened to Decker go on and ramble, I saw Marcus stare at me with disdain, like he was blaming me for the city's destruction. But as I pondered, I wondered what caused the city's destruction. Was it a manmade disaster or something else? Maybe the city collapsed on itself.
"We're going to that pyramid," Decker pointed to the pyramid on the far right. "It's the most intact and I'm betting we can find something salvageable in there. We need proof that this is the Lost City of Z.
Should I tell him that it wasn't worth it? I wanted to but something held me back. Maybe there was something we could salvage and prove this was Z. Maybe I was wasting my time but... I wanted to see more of this city. Even if Z was destroyed, there was still something to be explored.
With no objections in the group, the five of us began walking to the pyramid, mindful of everything around us. I expected some resistance as we found the front door to the large golden pyramid but there wasn't much to go on. There was a narrow hallway that only one of us could squeeze through at a time so we went in a straight line. Derek was leading and I was in the very back with Gil behind me.
We squeezed through the hallway, grateful none of us had large bellies, and we were in an empty room. Derek still had the torch and when he lit the room up, there was nothing of significance in the room except a star in the center of the ground. We ignored it and headed for the hallway on the opposite side.
As I was halfway across the room, the floor began to rumble.
The ground that we were standing on began to descend slowly, slowly creating a slide. Muscle memory and survival instinct kicked in and I yelled, "Run!" to the others.
The three in front began to run as fast as they could before the ground on which they stood turned into a steep slide and they would most likely fall to their deaths.
By my estimate, the ground was approximately at a slope of 100 degrees, but we could still possibly make it. But as each second would go by, the slide would get steeper and steeper. The scariest thing was, we could not see where we would slide. Death could literally hit us at any second possible.
But I was used to these kinda situations.
I felt my footing begin to go away, and that is when I realized that the ground was now at a slope of 150-degree angle.
Decker and Marcus lunged forward and grabbed hold of the nearest thing they saw. A pillar. Decker managed to get a tight grip while Marcus held on with one hand.
The steep slide was now at a 170-degree angle and now Derek, Gil, and I began to slide down the fatal slide.
Derek reaches for his belt yanks out his piton and stabs the ground to stop his slide.
While Gil and I continued to slide down, I desperately reached for any handhold, but there was none. Derek looked me in the eyes, dropped the torch, slid down the slide, and reached for his grappling hook. He throws the end in my direction. I caught it at the very last second but I didn't forget about Gil.
I reached my hand behind me to grab Gil's hand but by then, the ground was at a 180-degree angle and Gil slid faster down before he plunged into a bottomless, pitch-black abyss, screaming the way down. I clenched my hands and watched the young kid fall and vanish in the darkness. When Gil's screams abruptly stopped, I clenched my fists and closed my eyes shut tightly.
No, I should've saved him. No, goddamn, no.
When I felt the tears breaking through, I did nothing to try and stop them.
Chapter 7
When we pulled ourselves back on solid ground in the pyramid, none of the four of us said a single word. I could sense that someone wanted to say something, anything, but no one wanted to speak first. And honestly, I didn't blame them. I didn't want to speak or say anything... but the lingering silence was too much. At this point, I couldn't take it. I had to say something because Gil was worth more than just the silent treatment.
As I opened my mouth to talk, Decker beat me to the punch. "I'm sorry."
I stared at him. "You're sorry? You're sorry for what?"
"I am sorry that I brought us here to begin with."
I shook my head. "What are you really sorry for?" I interrogated. "Are you sorry because you couldn't commemorate Gil's memory on your camera? Are you sorry that he wouldn't be here to see your glory? Or, are you sorry that you are too stupid to realize that your own pride and ego lead you here?"
"I already said I'm sorry so that's all I can do," Decker told me. "I want to turn back and head home but... if we do that... Gil will have died for nothing. His death will be in vain and I don't want his death to be in vain."
I narrow my eyes at him. "Is that all you have to say? You never care about Gil, only about your goddamn glory. And don't try to deny it."
"Cassie..."
"You brought us here to this lost city of Z just so our company can get recognized. We find the lost city of Z and we discover that it is destroyed. It's been destroyed long before any of us ever got here. And yet you still told us to push forward. And then Gil dies in a trap we set off and what you want to do is keep on going? And you say that it's for Gil? Is that how your deception works?!"
I didn't even realize how loud my voice was until I heard it echo. I didn't care; all I focused on was Henry Decker in front of me, the man who I thought would be a jerk sometimes but was fair but now I looked at him in a whole different light. I didn't see a man or mentor, only a man driven by his own demons. He didn't care about this company; all he cared about was being famous. He would sell me out for fortune and glory and he wouldn't hesitate and look back. I've seen people like you before, Decker, except they didn't bother to hide how evil they were and I ended up killing him.
Who knows, if there's one trap that killed Gil, then there may certainly be another trap that I could activate and-
I silenced myself when I felt the soft calloused hand belonging to a familiar man touch my wrist, tracing their fingers over the self-inflicted x-shaped scar on the back of my hand.
"Cassie," Derek's soothing voice spoke to me. Man, his voice always had a way of calming me down and here he was, about to tear Decker a new one. "I think you need to take a breather."
I stare at him. "What?"
"The pregnancy hormones are making you very emotional right now."
I glare at him. "So, you're saying you agree with this man? This man killed our friend! His sister lost her child and he wanted to be an uncle! I was going to make him an honorary uncle."
"Cassie, I get what you're saying but we can't turn back now." Derek looks me in the eyes. "I get that you're upset and rightfully so; I'm upset too but we can't turn back now. If we do, then Gil really will have died for nothing. We need to make sure we get something out of this adventure. A relic, hell, even a piece of paper. Anything, to prove that this is the Lost City of Z."
"Yeah," Marcu's voice calls out and honestly, I completely forgot he was there. "We got to make sure we make a legacy so that way, Gil can be remembered. Even if he's dead, Gil won't have died for nothing."
I looked at everyone like they were insane, which they were. Marcus, I didn't know what his deal was but he was always determined to find a lost city and share it with the world. I don't know what his endgame is exactly but he's insane. And Decker, I've already ranted enough in my mind to know how insane he is. But Derek, with Derek, it was the ultimate betrayal. The man who is the father of my unborn daughter, agreeing with Decker and Marcus put a very bitter pill in my mouth and I couldn't take it.
to a degree, I understood what was saying about how we shouldn't let Gil's death be in vain but we wouldn't have to make it in vain if not for Decker. Gil would still be alive fi not for him.
But there's another part in my mind that reminded me that I volunteered to go on this mission because the idea of getting more recognition from other companies and offering more jobs would increase revenue and I wanted to be well-secured for when I go on parental leave.
I couldn't help but think that I was also responsible for what happened to Gil. Maybe had I not come on this adventure, the Lost City of Z would've been a bust. Maybe if I had gone first, I could've figured out a way to not set off the trap. I wanted to blame everything for what happened to Gil but there was a part of me that reminded me, nagging at me, that I was responsible for Gil's death. I had more than enough experience to be able to recognize traps and the first time I let my guard down, someone died. Gil's blood is on my hands, I understand that now... and... maybe...
"I'm sorry," the words came out of me before I could comprehend them. "I'm sorry for what happened to Gil."
Derek looked at me. "It's not Gil's fault what happened. After all, how could you have known that there was a trap?"
"I should've."
"Just because you have experience with things doesn't mean it always works in your favor. Maybe I should've thrown the grappling hook to him... but I don't regret it because I would rather you and the baby live then..." He shut himself up and clenched his jaw. "Damn it, I sound so cruel for saying that. What the hell is wrong with me?"
"Guys," Marcus spoke up, "are you done feeling guilty for yourselves?"
Everyone looked at Marcus.
Marcus continued. "Look, Gil is dead, and standing around here moping about it won't bring him back to life. The way I see it, we can either stand around crying about it all day or we can march on forward, bring back evidence that this is the Lost City of Z, and make sure that everyone here has a legacy." He began marching forward. "Decker, you can blame your bad supervising skills all you want. And the same goes for your overprotectiveness, Derek. And your emotional pregnancy hormones, Cassie, but I am going forward. I am going into the heart of this lost city and I am not coming back until I have something worth bringing back. SO choke on that while you guys still can. If you want to go back, then consider this: how are we going to get out of the cave?"
I thought back to how we got in the cave and the only solution I could think of was climbing out of the cave Drake style but... the very idea of Marcus going alone didn't sit well with me. Marcus doesn't have my kind of experience and I would only be inviting death and chaos if I let him go alone. No, I won't lose Marcus like I lost Gil. And as much as I hate him, I would rather Decker be alive. And Derek...
"I want to go," Derek admitted, "I want to go... but I would rather stay here with Cassie and the baby and protect them."
I put a hand to my stomach. Damn, why did Derek have to be such a good man? Why is he so nice and kind to me when I don't deserve it?
I don't want to put anyone else in danger but if I do this... if I go to protect Marcus and Decker, then I would be putting my husband and unborn at risk.
No, I'm not losing anybody else.
I slapped my forehead. "Damn it," I utter before sighing loudly.
I really hope I don't regret this.
Chapter 8
We set out to continue this adventure. But honestly, there wasn't much to continue trying to find. After all, this pyramid was small and it looked to be destroyed on the inside as much as the outside. We looked around, trying to find whatever we could to salvage because, at this point, anything seemed like a relic. I wanted to say that there was nothing but I remember the trap door. In my experience, trapdoors are there to keep the wrong people out and I can only hope that we prove we are not the wrong kind of people to be entering this pyramid.
So we scoured this place up and down, left and right to find something but the conclusion was always the same: Nothing. Nothing but pieces of rubble that have fallen from the pyramid. All was hopeless and pointless. I wanted to point that out to everyone in the group until we found some things in the structure that actually looked to be a little promising.
Statues were set up in a dark room that required a torch to illuminate. This looked to be promising so I decided to take a closer look. The statue was made of solid stone and had an angry face carved on the top. I thought the face looked funny with that scowl staring down at me. I wanted to laugh and I was going to allow myself that luxury until I noticed something.
"He looks familiar," Derek's voice chimes in. "I mean, it looks very funny. Er, uh, I mean familiar."
I look at the statue and take another close look at it. Now that I think about it, it does look like I've seen this face before. Maybe I've seen a face like it in history books but what ancient tribe does this face belong to?
No, definitely more recent.
Okay, what book have I read recently about a face looking this familiar? I take out my pocket-sized journal, where I had details on every Lost City of Z expedition I recorded before going on this adventure. I turned to the first page, which had a picture of Percy Fawcett on the front and as I was about to turn to the next page, I paused.
Wait a page-flipping second.
The face on the statue was an identical match to Colonel Percy Fawcett.
"Holy shit," Derek mutters beside me, "that's..."
"Colonel Fawcett himself?" I answered with a question. "Yep, that's him."
"What, there is a statue dedicated to the great Colonel Percy Fawcett all the way here in the Lost City of Z?" Decker asked, "Why?"
Marcus reached over and touched the statue with his bare hands. He ran his hands up and down the chest of the statue before stopping at the statue's shoulder area.
"Falling in love with that statue over there, Marcus?" I laughed and he flipped me the bird. "Of course."
"Why is there a statue of Fawcett?" Decker asked aloud. "I mean, the Lost City of Z was made before Fawcett's time yet there is a statue dedicated to him, why?"
Huh, now that Decker was asking the most interesting questions right now, it did make me wonder. Why was Percy Fawcett, a man who arrived after Z was built by whoever had a statue dedicated to him? And why is he angry-looking? Is it possible he left an impression on the natives? Also, I couldn't help but notice that this statue was built in the one temple that suffered the least amount of damage.
Wait a minute...
Is it possible that Percy Fawcett destroyed this lost city? I may be projecting but Fawcett went looking for the Lost City of Z sometime in 1925 but it was stated to be the second expedition with the first expedition taking place five years prior. Now, he goes into the jungle, looks for the lost city in 1920, then returns and in 1925, comes looking for the lost city again and vanishes.
"Holy shit," I curse aloud. "Percy Fawcett destroyed this place," I stated my deductions aloud.
"What?" Decker looks at me.
I explain my reasoning to them. "Fawcett found the lost city and then lied about saying he didn't find it, only to return half a decade later to find it again and destroy this place; that's why there is a statue dedicated to him looking evil. He destroyed this place for whatever reason and the Z natives or whoever lived here are pissed. But given that this statue was built after the city was destroyed, it means there may be some natives in this lost city."
"Meaning..."
"After what Fawcett did, they're not going to be trusting any more natives."
"So, in other words, we are going to be screwed in a few short minutes, right?"
"Exactly."
Decker looks to the ground, contemplating. "We can still work with this. I'm sure we can. If we can drag this statue out, we'll have proof because after all, who can deny this statue's existence? This will be put in a museum for all to be displayed.'
"Wait a sec, why did Fawcett destroy the lost city to begin with?" Derek asked. "Maybe there's some kind of weapon of mass destruction here? Or something."
"Then let's not venture too deep into the abyss to find out."
"Yeah," I agreed. "But we can't drag this statue out; it'll be too heavy."
"We'll figure something out." Decker looks at the statue. "Maybe we can chop the head off."
"Yeah, because chopping the heads off statues sounds so enticing."
"It's either that or we drag it and risk having the backs of 65-year-old men while we're still young."
I was contemplating how removing this statue's head would benefit us in any way but I decided to simply just go with it. But there was another part of me that hesitated. I kept asking myself the same question: why did Fawcett destroy the lost city? Maybe the Lost City of Z had some kind of deadly power that couldn't risk being introduced to the world. Maybe it was something else entirely. Or maybe, it was possible Fawcett was in competition with a rival treasure hunter and the rival treasure hunter wanted power. Or maybe he had my kind of rotten luck. Either way, I wasn't tempted to find out.
The boys pushed the statue over and to my shock, the statue was still intact. Marcus had the honor of stomping on the statue's head until it was released and he ended up decapitating the statue. My keen instincts picked up on something when it sounded like a cog turning in a machine. I looked to see where the statue had been placed and saw the floor sink into the ground.
I felt the ground rumble beneath my feet once more and I could see sand falling from the roof. No doubt, a trap had been activated.
"Time to go!"
Marcus shoves the head into his backpack before I grab him and run with him.
We ran back through the narrow hallway where the bottomless pit greeted us.
Derek stopped when he saw a bottomless pit in front of him.
Derek told the others to stop because they were almost about to push him off the edge and share the same fate as Gil. I stop just in the nick of time while standing directly behind him.
"So, how do we get across this?" Derek asked. He suddenly remembered he had his grappling hook. He searched above him for any exposed beams that he could use to swing across. There was this one beam that he could swing across so our luck was with us this time. "I'm going to swing across and grab the other side," he told us.
It does not look that far.
Derek grips his grappling hook and tosses the hook towards the beam, wrapping itself around the beam. He tugged it several times to make sure it had a firm grip. Lifting his legs off the ground, he lets himself swing to the other side. Just as he was about to make it, the beam above him shifted slightly and Derek fell.
"Oh shit," I hear Derek curse but only after he managed to reach the other side of the abyss. He looked at me with a worried look on his face before he tossed the grappling hook towards me.
I grab it, test its grip, and swing across. Luckily for me, the beam didn't shift or snap. Once I was safe and secure on the other side, I tossed the rope to Marcus.
When he made it over, the beam shifted slightly, mostly because of the excessive weight on the end.
When Marcus tossed the rope back, Decker grabbed it and swung across.
This time, the beam snapped and Decker plunged into the abyss.
Chapter 9
I couldn't comprehend the fact that what happened to Gil also happened to Decker. It shouldn't have happened. After all, the beam was strong enough to hold all of our weight. Derek is strong, and Marcus has the stone statue's head in his backpack and I'm carrying a baby in my belly so Decker should've made it. But he didn't. I should be feeling satisfied that Decker is dead for being responsible for Gil's death... but I didn't feel any satisfaction. I felt nothing but sadness from him. Maybe he should've gone first and I could've gone last. After all, I have enough experience to know how to survive these situations.
"Cassie," Derek urges, "we have to go."
I turn around and follow Derek out of the hallway and to safety. There was the entrance to Z, right there, victory was just within the mile so all we had to do was spring for it. Especially with the door descending from above. Derek made it out first with the door at his chest level, I had to crawl through, and by the time Marcus arrived, the door was at his knee level. He dropped to the ground and rolled through but he was unable to get all the way through as the door crushed down his backpack.
"NO!" Marcus cried as he ripped the backpack from the door as it was stuck in the doorway. He yanked on the straps, only for them to come loose. I grab his shoulder and try to urge him to let it go but the only motivational tool I needed was the arrow that lodged into the doorway beside my head. I turned around and saw several men wearing animal skin all armed with spears and blowguns coming at us in all directions.
"Damn it!" Derek caught one of the spear-wielding tribesmen as they were coming upon him and incapacitated him.
"Marcus, give me your gun," I urged my companion.
Marcus hands me his gun. "I have two."
I take the pistol and I turn to the tribesmen. I'm sorry that I have to do this but it's either you or the three of us. Well, four of us. No one else is dying on my watch.
I had a Berreta 92FS and two magazines Marcus provided. I took out the ones with the blowguns that may had poison darts. I headshot each of them in quick succession. Derek was busy fighting the spear ones that were ganging up on him but he seemed to be holding his own. I grabbed Marcus and urged him to come with me but he took out his own gun and he fired. I didn't bother to keep track of him and focused only on my own survival.
It almost seemed instinct when I fired at the tribespeople. All of their weapons were ancient times, nothing that the pistol couldn't take. A single shot to the head was all that was needed. Unfortunately, it wasn't just blowguns and spears. Some of them had flails and they were coming for me. Some of them were throwing chains with stones attached to the end at me. I dodged those and fired on them. When I ran out of bullets for the first magazine, I emptied the gun and slapped a new magazine in with relative ease. Easy peasy, lemon-lime squeezy.
I moved along the path we originally took to get from the entrance to here. There were more and more of these tribesmen coming upon us and they were forcing me to use up so many bullets. I had to conserve my bullets if I wanted to make it out of this situation alive. being the resourceful one, Derek picked up a blowgun and he used the other end to shoot poison arrows out. Unfortunately, he didn't have any ammo handy so he resorted to picking up blowguns that hadn't been used.
When a tribesman grabbed me and wrestled me for the gun, Marcus quickly came to my aid and pulled him off. They then got in a tussell and struggled for the gun. With Marcus the tribesman fighting, I turned back to the other tribespeople.
I shot them but whenever I dropped one dead, another seemed to take his place. I ran out of ammo and instead of throwing the mag away, I threw the mag at one of the incoming tribesmen. I shouldered into two of them and pistol-whipped the second one, knocking him out. As I grappled with the first one, I -
BANG!
I convulse in pain slightly but I took a moment to ignore it. I looked over for a brief second to see Marcus and the tribesman fighting but the tribesman had the pistol in his hand.
I pistol-whip the tribesman I'm grappling with and manage to knock him out. Now that I finally had time to think, I couldn't help but notice that the front of my shirt seemed to be wet with warm water. I thought that my water broke but I discounted that theory when I felt that same warm liquid on my back.
I've been shot.
I didn't dare look down at my stomach because I knew that if I did, my worst fear would come true and I wasn't ready to experience it yet. I quickly slap the last magazine into my pistol and I begin unloading into any and all tribesmen that come my way. I don't shoot until I am sure that I can one-shot headshot them and I refused to take any risks to let them get closer. I shoot and shoot and shoot and when my gun runs dry of ammunition, I chuck the pistol at a tribesman and knock him back. I rush to him and punch him as hard as I can in the jaw, knocking him out.
"Cassie," Derek's worried voice called out, "come on, let's get out of here.''
I look over and See Marcus bodyslam his opponent and stomp on his head until his skull caves in. He picked up his gun and threw it to me as he ran. I covered Derek and Marcus as they ran for the exit and I left a dozen bodies of the tribespeople behind. But no matter how many bodies I dropped, they could never fill the void that was left in my stomach.
When I was out of ammo, I chuck the gun and make a run for it but I would never forget what trail I took because every step I took, a drop of blood left the ground.
I made it to the edge of the water where we almost drowned and followed Derek and Marcus as they began climbing up the cave wall near the waterfall where we crashed down. I followed after them, feeling the spears and blowgun darts whistling past them. A spiked flail almost launched at my ankles but it missed me by just a few inches. I made it to the wall and I found the handholds and muscle memory and instinct kicked in. Even with my eyes still adjusting, my natural night vision helped give me an edge and see details more clearly in the dark. Sure, eyes are always adjusting given the light's setting but I can see details in the dark at a slightly faster rate than the average human.
I made it to the very top, just narrowly dodging the attacks from the tribespeople. When I reached the top, I saw the waterfall and ran for it, sticking to the sides so I didn't fall in the water but no matter how fast I ran, I could not ignore the fact that my blood was dripping and being left behind. I put a hand to -
No.
I remove my hand before I can touch my stomach and keep up with Derek and Marcus. We sprinted for what felt like forever and by the time we stopped, Derek was standing by a tree and Marcus was folding over, catching his breath.
I slow to a stop near my husband and I pant, grateful to have escaped with my life. But, now that I had a chance to catch my breath, I reflected on what I learned from this adventure: Nothing. Everything that happened in this adventure happened for both. The Lost City of Z was already destroyed and we lost the head of Fawcett's statue. Gil and Decker died for nothing.
And my daughter...
"Cassie," Derek's breath hitched as his voice choked with sadness, "is she..."
I finally put my hand on my stomach and accepted the reality of what happened.
I lost my daughter.
Chapter 10
Maui
"I'm sorry, Cassie, but I'm afraid the gunshot wounds have destroyed your womb. The baby you were carrying died and I'm afraid you won't be able to conceive anymore. I'm sorry for your loss."
The doctor's words echo in my head for the last several days or so and they haven't stopped echoing. I felt my hands find their way to my stomach, where the gunshot wound healed up.
My baby.
The baby I had been dreaming about for the last few months, who was supposed to be here in six months, wasn't going to be born. And I could never have another child. I could never give Evan a brother or sister like I promised him. I sit on the couch with Derek to my left and Evan sitting between us. Evan was off in his world world, playing with some kind of action figure.
Is this my punishment?
I heard the faint sounds of someone calling my name but I decided to block them out. When I realized that it was Derek's voice calling me, I decided to answer. I looked over to him, who was scratching the back of his head.
"What?" I didn't mean to sound harsh but I couldn't hide the emotion in my voice.
"Is there anything you want to talk about?" he asked.
As if talking will bring our child back.
"No, nothing to talk about."
"Are you sure? I'm here for you in case you ever need me."
'I'll be here for you whenever you need me.' That is something I'll NEVER be able to say to our child.
I grabbed Evan and pulled him in for a hug. He continued to play with his action figure while I stared at the TV screen, not bothering to watch it.
I was knocked out of my trance when I heard a knocking on the door. I decided to get up and see who it was. I looked through the peephole and saw the familiar outline of Marcus. He was getting off the phone with someone.
I opened the door and saw a grim look on his face.
"Hey, Cassie, how are you holding up?"
I wanted to say that I was struggling to come up with an answer but the only response I could come up with was, "As well as can be expected."
"I'm sorry for your loss."
"Yeah, everyone is sorry. But saying sorry won't bring my daughter back."
"You knew it was a girl?"
"I was hoping for a girl."
Marcus nods with a clenched jaw and looks up at me. "Can I talk to you, in private? Out here."
Talking on a beach outside didn't exactly seem private but I decided to nod anyway. "Yeah." I stepped outside, not bothering to put on my sandals, and closed the door carefully behind me. "What do you need?"
Marcus trails off and walks onto the beach and stops just a few feet shy of the water. I follow him.
"I know Decker and Gil aren't here but... what happened to you, you getting shot, that was not your fault. Your baby dying was not your fault."
Cassie shook her head. "Did you drive all the way here just to tell me this? You keep telling me the same thing everyone tells me and it doesn't change a single thing."
"I know. Losing a child like that, nothing could ever bring it back." He tucks his hands into his pockets. "I just came here to say some things and maybe... I don't know, help you grieve properly."
"What do you mean?"
"That adventure we went on, looking for the Lost City of Z and everything that happened, with that shootout out and everything, with that one tribesman grabbing a gun and shooting you, if there's someone you should be angry about... it's the person with the gun."
I thought back to the incident. While I did hear a gunshot and feel the effects half a second later, I don't remember actually seeing the gunmen. I was focused on fighting off my opponent
"I do blame the person with the gun," I told him. "I wish I could kill him right now. I wish..."
"I thought you didn't kill in cold blood," Marcus pointed out.
"You're right," I sighed. "I don't kill in cold blood. But that man, he killed my child. And... I..."
Marcus's face softened. "If I told you that you get revenge on that man, would you take it? Would you pound his face in until he was unrecognizable or would you simply shoot him and be done with it."
I looked at him suspiciously. "Why are you saying that?"
"Oh." He checked his watch. "Huh, we've been talking for two minutes already."
"What are you getting at, Marcus."
Marcus lowers his hand and like the flip of a switch, his grim expression morphed into a sadistic smile I had seen in my recent years as a treasure hunter.
"I'm the man who shot you in the stomach."
What? I'm sorry, I must've misheard. "What did you say?"
"Yeah," Marcus laughs gleefully, "I was the one who shot you in the stomach. I was aiming for your head but I was never that much of a good shot anyway. But honestly, this is so much better. This is a better karmic punishment than anything." He laughs a few more seconds but I'm pretty sure that my lip was quivering when listening to this demon ramble.
"You're joking..." I hissed, "You didn't shoot me."
"I did. Let me ask you something: how would a tribesman who has been living in the jungles for about a century or two know how to use a gun?"
"It's easy to use a gun."
"Did you see the tribesmen shoot you? And where was I standing when you got shot."
Right behind me.
"I think you already know the answer and you know that I'm telling the truth."
I bite my lower lip and clench both of my fists hard before a sudden feeling washes over me and I bow my head to the ground and feel tears escaping my tear ducts.
"Why?" I sobbed. "Why did shoot me? Why did you shoot me in the stomach? What did I do to you? Whatever I did to you... I'm sorry. I am so sorry."
"What did you do?" Marcus hisses once more. "You want to know what you did? You stole my spotlight. Before you signed up with that institution, I was the best archaeologist there. People loved me, adored me, been lined up to get my autograph. And then you came along, beloved Daughter of Nathan Drake, Destroyer of Lost Cities, and you stole my spotlight. You selfish bitch. Everything just had to be about you. You just had to go looking and take credit for Lemuria. And the same for Asgard. Xibalba and you destroyed the entrances to the Fire and Ice Kingdom before they could be shown to the public. Every time I had a chance to be famous once more, you stole it, for yourself, because you're an attention-seeking whore; a narcissistic bitch."
"You don't deserve to have Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher as your parents. Nor Sam Drake as your uncle. And as for Grandpa Sully, he got lucky when he died before he saw what a prick you are. You don't deserve any of your friends and you most certainly don't deserve Derek and Evan as your husband and son."
He smiles.
"What's wrong, Cassie Drake, are you going to kill me? You don't kill in cold-"
I charge him and push him into the ocean. I trip him on his feet and shove him down on the ground where the tide was coming in. No, not deep enough. I dragged him forward a bit until there was enough room to sink his head in the water. He kicked and thrashed and tried to claw my hair out but I kept him under by pushing his throat.
Cold water splashed on my skin and Marcus tried to gouge my eye out but I pressed down harder on his throat. He already couldn't breathe underwater and combined that with the fact that I was choking him; I could only hope that he died sooner rather than later.
Had it been for any other reason, maybe I wronged him in a way where he was genuinely hurt like maybe I accidentally hurt him, then I would've hated myself more than him. It would've been a curse of this treasure-hunting life but no. This man admitted that he had hated me from day one and was nothing but a narcissist. It suddenly made sense. I remember when I was sick, I asked Marcus to get my inhaler for me and he said he couldn't find it. Now I know that he probably destroyed or got rid of it. And every time he suggested that I stay behind, it wasn't out of concern but because he wanted to complete the adventure and take the fame for himself. And all the times he had been looking at me during this Z adventure, it was because he was planning and scheming against me. And when he brought guns; it was to shoot me and leave me for dead.
Over one year ago, I saved Marcus Cote from falling into a pit of lava and on this adventure, I saved him from drowning. I never should've saved him. I never should've gone on this adventure.
When the wave of exhaustion hit me, I looked down to see Marcus had become motionless with his head still underwater. I pressed harder on his throat to make sure he wasn't faking me out like I faked out those three mercenaries in a fountain five years ago.
I wanted to say that killing Marcus Cote made me sad and made me regret what I had done, but I would be lying to myself. This narcissistic man, who killed my daughter and gloated about it, deserved to die. I've killed a lot of people over the years and it was all in self-defense and I felt remorse for them afterwards. Marcus, however, doesn't get that luxury.
"Hands up!" I heard an unfamiliar voice call out behind me.
When I turned around, I saw two police officers drawing their guns on me. Where did they come from? I see Marcus's phone on the ground and I remember seeing him use it when I was looking through the peephole earlier. He was also looking at his watch a few times and keeping track of time. Now I knew why.
He called the police on me to say that I was beating him up. He was stalling and then when the police arrived, they would arrest me for assault and battery.
Now, I was going to be arrested for murder.
And the worst part of it all, I saw Derek and Evan standing in the doorway of our beach house, looking shocked and horrified.
"Cassie Drake, you're under arrest for the murder of Marcus Cote," one of the police officers said as they handcuffed me.
I look at Derek and Evan one last time before I'm loaded into the squad car. "I'm sorry."
I wish I was never born into this life.
The End of Chapter 20
A/N: Hands down, this was the saddest ending I've ever written in an Uncharted entry. Things are going to be different now and this marks the start of a new arc for Cassie.
Also, I was originally going to have Cassie's entire journey consist of only 25 chapters but seeing that each of her full-length adventures are usually 30 chapters, I decided to extend Cassie's journey by 5 chapters. I didn't want to drag things out so I decided to do something that isn't often done in media.
I'm going to give the villains of this story a five-chapter arc. I figured this was a good time to develop the Overlord villains in this story and show their rise to power and what other lost cities and mythical objects Cassie missed. The Overlord chapters will be prequels taking place from 2024 to 2028 and the next chapter after this one will be the first Overlord chapter. After that, the story will resume with Cassie.
