Troy eagerly climbed down after Dietrich, making his way to the bottom much quicker than his more cautious companion. As he neared the bottom, though, he noticed the blanket of bones littering the cave floor.
"Watch where you step," Dietrich said.
"Yeah. No kidding," Troy replied, nervously nudging a skull out of the way with his boot as he made contact with solid ground. He adjusted his backpack, then turned on his flashlight to sweep it around the chamber they found themselves in. "Alright. I'm seeing two different routes, one on either side of the chamber. Either one leads us to the gold, or they both link up somewhere."
"I am not entirely comfortable with splitting up," Dietrich muttered.
"Then we won't, but which one do you think we should take?"
"How do you propose we avoid getting lost?"
Troy looked around, then picked up a sharp rock. "Mark the walls with this."
"Alright. Simple. Should work. In that case…" Dietrich paused, looking at both passages. "Gut feeling says the one on the left."
"Okay. Let's hope your gut is correct."
Dietrich stepped aside to narrowly avoid getting poked in the stomach. "I would not have appreciated that."
Troy led the way, heading down the left-hand passageway and marking the wall with a sizable X every few feet. There was very little in terms of life, save for some snails and insects—and, of course, spiders, which Dietrich didn't like in the slightest.
"Stop looking at it," Troy said when Dietrich froze at the sight of a huge spider on the ceiling. "It's not gonna fall on you. Come on, buddy, it's okay."
Dietrich dashed forward, but looked behind to make sure the spider stayed where it was. "This gold had better be worth it!" he hissed.
"It'll be worth it," Troy replied. He started wondering if he should've taken Dietrich's arachnophobia into account when undertaking this quest, but it was a little late now.
The passageway eventually opened to a much wider space. At the end of the chamber was a large crack in the ground, just wide enough for a full-grown man to fit through. The two looked down into the crack to see a massive pool of water. The water was crystal-clear from being completely undisturbed since its creation.
"I really hope this stash of gold has not been hidden in the water," Dietrich said.
"If I wanted to keep a stash of gold out of people's hands, that's where I'd put it," Troy added.
"That is assuming this train robber was intelligent."
"And we don't know if he was." Troy kept scanning the water with his flashlight. "Well, I'm not seeing anything that suggests that gold is down there. You can see the bottom pretty clearly. It's deep, which means burying it at the bottom would be impossible without equipment or magic."
Dietrich looked at him. "Do we know if he used magic?"
"The paper said he was your run-of-the-mill train robber. No magic. I'd say it's a guarantee the gold's not down there."
"I will trust you, then." Dietrich stood. "I think we can also say that this passage is a dead end."
Troy kept looking around in the space below. "Maybe not."
"I am not going down there."
"Actually, you're perfect. I have an idea."
"Whenever you say that you have an idea, it is never comforting."
"Trust me. This'll work. I want to see if there's more to that chamber. We don't have enough rope, nor do we have anything to tie it around—"
"That sounds like a very good reason not to go down there."
"Hear me out. I'll hold your hands, and you can dangle down and get a good look."
Dietrich stared at him. "I… I am not even going to bother asking if you are crazy, because I already know the answer."
"You're lighter. I can hold onto you easier than you could hold onto me."
"I am not that weak, Troy. But… I would rather be safe than sorry."
"So, we'll do it?"
"Do I want to? No. Do I think you have a point? Yes. Am I starting to become concerned for my sanity? Also yes. Do I trust you to not drop me? Another yes." Dietrich sighed heavily. "Alright. I will do it." He set his backpack and tools off to the side, then lay on his stomach by the crack in the ground. He carefully moved until he started hanging over the edge, then put his flashlight in his mouth.
Troy took both of Dietrich's hands after getting down on his stomach as well, and shifted forward until Dietrich was lowered into the chamber. "How're you doing, buddy?" Troy asked.
He had known the skinny German long enough to understand all of his unique facial expressions. The look Dietrich gave him was certainly a grumpy one, but it was more of an "I am annoyed with you" than one that suggested Dietrich felt he was in serious danger.
"Can you see everything okay?" Troy asked.
Dietrich nodded. He was gripping Troy's hands like his life depended on it. In a way, it did, but Troy wasn't going to drop him, no matter what. He let Dietrich looked as long as he needed to, then hauled him back up when Dietrich motioned that he was done. After dragging Dietrich up, Troy went to help him stand, but Dietrich didn't take his hand. Instead, he lay there, looking a bit stunned.
"I never want to do that again," Dietrich said. "Never. That was terrifying."
"You okay?"
"Physically, yes. Give me a moment to compose myself."
Troy was patient, and eventually, Dietrich sat up. As he took his backpack and tools, Troy asked him, "Did you see anything down there?"
"No. Just about everything is solid rock. Nothing that suggests the gold is there. We will have to go check that other passage."
"Okay. At least we're clearing our options."
"I still think you are, as Moffitt would say, 'bleeding mad.'"
Troy sighed. "You know, I'm not going to do anything that'll get you injured or killed. We're past that."
"Oh, please, you never deliberately tried to kill me back during the war. You doing anything deliberately is not what I am worried about. It is your insistence on doing things by the seat of your pants that concerns me."
"That's what you're here for—to keep me on track, like Shauna told you to."
"Yes, I am your babysitter for this adventure. Again. Just like I was last summer during our road trip to the Pacific coast."
"That was your suggestion."
"I know, and it was a complete success, but you were so depressed that you could not actually do anything destructive beyond being annoying."
"I drove a few times. That made you nervous."
"You driving will always make me nervous."
"And yet, you've ridden with Tully with no issues."
"No, because Tully actually has a grasp on how to read road signs."
"I've only gotten one speeding ticket my entire life."
"Try not to jinx it, Troy."
The two headed back to the chamber that they entered the cave from. At least that passageway had been a one-way walk, with no other passages inside to wander down. The one on the opposite side of the large chamber was another story, so Troy's solution was to add an extra marker to denote which passage they were in, that way they could avoid going in circles.
One passage in particular was a bit low and narrow. Dietrich could certainly fit, but he had to duck, while Troy didn't. There came a point where Troy's dislike of being in small spaces was beginning to kick in. It started as a gradual compressing feeling around his chest, which prompted him to start breathing more heavily. He felt Dietrich touch his shoulder.
"Are you alright?" Dietrich asked.
"Are the walls closing in?"
"No. Should we turn around if this is bothering you?"
"I can do this." Troy turned to get through a particularly narrow spot. When he couldn't move farther, he tried to get himself back out. Panic set in when he realized he was stuck. "Dietrich! Dietrich, get me outta here! I can't move!"
He was roughly grabbed and yanked out of the tight passage, and his whole body was shaking as he started to come down from the rush of fear and adrenaline. Troy sank to the ground, his heart still hammering in his ribs. He looked up at Dietrich when his friend crouched by him. "Thanks," Troy said. "I owe you one."
"Am I to assume that means the gold is not beyond that point?" Dietrich asked.
"Yeah. Th-There's no way anyone could've gotten it past." Troy managed to stand, and shone his flashlight through the passage. He couldn't see much of anything, and he didn't dare try to get through again. "I won't ask you to try going through."
"I probably could. I will not try, but I probably could."
"Okay. Let's get out of here." Troy followed Dietrich out of that passage, and drew in a deep breath once they were in a much wider space. He found himself wondering if that gold was really worth the trouble now.
Dietrich angled his flashlight at his watch as he and Troy continued venturing through the maze of passageways. Have we really been at this for the entire morning? He knew finding the gold wouldn't be quick, but how much of this cave system would they have to explore before they found it? If we could find it before dinnertime, that would be nice.
Troy suddenly stopped. "Huh… this looks promising."
Dietrich looked down to see the passage narrow quite suddenly to a hole that only came up to his waist, and it was completely blocked with dirt and large, uneven rocks.
"That doesn't look natural, does it?"
"No, it does not," Dietrich replied.
Troy pried one of the rocks out with his pickaxe. There was more dirt behind it, so he started scraping it out with his shovel, eventually revealing the rest of the passageway. Troy aimed his flashlight through the hole he made. "I see a big space at the end. We'll have to crawl through once we get all this cleared."
"Will you be okay with that?"
"I think so."
"Troy, this is not worth any toll this will take on your mind."
"I'll be fine as long as I don't get stuck in there."
Dietrich sighed. "Alright. If you insist."
His blood froze when a flashlight beam passed over them, and a man's voice said, "Put your tools down and stand up."
Dietrich turned and saw two men, dressed in similar work clothes to Troy, and holding guns. The one who had already spoke gestured with his gun before saying, "Up. Both of you."
Troy and Dietrich stood slowly after setting their tools down. "Do we have a problem here?" Troy asked.
"You're looking for the gold, right?"
"If that's what your problem is, we're not leaving. That gold is up for grabs by anyone. This is a massive cave. Go start your search elsewhere."
"You know who originally hid that gold, right?"
"Yeah. Levi McCaskey, train robber."
"That's my great-grandfather. I'm Sidney McCaskey." The man motioned to the one next to him. "This is Elias Mereworth, friend and business partner. We've been hunting down the location of this stash for years. I suggest you two make yourselves scarce."
Mereworth had a large wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth, not unlike Hitch with his bubblegum. Both he and McCaskey stood slightly taller than Troy, but shorter than Dietrich.
"If this was a legitimate inheritance, I'd let you go, but your great-grandfather stole this off a train," Troy said. "You have no legitimate claim. If you want it, go find it, but you're not kicking us out."
"Troy, it would be wise to leave while we can," Dietrich hissed.
"Your friend's got sense," McCaskey said.
Troy reached for his holster, but stopped when the muzzle of Mereworth's gun was stuck in his face.
"Last warning," McCaskey said. "Leave while you've got your brains intact."
"Troy, this is not worth it," Dietrich said.
Troy was quiet for a moment, then gave a heavy sigh. "Fine. We'll go. Put the guns down."
"Good choice." McCaskey stepped aside to let Troy and Dietrich by.
Once they were out of earshot, Dietrich leaned over to whisper, "You are just letting them go? I cannot tell if you have come to your senses or if I need to be concerned."
"No, we're not letting them go," Troy whispered back. "I'm not willing to shoot people over gold, nor would I have kicked anyone out who was on their own search. Someone else could come down here and get hurt, or worse. We're going to do something."
"And what do you propose we do?"
"First step—we disarm them."
"And what is after that?"
"I haven't gotten that far yet."
"Troy, I do not think this is something that we should just make up as we go."
"We might have to."
Dietrich rubbed his face. "Fine. We will do this your way."
"You're allowed to have an input, Dietrich. What do you think we should do?"
"Truthfully, I have no idea.
"You want to just turn and run, don't you?"
"No. I do not want to hurt these people. This is not war. We could both get in a lot of trouble if we do something ridiculous."
"Depends on your definition of 'ridiculous.'" Troy rubbed his chin as he thought, then he snapped his fingers. "What's more valuable than gold?"
Dietrich was torn between giving a genuine answer and a sarcastic one.
"Diamonds."
"Now, just where are we going to get diamonds, Troy?"
"We're not. We're going to make McCaskey and Mereworth think we've found diamonds."
Dietrich didn't want to admit this idea had potential. "Alright. Then what? I doubt they will be happy when they find out we lied."
"Not if we stay convincing enough."
"If you think you can be convincing, you are in a lot of trouble. You never fooled me."
"That's because you're smart."
"And these two are not? We have only just met them. We have no idea what they are capable of."
"You're smarter than average."
"Troy, you are a very bad liar, and you know it."
"I don't exactly like lying."
"No normal person does. However…" Dietrich sighed. "I will do this if it means we keep the gold out of McCaskey's hands."
"Okay. Thanks, Dietrich." Troy squeezed the skinny German's shoulder.
With a great sigh, Dietrich turned to go back into the passage where McCaskey and Mereworth were busy finishing the dig that he and Troy started. He really didn't want to do this, mainly because he hated lying. I am not exactly trying to protect myself from the Nazis trying to question my loyalty anymore, Dietrich thought. He knew Troy had a point, although he felt there was a massive difference between a pair of local bullies and the tyranny that once shackled his homeland. Then again, these were bullies willing to kill people over money. You want to just run. Run and let someone else deal with them, just like you did during the war. Again, he felt like there was a big difference between what he dealt with then and now. These two weren't going to get Dietrich arrested and potentially sent to a place of unimaginable horrors.
Dietrich kept that in mind as he approached, but he still dug deep into his memory to find the face and mannerisms he used when dealing with people who wouldn't exactly react kindly if they found out how he really felt. It worked every time. In a situation like this, he had no reason to believe it wouldn't work again.
McCaskey eventually noticed Dietrich's presence, and started opening his holster. "I thought I told you and the short one to get lost."
"You did," Dietrich said. "However, we have decided to offer an apology, as well as a confession—we are not here searching for the gold. We are here searching for something far more valuable. Raw diamonds."
"Diamonds? Here? That can't be possible. No one's found diamonds here."
"A recent geological survey claimed to have found a space within the cave that may contain a large deposit of them."
McCaskey was quiet for a moment. He glanced at Mereworth, who shrugged while working the wad of tobacco around in his mouth, then they both turned to Dietrich. "Alright. Why would you mention this?"
"Well, if you are kicking us out, we may as well tell you that you could be making off with much, much more than you originally came for." Dietrich grinned. "It would be quite rude for us to leave without telling you of all the benefits here."
The two glanced at each other again, then laughed. "See, there's a reason generous types like you don't get anywhere in life," McCaskey said. "You have no drive to succeed. You're doormats, really."
Dietrich maintained his grin, but now he was smiling simply because he knew McCaskey was wrong. "On the contrary, I have the drive to see other people happy."
"Right." McCaskey nodded. "Doormat. So… where did this survey say the diamonds are?"
"Several hundred feet deep. It did not specify where exactly within the system they could be. Troy and I did not explore every inch of the left-hand passageway. Perhaps you will be able to locate them."
"You know what? We probably will." McCaskey motioned for Mereworth to stand and follow him, completely ignoring Dietrich as they went by. Several minutes later, Troy came in, looking impressed.
"They actually bought it?" he asked.
"Hook, line, and sinker," Dietrich replied.
"It's not going to take them long to figure out there's nothing in that passage."
"Possibly. They may try to get down to that underground lake, in which case, we should probably check on them if we do not see them again for some time."
"Yeah. We should. Still—" Troy patted Dietrich's shoulder. "Good job."
Troy figured that Dietrich at least bought them some time, but part of him doubted there was no way they would be able to find the gold before McCaskey realized that Dietrich was lying. Then again, Troy had pulled off tougher miracles before.
They managed to clear out the rest of the dirt and rocks blocking the passage. Troy wasn't too eager to go in, but the passage was only a few feet long, and there was a larger space on the other side. He drew in a breath, got down on his knees, and went through.
Dietrich followed soon after, constantly looking over his shoulder for any sign of their two new friends coming after them. He swept his flashlight around the chamber, focusing on the tangled masses of flowstone and stalactites lining the walls and ceiling. The chamber itself was massive, and sound traveled in it a bit like a cathedral. A long, wide passage lay ahead of them, as did a series of uneven puddles. The slight sound of dripping water echoed around them.
The sound of rushing water gradually grew louder as they ventured through the passage. At the end was a rather narrow ledge winding downward along the rocky walls. A waterfall cut down the center of the space, ending in a river that neither man could see the bottom of. The spray from the waterfall meant that the ledge was wet, so both of them were cautious as they headed down.
"I do not like this at all," Dietrich said.
"Neither do I," Troy replied. "Just watch your step, buddy." He stayed close to the wall, moving slowly down the ledge.
"After this, I never plan on going into another cave again," Dietrich said.
"You and me both," Troy added.
The ledge ended at the entrance of another large passageway. Troy turned toward the river, trying to find an area where he could see the bottom.
"Are you thinking what I am thinking?" Dietrich asked.
"What?" Troy glanced at him.
"That the gold may have been thrown in this river."
"I'm wondering that, yeah. I can't see the bottom."
Dietrich was quiet for a few moments, then sighed before saying, "You did say you would be alright with not finding the gold."
"Am I allowed to be disappointed, though?"
"Yes." Dietrich gestured toward the passageway. "We do still have more to search, so try not to lose hope just yet."
"I would think you of all people would be telling me to abandon this before I get possessed by it."
"I have faith in you to know when to quit."
"Okay, but you're in charge of dragging me out of here if I can't quit."
"As long as I do not have to literally drag you, that will not be difficult. Hopefully."
Part of Troy wanted to stop, but he wasn't one to give up on anything. This was something trivial and needlessly dangerous. There are other ways you can show your appreciation for your team. This isn't it. Come on, I'm already here… May as well finish what I started.
"Are you alright, Troy?" Dietrich asked. "You look a bit lost."
"Yeah, I'm alright. How are you?"
"Starting to feel a bit hungry." Dietrich looked at his watch. "It is well past lunchtime."
"I've got granola bars in my backpack. Take as many as you want." Troy stopped so Dietrich could rummage around his bag.
"Are you going to eat anything?" Dietrich asked. "You should."
"Well, what if I'm not hungry?"
"I am not dealing with you passing out in a cave." Dietrich held out one of the granola bars to Troy. "Eat it."
The uncomfortable gnawing sensation in his stomach won out. Troy took the bar and started unwrapping it.
"How about we sit for a moment?"
"Why?"
"To rest." Dietrich gave him a concerned look. "Are you sure you are alright?"
Troy sat against the wall. "I'm starting to wonder if this was a bad idea."
Dietrich sat next to him. "Well, things must be bad if you are questioning your decisions."
Troy sighed, not in the mood for Dietrich's sarcasm. "I'm serious. I need your thoughts."
"Alright. Talk away."
Troy looked down at his lap before saying anything. "You're right. I usually don't think twice about my decisions. Usually. I couldn't afford to back during the war. Everything was always moving and there was no time to stop and think about what was happening. There was just 'do it' and move on. That's carried over to being a civilian again. Once I get started on something, I don't stop. Same thing applies here, and now I'm not sure if this is something that I need to stop with."
Dietrich was quiet for a moment. "How many people know you are looking for this gold, Troy?"
"Just you and Shauna. And now those two nuts you convinced to look for diamonds."
"I will not count them. I certainly will not think less of you for not wanting to continue, and I doubt Shauna will, either. We do not have to say anything to anyone else." Dietrich took a bite from his granola bar. "Remember, I never did say anything to the others about what happened to the horse that killed your father, or about how your relationship with your family changed significantly after your grandparents passed away."
"It'll always be funny how you're the one I opened to about all that," Troy muttered.
"I agree. After everything we did to each other, it makes no sense, and yet… here we are."
"Yep. Here we are. Somehow."
"Back to the matter at hand, though… what do you want to do? I will follow you no matter what you choose to do, but I will step in if you begin to act more irrational than you normally do."
"Then in that case, I want to keep going, but if it turns out that gold's in the water, we're giving up."
"I think that sounds fair." Dietrich looked at Troy after finishing his granola bar. "You still seem a bit uncertain."
"I can't tell if I'm uncertain, losing hope about finding the gold, or just hungry."
"Perhaps it is all three."
"Yeah. Maybe." Troy stood, and helped Dietrich up next. "Let's see what we find down here." He was quiet for a moment or two before glancing at Dietrich and saying, "There's one good reason we didn't bring Moffitt with us."
"And what reason would that be?" Dietrich asked.
"He'd be stopping us every few minutes to talk about rocks."
"I thought his field was anthropology."
"It is, but he also like rocks for some reason. Anah once got so annoyed with him talking nonstop about them that she put a bunch of pebbles and sand in his boots for him to discover the following morning. I think that was the first time Hitch and Tully and I heard Moffitt swear."
"Really? Anah got annoyed with Moffitt? I did not think that was possible."
"Oh, it's possible. It's rare, but it happens. She forgives him and apologizes pretty quickly, though."
"Of course. She cares about him a little too much to ever truly be angry." Dietrich smirked. "But with you, she really does get angry."
"Nah, she can't even get mad at me."
"Are you sure? She hisses at you more than anyone else."
"We're working on it."
"How long have you been 'working on it?' It has been well over a decade since you met her and you two still act like bickering siblings."
"It's a slow process."
"Yes, and glacially slow, it seems. She was on your team from the start, and yet you and I have gotten along quicker than you and her."
"You have more sense than she does."
"Be careful, Troy, I am the one that no one would suspect when it comes to a practical joke. I could very well be just as bad as Anah sometimes."
"Why would you admit that?"
"Because you will probably forget I said that later on."
Troy didn't want to admit that Dietrich had a point, but Dietrich had a point.
The passageway eventually began sloping upward, and Troy could feel a cool breeze. Another entrance to the cave? He turned off his flashlight when he spotted a hole leading out of the cave. It was large enough for him and Dietrich to fit through, but they would have to crouch down and fight with the vegetation in the process.
"How far away from the truck are we if we leave this way?" Dietrich asked.
"I'm not sure." Troy crawled out of the cave, finding the vegetation to be a bit tougher than he was expecting. He went to cut a large root out of his way, creeping forward and putting his weight on another root in front of him. As soon as he rested his full weight on the root, several snaps were heard. He frantically tried to pull back, but was falling forward into more roots jutting from the side of the cliff they had come out of. A network of sturdier ones caught him. He managed to orient himself upright, red lines appearing on his shirt where the rocks and sticks cut and scraped him.
"Troy! Are you alright?!" Dietrich called down.
"Little banged up, but I'm good," Troy said. He looked around to see exactly where he was, and swore aloud upon seeing just how far up the cave exit was from the ground. "How did we miss this?"
"It was admittedly hard to see with all the roots," Dietrich replied. "At least you're alright." He lay down on his stomach, reaching as far as he could safely. "Can you grab my hand?"
Troy tried. There was about a foot of space separating him and Dietrich, and he doubted jumping was a good idea. If he missed and collapsed the roots, a fall from this height would surely be lethal. He thought quickly. "Dietrich, cut some rope from the other entrance. Doesn't have to be a lot, just enough for me to grab onto. Here—" Troy stretched up to give Dietrich his knife. "Take this."
Dietrich strained to take the knife. "Got it. I will be back as quickly as I can. Do not move. Please."
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that for once," Troy said. He knew he didn't have to tell Dietrich to hurry, or be careful. Once Dietrich left to get the rope, Troy drew in a breath, and looked up at the trees on top of the cliff whose exposed roots had both led him to fall and saved his life at the same time. Okay, just stay calm, Sam. Don't do anything that could get yourself killed. He shifted a little in an attempt to get comfortable. The creaking of a root accelerated his heartbeat. That's not what we wanted, he thought. Despite every instinct telling him not to look down, he looked down to make sure the roots he was standing on weren't cracking. Panic surged through his veins, and he looked back up, trying to breathe deeply. Okay, okay… relax. Breathe. Don't panic. Panicking will not lead to good things. Nope, no, it won't.
Troy took another deep breath before looking down again. The roots were bending, but not cracking. Not yet anyway. He tried leaning against the cliff face to keep his weight more on that than the roots. I guess it's a good thing I've got just a granola bar in my stomach than something heavier. Would that even make a difference?
He started wondering if he could try climbing the roots back up to the cave entrance. He reached up to grab the nearest root, and tried hauling himself up. Unable to get his bearings, he dropped back down to the tangle of roots, resisting the urge to panic when he heard a couple of them snap. Alright, scratch that idea. Just wait for Dietrich, like you're supposed to be doing. Troy went back to putting his weight against the cliff. He turned slightly to look out at the expansive view of the remote Wyoming wilderness. Honestly, this is better than being in the cave. I just wish I wasn't inches away from falling to my death here. Without the roots, there would have been nothing to stop him from falling. Then again, if the roots hadn't been there, he and Dietrich would have been able to see that the cave exited on the side of a cliff, so he wouldn't be in this position in the first place.
Troy looked back toward the cliff as another thought struck him. We wouldn't be in this position at all if I hadn't decided to go after the damn gold. This is my fault.
