Lost

With each shaky hand, I reached for the next root, feeling the creepers tremble under my grasp as if they might snap at any moment, sending me hurtling down the steep incline of the temple’s boulder-sized steps. Looking up, the granite stones towered above us, their presence a menacing fortress of danger, entangled with the jungle's defiant growth. Every step was a gamble, making me question my choice of skirt and the weight of my pack. Yet, with Robby's steady hand guiding me, I found the courage to reach our elevated destination. “Why are there so many steps… and so steep!” Maria groaned as she pulled herself onto the landing. “I almost slipped and tumbled to my death several times,” she announced, and then went silent when the giant temple came into sight. As each sibling reached the top, we all took in the large pillars and intricate carvings around the entrance, soaring up to the roofline. Stumbling in awe to the center of the courtyard, Patrick let his pack fall to the cobblestones. Gazing around with reverence, he breathed out, “I can’t believe it, this is the Temple of Inti, the Sun God,” as he admired the stone architecture. With a steadier voice, he explained, “I transcribed an ancient scroll depicting this very temple a few years ago at the monastery. Their records state that some archaeologists confused this Temple for the Lost City of Gold.” Robby, examining the entrance carvings, declared, “Our coins... they have the same symbol that’s carved above the main entrance.” He held up his medallion to compare the two images, then tossed his pack beside Patrick’s. “I can see why explorers could mistake this temple for Paititi,” he admitted. “The ancient Incans built this temple high above the tree line to be closer to the Sun… that’s why the climb is so high and steep. Only Priests and Incan Kings were allowed to visit this sacred place,” Patrick explained. “What did they do in the temple?” Bastien asked, joining the group by just adding his pack to the pile. Patrick flatly stated, “Sacrifices.” He moved to the center of the entrance courtyard and briskly brushed off a stone table with a large palm frond, drawing everyone’s attention to its purpose. “Like... human sacrifices?” I wobbled out in horror, moving closer to the stone table, spotting the blood-red stain Patrick had just uncovered with his makeshift brush. “Yes, sometimes in extreme circumstances. But mostly animal sacrifices on this altar,” he said coldly and as matter-of-factly. “Any idea if it was a human or an animal that was recently offered up to the Sun God?” Robby asked, commenting on the bloodstain while standing between the altar and the main entrance. “I’m not sure,” Patrick said while looking around. “Seems like they already laid the remains inside the temple, but from the size of the mark... it must have been a substantial beast.” Maria's eyes widened in horror as she finally noticed the crimson streaks on the altar. Stumbling backward with terror in her eyes, her foot caught on a raised stone, which forced her to tumble hard onto the floor. Running to her aid, I heard a click and a hissing sound from the temple's entrance as several long spikes shot out from the sidewalls, revealing the grisly sight of a fresh victim… right in Maria's path. At my sister’s panic-stricken screams, Patrick’s attention quickly moved from the altar to the temple’s entrance, as he flatly announced, “... Found Pedro.” Helping Maria to her feet, my gaze landed on our jungle guide, his body hanging limply from the spikes that pierced his side, blood still trickling from his final, fatal misstep, as my mind warned… This bloody Temple is booby-trapped! Echoing my thoughts, Robby warned, “Watch your step. It seems that our tribal friends protected this place from looters.” The boys slowly moved closer to the gory sight, maintaining a safe distance while Robby theorized the scene before us all, “Maybe Pedro thought this was the Lost City... like some of the earlier archaeologists, and when Patrick and I went back to find what was taking you all so long... he must have climbed up to the temple to seek its golden treasure for himself.” Maria, convulsing in terror in my arms, twisted away from the sickening scene, her voice shaking so violently I could barely understand her. "I... I can't do this... I don't belong here," she sputtered, her fingers tightening desperately around me in petrified fear. Just then, Bastien, woozy from inspecting the grotesque murder scene up close, stumbled towards a decorative entrance statue. Leaning his body weight against it for support, he made it slightly tilt off-center. When a blur of motion out of the corner of my eye caught my attention as I glimpsed my brother Robby vanish into thin air, just like a nightmare. Patrick, having a higher vantage point, panicked, “He fell! He just fell beneath the temple! The stone he was standing on dropped out from under him... and closed back up!” Shoving a whimpering Maria off my arm, I frantically scrambled to where he last stood, clawing at the grooves around the stone, while Patrick rushed to my side. Laying an ear to the stone, he relayed, “Wait! I think I can hear him…” Instantly, I dropped my head, pressing an ear to the floor along with my younger brother, as a muffled voice yelled, “I’m trapped!” Relief washed over me, just hearing his voice, knowing he’s alive as he continued, “I’m in one piece but trapped. There’s a small stream of daylight from the ceiling, but the room is too tall... ummm, guys, hurry! Something’s going on down here!” Only one thing screamed in my mind… MUST SAVE ROBBY! Jumping to my feet, I sprinted to the entrance with my skirts billowing behind me. Shoving past Pedro, I barreled fearlessly into the dark unknown of the temple with my blades out.