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The moment Noelle reached the sealed entrance, she wasted no time in unloading some of the explosives, placing them in strategic locations around the area. When she was satisfied with it, she set it off, taking a few steps back and waiting for theboomto happen.
Just as expected, it was loud.
Yet something was louder as she heard the sound of music permeate the air—so loud it must have come from outdoor speakers.
Lucero.
Noelle couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s actions. Although she didn’t agree with what Noelle was about to do, she still went out of her way to help her, in the process of risking her own safety.
“Thank you, Lulu,” she whispered.
Dust gathered around the entrance, slowly dissipating to reveal the darkness of the inside.
The explosion had been small and localized, and the result was a small hole in the structure—luckily it was large enough to fit Noelle.
She crawled through the small aperture on her hands and knees, dragging the bag with water and medicine. Yet as soon as she walked a few steps inside, she realized she’d forgotten one critical thing. She hadn’t brought a flashlight with her.
“Damn it,” she muttered to herself, taking out the lighter she’d used on the explosives and creating a small flame—enough to see where she was going.
Though she wasn’t as familiar with the temple structure as Lucero was, she knew enough to find her way to the main chamber. From there on, it was only a matter of finding the right gallery.
“Is there anyone there?” she asked, her voice echoing through the eerie stillness.
A shiver went down her back as she found herself in the middle of Sergio’s ceremonial room. Some of the walls had been painted and carved, while others were still blank.
Yet the many drawings creeped her out, especially considering the purpose of the room and what Sergio had in mind for it once it was finished.
She thought she heard another voice, but she couldn’t be sure.
“Is there anyone around?” she asked again, this time louder.
Her flame flickered in and out from the current created by the many galleries surrounding the main room, and she knew she would soon run out of gas.
six
“Here!”Rafaelo called out.
He was both shocked and far too happy to hear someone else’s voice, even as the injured man in his lap moaned loudly.
“Help is coming,” he assured him. “Please hang on.”
“Is there anyone around?” the voice repeated, the sound louder and clearer than before.
Rafaelo closed his eyes as he sighed in relief.
It was a woman calling out. He hadn’t expected that. A warm, tingling sensation spread to his limbs as he let the taste of her voice envelop him. It was light and melodious, and so comforting, it reminded him of a desert on a rainy day. He didn’t know if it was because she symbolized his salvation, but he found an odd type of refuge in the sound of her voice.
Her accent was native, so he supposed it was one of the workers from the hacienda.
God damn those guards! They’d sent a woman inside? How the hell could they do that?
“We’re here. Gallery eight,” he yelled at the top of his lungs.
Yet just as the words were out of his mouth, he realized maybe she wouldn’t know which one was gallery eight. His spirits plummeted as he wondered whether he’d finally meet his end in a darkened tunnel.
He wasn’t hurt. Not really. A few scratches, nothing more. But the man he’d been trapped with had been seriously injured, blood pouring from his leg injury even now. At this rate, Rafaelo didn’t know if he was going to make it before he bled out completely. It was why he hadn’t tried to move him for fear of doing more harm than good.
When they’d been first trapped, Rafaelo had instinctively known no one would care enough about them to come to their rescue, so he’d tried to find a way out by himself. All he’d done had been to walk in circles in the darkness, unable to find any other exit. So he’d given up on that and returned to the other man, using his shirt to put pressure on his leg.
