"It could be an older version of the language, or the proper version of it anyway," Omar comments.

"What do you mean?" Dad asks.

"It's like American-English and English-English. Both are accepted, though one is a far older version."

"That's the smartest thing I've heard you say yet," Kane says jabbing an elbow into Omar's side.

Before Omar can react, I ask, "What does it say?"

"That...would fall into your fathers talents not mine. I'm more apt at the languages of the desert, not of the ancient Mediterranean variety," Omar answers and steps aside to give Dad a better vantage.

Dad continues his examination of the inscriptions left by the original inhabitants, "Well, well, well, Omar my boy, you are correct. If you reread each engraving a few times and reorder a few words here-and-there you come out with some legible writings. For instance..." He scans the one closest to him reading it out loud in a whisper first, then louder for everyone to hear.

"Entrance you shall be granted. Exit you shall earn."

"Great..." Kane says with a hint of dread.

Dad moves on to the next one to the left, "Strength you must have, to survive."

Then he moves to the next one, "The will of the chosen to deny."

And finally, "Or the end will soon be had."

"Ok," I start, trying to put together the mysterious warning. "You have to earn your freedom, right? And you do that by being strong enough. So there is either a physical or mental challenge coming up..."

"Or both," Nicole adds.

"Very true," I continue my supposition. "The will of the chosen to deny. That sounds like a choice of some kind will have to be made."

"What kind of choice," Omar asks.

"The will of the chosen?" Kane asks. "Didn't the guy at the airport call Hank the chosen? You know, before he blew himself up."

"You don't think..." I say.

"I don't think this can be a coincidence, Harrison," Dad says. "There has been a lot of bloodshed surrounding this and all of it has centered around this discovery."

"Or else the end will soon be had," Kane whispers.

"The end?" Nicole asks.

"No idea, but it sort of sounds like an apocalyptic prophecy, doesn't it?" I answer.

"s.h.i.t."

We all look at Kane. He looks very uncomfortable, but not because everyone is staring at him at the bottom of a deep dark hole filled with the remains of countless bodies.

"The end," he says.

"What end?" I ask.

"It's not a what, it's a who."

THE END.

23.

"A who?" I ask. "What's a who?"

"The End is the who," Kane says.

"Who's end?"

"The End's," he replies.

"I'm confused," Omar says shaking his head.

"Who's The End, Kane?" Nicole asks getting back on course.

"The fourth elder," Kane answers.

"Oh...c.r.a.p," I mutter.

Kane quickly retells the legend of the four elders and its significance to where we are standing and why I'm not too excited.

"So some archaic senior-citizen wanted to enslave or destroy the world and his buddies didn't like it," I say wrapping up the book club-like discussion.

"When the fourth elder left his order he changed his name to, The End of All Things, and vowed vengeance on the others," Kane says. He finds a spot clear of debris and body parts and sits down. He takes a healthy swig from his water valve and sighs.

"The End, along with the other elders were supposed to have special abilities, if you believe in that sort of thing. He, in particular, was supposed to be able to control the elements around the world. Earth, air, water, fire and what not."

"Water and air?" I ask and relay the events on our flight over. Things are starting to fall into place, things I didn't think were possible.

"So are we to a.s.sume the spouts were this End-person trying to stop the Boyd's from getting here and the lightning was the three elders keeping him at bay?" Omar asks with a look of what looks like wonder on his face.

I shrug again, feeling a little disturbed by the gleam in his eyes, "I guess so, but at least someone is on our side in this supernatural circus." There is some weird c.r.a.p going on, but it all has to be connected. I can sense it.

Kane stands back up and dusts himself off.

"Why do you think The End hasn't shown his face more over the years?" I ask staring back up at the ominous warning.

"Who says he hasn't?" Kane replies.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"If this guy can control the elements of the entire globe...who says he hasn't influenced major storms and other natural disasters over the years. Would it shock you if we find out that the Tsunami that wiped out a large chunk of Indonesia was caused by him?"

Silence fills the eerie tomb entrance again, but thankfully not for long.

"So, now what?" Omar asks.

Good question, I think. What the h.e.l.l do we do?

Without much of an answer to give, I say the only thing I can, "What we're here to do. We head in the direction of the Ta.s.sili mountains and see where it takes us." I turn around and look at Dad, "What direction?"

He pulls out a compa.s.s and checks it, "The Ta.s.sili's are northeast of our current location."

"Fine, northeast it is," I say. "Kane, would you mind?"

He ejects his magazine, checks it and slams it home. It seems to be a thing with him.

"Okay everyone, eyes forward, weapons at the ready and safeties off. Keep your barrels pointed away from each other. Let's not have an accident down here, alright?"

We all nod.

"Hank, up front with me. Dr. Boyd and Omar behind us." He glances over to Nicole, "And you and the boys...guard our rears." He gives her a smile like he just told the best joke ever.

She stares daggers into him not finding anything humorous, but Kane doesn't budge.

I laugh, but get cut off when her cold stare turns to me.

Not funny.

I, unlike Kane, melt under her gaze, "Please?"

She rolls her eyes at us, drawing her other Ruger, and files in.

Kane turns and faces northeast towards our objective.

"Okay, let's move." He takes a step and pauses, turning back to us, "But, if a mummy or something jumps out at me, I'm gone. Back up the hole."

24.

The next hour dragged by with nothing out of the ordinary happening. The tunnel wound back and forth like crazy which caused a distance of about a mile to actually measure out to be closer to five. I have also noticed that we've been moving ever so slightly downhill, deeper underground.

Thankfully, the ambient temperature below the surface was considerably cooler than the surface. "Quite comfortable," as Dad put it. Kane and Nicole were the only ones to still have their weapons drawn, although Nicole did holster one of her two Rugers.

The walls kept our attention off of the time and monotony of the hike.

"The inscriptions and pictographs are incredible! I've never seen anything like it before!" Dad exclaims. He has been so focused on the very ornate carvings in the tunnel walls that we sometimes catch him stopping and reading them. We had to forcibly drag him away from them once or twice already.

"Dr. Boyd," Kane says. "We need to keep moving. We don't have a lot of time-"

"Give him a second would you?" I interrupt. "This is why we're here after all."

Kane relents and I join my father and add my light to his. Nicole and Omar aid in as well, doubling the view. We light up a section of wall that most definitely has a very large pictograph etched into it.

"What is it?" I ask.

"It's a battle...I think?" Dad says. "Omar, would you mind getting a few photos?"

Omar steps up and pulls out his very expensive looking Nikon and starts snapping some pictures. His flash lights up the room twice as good as our flashlights do.

When the first flash blooms, it causes my eyes to dilate. In turn I get a little light headed too. I grab the wall-the one with the intense combat-for support. As I make contact with the wall I black out and start seeing strange visions.

FLASH!.

Lightning, raining fire, like a volcano erupting and a blizzard, together.

FLASH!.

A tall man in what looks like black robes is in the middle of it all, hands outstretched. He calls to the elements, beckoning them to listen.

FLASH!.

Three others, also hands outstretched, try to block the onset. Then I see them, people...thousands of them, fleeing from the maelstrom at the coast.

FLASH!.

I let go and fall to the ground, panting.

Dad rushes to me, "Harrison! What happened?"

"I...I don't know. I just touched the wall and..."

I open my eyes and look up at the picture. It's exactly the same, the three trying to stop the one. I actually saw glimpses of the final battle that destroyed this lost civilization.

That doesn't solve the issue of what I'm going to tell the others though. If I tell them, they'll think I'm nuts. I'll give it some time to stew and come back to it later. Maybe, I'll have more answers then. Either way, this place is starting to give me a really bad feeling. Unfortunately, I think this was just the tip of the iceberg too.

"It's fine. I'm good. I'm just tired and my nerves are still shot from the fall. It may have just been my shocked system telling me I need some rest."

Dad helps me stand, "It has been a rough couple of days."