'I'm fuckin' worried. Where are all the guards? This place should be protected to the hilt, but it's not' he whispered, his face crinkled in concern.

Reynata responded. Her voice was soft and shaky. 'This place is full of security. The only time the guards vacated their post was to witness a sacrifice of importance.'

Gillian's eyes welled with tears. Her father would be an important sacrifice.

Adam placed his hand on her arm, but she shrugged him off. This was not the time for weakness or sympathy. Her father needed help.

'Open the bloody door,' Gillian ordered, her face set and determined. She was not going to take no for an answer. They had come too far to abandon him now.

Georgio grinned. 'It's good to see you so fired up. You might actually be useful.'

Gillian felt like slapping him, distracted only by the sliding of the camouflage door and the steel-lined tunnel it revealed.

Georgio turned to Tom. 'Reynata is too important in the case against Arun for us to risk her life. She requires protection, so I need you to stay with both her and Peter. If we are not back in an hour, you must leave. It's an order.'

Tom nodded. 'We'll be waiting. Sixty minutes and counting.'

Raising their guns for the second time, stopping only to take brief instructions from Reynata, they leapt from their positions and ran on their toes along the windowless hallway.

Georgio led, followed by Gillian and Adam at the rear. They moved quickly and with stealth, pausing momentarily before veering left at the small fork, thirty feet from the entrance. A further forty-five feet passed before they came to another metal door with the familiar Calendar Round symbol imprinted into the centre and a modern keypad with Mayan numerals. Georgio did not hesitate to press the four dots atop three lines, symbolising the Mayan number nineteen, and prayed that Arun had not changed the code since Reynata's departure.

A collective but quiet sigh escaped their mouths as it clicked and swung inwards, quickly closing behind them, causing Gillian to turn around and view their escape route.

She gasped. There was no internal handle and no obvious way to reopen the door.

She put it to the back of her mind for the moment, concentrating on the task at hand.

They had just reached a set of stairs which in itself was insignificant, but the evolving surroundings gave rise to a new level of fear.

Cut into each polished marble wall were five niches of two feet wide by five feet high. In each niche was a rope stretched from top to bottom and strung up by that rope was an entire body of a recent sacrifice.

Gillian gagged, more at the smell than at the sight. Over the years, she had seen many sacrifices, but these had been bled out from top to bottom whilst still alive. The eyes were still wide with shock, the mouth agape in their final screams. Bruises were still visible on the wrists and ankles where they were shackled in an upright position against a wall or post. The skin had begun to show clear signs of contraction, shrivelling and drying against the internal skeleton whilst the internal flesh began to liquidate.

She turned to Adam and stifled a laugh. He had turned a bright shade of purple and was holding his hands over his eyes to ward off the macabre view.

'Oh, come on, Adam. Stop being such a child.'

He gave her a scathing look and gestured for her to follow. They did not have time to spare.

Pounding the elaborate floor, they quickly entered through a typical corbelled arch and into a room of cavernous proportions. Gillian looked about in amazement. Clearly designed to either impress or terrify, she considered the latter to be her response.

Constructed entirely from limestone, the walls had been separated into two portions. The lower half was smooth and painted in red, the top half was rough and almost entirely covered in human skulls. It was a sight to behold, not in the sense of enjoyment but in the total bewilderment at the number of humans required to complete such a task. The skulls would have numbered in the thousands and Gillian simply had no words. She was speechless.

Adam's response was a simple, 'Bloody 'ell.'

With a morbid sense of curiosity, Gillian gazed at their features, noting that the mix consisted of larger skulls, most likely to be men, with an approximation of thirty per cent being women, children and babies.

It was so revolting that the hideous, lifelike sculpture of the Mayan god, Cizin, positioned in the centre of the room, barely captured their attention.

In any other surrounding, Gillian would have been suitably taken aback by the squatting figure with the oversized head and large, fearsome teeth, but in this room, it was almost as pleasant as a statue of Venus.

'Let's get out of here,' urged Adam as they required no further encouragement to run from the room, barely missing a contingent of guards who were marching by.

'Ouch!' exclaimed Georgio as he slammed his body against Gillian and Adam, forcing them into a small alcove containing a statue of the rain god, Chac.

'Sorry,' mouthed Gillian as Georgio gestured for them to stay put whilst he checked the hallway.

He was only gone for a moment. 'It's clear,' he advised before adding, 'Reynata advised us to continue along this path and veer left, through another gathering room, down a grand set of stairs and into the sacrificial chamber. She also noted that important visitors were able to view the sacrifices from an exclusive room on an upper level, restricted to the general population,' whispered Georgio.

'We need to find that viewing platform. At the very least, it will give us the opportunity to view the sacrifice and determine how many people we will be up against. Something tells me that crashing a sacrifice unprepared would not be the wisest decision,' contributed Adam as Gillian led the way.

With their backs against the wall, they slid along the large, elaborate hallway bedecked with colourful Mayan paintings and numerous statues, resembling more of a museum than an underground sect.

Gillian paid attention to her surroundings. The bizarre skull room and this hallway were designed to impress. It would make sense that people of importance would continue to experience the same treatment for their entire visit. She simply needed to follow the most decorative pathways.

Winding casually downhill, the current hallway passed a set of interconnecting stone stairs and continued on to another ornamental, corbelled arch. On the opposite side of the arch, the hallway split into two further passages, one with a plain stone floor and the other carpeted in red.

They selected the passageway with the plush carpet, pausing when an unexpected intrusion of voices echoed from the stairway twenty feet behind them. Georgio ordered them behind the base of the corbelled arch.

They had prepared for this, but the inability to use their guns created a problem. Georgio had been resolute in his instructions to keep gunfire to a minimum until they reached the sacrificial room. Any warning of an intrusion would certainly alert their adversaries and spell their deaths.

True to form, Georgio ducked and ran to the opposite side of the arch. He held up three fingers as an indication of the three men coming their way.

Gillian was a bundle of nerves and Adam's white face indicated he felt the same. She searched her memory to find a moment in her life that she could draw strength from and found the first time she presented a seminar to 300 people. She had been terrified beyond words and resorted to creating a box in her mind in which she could lock her fear. She did the same thing this time and not a moment too soon.

The men were upon them within a few precious seconds and Gillian had no option but to react. She leapt from her position with as much energy as she could muster and targeted the shorter man nearest to her. Without deliberation, Gillian raised her gun and slammed it with all of her might onto the back of the man's head.

He fell to the floor instantaneously at the same time Georgio grabbed his target by the neck and wrenched it sideways until the spinal cord separated from the skull. Both men fell to the ground with a thud, allowing them to turn their attention to Adam's fight. He had drawn the short straw, having been allocated a man twice his weight and size, but the head of a nearby statue created a crater in the man's brain and he joined his friends in an increasing pile of bodies.

Moving quickly, Gillian assisted in pulling the bodies away from the middle of the floor and out of the direct line of vision. It was not a perfect concealment, but they hoped it would buy enough time before the bodies were discovered.

With time rapidly ticking by, Gillian almost broke into a run, coming to a complete stop a mere thirty feet later. Georgio and Adam also heard the rumble beneath their feet, both almost colliding as they knelt down and placed their ears against the floor in unison.

Gillian felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. She knew what it was and her blood ran cold as panic surged through her veins.

They were cheering. Hundreds of people were roaring and clapping, creating a din akin to that of a large concert.

Gillian knew of only one reason for the entire place to be deserted of guards and people alike and it would be a sacrifice.

Georgio and Adam both looked at her with equal concern, their eyes reflecting the same fear.

They commenced their run, reaching another large room bedecked with faux jaguar fur, large plush couches and a number of tables and chairs. Large paintings of various Mayan buildings decorated the walls and ceilings and a mix of jade and obsidian light fittings were used throughout. Gillian glanced around. She needed to locate a path that would be forbidden to the general population and quickly.

She scanned the walls in deliberation. There were two further passageways, both of which were unimpressive and open to regular use. What she needed was something that was inspiring. Something that made the guests feel special, important.

Her eyes rolled over the paintings, panels and joins before falling upon a trompe l'oeil. From the distance, it appeared to be a typical stepped Mayan pyramid topped by a glorious temple. To the right and left sides of the pyramid were two smaller pyramids with a passageway into each structure.

That was it! Gillian ran to the painting and it was exactly as she suspected. The painted doorways were real, but which one was the right one?

Gillian studied them carefully, noting an engraved symbol of an open hand over the left entrance and a fist over the other. The left one was the entry and the right the exit. She pushed the door and they all stepped into a darkened hallway lit intermittently by a modern replica of the wall torch.

Gillian gasped.

Large panels of multifaceted copper sculptures lined the walls, the colour of which was picked up by the torches and radiated onto the solid obsidian floor. Glorious glittering rays crisscrossed the path, leaving the users with the impression of walking through beams of gold. It was simple yet effective, distracting Gillian for a second until she heard another joyous cheer.

She bolted to the end of the hall, reaching a sumptuous and bulky set of red velvet curtains which she was about to rip apart in a desperate need to see what was happening.

'Wait.' Adam shot her a look of warning as Georgio pushed his way in front of them and peered through the seams. He held up two fingers.

Adam took the right and Georgio the left, both pushing the curtains apart in unison and breaking the necks of the seated occupants before they even knew their lives would be over.

Gillian hurried into the viewing room and gazed at the scene below.

The room was the size of a small concert hall with an enormous vaulted ceiling, giant size wall banners depicting the various Mayan gods and a numerous arrangement of statues. Glorious polished tiles with inlaid hieroglyphics embellished the floor, but the piece de resistance was a miniature version of a Mayan pyramid positioned almost fifteen feet directly below their viewing platform. It was approximately forty feet tall and painted in the five colours of the Mayan compass white, red, yellow, black and green. Atop the pyramid was a smaller, glittering, gold pyramid decorated with various precious stones, shells and a flat, front-facing plate that jutted out towards the crowd of approximately 400 strong.

Gillian's subconscious took in the scenery. She recognised the millions of dollars it would take to build such a room, the massive crowd of men, women and children separated into areas according to gender and importance. She also recognised the total adoration of the people towards the priest on the sacrificial platform, but it was her conscience that was screaming.

Her mind, her soul, her very being was silently yelling in disbelief and horror, yet her mouth remained shut. Even a whisper would jeopardise any possibility they had of saving her father.

Gillian watched as he was paraded about the platform like a prize steer. He looked drugged and his hands were restrained. She longed to load her gun and open fire, to end this ordeal as quickly as possible, but Georgio stopped her.

'If we shot the priest now, your father will be left unprotected. Undoubtedly the crowd or the accompanying priests would seek instant retribution and kill Dale before we even get to him. Somehow one of us must reach him and secure his freedom whilst the priest is disabled as a distraction.'

Gillian looked dumbfounded, but Adam's eyes glittered in determination.

'Look, I'm not much of an inventor, but those curtain cords are long enough to reach that platform. They are also on a pulley system, so whoever jumps and grabs Dale can be pulled back up.'

Gillian stared at him. Initially she thought the idea was totally ridiculous, but the more she considered it, the more it seemed to be the only option.

'I'll go. I'll need the strength of two men to pull us back up,' she said.

Adam opened his mouth to argue as did Georgio, but they quickly rescinded, both knowing that Gillian's idea was the only one that had any chance of success.

A cheer of immense proportions echoed throughout the room.

Gillian looked down. Her father's body was being positioned on the sacrificial altar, held down by four burly attendants. The priest withdrew a knife which he positioned directly over the heart and began to chant.

They were out of time.

Georgio fastened a temporary harness from the end of the thick cord, giving Gillian two seconds to prepare herself before the crowd noticed her standing on the balustrade.

She leapt, her mind and body total connected and focussed on the task at hand. This was the one and only time in her entire life that there was no room for error and she sought refuge in the adrenaline pumping through her body. The leap was terrifying and rough as she was forced through the air at a rate akin to the one and only bungee jump she had ever experienced.

Gunshots rang out and three of the guards immediately fell to the ground. The crowd took a moment to process the turn of events before screams of panic tore through the room and people began to run. The priest glanced up and saw Gillian fly towards him, quickly taking things into his own hands and forcing the knife downward towards Dale's heart, intent on carrying out his murder.

Another gunshot rang out, striking the priest in the head, forcing a spurt of blood outward in Gillian's trajectory. She wore the blood on her thighs as she landed on the platform only to find the fourth guard jump at her in desperation. Gillian tried to lift her legs and kick out at him, but she was restrained by the harness she wore. She took it off, ignoring the screams of protest from Adam, and proceeded to swing an elbow directly into the man's face as he pounced towards her.

Her first attempt was unsuccessful, but Gillian rebalanced herself and forced her mind and body to act as one. With a supreme effort, she alternated her direction, catching him off guard and forcing her elbow out and up. She connected directly with his nasal cavity, shoving the bone backwards into his brain and shattering the entire facial structure to an extent that he was no longer recognisable. The resultant bloodied mess was so disgusting that the she could not bear to look at the man who's all consuming rage caused him to ignore his horrific injuries and continue to come for her.

He was finished off by another gunshot from above, the fire further infuriating the crowd who had already begun to stampede in various directions. The women and children were directed to the exit, but the enraged men flew towards the pyramid, intent on vengeance. Gillian calculated that she had less than sixty seconds before they reached her.

With so little time at her disposal, Gillian focussed on her father. She jumped towards the sacrificial stone and quickly assessed the situation. Her father was so drugged that he appeared almost completely comatose despite the fact that he was able to stand on her insistence. He was unable to recognise his name and showed no sign of knowing her.

Gillian quickly realised that she would have to put off that emotional reunion until later, forcing her immense disappointment to the back of her mind and quickly strapping her singular harness to him.

Adam and Georgio began reeling him in without delay, the progress still too slow for the harness to be returned.

Gillian had to find her own way out.

She glanced around, spotting the small cavity used by the priests just as the crowd roared up the final steps to her position. There was no time to waste as Gillian took a leap of faith and jumped.

'Aaaaggghhh!' she screamed as her bones jarred on impact, forcing her to pause and gather her breath as she picked herself up and raced down the remaining stairs. The stairwell echoed with the snarls and yells of the pursuing men, giving new life to her legs.

She forced her slender limbs to stand by her one more time, telling them that the only thing that stood between her and capture was the ability for her muscles to find that little extra energy. She dared herself to fail, allowing herself to imagine what would happen to her if they caught her. Metaphors of losing her head, having her heart dragged beating from her body, rape and mutilation swirled about her head, somehow forcing her mind to achieve a greater clarity.

She had reached a small space and spun around, noting five passageways leading away from the room.

But which one was the right one?

Gillian conjured up previous experiences with Mayan architecture and realised that a priest would need access routes, namely to his private suite, the general population, the ahaw, a place to store his tools and an escape path. The emergency pathway would be used irregularly at best and was likely to be unkempt in comparison.

She looked for such a tunnel, noting that only one matched her desired description.

Gillian did not delay, taking a flying leap into the passageway, to ensure that her footprints were not evident at the entrance, before running for her life. She ignored the various cobwebs, crunching sounds beneath her feet and the numerous damp patches before reaching a solid grill imbedded into the walls.

It was a dead end!

The voices behind her had remained at a distance for a couple of minutes but they quickly separated and began to spread out, obviously intent on a methodical search.

As she suspected, the torches appeared behind her and she suddenly struggled to breathe. Gillian experience stirrings of panic and attempted to force her mind to concentrate and have faith in her judgement. She knew that she had not made a mistake in choosing the correct path and realised that the grill must be a further door. There must be a latch and the obvious place was concealed within the stone exterior.

Gillian ran her hand through the recessed mortar just as the men caught sight of her. They yelled in delight, roaring like a primitive race of victory as they barrelled towards her.

Gillian shuddered but pressed harder, her fingers bleeding as she probed the gaps in desperation.

Then she found it, a small knob no bigger than a button on a remote control. She pressed it just as the first of the men leered and dived for her.

Gillian heard the rattle of the grate and, for the second time in a few minutes, took a leap through the narrow gap, landing on her side and kicking the gate closed behind her.

Deprived of their reward, the men screamed in fury. They let fly with every obscenity available, but Gillian ignored them and picked herself up from the floor. One way or another, they would come after her, so she had to make the most of the time she had gained.

With her feet pounding the old path, Gillian made her way through a winding maze of channels. She had no idea where she was going but kept following what she considered the most logical direction.

Eventually the tunnel split into two and Gillian ran to the right. It was then that she realised she had made a mistake. Directly in front of her were two men, laughing at her sudden confusion.

What had she done? She should have gone left. What a fool.

Gillian turned around only to discover another man behind her and a set of steps rising from a lower floor to her left. They had been waiting in the off chance that she had come this way and their patience had paid off, catching her like a fly in a spider's web. In normal circumstances, she would have fought to every last remaining fibre of her being, but she was tired. Perhaps it was easier to give in, and for a moment she actually contemplated it until her fighting spirit came to the fore.