'There is no way we can make that.'

'I don't see that we have any choice!' shouted Gillian as she jumped to her feet and ran. She moved like never before, pushing her legs until they ached with the effort. She noted that Adam was breathing down her neck, but even with him forcing her forwards, she did not think they were going to make it. The bats also impeded their progress, flapping about them, scratching any uncovered skin and tearing at Gillian's hair. The pain of the fearfully sharp claws was similar to a slash from a knife and she resisted screaming in frustration and anger, choosing instead to channel her energies to her muscles.

They had less than ten feet to go, but even at this rate, Gillian knew they would be lucky to make it.

Five feet remained.

Four feet.

Three feet.

Two feet and Adam yelled, 'Drop and roll, Gillian! Do it now!'

She obeyed and together they fell to their knees, dove onto their stomachs and rotated under the grate, which was less than a few inches above their faces and dropping.

The posts scraped over her cheeks, forcing Gillian to turn her face sideways. Unfortunately this action also gave her a clear view of their new surroundings and she quickly understood that their troubles were far from over.

Kinix was smart and their movements through the Bat House had set a series of events in motion that could not be stopped. The room they were entering was the Razor House, portrayed in legend as a space overflowing with blades and razors. Each tool moved about individually and was a created in such a way that it would be impossible to pass through without losing a body part.

The room was an excellent adaptation of the ancient narrative.

Gillian did not need long to note that the side walls sported at least fifty blades inserted into a series of holes. The roof accommodated an extra forty, extended from individual pivot poles that allowed the blades to swing freely.

'It gets better and better. If we're not skewered by those spears then we will be sliced in half by the swinging knives,' muttered Adam in disgust as he attempted to stand.

He yelped in pain, the scratches from the bats leaving numerous streaks of blood and puncture holes.

Gillian realised that she mirrored Adam's sore and sorry reflection. She was also covered in blood, had dozens of developing bruises all over her torso and a large bump on her head. She knew she was a mess, but for some reason, she did not really care.

She smiled at Adam whose expression graduated from fondness to extreme fear.

'Duck!' he screamed as he leapt onto Gillian for the second time in a few minutes just as a blade was ejected from the wall. It flew in their direction, missing them by a few inches before imbedding itself into the plaster behind them.

This was quickly followed by the sudden release of a swinging blade which also plummeted dangerously close to their position.

'Time to go,' ordered Gillian as they jumped to their feet, barely allowing a second to calculate the distance between their position, the open doorway opposite and the risk of being hit if all of the weapons were released at once.

It was at this moment that Gillian understood Kinix's intention. The purpose behind the open doorway was the same as offering candy to a child. It was meant to draw out those who wanted a quick way out. Unfortunately the reward was death.

Gillian had to find an alternative route, something just out of the ordinary but not too different to attract attention.

Adam tugged at her arm. 'Gillian, we have to go.'

'No, wait,' she insisted as she studied the room with an intensity that surprised her. She drew in all of the room's features from the tiled floor to the weapons, the plastered roof and brightly painted, rendered walls until her eyes fell on an uneven hidden panel to their left. It was the halfway point between their current position and the opposite exit.

'Look ... over there. It's probably a doorway.' She pointed it out to Adam. 'I see it, but there are two issues. The large axe swinging just above the panel is obviously intended to assist in our escape, but if we are not careful, the arrows pointed at the doorway will kill us,' concluded Gillian.

'Okay, so the only way to stop from being skewered is to release the arrows first,' said Adam.

Gillian scowled. 'I'm not volunteering to run in front of those things.'

Adam laughed. 'I had something else in mind,' he revealed as he grabbed an arrow from the ground.

Gillian gazed at him quizzically as he eyed the floor, aimed and threw the arrow with the expertise reserved for a javelin thrower. The direction was true and the arrow landed in a small custom-made indentation on the floor, immediately releasing a barrage of weapons.

Gillian was lost for words. 'How'd you see that?' she eventually asked.

'If you look carefully, the entire floor is covered in grooves. Unfortunately they are so flat that anyone with normal lighting or vision would not be able to pick up the discrepancy. I was simply lucky that my torch reflected on the one that was the trigger.'

'Well, aren't you smart,' Gillian chided in good humour as they both ran low and around the outer edge of the wall. They were minimising the chance of triggering a further barrage of deadly weapons but still found themselves doing their best acrobatic renditions as they ducked, twisted and weaved.

They reached their destination in record time without incident and Adam used his spear-throwing skills to activate the mechanism that held the axe.

'Duck!' screamed Adam as they both fell to the floor in desperation.

The axe plummeted from above, whistling loudly as it flung down, picking up speed until it slammed solidly into the plaster wall. The plaster burst outward, creating a cloud of white dust that covered them from head to toe.

Gillian erupted into laughter as did Adam when they caught sight of each other.

'Look at you,' said Gillian.

'And aren't you gorgeous,' teased Adam, taking the opportunity to wipe her face.

Gillian smiled at him before turning and stepping through the gaping hole into a furnace.

'This place is bloody hot,' complained Adam.

Gillian looked about.

The room was reasonably small and the walls were coated in mica, the use of which was not immediately evident until Gillian and Adam stepped forward and gazed into the gaping chasm that extended from one side of the room to the other.

'Lava ... it's lava,' said Adam.

'Well, the last of the six rooms was supposed to be the Hot House, so it makes sense that the builder utilised nature to its full extent. His only problem was keeping the heat in, so he used the only insulator known to them at the time ... mica.

'That's why the last room was cold,' said Adam.

'Yes, its insulation properties are excellent. Even today, it's still used in ovens for the same reason.'

'So, what's the purpose of this room?' asked Adam.

'Traditionally it was supposed to represent fire and heat, but in this instance, I'd take my guess at a deterrent or protection device.'

'Protect what?'

'That.' Gillian pointed to the camouflage indentation in the far wall. It was painted to match the mica and was almost indistinguishable with the exception of the lack of shine.

Adam gasped. 'I'd recognise that hexagonal shaped symbol anywhere. I lived with it for long enough.'

'Exactly, and for some reason, I'm not surprised to see it here. It was clearly connected, but to date we were unable to determine how.'

Gillian grinned as Adam patted his shoulder bag. 'Just checking that the disk is still there.'

She rolled her eyes and sighed in mock sarcasm. 'You and that bag. I don't think you'd even give it up for sex.'

'You haven't asked.' His comments were laced with seriousness which would have normally left her feeling uncomfortable, but not this time. Gillian gave him a quick peck on the cheek in response.

'Let's get over there and find out what it means,' she said.

'Unless I'm missing something, I can't see any bridge to cross.'

'Ahhh, but Kinix has thought of everything,' and with that Gillian pointed to the wall behind them.'

'Fifteen holes in the wall?'

'In the third manuscript, Kinix mentioned crossing over a lake of water to an island. He was required to place his fingers in five holes and press the internal levers. This in turn activated a series of stepping stones which gave access to the island.

'And you think this is the same thing?'

Gillian nodded, 'I do.'

'Well ... which holes?'

'That's the million dollar question. The only clue the manuscript gave was: "I used the secret code passed from priest to priest since the beginning of our time".'

'Why can't we just try them all?' said Adam.

'Apparently, placing your fingers in the wrong holes spelt instant death.'

'Mate!' Adam rubbed his forehead in deliberation. 'There's got to be something in it. What secret code would be passed from priest to priest since the beginning of time?'

Gillian shook her head and ran her fingers over the various symbols that were etched into the wall below the holes.

'They're the Mayan long count system' said Adam, looking at the carvings.

'Yes, and in no particular order.'

'Okay ... standing around is not assisting our cause, so let's think about this. The beginning of time in Mayan long count is represented in our time by "00000". This is consistent with the mention of five fingers in the manuscript,' said Gillian.

'So, what would it be in Mayan?'

'A zero in Mayan is a symbol that looks like an eye,' replied Gillian.

'And I can see five of those.'

'So, let's say we are right, then we need to place five fingers in the holes simultaneously.'

'And if we are wrong?' asked Sean.

'We will most likely be poisoned,' concluded Gillian.

'Excellent, and considering I am the chivalrous gentleman, I'll do it.'

Gillian went to argue, to discuss their deductions before continuing, but Adam didn't wait, plunging his fingers into the holes with the eye symbol before she could stop him.'

Gillian screamed and went to yank his fingers away, but it was too late. He was firmly imbedded in the wall and the look on his face was of total fear and extreme doubt.

For the second time in a matter of weeks, she was going to lose someone she cared about and her heart had gone into overdrive. Gillian began to panic until she noted the expression of terror slowly vanishing from Adam's face, replaced by the familiar lopsided grin and teasing twinkle in his eyes.

'Had you worried,' he said.

Gillian sighed in relief and allowed herself to relax. Nothing had happened and he was fine.

'Did you pull the levers?'

'Yes, and they moved as easily as if they were new which means that it must have worked.'

Adam removed his fingers and hurried to the edge of the chasm.

'Its working!' he yelled in absolute excitement as a fist slammed into the side of his face, dropping him violently to the ground.

Gillian gasped in shock and turned to see a dark-haired man swing for her with a gun in his hand. She was defenseless, unprepared and exhausted. Her body had lost any will to fight even though her brain screamed in defiance. She saw Adam unmoving on the ground and realised that there was no way she could save herself, let alone assist him. It was as good as over! She simply did not have the strength to form any type of rebellion and waited in disgust for the final knock to end it all.

It did not arrive.

Just as the large man moved to grab her, a familiar shape appeared from behind and fired a bullet directly into his temple. The resultant blood splattered across her front as he fell to the ground, landing only inches from Adam's crumpled body.

Gillian could not move as Samuel hurried to Adam's side.

Barely comprehending what had just happened, Gillian was not sure what shocked her the most. The sudden appearance of a murderer, facing her own mortality or that Samuel had saved her.

'How?' was all she managed to ask as Samuel rushed to Adam's side.

'I've been trailing Tomas for some time. He was my father's sharpshooter and even though my father is behind bars, his influence is still far reaching.'

'But ... Georgio and ...' Gillian did not finish her sentence before Samuel interrupted.

'They're fine. They had merely congregated away from the hole in order to formulate a plan to save you, allowing a small window of time for Michael to pass by unnoticed and abseil down the tunnel. I quickly followed.'

'Thankyou,' Gillian offered as Samuel simply nodded in reply.

Adam sat up a few moments later, rubbing his head and frowning when he caught sight of Samuel.

'Was this you?' Adam accused Samuel and pointed to the large lump on his head.

'No,' replied Gillian. 'Samuel saved us.' She gestured to the body of Tomas.

Adam glanced at the body, grimaced in pain and climbed to his feet. 'Thanks,' he muttered under his breath in Samuel's general direction before hurrying to the edge of the crevice.