The Tomb
By Dave Ferraro
Copyright 2011 Dave Ferraro
Smashwords Edition
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Also by Dave Ferraro
Hunters of the Dark series
Her Dark Destiny
Night Cries
Face the Dark
Twice Bitten
Chapter One
Watching the water fill the crevices of the rocks beneath her feet, before receding back into the ocean and beginning anew, gave the blonde girl waiting at the docks a chance to slow her beating heart, as she was doing her best to calm herself before setting out on a voyage unlike any she’d ever ventured on before.
After a moment, a crab caught her eye, its glistening, bulky body trekking over the rocks clumsily before each wave of ocean water buried it, whereupon it would pause, as if to hold its breath, before continuing when the water had been drawn back once again. She watched the crab continue in this way until it was hidden from view behind some larger rocks.
A wind stirred her hair, spraying salt water into her face, which she found refreshing, although she gave in to a little squeal of surprise, sending her heart rate back into territory she’d worked so hard to bring it down from. But it was quite hard for her to keep calm when she was finally going to get a taste of freedom from her stifling upbringing, and, as she saw it, make a name for herself doing what she wanted to do more than anything.
“Miss Thyme?” a voice asked tentatively, shaking her from her reverie.
“Please call me Rachel,” she looked up at the man, nearly forty with a head of shaggy blonde hair peeking out from beneath the sort of hat she imagined people would wear on a safari. He was so tan and leathery that she mused he must spend most of his time out of doors, perhaps doing the sorts of things they were setting off to do themselves just then. Perhaps he was actually in his early thirties, but the environments he found himself in were so harsh that they’d prematurely aged him. With a tiny smile, she congratulated herself for having the insight to pack several bottles of sunscreen and various products and moisturizers that factored in the harsh side effects of too much time outside. If she was to make a career of this, and retain her youthful radiance for as long as possible, she would need to be wary of the many roadblocks she would encounter, the most obvious being prolonged exposure to the sun, but she would be accounting for free radicals and a lack of resources on her expeditions as well. Which is why she’d packed so…thoughtfully. She frowned and bit her lip, refusing to let her mother’s obsessive regimens when it came to beauty get in the way of her dreams. She would take care of herself, but she would not become obsessed if she could help it, even though at that very moment she was wondering if she hadn’t been light on the sunscreen she’d already applied. Shaking off this doubt, she flashed the man a brilliant smile. “And you must be Professor Grant?”
“Ah, yes,” the man seemed to recollect himself and held a hand out for her, which Rachel gave an enthusiastic shake. “How rude of me. At your service, my dear.”
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity, Mr. Grant,” she told him. “I’m very excited about what we can accomplish here and I’ll work very hard to help in any way I can.”
Mr. Grant seemed impressed with this speech and beamed at her. “Yes, well, if your father’s reports are any indication, you will be quite the commodity. You seem rather enthusiastic, if anything.”
Rachel chuckled and inwardly let out a sigh of relief. She’d been hoping for a warm group of people to be patient with her on her first archaeological expedition, and it seemed that her father had not let her down in that regard.
“Professor Grant!” a man’s voice rang out.
They turned to see a figure jogging lightly toward them from where a nearby boat was docked. From the distance, she could tell that he was in prime shape, dressed casually in a yellow polo and khaki shorts. As he drew nearer, she admired his arms, one of the first physical attributes she noticed on men, and was immediately struck by his handsome face with his high cheekbones and dark chocolate brown hair that seemed to be styled in that way that boys had of making it look like they hadn’t spent much time on it, though it had been meticulously fretted over.
When the boy was a dozen or so feet away, he slowed to a stop and grinned, a drop of sweat gathering on his upper lip, of which she could hardly fault him, as Australia was rather warm and more humid than what she was used to in her hometown in Mississippi at this time of year, or even the private school she’d attended in France.
“Aw, Chase, my good boy,” Professor Grant waved him toward Rachel. “Meet Ms. Thyme, who will be joining us.”
“It’s Rachel,” she insisted, taking his hand.
“Pleased to meet you, Rachel,” he said with eyes that traveled over her quickly, admiringly, before breaking off and turning to the professor.
Rachel blushed a little. Having spent the past four years in an all girls’ school, she wasn’t very used to the attention of boys, although her figure would most likely tell a different story, as she was really quite beautiful.
Watching the two men exchange words, Rachel looked down at her designer Jeans and one-of-a-kind top and felt overdressed for the occasion. She didn’t have much in terms of work clothes, but had had the foresight to buy a variety of casual shirts and shorts for the trip, but she hadn’t expected them to never have the opportunity to dress up a bit. They would have some nights off, wouldn’t they? She bit her lip. Of course, if they were to dress up, their initial boat ride to the island would be the time, would it not? She took a mental inventory of her clothes quickly, although the sudden screeching of a few seagulls circling overhead tested her concentration. She glanced up at them with an annoyed glare.
“Then it looks like we will be taking off,” Professor Grant suddenly remarked, turning to her. “Chase, please take Miss Thyme’s luggage onboard for her.”
Chase made to reach for them, but Rachel intercepted him, picking up the two heavy bags herself. “No, really, I insist on doing it myself,” she protested, wincing at the weight and chiding herself for overpacking.
With a shrug, Chase walked alongside the professor over to the boat with Rachel trailing after them, attempting, with some difficulty, to look as though the bags were not as heavy and awkward as they were. She did not want to begin the voyage with other people having to help her out already. She was committed to being as independent and helpful as possible. She would be a hindrance to no one.
Chase and the professor passed by the large boat docked nearby that Rachel had assumed would be taking them across the water, and instead walked up the dock to a much smaller yacht. She must have looked surprised, because Chase cocked an eyebrow and said. “Not up to your usual standards?”
Rachel sent him a dirty look as Professor Grant was helped onboard by a young tanned man with an open, billowy white button-up shirt, whom she assumed was native to Australia, and soon understood to be the captain of the yacht, although he seemed rather young to her, probably in his mid twenties. “No, it’s just fine. I just thought we’d have a larger crew of people on this expedition. This could hardly carry more than six.”
Chase nodded. “Yeah, most everybody is already on Black Forest Island setting up camp. We’re the last little group. But look at the nice intimate setting as a chance to better acquaint yourself with your colleagues.” He jumped aboard the yacht and offered a hand back to Rachel, who handed her bags over to him.
“Whoa,” Chase looked startled with the first bag he took from her, and sent her a questioning look, but said nothing further about it. “We have to take a few trips to get everyone to and from the island, but we didn’t really have any need to rent a bigger boat. That luxury would require more funding. And from what I’ve heard, we’re barely squeaking by on the budget we’ve got. Nobody’s expecting much from this dig.”
Carefully stepping into the boat, Rachel looked around the small deck with a perimeter of benches and two folding chairs, the word “cozy” coming to mind, although she’d learned years earlier that the word was interchangeable with “small.” Coming from a rather rich, indulgent family, she was consciously trying to keep such materialistic thoughts at bay. She’d also learned long ago that money couldn’t buy happiness. That had most likely been one of her first lessons in life.
“Not expecting much?” Rachel echoed him, shoving her luggage in a corner of the deck, near what she assumed was his. “Why not? The ruins on this island…”
“Old news,” he said. “The ruins have been tagged and bagged by various groups. Professor Grant’s new theory of underground chambers is based on some ruins on the Australian mainland. Not many find it likely that there will be anything so elaborate on an obscure island, despite the similarities.”
“Well, we’ll just have to prove them wrong.”
Chase blinked, then let out a short laugh. “I guess we will.”
Professor Grant stepped out onto the deck from below with the captain, who quickly left his side to pull in all of the ropes keeping them docked, before setting off.
“The camp site should be set up by the time we arrive,” the professor informed them. “And as dusk is fast approaching, the entire camp may already be asleep as well.”
“How long is the ride out there?” Rachel questioned.
“I believe our last trip took about two hours. Once we get past the reef, it’s just north a tick. Enjoy the weather while we go; This is the perfect time of year to be in Australia.”
“Too bad we won’t be enjoying the sights,” Chase remarked, pulling a bottled water from a cooler and handing another one over to Rachel, who accepted it gratefully as she sat down on the bench near him.
The professor said something else, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of the engine as it started up and they began to move away from the dock. Not soon after, he left them alone and went below deck.
Soon the air was speeding by them, cooling Rachel’s skin, which was a relief. She felt rather alive on the ocean, the mist tossed onboard by the boat, watching other vessels grow closer, then further away as they went along. It was very peaceful, yet exhilarating at the same time. The clear blue sky overhead didn’t hurt, but once the sun began its descent over the water’s horizon, she didn’t mind either, as it provided quite the spectacular scene. It was as if the ocean was putting on a show for them, the salmon pinks and blazing oranges thrown over the water in the distance like it were on fire. The water’s rocking and roiling only furthered in giving it the illusion of living, breathing flames.
“Nervous?” Chase asked, breaking the long silence that had felt like a spell of sorts.
She tore her eyes from the sun and looked over at him. “Nervous? Why? Should I be?”
He smiled easily. “I thought this was your first time.”
Scowling, Rachel crossed her arms, suddenly a little chilly at the night’s first cooling caresses. “It is my first expedition, but I take direction well, and I’ve studied in depth what will be required of me, so…”
“I didn’t mean any offense,” Chase explained. “You just have that look. You know, ready for an adventure into the unknown. Wide-eyed and innocent, don’t want to miss a thing. But the reality of it is that archaeology usually tends to be a lot of work with little to no results to show for it.”
“I’m aware.”
“No, it’s not… It’s just refreshing to see that look, is all.” He offered her a smile, and all at once, Rachel felt a knot of tension release from her shoulders. She hadn’t realized she was getting so defensive and had been bracing herself for a fight. She wondered why she was so paranoid. Chase seemed like a genuine, warm individual. Resolving to let down her guard a little, Rachel ran a hand back through her blonde hair and turned to him, all seriousness. “Can I tell you something?”
He leaned forward and nodded.
“My dad pulled some strings for me to get here.”
Chase nodded again after digesting this for a moment. “Why would he have to do that?”
“Oh, probably because most people out on an honest-to-god dig like this have gone through years of training in college.”
“And you…?”
“I just graduated from high school.” She sent him a quick look, a little afraid of what she’d see written on his face. Horror? Anger? Resentment? What she wasn’t prepared for was admiration.
“That’s wonderful,” he told her. “You know what you want and you’re going for it, and you’re getting the experience a lot sooner than other people. You shouldn’t feel guilty about that. To get an opportunity so young…” He paused and looked her over quickly.
“I’m eighteen,” she filled in the blank with a wry smile.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it, considering.
“What?” she pressed him.
“I just…I guess the no drinking policy won’t be a problem for you.”
Rachel laughed. “No. I…I actually don’t drink anyway.”
“But you are legal,” he leered at her. “Good to know.”
She imitated offense and punched him lightly on the shoulder good-naturedly.
For a few minutes, they just sat and watched the sun transform into a round red ball in the sky, the water likewise, became a sea of blood. Slowly the sun descended until the blood seemed to devour the sun whole, and all was left violet, and then inky dark. With no lights visible from the coast, the darkness closed in quickly and without hesitation, making Rachel feel much smaller and more isolated than she’d expected. They were traveling a long way from the mainland.
“The stars are bright out here,” Chase murmured.
Rachel looked up and agreed. The sky was full of shining diamonds, shimmering brightly, cutting through the black sky and sea, offering a field of light, should the night be too overwhelming.
Rachel hadn’t realized she’d been shivering until Chase put a light coat around her shoulders. She smiled gratefully and pulled it tight around her to ward off the chill of the evening.
“There is another reason you should be nervous about going to this island,” Chase said as he scooted closer to her on the bench.
“Mmm. What’s that?”
“I stayed overnight at a hotel and when I was at the bar last night, I was talking to a local. I don’t know, he must have been a superstitious type or something.”
“Superstitious?” Rachel sat up and watched him carefully. “What do you mean?”
“Well, when I told him where I was headed, he got this scared look. Then he crossed himself and said he would pray for my soul.”
Rachel waited for him to continue, letting the words sink in. “Well? Then what?”
“Then nothing.” Chase shrugged. “He got up and left. But left me feeling creeped out.”
“Is there some sort of local legend associated with Black Forest Island?”
“Not that I’m aware of. But then again, I didn’t really ask around. I kind of had my blinders on going into this thing, only concerned about the ruins and what we might find there.” He glanced at Rachel and smiled. “Did I scare you?”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Hardly.”
They both looked up at the stars then, Rachel attempting not to indulge the shiver that threatened to steal over her body at his words.
Chapter Two
It was nearly eleven at night by the time they docked on Black Forest Island, and while the sunset had only been an hour prior, their colleagues were already fast asleep, as the professor had predicted, having had a rigorous day of setting up the campsite. However, the site architect, another professor named Candy Brooks, was awake to greet them as they made their way to the beach on a smaller raft, as the yacht had to anchor a short ways distant, and show them to their tents.
Candy was a timid-looking woman, very thin and tall with a nervous smile. She was a little awkward conversationally, letting the others do the talking and chiming in from time to time to add a scientific fact or observation, or to laugh in a way that sounded to Rachel like she was asthmatic and gasping for big gulps of air. But she was nice enough, and Rachel tried not to let her shortcomings color her in a negative light. Candy was, after all, another person who would be determining her future in the field, and Rachel could kiss ass with the best, and was not above doing so. Although with a quick glance, Rachel noted several things that Candy could incorporate into her regimen to improve her complexion overall, she would keep them to herself for the next three months, if she could help it.
Or maybe I could innocently offer her something in a non-threatening way, Rachel debated. Oops. I dropped my toner. Could you get that for me? You know, this would do wonders… Rachel shook her head. She sounded like an Avon lady.
After finishing a brief meal at a small campfire, they cleaned up after themselves and made their way to the tents that were erected just a little ways back from the beach, in a small clearing not far into the otherwise dense forest. Unfortunately, Rachel couldn’t make much out in the dark, so any exploring of the camp would have to wait for morning, which was a little disappointing. While the others seemed rather tired by their day, she was bursting with energy on her first evening in the field.
Since all but two of the tents were occupied already, they paired off by gender, leaving Rachel to bunk with Candy for the night.
“But just for the night,” Candy had assured her. “I know how intimidating it would be to share a tent with one of the professors for months on end.” Cue nervous asthma-laugh.
It was bad enough sharing the tent with the professor, but the tent was tiny. There was just enough space for them to stretch out in their sleeping bags, with their luggage on either side. And while Rachel wouldn’t be falling asleep for hours, Candy began to snore like a freight train the moment her head hit the pillow.
Thank god it’s only for the night, Rachel thought darkly, or I might be tempted to smother her with a pillow already.
After fifteen minutes of lying motionless, Rachel got up and left the tent after throwing a hoodie on over her t-shirt. She just had too much pent-up energy. She decided a quick walk along the beach to tire herself out was just what she needed.
There were several bird calls that resounded from the forest as she walked along the beach, but it was too dark to make out any forms. It was eerie in the middle of the night, with no sign of civilization anywhere once the campsite and yacht were out of range.
After walking for a few minutes, she slipped off her flip flops and walked through the sand with a smile, enjoying the feeling of the water running over her feet and the soft sand gushing between her toes. It was still rather cool, so gooseflesh covered her bare legs before long, but the hoodie was warm enough to compensate for that neglect, making the walk still rather pleasant.
The island was beautiful, she decided, as she admired the eucalyptus trees, as well as the more familiar pines and firs. She could see why it was called Black Forest Island, as the foliage was rather dense and made the actual forest floor pitch black. She imagined that during the day it would still seem very dark, and perhaps night-like. It might not be the palm trees that most people would wish on a deserted island, but she, for one, was ultimately charmed by the setting. It was peaceful and quiet and just lovely. She felt a million miles away from everything. And the beach…that didn’t hurt either.
Before long, Rachel began to hear noises in the dark. At first they were distant and muffled, but the further she walked, the louder they grew, until she identified them as shouts and the sound of water splashing. A smile played over her lips as she hugged the treeline while approaching the people playing in the water, keeping out of view, with the intention of turning around and returning to camp after a quick look.
By cover of the trees, she watched the forms of the young men and women frolicking with humor, and completely unobserved by them. There were two guys and three girls altogether, although in the dark, it was difficult to make out much when it came to features. But she couldn’t help enjoying the sight nonetheless, when the three girls pulled one of the guys, protesting all the while, into the water with all of his clothes still on.
“No fair!” the wet guy yelled good-naturedly. “Three against one? Rick, what, you couldn’t help a bro out?”
“I wasn’t going to get in the way of the girls,” the other male replied. “Once they’ve set their eyes on something…they get vicious.”
“I’ll show you vicious!” a blonde girl ran out of the water straight for him, squealing with pleasure as he quickly yanked her off of her feet and threw her over his shoulder, making a beeline back into the water, where he dropped her unceremoniously among the others again.
“Having fun?”
Rachel jumped and stifled a scream before registering that Chase was standing next to her, a lopsided grin on his face. “You scared the crap out of me.”
He chuckled. “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. It was just too good an opportunity to pass up. You seemed so…engrossed.”
“Hardly,” Rachel shrugged. “I was just seeing what all the ruckus was. I was about to head back.”
“And once you uncovered the ghastly scene, you couldn’t help but be so distracted that you failed to notice someone walk right up to you?”
Rachel opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t come up with a sharp retort, so she just held up her hands in guilt. “Think what you want.”
“That you’re a perv?” Chase teased. “I like.”
Rachel laughed. “Hardly. Speaking of perverts, what were you doing following me out here anyway? Going to lie in wait for your moment alone with me?”
“You wish.”
“Maybe.”
He looked taken aback for a moment, but it didn’t last long, as one of the guys had come to investigate the noise they were making.
“Chase? That you?”
“Yeah, it’s me, alright.”
In the moonlight and full sky of stars, Rachel saw the blonde guy step up to greet them, bare chested, and couldn’t stop her admiring eyes from drinking him in.
“And you come bearing gifts,” he said, noting Rachel in much the same way she had appraised him.
“Rachel,” she held out her hand.
“Rick.” He shook it firmly and called back to the others “Hey, we have a guest!”
Giving Chase an uncertain look, she turned back to Rick to find him checking her out again. She would use the word “leering,” actually, and any immediate attraction to him waned quickly as she took an unconscious step back toward Chase.
“Where have you been hiding this fine piece of merchandise, Chase, you old dog?”
“She’s standing right there, Mr. Sensitive,” a girl with long curly black hair informed him, swatting his chest offhandedly with a hand before offering it to Rachel. “Hi. I’m Cyrena, and you want to watch out for this one. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“Transparent sheep’s clothing?” Rachel quipped.
Cyrena laughed. “I guess most girls are blinded by his…charm.”
“I’m Kelly,” a blonde girl said from behind Cyrena, topless and acting natural in spite of that fact, although Rachel suspected she was annoyed with the intrusion.
Averting her eyes, Rachel saw Chase do the same, for which she gave him some credit.
“Hi, I’m Jeanette. Nice to meet you,” a third bubbly girl said, holding her hand up casually as she attempted to pull her long black hair back into a ponytail.
“Nice to meet you too,” Rachel said, already forgetting names as she turned expectantly to the final guy, a redhead with a lightly freckled back and shoulders, as well as a collection over his nose and cheeks.
“I’m Lucky,” he told her, and immediately shook his head sadly. “And that’s not a come-on either. My parents decided to curse me with the name the moment I was out of the womb.”
“Oh. That’s…too bad,” Rachel wasn’t sure how to react to the statement, which everyone else had apparently heard before, as there were a few eye rolls at the introduction.
“Well, come on into the water,” Rick told them. “We have to celebrate our first day here, and, you know, get to know each other better.”
“Much better,” Kelly purred, putting an arm around him and sending Rachel a clear look of ownership.
“Oh, I didn’t bring a…” Rachel began, then looked away from Kelly, before she could finish her sentence.
“Skinny dripping’s a rite of passage,” Rick countered. “Come on. We won’t bite.”
Cyrena shook her head as Kelly coaxed him toward the water. “Don’t mind him. He just wants to get an eyeful of the goods, if you know what I mean.”
Rachel chuckled nervously. “I guess so.”
“But please join us,” Jeanette said. “We’ve got some beer.”
“Oh. But I thought alcohol was…” She looked helplessly at Chase, who took the hint that she was rather uncomfortable.
“I think Rachel is probably tired from her trip,” he said gently. “Jet leg, like me. We’ll probably go turn in for the night. She just wanted to come introduce herself.”
“Too bad,” Cyrena puffed out her lower lip in a mock pout. “But you have to promise to have some fun with us sometime, okay?”
“I promise,” Rachel said gratefully. “I’m just…yeah, tired.”
“See you bright and early then!” Jeanette said as she walked back toward the water with Cyrena and Lucky.
Chase steered her back the way they’d come with an arm around her. “Sorry. I know they can be a little…overwhelming.”
“No, not at all,” Rachel told him. “I just…wasn’t expecting to run into anybody, let alone everybody.”
“Yeah, well, they’re a nice bunch, once you get to know them. We’ve all pretty much met over the past few months before the dig, so we’re all pretty tight. But I don’t think you’ll have any problems fitting in.”
“Good to know.”
“Except with Kelly. She can be possessive and a little…bitchy.” He laughed. “But at least you got the meeting with her girls out of the way already.”
“Her gir - oh. Her…yeah. She’s not the shy type.”
“You could say that. She takes her top off at every opening that presents itself.”
“Classy.”
They walked in silence for a moment before the yacht came into view and shortly afterward, the campsite.
“Oh, hey. I’m sorry I ruined your night,” Rachel said. “You can go hang out with your friends if you want. I just…”
“I know I can,” Chase chuckled. “I wanted to walk you back though. And it has been a long day. I wasn’t just saying that.”
“Well, thank you. I appreciate it.”
“I’m just sorry I couldn’t rescue you from Candy. I’ve heard her snore from clear across camp before.”
“You’re telling me,” Rachel murmured, eyeing her tent warily. “But I can handle it. For the night at least.”
“I have the feeling you can handle a lot.”
“I try.” She looked away shyly before a shudder ran through her body and she recalled how chilly the night actually was. “Brrr. How can they go swimming in this?”
“You can feel warm in the right company,” he said, offering her a smile that warmed her quickly enough.
Impulsively, Rachel grabbed his hand and held it for a moment, unsure of what to do once she had it. Her lack of experience with boys was becoming apparent, she presumed, before she felt Chase lean in and kiss her on the forehead softly.
“Goodnight, Rachel. I’m glad I got to meet you first.”
Rachel, a little dazed by the kiss, innocent as it was, didn’t respond until he was already to the tent he was sharing with Professor Grant and quietly unzipping it.
Once he disappeared inside, Rachel was finally able to move, putting a tentative
hand to her forehead. “I’m glad too.”
Chapter Three
“He kissed you on the forehead?” Cyrena asked the next morning as the group began to trickle down to get breakfast from the campfire, where oatmeal was being heated and poured into bowls for them.
“Yeah, on the forehead,” Rachel reported with a small smile.
“Well, that’s no good.”
“What?” Rachel looked at her, surprised. “Why?”
“Kissing you on the forehead is the most platonic thing he could have done, given the situation.”
“Platonic?” Rachel didn’t like hearing the word come out of her mouth, at least not as it pertained to Chase.
“Hell, if he’d kissed your hand, it would have been romantic or chivalrous or some shit. But your forehead? Nuh-uh. That’s what a brother or a father or, even worse, a friend, would do. Total chaste territory.”
Frowning, Rachel accepted a bowl of oatmeal from Candy gratefully, before turning to walk toward a clearing under a tree where Jeanette was sitting beside Lucky. “But why kiss me at all then?”
“You gave him your hand. What else was he supposed to do? A hug would have been ambiguous, so he gave you the kiss of death instead.”
“I think you’re exaggerating,” Kelly threw in as she fell into step beside them, wearing cut-off jeans that generously showed off her upper thighs. Shanna was amazed that she would dare to be so bold, let alone get away with it. She would have assumed that some unspoken dress code would ban her from the dig, but no one seemed to bat an eyelash at the sight. “He probably just didn’t want to come on too strong. You should give it another shot.”
“What do you suggest?” Cyrena asked innocently. “She show him her tits?”
Kelly glared at her. “Only if her tits are every bit as spectacular as mine.”
“I’m liking the sound of this conversation,” Rick offered as he joined them. “And your tits really are spectacular, by the way.”
“Thank you, Rick,” Kelly threaded her arm through his. “You say the sweetest things.”
Cyrena made a gagging noise as they sat down with Jeanette and Lucky, who greeted them with enthusiasm, despite the fact that they both had matching dark circles under their eyes, a trait they shared with the others present, save Rachel. They must have been up long after Rachel had finally drifted off to the sound of chainsaws.
“Where’s Chase?” Jeanette asked, sending Rachel a look.
“He got up early to help Professor Grant,” Rick said. “The brown-noser.”
“He’s just responsible, getting to bed at a decent time and all.”
“Huh.”
“Well, he is one of the area supervisors,” Cyrena said. “He has more riding on this than we do. Anyway, what’s on the agenda for today?” She scraped her spoon along the bottom of her bowl and shook her head. “Damn, is this all we get?”
“No shit, they expect us to labor for hours on this drivel?” Rick tossed his spoon onto the ground unceremoniously.
“Can’t have bacon and eggs every morning,” Lucky told him with a smile.
Rick gave him the middle finger.
“I feel like I’m in high school again,” Rachel muttered.
“What’s that, Hon?” Cyrena asked.
“Nothing,” Rachel said, putting her already-cold bowl of oatmeal down, half-eaten. She looked around the site, noting a group of older, more seasoned workers under a different tree. Four more men and two women, only one who looked to be college-aged, like the rest of them. Shading her eyes, Rachel noted that the girl was pretty short, probably under five feet, and was of Asian descent. She was very pretty and knew how to wear little make-up to look good. Swiveling her head around her own group, she noted many things wrong with the girls among her, most notably Kelly, who caked so much make-up on that she looked ten years older than she actually was. Rachel didn’t get that train of thought. What was she overcompensating for?
Rachel glanced down at her hands then and scowled at the nails diligently chewed short. Not that she should talk. Her one rebellious action when it came to showing up her mother and her regimens was to constantly bite her nails as short as they could go. It had been a point of embarrassment over the years, especially at her boarding school, where beauty was a source of pride for the students who didn’t really have much interaction with the opposite sex. Except for Mr. Collins, the art teacher. Everybody had had a crush on him. She smiled at the recollection as she scoped out the other girls’ hands with stealth. It seemed on an archaeological dig, however, short nails were the fashion. One couldn’t exactly dig and use fine tools when they were encumbered by their fingertips. Except when it came to Kelly. Her fingernails ran an inch passed the tips, and were painted a startling bright red. Apparently, she knew a way to get beyond the hindrance. Perhaps it signaled a lazy work ethic.
“So, you’ve heard about the disappearances at this site, right?” Kelly turned to Rachel , flipping her hair back over her shoulder.
“Disappearances?” Rachel echoed with a blink.
“Ooooh, yeah,” Cyrena said, sitting forward, excited. “You didn’t hear about them? The locals on the mainland were all trying to convince us not to come out here, making signs and crossing themselves and stuff. It was amazing. Black Forest Island has a bad wrap.”
“Yeah, Chase said he met someone who acted strange about his destination too…”
“Yeah, get this,” Cyrena told her. “Over the past five years, teams have been coming out here for various digs and every one of them has had someone go missing. Every one! But the last one was the worst.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t be telling her this,” Jeanette warned. “No reason to freak her out. It’s her first time as it is.”
“She’s a big girl. She can handle it.” Cyrena paused and turned to Rachel. “Right?”
Rachel considered for a moment. No one present seemed particularly affected, given that they already knew, but did she really want more fuel to make her paranoid on this isolated island? She shook her head. Not knowing seemed like it would be worse at this point. Like how the most frightening horror movies were the ones that explained little, that didn’t show the actual monster. If she knew what she was up against, it put a face to the danger she faced, imagined or not.
“I can handle it,” Rachel consented, trying to keep her voice steady, despite the sinking feeling she felt in her stomach.
Cyrena smiled, then pressed on. “So, the last group that was out here was about two year ago. And at first, it was going really well. They were ahead of schedule, making some minor discoveries to keep them optimistic. It was great.”
Kelly snorted. “How do you have so many details? You’re making this up.”
“I am not,” Cyrena insisted, sending her a dirty look. “I heard it all from one of the locals, and Candy confirmed the worst of it.”
“All right. Go on,” Kelly said with a roll of her eyes. Everyone seemed to lean forward as she continued.
“So, one day, someone disappears, just like has happened on previous digs. They search day and night for this guy, but it’s like he vanished, right? Two days later, they give up and a few of the diggers head back to the mainland to inform the authorities. When they return with a couple police officers to take statements, the whole camp is empty. No one’s at the dig site. It’s like they all disappeared too.”
Rachel shuddered and swallowed hard, but listened intently as Cyrena finished the story, despite the dread that was collecting in her chest like a physical weight.
“Suddenly, they hear screams from the other side of the island, and they rush to find out what’s going on. The cops are ready for anything, guns drawn and expecting to have a shoot-out or some shit. When they reach the scene, the guy who’s been missing is right there, with a girl from the dig who he has pinned down, with rope around her hands and a knife at her throat. When he sees the cops coming, he lets go of the girl and runs at them with the knife, snarling and screaming.”
She stopped and looked around, gauging everyone’s reactions, before shrugging and saying “then they shoot his ass, no questions asked.”
They were silent for a moment before Lucky scratched his head. “So what about the other people from the dig?“
“Still all missing. They searched the island high and low and couldn’t come up with anything.”
“And the guy just went crazy?”
“He sounded damn crazy to me.”
Kelly laughed. “But did the girl have anything to say? She didn’t see what happened to the others? Why did he do it? He obviously had a hand in whatever happened to everyone else.”
“No one knows the whys,” Cyrena said. “The girl didn’t see what happened to anyone else, but said he was repeating ‘a life for a life’ over and over again as he was tying her up.”
“Weird,” Rick said, stretching.
“You are so full of shit, Cyrena,” Kelly snorted. “No local told you all that.”
“Did too. Ask Candy if you don’t believe me.”
Rachel bit her lip, not quite believing, but not quite ready to dismiss the story altogether either. But if it were true, why hadn’t she heard about it until now?
Jeanette had gathered all of the empty bowls and stood up with a precarious pile of them, so Rachel offered to help her carry them back to the campfire, taking a few in hand and gathering the spoons as well.
“Don’t worry. It’s just a story,” Jeanette reassured her as they walked away from the others, and quickly began talking of other things, insignificant, mundane things that served as background noise for Rachel to be alone with her thoughts, interjecting the occasional “you don’t say” and “huh” to keep up appearances whenever there was a pause.
If she was honest with herself, Rachel found the small group of twenty-somethings rather obnoxious. Campfire story aside, she felt that she was herself much more mature than they were acting, and the oldest of the bunch was probably five years her senior. She sighed at this realization. Her years in a proper private school surrounded by expensive taste and superior manners hadn’t set her up to get along too well with her everyday peers. She eyed the group of older archaeologists enviously, particularly the little Asian girl.
“The guys all like you,” Jeanette told her as they quickly washed the bowls and utensils off in some soapy water near the campfire. “They couldn’t stop talking about you after you left last night. And Chase…well, it’s obvious that you’re a real knock-out.”
Rachel smiled. “Thanks.” She knew she was beautiful. Very beautiful. She’d actually been given business cards by modeling agencies in Paris. But her mother wouldn’t allow it until she graduated and by that time, Rachel’s mind had been made up. She loved archaeology. Old things, the history of the artifacts, the stories they told that added up to one big picture of a civilization. It was all very thrilling. Posing in front of a camera until your first wrinkle appeared seemed too unstable a career path, and a dangerous one given what she’d heard from her classmates about the drugs, the parties and the excess of everything (save food) of the more well-known models of France. No, she would get her hands dirty and use her mind, despite her high cheekbones and full lips.
“Kelly’s jealous, of course,” Jeanette added, “but Rick seems content with being with the girl who will obviously put out in a hurry.”
“Or perhaps it’s Kelly who’s content to be with a guy who puts out in a hurry?” Rachel suggested.
“What?”
“Nothing, nothing. The whole slut versus stud mentality. It’s my feminism showing.” She paused and shook her head. “Anyway, I’d just hate to hear what you say behind my back.”
“Oh, she knows it,” Jeanette waved the idea away. “And it’s not like she makes it a secret. They had sex on the beach last night.”
“No.”
“Yeah. We all heard it, unfortunately. They’re not exactly discreet.”
“Are you two gossiping about Kelly?” Chase asked, as he joined them, smiling wide enough to show off perfectly white teeth and two deep-set dimples.
“No, we were talking about your mom, actually,” Jeanette smirked.
“Fair enough,” Chase shrugged. “Glad to see some of us are regressing to ten-year-olds on this trip.”
Rachel watched him carefully, looking for any indication of favor toward her as they walked back toward the others, but she couldn’t discern anything. She was just no good at reading the opposite sex.
When they reached the others, conversation abruptly ceased, and they all looked at each other for a moment before Cyrena broke the silence with a laugh. They’d obviously been talking about one or more of the people who’d been absent.
“What’s the word, Chase?” Cyrena asked, standing up and yawning.
“We’re up,” he grinned. “No need to grab your tool kits just yet - we’re only looking to get acquainted with the site, clearing the ground and hauling up some of the heavy equipment. We meet north of camp in fifteen minutes.”
And with that, they dispersed, quickly moving toward their various tents for what they needed.
“We didn’t get our tool kits yet,” Chase told Rachel as she watched the rest of them go. “Candy handed them out to the archaeology students last night before everyone turned in, so we have to sign ours out. Come with me.” He grabbed her hand, which was softer and warmer than she remembered from last night, and gently pulled her toward the group of older workers. She looked down at their joined hands with interest. If things were platonic between them, if he didn’t want to send her any mixed messages of any sort, then why hold her hand? “We all have assignments already, predetermined before we were even in Australia, so that every student is paired up with an area supervisor.”
“Oh,” Rachel blinked, rather relieved at the revelation. “I’m glad. And Cyrena said you’re actually one of the area supervisors.”
“Yep,” he seemed to stand a little taller as he acknowledged this and quickly grabbed two tool kits from a supply tent, signing one out on a clipboard, before having her do the same. “This is my first time, so it’s a little nerve-wracking, but things seem pretty basic here, so it should go fine.” He paused as he looked up into her eyes. “My dad pulled a few strings too.”
She felt mesmerized by his gaze for a moment. She didn’t think she’d ever seen eyes so penetrating before, as if his steel gray pupils could see into her very soul. “I’m sure you’ll be great,” she said softly after clearing her throat and looking away.
He continued to watch her for a moment before beaming broadly at what she’d said, even if it was obvious that what they were saying was the furthest thing from both of their minds. “Yeah. Thanks. I’m glad I have your vote of confidence, because I’m pretty nervous. Capable, but nervous.”
Laughing, Rachel followed him to his tent as he dropped off his tool kit and grabbed a small first aid kit and a bag of what he deemed “essentials.” They then stopped by her tent to drop off her kit, where she also took a backpack she’d prepared with water, sunscreen and various other things she might need.
When they rejoined the others, many of the workers were already carrying various things up a path that Professor Grant indicated in the trees. “Our initial survey crew has worn down the vegetation that leads right up to the ruins. Bring what you can in one trip and we’ll have a short meeting once we get there.”
There were three wheelbarrows with various equipment loaded up that some of the stronger men were pushing along the path. Most of the others either had sacks full of other materials, or were carrying six-high stacked black rubber buckets. Lucky and Rick were the odd ones out, as they were hefting up a tri-pod, lighting devices and various other things for recording any findings they might come across. Rachel herself was given some buckets that were surprisingly heavy for being empty, and awkward since they were stacked high and she had to wrap her arms around them to get any sort of grip.
It was a half-mile hike to the dig site, which was torturous not only because of the extra weight they carried, but it was mostly an uphill climb, even if it was a gradual rise. They stopped to rest once on the way there, when one of the wheelbarrows upended and the strewn equipment had to be regathered. When they finally reached the site, Rachel quickly dropped her buckets on the first available flat surface she could find and stretched out her arms, which had been cramping from the strain. She plopped down on the ground beside Cyrena as Chase vanished among the others, probably to prepare for whatever came next.
Cyrena offered her a sip of her water bottle, which Rachel took gratefully, before handing it back, refreshed for the moment. She looked around at the edge of the forest, leading up to the clearing where they rested, noting the last of the group reach the edge of the trail and drop their equipment in much the same way as she had moments earlier. Further along the clearing were tall stone walls, looking worn and covered with vines and moss. The hill still rose beyond the initial walls, where she could just see the tops of subsequent walls rising with the terrain.
Before Rachel could examine the area any more, she saw Professor Grant position himself before them and smile at the gathered group like a proud father, before shaking himself and standing tall.
“As you all know,” Professor Grant addressed them enthusiastically, “we’re here to examine the ruins for any overlooked hidden chambers. Black Forest Island, much like Malden Island, had a small population that resided upon it for several generations. There has been recorded evidence of temples, houses, grave sites - you name it, much of which was uncovered four metres below the surface, dating back some 50,000 years. These people could have been some of Australia’s first residents even, like those found at the foot of Jebel Fayah Mountain. But we already know all of this, and several archaeologists before us have had the privilege of making these discoveries. But we are after something else.”
He paused to look around at his team closely, as if committing each and every one of them to memory. When his eyes fell on her, Rachel met his gaze head-on, conscious not to blink until he’d moved on to another face. “I’ve worked with many of you before, and as field director, you should come to me first if you make any discoveries, and follow up with me if your area supervisor or Professor Brooks, the site architect, can not answer your questions or give you proper direction. You will each work in pairs for most of your duration here, although I fear our first day is going to be a group effort of grueling labor to clear the area we will be studying.”
“Some of you may be asking yourselves what exactly our mission is here, if many seasoned professionals have already combed this area. Well, it has nothing to do with what most of their efforts have been focused on. We are not here to sift out more potsherds and shards from 50,000 years ago. We are here because of the more recent ruins, the ones that still stand behind me, made of crude rock and perhaps only a few thousand years old,” He waved at the dull gray stone walls that stood in ruins behind him, the sun beaming down upon the scene brightly, as if highlighting their area of work. “Half a dozen of these ruined keeps have been put under the microscope on the Australian mainland, and many of them have yielded hidden rooms underground that had previously been unexplored, with some exciting discoveries of treasure, culture and tombs. They’ve said that no such room could exist out here, on a remote island; It’s too elaborate for Black Forest Island’s ruins. But I disagree and here we are today. Ladies, gentlemen, we are here to uncover any hidden rooms beneath these ruins, or evidence that they may have existed from the soil. Either way, we will be doing soil work here for three months, hopefully with enough results yielded to call this dig a success. Should we happen upon any great discovery, every one of your names will be attached to this find.” He smiled wide at the thought and clapped his hands. “Now let’s get to work and make our financers happy that they threw their money at us.”
With that, Candy began to read off assignments. Rachel was one of the last to find out who she was going to be partnered with, which was unfortunate since Chase was paired up with Jeanette rather quickly, which would leave her to a new face to get accustomed to during her duration on the dig site.
“Hinako Mori will be working alongside Rachel Thyme,” Candy announced presently, before quickly moving on after pointing to an area for the two of them to converge near Professor Grant.
Rachel immediately moved to the appointed spot, and was happy to see the short Asian girl walk toward the place also.
“Hello. I’m Hinako,” the girl said quietly with a wide, friendly smile as Rachel approached her. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“I’m Rachel. Nice to meet you too.”
When all of the assignments had been given out, they followed Professor Grant as he gave them a tour of the site. The ruins had seven “rooms” in all, all lined up one after another, and each missing its east wall, save one, which was unstable, but still erect. The roofs had all long since disappeared, so sun shone into each one with enough light to make their work that much easier. Each pair of supervisor and student were given one room to explore, with Professor Grant overseeing all. Rachel and Hinako’s room was the furthest back, built right up against the steeply rising hill, using its rock face as one of the walls. Rachel hardly found the drab slabs of stone wall very exciting, and saw little to get worked up over within, as most everything of cultural significance had long been carted away. In fact Rachel saw where previous teams had worked at the front of the room, as there were square holes in the earth, partially buried by dirt, leaves and debris. The holes looked, at a glance, to be five metres by five metres, as was standard, with a metre long baulk between the digging trenches that would have served as a visual of each stratum layer.
“What if we don’t find any hidden rooms?” Rachel asked dubiously as she switched her focus from the trenches to the walls.
Hinako smiled. “Then we will begin digging as has been done before us to see if we can uncover any evidence that there were hidden chambers. Hopefully we will uncover something to support Professor Grant’s theory, but if not, then any artifacts we can discover to make the university happy will be worthwhile.”
Nodding, Rachel walked around the room slowly, to get better acquainted with the area she would more than likely be working for the next few months, as she hardly believed they would find any secret treasure rooms. It seemed too much like a fairy tale, way too much to ask for from a hunch.
Hinako began walking along the back of the room, knocking on the rock that made up the wall there, but soon walked away, discouraged. She turned to Rachel with a sigh. “Well, I suppose we had best start working.”
Chapter Four
The first day was intensive labor. After clearing the area of dead leaves with rakes, and disposing of a dead, decaying squirrel, Hinako had them gather tools they would be needing to establish a dig site. They then set to work testing a few areas with shovels and examining what they found in the soil, before Hinako decided on their areas of focus.
“It doesn’t seem like Professor Grant’s theory will pan out after all,” Rachel murmured after they’d been working for awhile. Hinako didn’t say anything, but looked up at her with something of agreement.
Wiping her hands together, Rachel watched the dirt fall from them with distaste and sighed. “So, have you heard this rumor that’s going around?” she asked hesitantly as she peeked over at Hinako, not wanting to seem like the type to get scared easily. “About the disappearances and stuff?”
“Oh, yeah,” Hinako confirmed. “It’s all very dark and disturbing.” She smiled up at Rachel and winked. “And makes things a little more exciting.”
“So it’s really true?” She could hardly believe the story was based in fact - it had sounded so outlandish.
“Yep. Disappearances at recent digs, then the big one about a year ago, where all but a handful of people were left. Who knows what that madman did to them.” She paused and pursed her lips. “I didn’t believe it at first either, but I looked up the articles, and sure enough, it’s all in there. They gave up searching for the missing crew after two weeks. They didn’t think there was anywhere else people could have gone out here without a boat. The island’s only ten miles across, and no fresh graves were found or anything. They had to have gone in the ocean, one way or another.”
Rachel shuddered at the thought, letting her imagination get away from her as she thought about fish picking at the dead bodies of the crew. The idea haunted her for the rest of the morning.
After a brief lunch, they returned to the site, refreshed and armed with pickaxes, which they used to break up the compacted surface soil, before clearing away the debris with shovels and a wheelbarrow they shared with Kelly and a kindly man in his early forties, who also offered to cart away their loads of dirt and grass to the established waste site.
It was uncomfortably humid all throughout the day, and near dinner time, Rachel estimated she’d emptied a total of eight water bottles, and had effectively soaked her clothes through with sweat, to which the dirt clung like a magnet. Overall, Rachel looked back and was very proud of all that they’d managed to accomplish, and was excited to really dig into things the next day, and hopefully earn her keep.
Hinako was pretty quiet, for the most part. She was very focused on the task at hand, but worked really well with Rachel. At times, they were able to do things without speaking out loud to get tasks accomplished, which Hinako noted with pleasure when they were through for the day and headed back to camp.
“I’m really surprised that this is your first time in the field,” Hinako acknowledged as they gathered their supplies for the night. “You seem to know what you’re doing. You have a confidence about you.”
Rachel smiled gratefully. “Thanks, but I think most of the credit goes to the teacher.”
Hinako returned the smile. “Modest too.”
On their way to the front of the ruins, they bumped into Lucky, who was finishing packing up the tripod. He seemed to be struggling with the zipper on the case, so Rachel stopped to help him while Hinako went ahead to meet up with the others.
With little effort, she was able to zip the case closed, at which she laughed. “You just need a big strong girl to help is all.”
Lucky shook his head, laughing. “I guess so. Next time I need muscles, I’ll know who to go to. Forget Rick.”
“Are you going to be doing the cataloguing?” Rachel asked, looking over the photography equipment with interest.
“No, each team does their own labeling and sorting, sketching. I’m just the photographer on duty. Bring me your finds, or I’ll come to you. We use a high-resolution digital imaging device to get some really detailed photos of everything. Then the actual items are put in the gazillion rubber buckets we brought with us.”
“It seems like there’s going to be just as much work after the dig, to sort it all out, as we’ll spend at the actual site.”
Lucky nodded. “Yeah, I’m just glad that…” His voice trailed off and he stood up and glanced back at the ruins.
Rachel looked in the general direction he was looking and didn’t see anything unusual. She sent him a puzzled look, but he seemed to be searching for something, a frown deepening over his mouth, and paid her look no heed.