I edged my way into the tunnel and cautiously moved forward. Even with the flashlight it was difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. I kept telling myself that the tunnel had to lead somewhere, and that the somewhere would be better than this claustrophobic tube. I could hear Devereaux behind me, sliding on the slick, uneven rock surface. He was mumbling and swearing, and I was worried that he would lose his footing and accidentally shoot me.
After what seemed like an eternity I reached a fork. One side went left, and the other side was a hole in the ground. I moved left, and the diamond dimmed. I went back and looked at the black hole. It was like an elevator shaft dropping off into the darkness. I played the flashlight beam around the sides of the hole and saw that there were stairs carved out of the rock, spiraling down into the unknown.
“Go,” Devereaux said. “We have to get to the treasure first. I have to claim it as my own.”
“That’s not going to do you any good if they come in and shoot you,” I said.
“I’ll shoot them first. I’ll kill them all. I should have done that long ago anyway.”
This was all Diesel’s fault. My life was just fine until he barged into it. Now look at me. I’m being held at gunpoint by a homicidal maniac who’s getting crazier by the minute.
“These stairs are narrow and slippery,” I said, “and there’s no handrail. My suggestion is to hide in the part of the tunnel that goes to the left and let Ammon and whoever is with him plunge to their death all on their own. Then we can get some equipment, like rock-climbing stuff, and safely explore the road to hell.”
“You will go to hell now!” Devereaux said. “NOW!”
His face was contorted into a snarl, and his eyes glittered in the ambient glow from his flashlight.
“You’re a little scary,” I said to him. “You should try to calm yourself.”
“I’ll calm myself when I get my treasure. Now move. I hear voices. The demons must be in the tunnel.”
“Demons?”
“Demon worshippers. Might as well be demons. Ammon and his followers. He probably had the helicopter filled with the greedy bastards. They’re all looking for that stupid stone that will turn Ammon back into his true form.”
“And his true form would be…”
“Mammon, of course. The God of Greed.”
I blew out a sigh. Diesel was missing in action and I was going to have to save the world all by myself. I couldn’t stand by and let the God of Greed get the stone. I carefully tested the first couple steps, keeping my shoulder pressed to the rock wall. They weren’t as slippery as I’d originally feared. If I took my time and didn’t lose focus I thought I’d be okay. I counted as I crept down the steps. Twenty-six, and I still couldn’t see the bottom. I paused to gather myself together, and Devereaux prodded me with the gun barrel.
“Move,” he said. “They’re getting closer. I hear footsteps.”
His hearing was a lot better than mine. I couldn’t hear anything over the pounding of my heart. I was in a cold sweat from the fear of falling and the exertion of controlling my panic. I went down four more steps and realized Devereaux was holding back. He was turned slightly, looking up at the shaft’s entrance, his flashlight in one hand and his gun in the other. I suspected he was going to shoot whoever stuck their head over the edge. Not something I wanted to think about. My focus was on the next step and the step after that. I directed my light down for a moment and was able to see the bottom of the pit. That was a good sign, but I still needed to stay vigilant.
High above me a spotlight blinked on, lighting the entire staircase. Devereaux fired a shot at the spotlight, lost his footing, and stepped off into space. His arms windmilled out like a cartoon character’s, he found nothing to grab, and he plunged straight down. I closed my eyes and didn’t open them again until I heard him hit bottom. I fought back a wave of nausea and took another step. Get to the bottom, I thought. One thing at a time. If I could get to the bottom I might be able to find Devereaux’s gun. I might be able to hide somewhere. If I could evade Ammon long enough, Diesel might find me.
I had maybe twenty steps left, and I heard a rope drop. Moments later the first man rappelled down. A second rope dropped, and two more men descended. By the time I reached the last step and was on bedrock, there were four men in total. Three were dressed in black fatigues, and they were all armed. The fourth man was Rutherford. He was also dressed in black fatigues, but he looked uncomfortable in them, smoothing them out when his feet touched ground. As far as I could see he wasn’t armed.
Devereaux lay motionless on the ground. No one paid any attention to him. Just beyond him was a gaping black hole that I suspected was the entrance to another tunnel.
“Someone should check on Professor Devereaux,” I said.
One of the men went over and took a closer look. “Dead,” he said.
“Really?” Rutherford asked. “Are you certain? Well, then, I suppose we should move on. After all, Mr. Ammon is waiting.” Rutherford turned to me. “Mr. Ammon is very excited about this. This is a holy mission for him. Yes, yes. Actually for all of us who serve him.”