The sun beat down over Sam as he brushed the walls of the shrine clean. Having been stripped down not too long ago, the trees hadn't yet regrown to their full size. Their thin leaves shaded the scene a light green film. It gave the illusion of a tainted fishbowl.

Where am I even getting this imagery?  He ran the brush over the corner of a stone to remove the dust, trying to focus on what mattered at the moment.

He was still tired. He'd only managed a few hours of sleep before the need to investigate what they had found woke him up and pushed him out of the tent even before it was his turn to take watch. But this way, Jimmy could get a few extra hours in, and Sam had the silence he needed to do a bit of deep thinking.

Because what he was seeing was not supposed to be there. Ever since he'd discovered the results of the failed archeological expedition, he'd known something was wrong. The native tribes that used to live in Brazil before the colonization by the Portuguese did not have temples and shrines in the jungle. Hell, there were barely any evidence regarding their cultures, and they'd never even had a writing system, at least not one which was discovered and cracked.

And yet, this stone structure was there, in the Amazonian jungle, with no explanation. He'd been aware of this crack in his theory, of the fact that Brazil had no empire to bring down with the promise of benevolence from the gods. The closest empire had been the Incas, but they'd been conquered by the Spanish.

What made it even more confusing was that the Incas didn't have an acknowledged writing system either, apart from knots on strings, so the likelihood of getting any information was slim. The lack of logic killed him. Could he be wrong? Could the jewel not have been brought over by the Portuguese? But then, why was it in Brazil in the first place?

The inscription on the stone block he was cleaning became clear and Sam found himself staring at the very rendition of the light of the gods. He pulled his rucksack closer and dug his hand inside it, searching for his stack of research papers. It was useless, though. He had nothing in there except maybe clues that his initial theory had been wrong.

Maybe Portugal never had one of the stones, or it was taken by the Spanish and brought here. But it still made no sense. Why was there an actual stone structure somewhere it had no place being?

"Hey, what's up?"

Sam jumped and turned to his twin who crouched next to him. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Tom waved him away. "I'm way too used to less sleep. This is turning out to be quite the vacation for me."

Sam glanced around, but all stood silent. "Could you go check for intruders?"

His twin nodded and headed for the nearest tall tree. Sam returned to the stone wall in front of him and brushed a few more vines aside. Of course, those who had been there before him had done most of the job, but as he'd learned last time, the jungle took everything back with the speed of light. As he continued cleanup, something caught his eye. Some of the inscriptions looked slightly familiar.

He stepped closer, squinting at the drawings. A few brush strokes later, he realized that it really was writing. Except it was all wrong.

"Sam, I could see smoke." Tom stopped by his side, his voice urgent. "It's pretty close, maybe a day away, and it's obvious they're moving in this direction."

"This is wrong," Sam muttered.

"I'll say it's wrong. Should I wake up the others?"

Sam just hummed, his mind trying to make sense of the writing. Brazilian tribes didn't have any of that. Neither did the Incas, which were the closest geographically. 

"Sam?"

"These are Aztec writings," he said. "And Olmec."

"Aztec?" Tom stopped from his fidgeting and put a finger to his chin. "I've been hanging out with you long enough to know that the Aztecs were pretty far up north from here."

"Yes, as were the Olmecs," Sam said. "Which makes this even stranger."

"What does it say?"

"I'm not sure. I know very few things about their writing." And yet, he could get the message. "It speaks of fire and destruction." He placed his hand on the inscription. "It's a warning." A sudden chill overcame his body. "Maybe we should leave the jewel buried here."

"Why? So someone who can't read ancient warnings about fire and destruction can come in and take it?" The bluntness in Tom's tone drove the mysticism out of the air. "Because no offense, but these things aren't exactly unobtainable."

"Yeah, you're right." Sam took in a deep breath. "I just wish we could leave it here. Go wake the others up."

Tom complied, and Sam spent the time it took the others to get up and get ready reading the walls. His first impression wasn't wrong. The stones spoke of great danger and death, and warned everyone approaching that anyone who held the light of the gods was cursed. It was not a gift. It was the end of worlds.

And seeing how things turned out for the conquered, it wasn't entirely false. Only that now, a new breed of conquerors was trying to get them back and use them again for the same purpose. To enslave and control.

"Not on my watch," Sam said and straightened.

A new theory formed inside his head, one aided by the many drawings of bloody war that filled every inch of stone. Maybe the Portuguese had brought the jewel here at some point. Maybe they did manage to form a tiny empire that challenged the Incas even before the Spanish conquest. And they set the world on fire. 

The Incas may have called on old alliances. After all, they did trade with the north. What if the Aztecs already had similar experiences with the Mayans? What if they already knew what those stones were capable of? Then, this shrine was especially created to bury the last jewel.

"Which means it may have no exit." The conclusion made sense and sent a bowling ball into Sam's stomach. Out of all the jewels, why did this one have to be the last? Now, when they couldn't afford risking death?

"Sam, you should come and have something to eat before we go in," Jerry called.

Sam complied, trying not to think how it could be their last meal. As he sat down and ate, he filled the others in on what he'd found and his theory.

"I have no idea how you come up with this stuff," Angie said, sounding impressed.

"There's another issue, though," Sam pointed out, his tone careful.

"You're thinking it's a grave," Jessie said. "That we won't come out."

"Maybe we shouldn't all go in," Sam whispered.

"I think you're forgetting about the other guys making their way here," Tom pointed out. "And I don't think they're friendly."

"Splitting up does sound like a bad idea," Kyle said, putting out the fire. "Besides, we always help each other in places filled with booby traps. I think we have a better chance if we all go in."

Sam thought so, too, but it was still great to see them all agree. So he no longer put up a fight and focused on gathering everything he might need inside in a much smaller backpack. By the time they were in front of the shrine and ready to go in, there was a knot in his throat.

"Are we ready to go?" Kyle asked, depositing their luggage at the corner of the shrine under a bunch of vines.

"Do we ever have the option not to be?" Kay asked with a bitter laugh. She turned to the entrance and the color in her cheeks drained. "This is a little scary."

"So's the idea that it's the last one," Jerry said. "I can't believe we're here."

"Can we stop being nostalgic and get in there?" Jimmy asked. "We can mourn our lost youth once we get out and are guaranteed to grow old."

"Who says you'll reach old age even if you get out of there?" Tom pointed out.

Jerry stomped his foot. "Can we be less paranoid?"

It would've been funny if Sam wasn't so freaked about the historical anomaly and their potential followers. So he decided to do what he knew best.

He stepped forward, towards the only wall without inscriptions of death and destruction and pushed the bricks that formed the sun. After so many adventures, he didn't doubt it would work. And indeed, the stone rumbled and the door slid aside, filling the air with the stench of rotten meat.

"Oh, God!" Kay leaned over and threw up instantly.

"Shit," Kyle muttered, heading for her.

Jessie also hurried over and the two of them held Kay up and pulled the hair away from her face.

Sam focused on the door again, even if the smell had his stomach turning as well. It wasn't the worst thing he'd ever experienced. The sulfurous mulch in the first temple in Mexico smelled much worse. And yet, Kay hadn't thrown up then. He threw her a fleeting glance over his shoulder, but she seemed okay enough now.

"What died in there?" Tom mumbled, shining his flashlight in the darkness beyond.

"I'm a bit more interested when they died," Jimmy said, joining him and Sam by the door. "And where."

"Where?" Tom asked, quirking an eyebrow. "In there, obviously."

But Sam understood. So, he directed the beam of his flashlight much lower. They needed to know where the traps started. The little bit of visible floor descended further into darkness, confirming his initial suspicion that most of the structure was underground.

"How's Kay?" Jimmy asked over his shoulder.

"Maybe you should stay out," Kyle said.

"No!" Kay straightened and rinsed her mouth with a bit of water. "I'm going in there. The smell just caught me off guard."

"Are you sure?" Angie asked. "You don't look so good."

"Ah, so leaving me alone out here sounds like the better option?" Kay snapped.

Kyle turned to Sam, a pleading look on his face which Sam took to mean he wanted to delay their entrance.

"We're really running against the clock," he mumbled. "But if you and Kay want to stay out--"

"Are you out of your mind?" Jerry asked. "We need Kyle in there. Who's going to do the heavy lifting?"

"Um, me?" Jimmy pointed out.

"Stop fighting," Kay said. "We're all going in."

"Good," Tom said, taking it as his cue to actually step inside.

"Not again," Angie mumbled, heading out after him.

With a deep sigh, Sam followed. It appeared that his twin had taken it upon himself to be the official trap finder. Fortunately, he'd stopped right next to the door, shining his light on the floor.

Sam did the same, trying to identify anything dangerous. The room seemed to rumble as the door closed behind them, leaving them with their flashlights as the only source of light.

It was strangely familiar and a little claustrophobic seeing as nine grown men and women were trying to stand on what felt like one square foot of space. But until they figured out where the traps started, it was too dangerous to go any further.

"There," Tom said, pointing to his left.

Sam honestly hoped he'd spotted a door, but wasn't surprised when it turned out to be a half decomposed body. It was about three feet away from the entrance, so he guessed that's where the traps started.

"Shit," Kay moaned, but fortunately her words were not joined by retching noises.

"Look, you could--" Kyle started.

"If you're going to suggest that I stay by the door, I swear I'm divorcing you, Kyle!"

"Ouch," Jimmy said, sounding amused.

Kyle grinned. "There you are." But the smile slipped off his face as he returned his attention to the matter at hand and shone his own flashlight around. "I'm seeing five bodies."

"In this tiny space?" Jerry asked, his voice a little higher than usual.

"That explains the smell," Tom mumbled.

"They never did get past this room," Christine said. "It's why they believed the place wasn't worth all the death."

"Okay." Sam moved the beam of his flashlight from the floor to the walls.

The room wasn't very high and there was no sign of any door. The only thing they had was the tilt of the room he thought he'd spotted from outside, but now it was unclear if it was really there or an optical illusion. And if they had to run to escape whatever traps were in that small space, they couldn't risk running at a wall.

"Let's get this show on the road." Tom walked the three feet to the first body and stopped right before it.

"Stop walking in booby trapped temples," Angie hissed.

"Come on, babe, we already settled that there's nothing that can kill us yet." He crouched next to the half-rotten body and started analyzing it.

Sam had to appreciate Tom's nerve, because he'd never liked stepping close to corpses. Neither did the rest of them. Jessie was the only one who joined Tom next to the corpse. A block wedged itself in Sam's throat as he realized Skye would be there with them.

"Anything useful over there?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"It appears they were killed by multiple sharp objects burying into the body," Jessie said. "So the trap is probably arrow heads or something."

"Great," Tom said, shining his light on the floor. "Now let's see where the trigger is. Hmm, nothing obvious. "

"Where are the wounds?" Kyle asked.

"What are you thinking?" Kay asked.

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked at the same time.

Kyle ignored both questions and headed for the body. He crouched next to it and examined it. "From the hips up to his throat."

"What's your theory?" Tom asked, turning back to the body.

"That there might be no trigger and stepping on every inch of that floor might kill us," Kyle answered, straightening. "But apparently the walls open up from about this height." He held his hand up two feet from the floor. "So if we crawl under..."

"We have that happening." Jimmy said, pointing his flashlight further ahead and nodding towards a body skewered by a wooden spike which came out of the floor.

"Yeah, that might be a problem," Sam said, setting the intensity of his flashlight as high as it could go. "Let's see. Two bodies killed by the projectiles, one impaled by spears which apparently come out of the floor and..."

He glanced further, but he couldn't determine the cause of death of the last two people. Their bodies were visible, but were just lying on the floor and they were too far away to tell what had killed them. Fortunately, it really did seem like the floor formed a slide right before the back wall. There was however no guarantee that the slide wouldn't lead to certain death.

"No magical writing on the wall?" Angie whispered. She sounded a little uneasy and Sam couldn't blame her.

"Unfortunately no." Because they'd been warned to stay out. Why would anyone help them navigate what was inside?

"Let's get to it, then," Tom said.

"Get to what?" Jerry asked. "The traps are very close together. What are you going to do after you avoid the projectiles?"

Sam hated it, but Jerry and a very good point. "Let's test Kyle's theory first. Now I know one of you picked up a stick from outside as a trap trigger."

"Here you go," Christine said handing Sam a sturdy stick. "Knock yourself out. Or better yet, don't."

Not like he had a choice. Sam walked another foot. The closer he came to the bodies, the creepier everything looked. He reached out with the stick and pressed it on a slab of floor, one foot away. Something whooshed through the air so fast he couldn't see anything, just hear the sound of tiny metal things hitting stone.

"Wow, those things are fast," Jimmy said.

Sam was a bit more preoccupied about the sensors and how the slabs of stone didn't even need to go in for the trap to be activated. He sidestepped about three feet and pressed again. Another shower of projectiles slashed the air in front of him. This time he noticed that a small opening appeared in the floor and immediately closed, taking the little death bringers with it.

"What the hell? This thing is recharging."

"This is engineering genius," Jimmy said, coming next to him. "Not that it helps, but wow, I'm impressed."

Sam had to admit that he was impressed, too, and maybe just a tiny bit freaked out. If all traps were this smart, how were they going to get past them?

"We're wasting time," Kyle said, coming up next to Sam. "And I wish we had more of it."

"What do you want to test?"

"Everything," he said.

"Kyle, no--"

Kay didn't even get to finish her plea before Kyle launched himself into a baseball slide across the floor. The holes in the walls opened as the projectiles launched across the room, but missed him, as he continued his slide to the impaled body, then past it.

The moment he cleared the spear, he rolled to his knees. The ceiling crashed towards him so fast that Sam's breath caught in his throat. But Kyle had foreseen this and raised his hands, stopping the stone before it crushed him.

"Shit," Jimmy muttered and launched himself towards Kyle.

The moment he cleared the projectile lane, and came a little too far from the visible spear, a new one charged out of the ground, right under his arm. But he avoided it, reached Kyle safely and helped him hold the ceiling up.

"This thing is heavy, so step on it," Jimmy mumbled.

It was all Tom needed to join his brothers on the other side of the room, his progression flawless. The moment he reached Kyle and Jimmy, he didn't help them with the roof, but instead continued forward to the dip in the floor.

"Tom, what are you doing?" Jerry asked, as Jessie sprung forward next.

"We need to see where this goes," he said, and without further ado, disappeared down the chute.

"Tom!" Angie followed him immediately, but stopped before the incline. "Are you okay?"

Sam held his breath as he waited for the others to get on the safe side of the room.

"Yeah," Tom finally answered. "It's safe to come down. But be prepared, the fall is pretty big. And there's water down here."

Water? Sam finally charged forward, too. The stone scraped his skin even through his jeans, and he had the feeling that he was moving much slower than everyone else. But he reached the slide and glanced over his shoulder.

"You guys need help?"

"Nope." Kyle stood from his half-kneeling position, Jimmy joining him, and lifting the portion of ceiling with them. "We can let it drop and run."

Sam gave a curt nod and launched himself into the darkness. Tom hadn't been kidding. The chute was much deeper and longer than Sam had imagined. Cold, damp air whooshed around him, and darkness swallowed him for a second. A sense of nausea overcame him as he because aware of the height from which he'd launched himself. Before he could even begin to rationalize it, dim light blasted his vision and he hit water.

It got into his mouth and his nose, chilling him to the bone. He waved his arms and his hands hit hard stone. The water wasn't deep at all, maybe one foot, but he'd fallen face-first.

"Sam, move." Tom grabbed his arm and yanked him up and away seconds before Kyle and Jimmy plunged in.

Both of them landed on their feet with a splash. Sam barely managed to adjust to a sitting position, cursing internally. What the hell was wrong with him? As he glanced at the others, it was painfully obvious that no one else had landed on their faces. Their clothes were dry from the knees up.

"As graceful as ever," Tom said with a smirk.

"Lay off him," Christine said, taking Sam's hand. "None of you are afraid of heights. This is not easy."

Right. Heights. He still felt like an idiot, but had to admit that, with his feet back on solid ground, he felt much better. So instead of answering Tom, he pointed his flashlight around.

They'd ended up in a tunnel, the water reaching their knees. At least it didn't smell bad or seem remotely dangerous. The only issue was that he couldn't see the end of the tunnel and the water made it hard to tell if there would be traps there or not.

"Where do you think the water is coming from?" Jerry asked, pointing the flashlight towards the ceiling of the tunnel. It wasn't very high, maybe ten or eleven feet.

"My guess is the river," Sam said, inspecting the walls of the tunnel. They were partially covered in moss and writing-free. "It's fairly close by."

"So." Kay hesitated for a moment. "What now?"

"It's not like we can go back," Jimmy mumbled. "Our only option is going forward."

And the lack of choice made Sam more uncomfortable than the thought of potential traps before them.

🧭🧭🧭

And the adventure begins! Was it exciting? I have to invent so many traps it's scary. But now they're in this tunnel. I'm sure it's perfectly safe and that no one will die.

I loved working with Sam's history theories. It's true. Brazil didn't really have an organized empire, and the Portuguese basically took over land and killed the tribes. It's also true that there are no written records regarding these native populations. It is also true that the Incas wrote using knots on wires.

So what's the deal with the mysterious shrine? Is Sam right? Was it a place meant to bury the jewel and there's no way out?

I guess it remains to be seen.

Vote and comment for support. The adventure resumes soon.