Page 15 of Defying the Relic Hunter

“You’redeadgrandmother?”

“Yes! I can talk to the dead. Are youhappynow?”

“Find a shady place and sit. I’ll be there shortly,” Ethan instructed.

“Can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because I have to help the dead folks cross over.”

“Cross over?”

“Go to heaven or hell. Whatever is appropriate. The killer also released a hallucinogenic gas into the air. You need to come in full body armor,” I said waspishly.

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

“It’s a little late for that.” I forced my reluctant feet to move. Dozens of rotting corpses rose up in front of me. Maggots oozed from the bloody flesh. “Aw c’mon. Is that the best you got?”

Hundreds of maggots boiled from the rotting flesh and swarmed towards me.

“Ewww. Now that’s just gross.”

“Kizzy!”

“What?” A faint, never ending moan seemed to whisper in my ear,run.

A blast of arctic air hit me in the face. “Unless you want to die, you need to focus on what is real. Not on what they want you to see.”

I shook my head to clear it. These Tomb Raiders were trying to delay me. The question was why?

“The evil one approaches,” Granny warned.

I patted the laser pistol strapped to my right leg. “He’s not taking my head.”

“Your combat skills are inadequate,” Granny pointed out.

“Ok, I might not be the best in hand-to-hand combat, but I can shoot.” Yanking a flashlight out of my backpack, I turned it on and stepped into the airless cavern.

Claw-like roots pierced the sand covered floor as if something old and evil was trying to escape from the bowels of hell.

Nervously wiping the sweat out of my eyes, I carefully examined the cavern and shuddered at the screaming skulls lining the walls. “Dear God, he kept them as trophies.”

“The evil one has killed many. Only Ethan can defeat him.”

“I’m done running.” Something glowed in the dark. I put my light on it and whooped in relief. Gotcha! A pink, heart shaped stone with incandescent white markings sat on top of a flat boulder. I picked it up and flinched as several images flashed across my mind.

A neon sign cast a red glow over ancient dust covered stucco warriors. An elderly man with yellowing parchment skin and wearing a molting black wig stroked one and laughed gleefully. The Best Whore House in Vegas was embroidered on his blue silk robe. Who would have thought the next clue would be in a brothel?

“You have a visitor,” Granny Annabel whispered.

“Ethan?” My eyes popped open and I took a hasty step back.

A muscular Apache warrior wearing a breech cloth and war paint stood blocking the cavern entrance.

“Yaateeh,” I called, quickly stuffing the stone in my backpack. Ok it was Navajo for hello, but I didn’t know any Apache.

“You have trespassed on sacred grounds,” the warrior snarled in perfect English.

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