"I thought this was supposed to be a vacation. This place is fucking hot." Damon said as he trudged through the jungle. Hacking and slashing his machete. "Pipe down. We are almost there." said Lucas beside him. Milena, Callista, and Silas behind them. "I get it but did we have to wear these heavy black coats? It's like 105 here." Callista said. Lucas turned around. "Listen all of you. I don't like this either, but we came here specifically for this, the fun comes after. So suck it up and keep moving!" Lucas yelled. Everyone pushed on.
After another twenty minutes of moving through the jungle Lucas put his hand up. "We're here." he said. They all looked ahead. It was a very old temple of a kind. It was huge, covered in leaves and moss. "This is some Indiana Jones shit." Damon said. Milena walked past him and as she did she smacked him in the back of the head. "Remember. In an out. We drop the artifact off and leave. We can head back to the resort and enjoy the rest of the month." Lucas said. "Sounds good to me!" Callista yelled as she walked towards the temple.
They all walked up the stairs of the temple. It was oddly quiet. No sounds of wildlife, no breeze, Nothing. At the top of the stairs was a door. The door had a hole in it. Silas walked up and put his hand on it. "This must be it." he said. Damon took his backpack off. Sweat dripping off of his face. He unzipped it and pulled out the artifact. He set the artifact in the hole in the door and the door lit up. Damon pulled the artifact back out and the door opened slowly. They all stepped through it and turned their flashlights on. The temple was extremely cold inside, which was a welcome change of temprerature for them all.
"Take the lead kid." Lucas said as he motioned Damon to the front. They all walked slowly into the temple. There were stairs leading down many floors in a square shaped pattern. As they descended down them they wondered how many floors they would have to descend. Milena looked over the edge of the stairs and tossed her flashlight off the edge. It fell a very long way down. "This is going to suck to climb back up." she said. They continued the descent. Once they reached the bottom there was another door. Milena picked her flashlight back up. Damon stepped forward. It was the same kind of door as before. He placed the artifact inside. The door lit up like the previous one. Damon pulled the artifact back out and the door opened. They all walked through. Inside was a stone bridge that lead to a center platform. The five were unable to see how far down the drop was under the bridge. "I can do this one myself guys. You wait here." Damon said. "Are you sure?" Callista said. Damon nodded. He looked at all of his friends who smiled back at him. Then he turned to the platform. Using his flashlight, he crossed the bridge. Taking care not to misstep and fall. Once Damon made it to the platform in the middle of the huge room, he noticed there was a pedestal in the center.
Damon looked at the pedestal, then back to the artifact, then back to the pedestal again. He contemplated everything he had been through up to this moment. He smiled and thought of Anna. He placed the artifact on the pedestal. When Damon took his hand off the entire room lit up in patterns. There was light everywhere. None of them needed their flashlights anymore. They all clicked them off.
Damon turned around and as he walked away he heard "Thank you." from behind him. Damon knew that voice. It was Boston's. He turned around and looked at the artifact and smiled. Damon walked back to his friends. They all made their way out of the temple. Once they left the door closed behind them. "Alright let's party!" Milena yelled as she jumped down the steps happily. Lucas chuckled.
They all went back to their resort. The day was still young. It was before noon. Once they got back they all got into the elevator to go to their rooms. Once they stepped out Milenna said "You guys wanna hit the beach in like 10 minutes"? Damon replied. "Oh most definitely. Let me change". The others agreed as well. Damon used his keycard to get in the door to his room. As soon as he opened it he heard a voice from inside. "Hey you. What took you guys so long".
Damon smiled and walked inside. Anna was fixing her hair by the sink. He walked up to her and hugged her from behind. "Oh you know. It's not every day that you get to see an ancient temple. We wanted to take our time." Damon said sarcastically. Anna laughed and kissed him. "Ouch!" Anna said as she jumped. She looked down and her curling iron had burned a hole in her pants. She hadn't realized her waist was against the counter. There was a crackle of electricity as her skin healed. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this instant healing thing." Anna said. "Well it's definitely not a bad thing." Damon replied. She turned around and Damon hugged her. "I was so scared during the ceremony. I thought I lost you." Damon said softly. "You would've If Lucas didn't act fast and give me the vial for the mark." Anna said. Damon smiled. "Let's not think about that now." Damon said. "Milena wouldn't stop talking about the beach on the way back here. Do you want to go?" Damon asked. Anna's face lit up. "Yes! Let's go!" She said as she ran to her bag to get her swimming suit.
Damon changed into his and Anna changed into hers. About five minutes later there was a pounding on the door. The muffled voice of Silas could be heard. "They decided they weren't waiting and they're heading out. We will see you two down there in a bit". "Sounds good!" Damon yelled back to Silas. Anna and Damon grabbed their towels, sandles, sunglasses, and a bottle of water each. Damon opened the door and Anna walked through it. They walked down the hallway of the resort and got into the elevator. "This is the first elevator I've been in that's been above ground in a long time." Damon said. Anna laughed. "We are in a different country hundreds of miles from home at a resort, and that is the thought that crosses your mind"? Damon laughed. "Yeah, you're right I am kind of weird". DING could be heard as the elevator came to a stop.
They walked out to the lobby, then through the front doors. There was a short walkway down to the beach. Damon held Anna's hand as they walked. They reached the bottom step and stepped onto the sand. Damon felt the sand getting in his sandals. "Now where are they?" Damon said softly as he peered around. Then he saw Callista, Silas, Milenna, and Lucas playing volleyball. Damon and Anna ran over to them. "Never thought I'd ever see you like this." Damon laughed at Lucas. "What? You think I'm serious all the time?" Lucas said with a laugh. "You guys want to join?" Callista asked. Silas motioned for them to join. Damon looked at Anna who smiled back. "You know guys. I think if it's alright with you. We are going to watch for a little bit. I could use some relaxation." Damon said. Milena shrugged her shoulders. "Fine by me. You honestly deserve it." She said with a smile. Damon and Anna walked over to the beach chairs and sat down, a table between them. A resort employee walked over to them and offered them a drink. Damon nodded "Sure." he said. The employee gave Anna and Damon a drink. Damon relaxed in his chair and took a sip. "Ice cold." he said with a smile. He looked over at Anna and held her hand. Damon looked back at his friends playing volleyball.
Life was good. The best actually. There isn't a single thing that Damon would change. As Damon looked off past his friends he saw the sun gazing out over the big blue ocean. Damon smiled, and took another sip.
THE END
YOU ARE READING
The Monitors
AksiDamon Archer has a traumatizing past that to this day intervenes with his daily life. His entire life he's had therapists, psychologists, even his own mother tell him he was ill and needed medication. His entire world is flipped upside down when he...
