Too Young (The Jewel Project #1)

Chapter 7.2 - The Race

"Right, now that's done, can we get back to the exploring, please?" Tom said, already half inside the temple.

Sam joined him. They'd ended up in a huge hall-like room. Herrison handed him a flashlight, and Sam started the search for a door. They found a tunnel to the left and headed that way, stepping cautiously. The tunnel was only about six foot wide, made entirely out of the same grey blocks as the walls and the outside of the temple.

They walked in silence, shining their lights all around, paying extra attention to the floor. Finally, they reached a fork in the road. A quick distribution of people ensued, leaving Jerry and Kyle in the middle. They both stepped towards Sam, Tom and Jimmy, then back, as though doing a well-rehearsed dance. Even in the faint light, Sam noticed they were getting annoyed. He'd had it with that.

Sam whipped around and started down the tunnel to his right. Quick footsteps indicated he was being followed, but he didn't turn around to see who it was.

"Whoa, Sam, wait up." Tom and Jimmy both caught up with him.

"What's up?" Jimmy asked.

"I've had it with them ignoring each other and fighting and everything," Sam snarled. "They don't care that they hurt others, that we're in danger and should be looking after each other..."

"You do know we're right behind you, right?" Jerry asked.

Sam stopped. "Are you and Kyle talking now?" Silence. "Then I don't care." He started walking again.

"I'm not doing this on purpose, you moody little brat," Kyle said bypassing Sam. He took advantage of another fork in the road to leave the conversation.

"Kyle, wait up." Jimmy rushed after him.

Jerry stared from Sam and Tom to Jimmy's retreating back and seemed to decide he didn't want to fight Sam, so he followed the others.

"Who's he calling moody?" Sam mumbled and walked on, shining his flashlight at random. God, those two could piss him off so bad!

"Look, Sam, I know it's hard with them fighting, but just ignore them." Tom jogged to catch up. "They'll grow a brain eventually."

"I am trying to ignore them. It isn't always easy." Sam stopped and stared at the solid wall in front of him. It looked like a very dead end. "Well, our little adventure was short lived."

"Is that a door?" Tom pointed to Sam's left. A door-size portion of the wall was at a different level then the rest of it.

"Could be." Sam touched the surface. He hoped it was. He didn't want to go back to the others. The blocks went in half an inch when he pressed them, just like the ones on the door outside. "Help me press bricks and find the combination."

The two pushed bricks for what seemed like forever. Sam started wondering if maybe they needed an extra set of hands. Tom seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he tried to make it up by pressing really fast. Sam followed his example, thrusting harder against the stone.

Without warning, the door slid open. Sam plummeted inside. The flashlight flew out of his hand and turned off, leaving them in complete darkness. The smell of closed space engulfed him. Tom sniggered.

"You're easily amused." Sam pawed the floor and grabbed the flashlight. Only it felt oddly porey.

Tom turned on his flashlight. Sam yelped, dropped the bone he was holding and scrambled backwards, his heart pounding. The room was filled with bones.

"You're a wuss," Tom said.

"Don't tell me you deal with bones every day." Sam got to his feet and picked up his flashlight. At first sight, the room was nothing but a dull stone cube. Something shiny caught his eyes. He crouched and brushed the dust and cobwebs off a silver breastplate. "Whoa!"