1 | No Holds Barred [Among Thieves]

Two

Chapter Two | Where It All Began

Five Months Ago
In the jungles of Yucatán, Mexico

THE MAYAN CIVILIZATION WAS one of the most advanced civilizations the world had ever seen. For hundreds of years the Mayans dominated large parts of the Americas until, mysteriously in the 8th and 9th century AD, a large chunk of the Mayan civilization collapsed. Their once vibrant cities and pyramids were deserted, reclaimed by the jungle.

For years, archaeologists have had many theories, but no answers to what caused the abrupt collapse.

Until you came along.

Jovana Rojas, a fellow archaeologist, invited you to join her team of researchers on an expedition to find out what really caused the collapse of the great empire.

Eager to prove yourself, you repeatedly studied the charts and texts relating to the Mayans and their culture, sometimes staying up for the entire night. Your research led you to believe that the evidence might not be in Mayan ruins, but beneath your feet in cenotes—dark, flooded caverns that the Maya believed were portals to the underworld.

Turns out, your research was right.

During one of the hiking sessions into the jungle, the team uncovered a secret underground chamber, the cenote Holutun, at one of the most important Mayan sites. A cavern you believed would finally reveal what happened to one of the world's mightiest empires.

And so here you were, crouching next to the entrance of the cenote with your walkie-talkie as you waited for Jovana and Neil, another archaeologist, to come back up. The sun was beginning to set, and you only had about an hour left to explore before night fell.

You leaned over the edge of the cenote, looking at the water below as you spoke into the walkie-talkie, "Everything okay down there?"

"Despite it being extremely dark and creepy down here, we're good," Jovana responded, making you laugh. Suddenly, you heard her gasp, "Oh my god!"

Your eyes widened as you scrambled to lean over the edge.

"What? What is it?" Your face lit up with excitement, catching the rest of the team's attention.

"We found a sacrificial knife. Along with two more skulls in amazing condition on what appears to be a sacrificial altar."

"T-That's . . . incredible," you managed to get out. It amazed you that the artifacts had been down there for a thousand years and had only just been rediscovered. That was what you loved about your job. Uncovering the past. "There's about twenty more minutes of oxygen left in the tanks. Make sure to look on the other side of the cenote, and contact me if you discover anything else. Over and out."