The Librarians ...and the Sleepwalking Caretaker (Budapest Mysteries - part 2)

"Let me go first"

They gathered around Ezekiel whose face expressed both hope and concern.

"It's a good sign, right?" He asked, staring at the nightcap he was holding.

"Sure," confirmed Jake. "At least we know that we're at the right place."

Cassandra was already studying the stones to find a pattern, while Flynn had kneeled and was exploring the stones with his bare hands.

"Haha!" He exclaimed victoriously, before jumping up on his feet.

A clicking sound could be heard and the stones moved slightly, revealing a set of stairs leading underground. Carsen was about to step on the first stair when Baird grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"I'm going first," she said firmly.

"But there could be traps!"

"All the more reason why I should be going first."

"But I'm the one with experience in those matters!"

Ezekiel, Jake and Cassandra shared a smile, seeing the two arguing.

"You should settle that fairly," offered Jones.

Flynn and Eve frowned, before turning toward the young Librarians.

"And how exactly do you suggest we do that?" The Guardian asked sharply.

"Easy," replied Ezekiel, with a shrug. "Rock-paper-scissors."

The couple looked at each other dubiously. Then Carsen closed his fist and counted to three:

"Rock against scissors, I win!"

Eve grumbled something about how she didn't expect him to play rock, but let go of him and followed him closely. The rest of the team entered behind them. They descended in silence, focused on the surroundings that were cut into the rock. Daylight allowed them to see where they walked and they soon reached the end of the stairwell to find themselves in a dark cave.

"Now what?" Whispered Ezekiel. "We can't see a damn thing down there."

"Just stay put and don't move," ordered Flynn.

Eve activated the torch app on her smartphone and the three young Librarians did the same. The combined white lights allowed them to see two sarcophagi made of stone and set in the middle of the cave.

"Please, don't move," urged Carsen again, this time in a very low tone.

He could sense that the group was as moved as he was. A laying statue of a man had been carved onto the top of the sarcophagus on the left, while Jenkins' motionless body was resting on the other one.

Flynn carefully circled the cave, keeping his back to the wall. Then, he walked carefully towards the side of the Caretaker's strange bed. No traps were triggered. His fellow companions had walked in his steps. Eve motioned Cassandra, Jake and Ezekiel to remain close to the wall, while she joined Carsen.

"Is he...?" She whispered as she came next to him.

The Librarian gently checked Jenkins' carotid artery and sighed in relief. He could feel the regular and steady heartbeats under his fingers.

"He is asleep."

"What do we do, now?" Was Baird's next question.

"You try to wake him up."

The way Flynn said those words set some warnings off in the Guardians mind.

"We try?"

The Librarian turned to face her and she was stuck by the concern she read in his eyes.

"It's up to you, Eve. I can't do anything about it."

And with that, he simply walked back to the stairs, while Baird looked at him, a stunned expression on her face.

"Where are you going?" Cried Cassandra. "What is going on?"

She couldn't know that as soon as Carsen had touched Jenkins, small bells started ringing in his head and a now familiar lullaby was threatening to send him away from reality.

He briefly stopped, wished them good luck and then vanished in the staircase.