Lost Ruins: The City Of Gold

Chapter 4: Unresolved Issues

    "I apologize for Mr. Miller's behavior. He has a short temper," Dr. Walters tells Arthur. "Mr. Miller, calm down and take their weapons. Mr. Lee, tie them up and search them." The guards do as they are told. Mr. Miller appears to be a strong man with a beard and a scar on his forehead. Mr. Lee is a heavy man with a bald head.
    "Dr. Walters, Scott! Why are you doing this? We are friends," Olivia pleads.
    "Friends? As I recall we just worked together. We were supposed to be teammates, but every single time, every single dig, you figure everything out first! You get the awards, while I look like an idiot!" His voice gets louder with each word.
    "That's because I'm smarter than you, I figured out all the clues, and knew where to dig," She scolds.
    "Smarter? I don't think so. I believed in this El Dorado thing all along. I took you off the team so I could find it myself, so I could finally be known. When I saw you in the lab, I knew you would go after the map to El Dorado. And here I am, taking the map from you. Where is it?" Dr. Walters has a nasty grin on his face.
    "The only strange thing I found on them was this blue stone," Mr. Lee says to Dr. Walters.
    "Where is the map? I know you found it in there" Dr. Walters asks. Olivia turns her head. "Where is the map!" Dr. Walters screams as loud as he can. Olivia ignores him again. Dr. Walters marches up to Mr. Lee with his hand out. Mr. Lee hands him a pistol. Dr. Walters puts the gun to Olivia's head as Arthur pulls as hard as he can on his restraints. "I will ask you one more time or I will get it whether you're dead or alive." Olivia looks away. Dr. Walters thinks for a second and point the gun at Arthur. "Perhaps killing lover boy will get you to talk."
    "It's the stone," she says.
    "Don't Liv!" Arthur shouts.
    "The stone is what we found in there, it must be the map somehow." Olivia states with a pissed on look on her face. She looks down at the ground then at Arthur.
    "There was that so hard?" Dr. Walters asks.
    "You ever point that gun at her again, and I'll remove your knee caps," Arthur roared at Dr. Walters.
    "Haha. We will see about that. Let's get moving. We are headed for Lake Guatavita, where this all began," Dr. Walters exclaims. They begin walking through the jungle. Mr. Miller and Mr. Lee have their guns pointed at Arthur and Olivia the whole time.
    "Everything will be okay Liv. I just have one questions," He says to her.
    "What's that?" Olivia asks.
    "Mummies walking, attacking us? Really? Like how was that possible?" Arthur inquired.
    "I don't know. I really have no idea," She replies.
    "Well that would be the first," Arthur added.
    "Quiet! The both of you!" Mr. Miller yelled. They walk for a few hours and the sun is about to  set.
    "We will make camp here. Shouldn't walk through the jungle at night." Dr. Walters says as he wipes sweat from his head. They all sit, except for Mr. Lee who makes a fire. Dr. Walters pulls out the blue stone and examines it. "There is nothing on this stone. There is just a few symbols, nothing else. How can this be a map?" Dr. Walters looks puzzled. He gets up and turns to Olivia. "I know you've already figured it out. What does it say?" He asks her.
    "I'm not telling you shit," She scolds. Dr. Walters points the gun to her head again.
    "What does it say!" He yells as spit flies from his mouth. Olivia ignores him. "What does it say Olivia," he screams again as he points the gun at Arthur now.
    "Don't tell him Liv," Arthur demands.
    "Please don't," Olivia cries.
    "What does it say," Dr. Walters screams. He fires the gun and hits Arthur. Arthur yells out in pain.
    "No! Moonlight! It says moonlight. Wait for the moon to shine and the map will show you more. That's what was written in the journal," Olivia tells him.
    "Good, I'll keep you alive till then," Dr. Walters stated.
    "Arthur are you okay!" Olivia cries out in worry.
    "I'm fine," he responded. The sun disappears. Arthur with his hands tied behind him finds a sharp stone and begins to cut away at his restraints. The moon shines bright and suddenly the blue stone glows. A series of dots, different sizes, glow on the stone. Dr. Walters brings it to Olivia.
    "What is this," he asks.
    "It's marvelous. Give me a second to look at it," she requested. Arthur is peering over to look at it.
    "Well hurry," Dr. Walters demands.
    "Constellations," Arthur whispers.
    "What?" Dr. Walters looks at Arthur.
    "Um, constipated. I am constipated," Arthur Replies.
    "Lovely," Dr. Walters adds. "Now Olivia, What is on the stone?"
    "It should be a clear map. Perhaps all of these trees are in the way and you need more direct moonlight for it to fully show." She lies, but Dr. Walters believes her. He takes the stone and walks through the jungle looking for a spot with direct moonlight. He disappears in the darkness.
    "Get out of the way Liv," Arthur whispers.
    "What," She asks.
    Arthur breaks free from his restraints and back-hands Mr. Miller in the face. Mr. Lee rushes over, but Olivia trips the heavy man over. Arthur right hooks Mr. Miller in the face then throws a left, but Mr. Miller blocks the blow. Arthur goes to throw another right, but he catches that one too. Arthur head-buts him in  the face, but it barely fazes him. Mr. Miller head-buts Arthur as Mr. Lee gets back up. Arthur gets dazed and Mr. Miller turns him around holding his arms. Mr. Lee begins punching Arthur in the stomach and Arthur moans out in pain. Olivia finds the rock Arthur used and cuts at her restraints.
    Mr. Lee is about to hit him again, but Arthur jumps up and kicks him in the face. Mr. Lee falls back as blood pours from his nose. Arthur elbows Mr. Lee in the side so that he puffs out all the air in his lungs. He grabs his arm and twits it, breaks it,  then kicks him in the face. Mr. Miller flies back and blood flows through the air. Olivia is still tearing at her restraints, as she wishes to get in a few hits herself. Mr. Lee comes running at Arthur. Arthur whips around trips him. Arthur gets on his back and smashes his head into a rock. Mr. miller gets Arthur into a choke hold. Arthur uses all his strength and throws him over his shoulder. Arthur gets him into an arm-bar and breaks his arm then punches him in the face. Mr. Miller is out for the count. Arthur looks up and sees Dr. Walters aiming a gun at him and a shot is fired.
    Mr. Walters drops the gun and hold his arm in pain. Arthur looks over and Olivia is standing with a smoking gun in her hand. Arthur smiles at her and they both walk over to Dr. Walters who is laying on the ground holding his bloody arm.
    "I looked up to you asshole," Olivia says with disgust looking at Dr. Walters. Olivia walks away.
    "What did I say would happen if you pointed that gun at her again?" Arthur asks Dr. Walters.
    "Fuck the both of you," He responded. Arthur grabs his shotgun and shoots both Dr. Walters knees. Dr. Walters screams in pain louder than anyone has heard someone scream. Arthur and Olivia hug each other and quickly grab their gear and weapons.
    "You're bleeding!" She shouts at Arthur. Arthur lifts up his shirt. Olivia admires his nice abs and sees a large wound on his side.
    "It just grazed me. I'll be okay," he answered.
    "Still, let me fix that," she insists. Olivia begins patch him up with the medical supplies.
    "Nice work by the way. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead." Arthur says to her.
    "Well if it wasn't for you, I'd be dead many times," she laughed. She leans in and kisses him on the cheek next to a gash where he was punched.
    "Ow." Arthur winces in pain as Olivia finishes the last stitch.
    "Oh come on tough guy," She says to him as she winks. Olivia gets the stone and tries to make sense of it. "You said constellations before," she says to Arthur.
    "Yeah, the dots represent stars. I can see partial constellations, but the only full constellation it shows is the one called Hydra." He points to it and shows her the outline. "I'm guessing we have to get to the spot where we see the constellations exactly like this in the sky."
    "How would we know where. Don't constellations move in the sky," Olivia asks.
    "Most do yes, but Hydra is polar, which means it doesn't move," Arthur adds. Olivia gives him a large smile.
    "How do you know that," she asks as she stares into his eyes admiring his moment of intelligence.
    "Astronomy was one of the few subjects I stayed awake for in High School," he laughs.
    "What is Hydra?" Olivia asks as she stares into his eyes.
    "It literally means male water monster," he replies.
    "That makes sense, because the Muisca people thought here was a water monster in the lake," she added. "Remember the chief of the Muisca people covered himself in gold jewelry and gold dust and dove into Lake Guatavita so that as an offering to the water monster that lived in it. The water monster thought the chief gracious and built him El Dorado,"
    "You thinking what I'm Thinking," Arthur asks.
    "We need to get to Lake Guatavita," Olivia answers.     Arthur makes a torch and they begin their journey through the jungle.