Z: The Lost City: An Archeological Thriller by P.K. Hawkins

Author:P.K. Hawkins [Hawkins, P.K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severed Press
Published: 2024-05-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

On the one hand, time was of the essence, but on the other, both of them were exhausted and in pain from the trials of the day. It was also night now, and trying to travel through the rainforest in the dark was a recipe for disaster. So the two of them hiked on for as long as their bodies could and there was any light at all, at which point they finally stopped for the night and made a half-assed attempt at a camp. There was just a little bit of food still available for them to eat, and they both took their fill of it. Jonas would likely be able to find things they could eat in their environment once the light was up again, but for now they needed anything at all that could help them recover. They started a fire but kept it small, as they needed something to keep animals away while still not attracting the attention of any Graft-Horton member that might still be within visual distance from them. Efigenia’s bedroll was gone, so they shared one in completely platonic manner. Even if either of them had even wanted to engage in any sort of romantically-inclined activity, neither of them had the energy or stamina left for any such thing. Jonas reflexively woke several times in the night and patrolled the perimeter of their meager camp, but there was nothing that attracted his attention.

He woke her as soon as he detected even the slightest hint of the sky lightening, and with little conversation they packed up and started along again. Very soon after that, he started to get a distinct feeling of déjà vu as he looked at their surroundings. They might not have been on the exact same path that he had used five years earlier, but he felt like he remembered just enough to know that they were getting close to where he’d last seen Carter and the rest of her team. They stopped once just long enough to look at their maps, comparing where they likely were now to where, according to his best guess based on what they remembered from the way marker, the Graft-Horton group probably was. If they had lost a lot of their sense of urgency once they believed there was no longer a rival expedition looking for the same place, then there really was a decent chance that the two of them could reach the city first. He didn’t want to chance it, though, so after a very short break they continued on.

It was late morning when Jonas once again told Efigenia to stop. There were some fruits nearby that would be safe for the two of them to eat, and as they did so Jonas surveyed their surroundings to make sure that initial thoughts upon stopping had been correct.

“This is it,” he said. “That tree over there? I remember the odd shape the limbs are making. This is the place where we camped five years ago, and when I woke up in the morning Carter and her people were gone.

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