Realistic or Modern Undiscovered

[Elle Joyner]

​

In the unrefined depths of the Rainforest, a crew of archaeologists are left to their own devices for a prolonged excavation study. When the exploration leads them to a mysterious temple deep in the heart of the jungle, they discover a secret that has been buried there for thousands of years. Unfortunately for the adventurers that isn't all they uncover. An ancient curse... something dark and wicked in unleashed beneath the canopy, something that won't let them leave.


Trapped within the temple, the explorers must find a way to survive not only the repercussions of the curse... but each other. Will they escape, or will they become legend, themselves...?

 

[Elle Joyner]

Standing outside of the temple, the rain poured down on Simeon Wilkem’s head, but he seemed oblivious to the soaking torrent, his eyes like stone behind the round spectacles perched on the end of his nose.


A small crew of half-naked natives worked tirelessly, digging deep into the earth within the temple entrance, eerily silent, beyond the pattering of rain and the slice of the shovels. There would be very little chatter… no one wanted to speak, for fear of admitting what they had seen.


Sopping wet, Miguel approached Simeon, his typically boyish expression grim, shadowed by fear.


"¿Ya está?" Simeon asked, his eyes unmoving from the stone entrance of the temple.


"Es". Miguel answered, standing beside Simeon. His hands, trembling, were still covered in bruises and blood caked the edged of his fingernails. "¿A dónde vamos desde aquí?"


"Sellar la cosa en y rezar para que nunca se encuentra ..." Simeon looked to the boy at last, shaking his head. There could be no other options… no risks taken. It could never, ever leave the temple.


"Y los otros ... Ellos lo han visto. ¿Cómo debemos proceder?" Miguel asked, his deep voice quivering.


Simeon looked to the men inside the temple. They were filling in the hole, but the solemnity had not ceased. Gone was the excitement of the dig… gone was the anticipation. The horror they had witnessed, the things that they had done could not be undone. These men had only been involved in the aftermath, but that had been enough to sober them to silence… Some things could not be unseen.


As he spoke, Simeon turned away from the entrance, away from the men digging and started into the jungle, his voice carrying on the wind, cold as the bitter rain.


"... Cierra los demás a participar, también ... Nadie debe saberlo, pero nosotros. Nadie puede saber."


Undiscovered: The Temple Secrets

Fifty Years Later

José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador was seething with life, but not in any way pleasant or welcoming. It was March and the humidity was ruthlessly high, even so early in the morning. Her blouse was already sticking to her skin. She didn’t even know who would be picking her up now, after all the delays and the last thing she wanted was one more hot, sweaty tourist bumping into her with their oversized luggage.


Touching down after thirty-six hours of travel, Evie wanted nothing more than to shower and sleep. She doubted the facilities were even two star hotel quality at base camp, but even a cold bucket of water dumped overhead, would do at this point.


Still, in spite of the heat and her current level of discomfort, excitement had begun to build as soon as she had seen the cityscape in the airplane window and as her feet touched down on the Ecuadorian soil, she could sense the familiar thrill of adventure beginning to bloom…


Graciously, she didn’t need to wait long for a guide and after a bit of back and forth confusion, largely due to the delay and Evie’s uncomfortable grasp of the language, they were on their way to what was certain to be the greatest opportunity of her career.


When she had been offered the position earlier that year it had taken some time and a lot of research before she had decided to join the crew. She was still so young, and while she had all the experience necessary for the job, it wasn’t always as easy to convince a crew of her credentials. But she had been assured that her position was invaluable to the team and she would be treated with all manner of respect by her colleagues. But the closer they got to the camp site, and the more her anticipation grew, the less concerned Evie became about her coworkers.


The journey was hardly a trek through a parking lot. They traveled first by car, then by boat and at last, there was a rather strenuous hike through the foliage and by the time they arrived at base camp she was almost too exhausted to appreciate their location… Almost.


The magnificent waterfall was impossibly to miss, less than a hundred feet from where the tents had been built. Disappearing into the dense canopy of the trees, it appeared endless, a rumbling, powerful stream of crystal clear water, pouring down into a deep, sparkling lake. Their benefactor, it seemed, had spared no expense elsewise… the tents were enormous – the kinds one might find in a Hollywood move centered around a safari. Easily fifteen feet up and wider still, they were closer to small, mobile hotel rooms then camping tents. Each tent housed two or three massive cots, a sitting area, and a wash basin and vanity, and beyond the tent were six large outhouses. An enormous mess tent stood in the center and beside that, one for equipment and tools.


Grinning to her guide, certain the man couldn’t understand a word of what she said, she gestured to the site, “It’s glorious, no? Like a scene from the cinema…”


Bowing his head, speaking rapidly in Ecuadorian, the man held up her bags and Evie chuckled, “Oh, right! Of course… Just set those down and we’ll see if we can’t find a tent. I think we’re the first ones to arrive. We’ll wait until the others arrive, then take a bit of a tour around…”


Shrugging, the man followed after Evie, who had already started towards the tents.


___


Spanish Translation

Spoiler

"Is it done?"


"Is it."


"Where do we go from here?"


"Seal the thing in and pray that it is never found..."


"And the others... They have seen it. How shall we proceed?"


"...Lock the others in, also... No one must know, but us. No one can know."