<br/>Kyla stood at the mouth of a dark opening in the side of the mountain she was excavating. It had been quite the coup when her research team had uncovered the evidence of the formerly undiscovered and unidentified ruins in the heart of the South American jungle. The museum had insisted that she herself lead the dig…and she didn’t hesitate to accept. It had been the discovery of a lifetime; one she wasn’t about to let anyone else steal the credit for.<br/><br/>As Kyla stood trying to decipher the markings that surrounded the mouth of the cave, she could hear the faint sounds of running water. She knew that meant there could possibly be an underwater river somewhere inside the maze of caves. Kyla had spent the better part of the morning trying to decipher the glyphs at the bottom of the mountain and along the trail that lead to the cave. They were not any that she had come across previously…and yet, they were somehow familiar to her. She decided she needed to do some further investigating deeper in the cavern. She grabbed her walkie from the clip on her belt and pressed the button.<br/><br/>“I’m heading into the interior of the cave now.” And without waiting for confirmation…or backup…she ducked into the inky blackness.<br/>She pulled out her flashlight and shined it down into the depths. There was a path that led deeper into the tunnel; Kyla followed it. She could hear the sounds of running water getting closer. More glyphs appeared on the walls of the caves. Kyla stopped to make notes and take pictures for documentation. There were several sets of glyphs from ancient Sumerian to Roman characters. She’d never seen anything like it. Kyla rounded a corner and could hear the water up ahead. She continued further into the passage, the mouth of the entrance getting farther and farther away.<br/><br/>She ducked down still another passageway coming through the other side into a large chamber. It was unlike any she’d ever seen. The ceiling must have been a hundred or more feet above her head, with giant stalactites dangling precariously down…some meeting the mighty stalagmites reaching up from the floor. Kyla looked up and began shooting pictures with her digital camera. She could see where some of the water from the river at the top of the mountain had been diverted somehow – perhaps thousands of years ago – and now formed a giant waterfall which fueled the river flowing from it, past her feet and down further into the depths of the cave. She was in awe of the beauty of it. The crystal blue water ran clear and pristine over the rocks of the cave, winding its way through the darkness. Kyla knelt beside the rushing waters noting the strength of the current.<br/><br/>Something shiny beneath the surface attracted her attention and she reached for it. It was just a little bit out of her reach. She scooted forward as far as she could and reached again, her fingertips almost touching it. Wrapping her left hand around a stable stalagmite, she tried again, stretching as far as she could. Just as she got her fingers on it, she felt the ground rumble. Before she could stand the cave floor began to shimmy and shake, rolling beneath her. 'Great!' She thought ‘an earthquake is all I need!’<br/><br/>Kyla tried to gain her balance, holding onto the slippery surface of the stone column as the ground pitched and swayed and rocks began crashing around her. Without warning she pitched forward, lost her footing and went straight into the water. The current carried her swiftly down stream.<br/><br/>Sputtering and coughing, Kyla tried to reach for the shore, but it was no use – the tide moved to quickly, picking up speed as the floor of the cave descended deeper into the mountain. Kyla was tossed and pitched over rocks and down short falls until somewhere deep in the caves depths the water slowed and she was able to swim towards the shore. Exhausted, Kyla dragged her soaked body from the water.<br/>Somehow she’d managed to hang on to her backpack and gratefully reached inside for an emergency light stick. She cracked the stick and shook it, activating its sickly green glow. She was astounded by what she saw. She was standing in a chamber almost as big as the one she’d so recently been swept out of. This one, however, looked to be more man made; or at least shaped by men with tools. The walls were smooth and there were glyphs and ancient text everywhere. Kyla reached for her camera, and realized with dread that she had lost it in the mayhem. Damn! She swore silently. She dug in her knapsack and pulled out a note book and pencil and began recording everything she could.<br/><br/>Turning from one wall to an adjacent one, she followed one line of text that looked like ancient Aramaic. She followed the line until she ran into a large stone box. Kyla stood and examined the box. Not a box…a sarcophagus. The stone had been chiseled and carved to form a large stone burial crypt. Ancient symbols, glyphs, and writings – some she recognized, some she didn’t – covered the entire exterior of the sarcophagus. It was in excellent condition. Not a crack anywhere.<br/><br/>Kyla reached out a tentative hand and touched the smooth stone surface with trembling fingers. It felt almost as if the stone hummed beneath her touch. Kyla dropped her notebook and pencil and examined the lid of the crypt. Not one to believe in curses and such, and since she couldn’t immediately decipher the markings, she saw no harm in seeing if the thing could be budged.<br/><br/>She pushed slightly. Nothing. She pushed harder. Still it didn’t move. Once more, Kyla pushed with a little more strength. Not a budge. The lid was damnably heavy. She tried once more, this time bracing herself against a heavy altar rock behind her. She could hear the scraping of stone against stone, indicating movement. Kyla pushed again…the sweat of her exertion causing her palms to sweat. The sweat of her palms caused her hand to slip along the edge of the stone lid. “OUCH!” she cried out loud. The edge of the lid was sharper that she imagined. It had left a deep cut along the palm of her left hand, the blood dripping from the cut into the small opening she managed to make in the crypt.<br/><br/>Kyla went for her bag. She reached inside, rummaging for something to bandage her hand with. The walls of the cave began to swim in her vision. Kyla blinked and shook her head. A strange ringing began in her ears. She stood, and everything tilted to the right and went black as she slumped to the floor of the cave. The last thought that went through her mind was “should have studied up on my curses.”<br/>