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Back Jungle Up Save as PDF
Chapters (63)
  1. 1
  2. 2
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  4. 4
  5. 5
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  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. Author’s Note

“No, seriously. My boss—well, the head of the anthropology department—was supposed to be the one who came here. He’s the one who recommended me. When he sees the footage, or when Roth calls him when this is all over, I’m sure he’s not going to want me affiliated with the department.”

“If that’s the case, then why are you smiling?”

“I’m not smiling.”

“Yes, you are.”

Andy waited a second, then looked straight into Darnell’s brown eyes. “I love anthropology, but I hate teaching. I hate it so much.”

Andy had never told anybody this. Not his parents, not his siblings, not a single friend.

Darnell let out a loud laugh, then said, “I bet that felt good!”

“You know what, it did.”

“Let it out.”

Andy twirled around. He was about to repeat his statement, to tell the surrounding jungle just how much he hated teaching, when he noticed something on the ground. He squinted at the tangle of vegetation behind where he and Darnell were standing. The top of a gray stone was partially visible among the throng of leaves.

Darnell asked, “What?”

Andy took three steps forward, then fell to his knees. He brushed a barrage of damp leaves aside, revealing that the stone was larger than it first appeared.

“Bring that camera over,” Andy called to Darnell.

Andy pulled the small trowel from the side of his backpack and began digging around the stone.

“Okay,” Darnell said, pointing the camera down at him, “what have you got?”

Andy ignored him. He continued excavating until he uncovered a rectangular stone a foot and a half wide and three feet long.

Andy dug down around the edges of the stone, revealing it to be only six inches thick. Beneath the flat stone, Andy uncovered the beginnings of a white quartz boulder.

Even if the flat rectangular stone weren’t in such close proximity to the ancient temple, Andy still would have recognized it for what it was. But as it sat at the foot of the temple, it made the discovery even more astounding.

Andy snapped the yellow walkie-talkie off the strap of his backpack and held down the black button on the side. There was a soft chirp, then Andy shouted, “You guys are going to want to see this!”

A moment later, Roth’s voice came over the speaker. “What is it? What did you find?”

“An altar,” Andy said, trying to breathe evenly. “A sacrificial altar.”

21

21

jungle
august 16, 7:16 a.m.
days since abduction: 11

“Well, look who decided to put some clothes on,” Vern said, his thick gray mustache hovering above a devious grin.

He was standing near a small fire with Juan Pablo and Carlos. All three of them were holding small collapsible cups. Even from ten feet away, I could smell the wafting aroma of coffee.