Page 17 of Wild Temple
I waded through the ankle-deep water, back to the shore, then put my socks and shoes back on. Though everything was pretty soggy.
I scanned the area again, looking for other signs of life, but saw no one.
Then a scream filtered out from the jungle.
9
It was hard to tell where the sound originated from. The terrified screech echoed off the chasm walls, muted by the pounding flow of water against the rocks.
I raced across the basin, splashing through the ankle-deep water, avoiding the deep pool. I reached the chasm on the other side, not far from one of the Sisters. I dashed between the sheer cliffs.
A trickle of light spilled from above. This was the beginning of the path that many thought led to Pura Jiva.
The narrow passage snaked through the rock. I followed it along, looking for the origin of the scream.
Footsteps and heavy breaths bounced off the stone, echoing through the narrow canyon.
As I followed the trail, a young girl rounded a corner ahead. She froze in her tracks when she saw me, her eyes wide withfear. She didn’t know who I was, but the threat from behind propelled her forward.
I flashed my badge for good measure.
She sprinted toward me.
“Oh, thank God!” she said when she reached me, taking cover behind me as her pursuer rounded the corner ahead. “They took my friend,” she cried in a panicked breath. “You’ve got to help me!”
The perp hovered at the end of the passage. His eyes flicked from me to the girl, then back again.
I kept my badge held high and drew my pistol. “Freeze! Down on the ground. Now!”
I had no authority in this part of the world, but it was worth a shot.
He took off running the other way.
“Stay here,” I said to the girl as I took off sprinting after the perp.
I raced through the narrow chasm, held up at the corner, and rounded with caution.
The perp’s footsteps bounced off the stone walls.
I kept winding my way through the narrow gap in the rock until I came to a fork in the path.
The sheer walls of the chasm narrowed. They rose to the heavens, and shafts of light filtered down from above. Vines and foliage hung down and infiltrated cracks and crevices in the otherwise smooth surface.
I paused at the fork, listening.
The footsteps faded in the distance.
I chose the left passage and sprinted after the scumbag.
After a few more twists and turns, the valley ended in a sheer drop-off. The side of the mountain sloped down about 100 feet to another canopy of thick jungle. A small ledge ran along the cliff face, wide enough to get a foothold. But only a surefooted goat would dare traverse something like that—or a crazy person.
I glanced down the sheer cliff but didn't see the perp anywhere. I must have taken the wrong passage. Sometimes, the echo can be deceiving.
I hustled back through the chasm. I didn’t know who else was in the area, and I wanted to get back to the blonde girl.
She waited where I’d left her. Terrified and frazzled, tears streamed from her pretty blue eyes. She was a gorgeous young girl in her early 20s with a petite, athletic frame. I recognized her from the hotel.
“Tell me what happened,” I said.
