minute, but physically fine and dandy.” She coughed violently again. “How can causing a rockslide look like an accident? It will, won’t it?”
“Yeah. I suspect this was the plan all along. It’ll look like we came in here to explore, the hillside was unstable…” He used the light as a pointer. “Let’s get cracking.”
Even though the narrow opening had only just been sealed shut, Isis was already feeling short of breath. She told herself firmly to get a grip. It was simply psychological. There was still plenty of air inside, despite the dust particles floating about. But it wouldn’t last long. “Let’s try the tunnel.”
Thorne shook his head, his dark hair now sand colored and covered with dust, as was every bit of exposed skin. Isis knew she looked just as bad. “They would’ve considered that as a way out. Don’t waste your time; it won’t go anywhere.” He strode over and started tossing chunks of rock aside.
The flashlight winked out. Isis wanted to scream, nooooo! “Is that it? Are the batteries shot?”
He opened the back, did a guy thing with the battery, then shook his head. “Dead as a doornail. It was nice while it lasted.”
The dark was oppressive. The dark and knowing they were sealed in was beyond oppressive. “Those despicable bastards.” She wet her dry lips. “They’re gone, right?
“I heard the chopper in the distance. I doubt they’ll come back to see if their work is done. Not till morning, anyway. See if you can coax that fire a bit.”
“Is that a good idea if we’re worried about our oxygen supply?”
“I don’t want flames, I just want the embers hot.”
Isis kicked aside a rock that she’d used to put the fire out moments before, then picked up several wrist-sized logs that had scattered on impact. Laying them across the coals, she bent down to blow on it a few times.
Crouching beside the feeble flames, she dragged her camera bag closer, then hooked the strap over her head before rummaging inside. She found the small plastic bottle of hand sanitizer and gave the fire a good squirt. The alcohol took immediately and the fire leapt to life.
“It could be a corridor into the tomb proper, and give us a better way out.” She gave the little flame another breath of air and watched it leap and glow. “The corridor could lead into an antechamber, and those sometimes have another corridor to get to the outside.” Using the end of her scarf, she flapped it a couple of times until the flames started taking hold of the half-burnt timbers.
The golden glow of the fire danced against the stone walls as she walked the three steps necessary to stand beside him. “It’s worth a try, don’t you think?” Before the fire and her panicked breathing ate up all the oxygen.
Dropping the brick in his hands, he straightened to look at her. “How far do you need to go before you realize that way’s blocked, too?”
“How many stones do you need to throw aside before you realize that if you move all those in here, there’ll be no room for us?” Isis countered, wiping the dust-encrusted sweat off her forehead with her scarf, her gaze steady. “That’s heavy manual labor, and we have about two cups of water left. When the sun’s up, and if we do manage to get out, we have to walk all day. We’d need approximately four gallons each to survive out there in that heat. We won’t make it.”
“No,” he admitted grimly, dusting off his hands. “We won’t.”
“All I’m proposing is that we explore deeper into the tunnel rather than working ourselves to certain death.”
“Okay. Let’s see how far we can get in the tunnel. Drink the water before we go.”
Isis retrieved the plastic bottle, twisting off the cap. “Half for me, half for you. Don’t argue.” Tipping the bottle, she drank just enough to make her realize that she could drink an entire ocean. Two sips. It was warm, had a slight plastic flavor, and might as well have been nectar from the gods. She handed the bottle to him.
“You didn’t drink your share.”
“You outweigh me, and you’ll do more physical labor trying to break us out of here. Drink it and shut up; you’re wasting oxygen.”
Thorne laughed. “God, you’re bossy.” He drained the bottle, then hooked his arm around her waist and tugged her in for a kiss, giving her back some of the water he’d just drunk. Lifting his head he touched his