Chapter_8
Christine felt it sacrilegious how quickly Murph seemed to have forgotten about their friends. If it weren’t for the fact that this cave he was ranting about might provide some form of shelter, she would have simply left and gone on her own again like she had so many other times in the past.
Though she deeply appreciated Murph for saving her in the museum, she would have preferred to get as far away from this place as possible and forget everything and everyone there; it would be much easier that way. She also knew there was no place to go. The city was flooded and in ruins. Her home and all her possessions were lost.
Christine rubbed her eyes, which were still red and blurry from crying; she wiped away a few last tears so that she could safely lower herself into the cave.
“What?” Murph said gruffly, feeling that Christine was somehow angry at him for their predicament.
“Don’t you have any remorse?” she finally said, letting down her guard. “Our friends are all gone, and all you care about is this cave.”
Murph attempted to respond but was interrupted.
“I don’t really give a damn about this cave,” Christine lashed out as she attempted to hold back the tears.
“We must move on,” Murph said as compassionately as possible. “Just like we all needed to do when The Disease and nanosplicers decimated our loved ones.”
Neither said a word as the graveness of the situation sank in a little deeper.
“Trust me,” Murph said cautiously as they both climbed into the cave, “I am truly sorry for the loss of Benjamin and the rest of our friends. However, I know they all wouldn’t want us crying over their deaths. They would want us to find food and shelter and most importantly, to survive.”
Christine knew Murph was right.
“Regardless of what’s in this cave,” Murph said, “it will at least provide us with some accommodations until the water hopefully recedes. Plus, there may be something we can use down here. Benjamin always said you were the smart one. Maybe you can figure out what any of this is in here.”
Murph then pointed into the cave and said, “Plus, I think there are a few things that you may find interesting down here. Maybe it will take your mind off of what’s happened over the last few days.”
The two began to descend the steps without another word. After going about halfway down, Christine stopped walking; a map on the wall had caught her attention. She had seen something like it before but could not recall where.
“Odd, huh?” Murph said, pulling out a flashlight. “There are a few more along the way. I don’t know who etched them into the walls or what planet they even represent. But it doesn’t look like it was from any exhibit at the museum.”
Murph shined his flashlight on the map so that they could get a better view: greens and blues radiated in the light.
Christine ran her fingers around the circular map’s contours. She inspected the single large landmass and smaller masses in its center and the three other partially-visible pieces of land around the map’s perimeter.
“Phillipe Bauche,” she said. “This looks like a map I once saw. I don’t know how I remembered the name, but I do remember how mesmerized I was with the drawing.”
“Science fiction writer or something?” Murph asked.
“Not science fiction,” Christine said, allowing her curiosity to temporarily usurp her sadness. “He was an eighteenth-century cartographer.” She then pointed to the landmass in the center of the map. “Do you know what this is?”
“A map,” Murph answered glibly.
“I believe it’s supposed to be Antarctica without the massive ice cap,” she responded, as if not hearing his comment. “And these three other areas around the perimeter are South America, Africa, and Australia.”
Murph shined his flashlight on the map but still could not see what she was attempting to explain. “Oh,” he then said, acting as if it all suddenly became clear, “there it is.”
She stared back at him. “You don’t see it, do you?”
“Not at all,” he said. “But I can tell you there are a few more of these maps along the walls.”
Christine then looked at a different map as she descended down the steps further into the cave. Murph attempted to shine his light on them but had noticed the further they walked, the dimmer it grew until the flashlight was rendered completely useless.
“Is this supposed to be Antarctica, too?” Murph asked, looking at the rectangular etching.
“I don’t think so,” Christine said. “However, these lass masses along each side look similar to North America and Europe. The large island in the center isn’t anything I can identify.”
Murph shook his head. “If those shapes look like North America and Europe to you, I’m wondering how hard you were hit on the head when the museum collapsed.”
Maybe it was her imagination, but surely their contours were more than just a coincidence. Though such features as The Great Lakes and Mediterranean Sea were not visible, the similarities could not be denied.
Christine went to another map and shook her head in disbelief. There was a different landmass in the middle of what looked like the Pacific Ocean between North America and Asia.
“I think these are supposed to be ancient maps of the Earth,” she then concluded. “I mean, what else would they be?”
“I don’t know,” Murph acknowledged. “What I do know is that this place is giving me the creeps. The further we walk, the more I feel as if bugs are crawling all over me. Plus, I can’t figure where this light is coming from. It seems as if the rocks simply glow in the dark.”
The two continued to walk, examining the etched maps as they passed. Murph’s interest in them quickly dwindled as each one looked similar to the last.
The stairwell ended, and they both walked into a large circular room with a dome at the top. Their bodies tingled and their hair stood on end when they entered. Christine was in awe at the sight. This is amazing!
“It sure is,” Murph responded.
“But I didn’t say anything,” Christine responded.
“I heard you say ‘This is amazing.’”
Christine turned her head away from him and thought, Can you hear me?
“Of course, I can hear you,” Murph said. “You are right next to me.”
Wide-eyed, Christine turned back to him and explained that they were somehow connected telepathically. After a few attempts at communicating with only his mind, Murph’s disbelief vanished.
“Who do you think made this room?” Murph asked.
“And why?” Christine added.
The two were almost afraid to walk any further. Instead, they both stood at the entrance, taking in the entire area before proceeding.
In the center of the room, silver liquid slowly spiraled clockwise in a large circular pool in the floor. It made no sound, swirling as if in perpetual motion.
“What is that?” Murph asked, looking at the pool. “This whole place gets spookier the further we go.”
Christine cautiously walked into the room and approached the pool of silver liquid. The closer she drew, the lighter she felt. It was almost like an out-of-body experience, as if her soul was about to escape its mortal confines.
Before she reached the pool, Christine noted writing etched around it on the marble floor. The silver liquid filled grooves of the characters and seemed to undulate as if it had a mind of its own. Though she had seen both cuneiform and hieroglyphics, this writing seemed to be a hybrid of the two.
Was this some sort of prototype language? she thought. Or maybe the writing of a lost civilization?
“I don’t know,” Murph responded, now exploring on his own.
Christine was amused by their telepathic link and for the first time in days let out a small chuckle. She remembered how the Egyptian culture and writing seemed to spring out of nowhere; no precursor society or any ancestors could ever be identified in the archeological record. Maybe this writing was a clue.
Christine then knelt down and slowly lowered her hand to the pool. The liquid seemed to respond to her presence and gently swirled around her fingers, picking up speed the closer they approached.
Murph walked around the room. Along its perimeter, pedestals in the shape of bulls’ heads each supported a baseball-sized crystal slightly levitating and rotating in the air. As he approached one, the crystal spun faster and its glow radiated brighter.
Along the walls there were other maps etched into the stone. These, however, displayed more topographical information and were confined to smaller localities as opposed to the entire planet. Murph looked at each one, attempting to make sense out of any of them.
As he continued to walk, one crystal in particular reacted to his presence. Its glow outshined all the others in the room and seemed to draw him closer. Placing his hand nearer to it, the crystal levitated higher and sparkled with amazing brilliance as if it were a massive, perfectly carved diamond. Its radiance seemed to hypnotize him as light flickered off it in a methodical and soothing manner.
With both hands, Murph reached out for the crystal.
“Don’t touch it!” Christine yelled, telepathically realizing what he was about to do.
Just as she stood up and began to run towards him, Murph grabbed the crystal. It was as if everything began to slow down. The crystals along the walls decelerated their rotational spin to a stop while her own movements diminished in speed until she was frozen in the air.
Christine tried to scream but nothing came out. It was like a dream, but she knew that she was awake.
Her mind began to fade as all sensation within her body slowly dwindled away.