John Lyman - The Secret Chapel

Everyone in the room was focused on Lev. No one flinched or raised an opposing view. Leo was the first to raise his hand, followed by Lev, Ariella, Daniel, and John. Soon hands began to rise all around the tent, until everyone present had their hand in the air.

“Good,” Lev said. “Grab your stuff and let’s get to work. I’m sending a team down into the cavern.”

The gaping crevice stood silent before them. Alon, John, Ariella, and Leo had been tagged as team one, the team chosen to descend into the first chamber of the cavern. Team two was composed of Lev, Daniel, and Moshe, along with the two helicopter pilots and a paramedic from the staff. This team was the designated rescue team if something happened to team one. Long metal spikes were being driven into the ground to secure the ropes that team one would use in their descent to the floor of the cave. Their preparations had taken longer than anticipated, and the sun was now high overhead. It beat down on the camp with waves of choking heat that mixed with the dust of the desert.

Nava and Gabriella maneuvered their helicopter next to the site as team one tested the headlamps of their helmets and strapped into special climbers’ harnesses. They threaded long color-coded nylon ropes through carabiners, slipped on heavy leather gloves, and connected the earpieces in their helmets to radios attached to their belts. Alon went first, slowly backing his way over the edge. He fed the rope through the metal carabiners and descended along the rock face, passing the twisted wreckage of the backhoe, until he had reached a solid rock floor forty feet below the rim.

Once the team settled on the floor of the cavern, they saw that they were encircled by a sheer wall of rock that made the surface seem even farther away. The backhoe was wedged precariously above them between two large outcroppings of rock. It was obvious to them that the slightest movement could shift its balance, causing the whole machine to come crashing down on top of them.

Seeking a safer area to begin their exploration, they inched their way around the cavern until they came upon a massive slab of rock leaning inward against the wall surrounded by some rotten timbers and an old rusted lantern.

“Someone’s been down here before,” Ariella said.

“Yeah,” Leo agreed. He ran his hand over one of the rough wood timbers sticking up through the sand. “It looks like someone tunneled down here sometime in the past and then covered it back up.”

John approached the giant rock and peered around it. “Hey, check this out. There’s a tunnel here.”

Ariella looked over his shoulder while Leo squeezed in between them. “Yeah. It’s almost perfectly round, like it was bored out with a machine.”

“Or fire,” John said, running his fingers over the tunnel wall. “The rock here is solid black, like it was melted.”

Leo stopped and considered their next move. The decision was made for him when Ariella switched on her helmet light and brushed past, heading into the tunnel without flinching. The men exchanged glances and took off in pursuit. In her excitement to see what lay ahead, Ariella was quickly leaving the men behind.

“Slow down, Ariella,” John shouted. “We don’t know what’s down here.”

She turned and looked back over her shoulder. “Only one way to find out.”

With their macho image shattered, the men continued to follow her through the tunnel as they snaked their way deeper into the earth.

Before the team had entered the cave, they had forgotten to switch on their radios, so Alon asked everyone to stop and turn them on before they proceeded any farther into the underground labyrinth. Instantly, they were greeted by Lev’s near-hysterical shouting from the surface.

“Ariella! Leo! Can you hear us?”

“Yes, we read you, Lev. Is everything alright?”

“Some kind of large black cloud just formed above us. It came out of nowhere. It’s as dark as night up here. The wind is really starting to pick up, and the sand is blowing so hard we can’t see more than five feet in front of us. Something’s happening, and you all need to get out of there. Now!”

Before they had time to react, Ariella screamed from somewhere ahead of them in the tunnel. The men ran forward, rounding a corner where they came to an abrupt stop. Ariella was standing perfectly still with her back to them. She was facing what appeared to be an old woman dressed in black flowing cloth from head to toe with only a slit at the level of her eyes. The figure was standing in the middle of the tunnel, blocking the way, a gargoyle-like sentinel placed there to keep intruders from passing farther into the cave. Without warning, blood-red light shot from unseen eyes hidden beneath the robes. In an instant, the group realized that this was no old woman. A loud, piercing howl began to emanate from the thing as Leo thought for an instant that he saw it begin to change shape.

“Run!” Alon shouted, grabbing Ariella by the hand and pulling her away from the black-robed figure. They ran, stumbling over the few rocks on the smooth floor, their hearts pounding and their breathing coming in rapid gasps. Reaching the end of the tunnel, the group fell against each other into the open cavern. Looking up, they saw, to their horror, that the sky had turned black, when only minutes before, bright sunlight had flooded the area.

The wind was blowing violently above them, causing dirt and debris to swirl about the circular walls of the cavern. The otherworldly howling was becoming louder and shriller, while the unmistakable smell of sulfur filled the air. John had been the first to exit the tunnel under the mammoth slab of rock, followed by Ariella and Alon, leaving Leo standing between them and the thing in the tunnel.

In the open cavern, the three outside began to make their way to the ropes, feeling their way along the rock wall. The wind was beginning to blow even harder. Loose rocks from above started to tumble down on the backhoe, causing it to roll sideways. It began to slip from its perch, sliding an inch at a time from the ledge. With the screech of metal against rock, it tilted farther and finally dropped straight down into the cavern below. John was the first to see it falling. He turned and shoved Ariella back into Alon under the protection of the thick slab of rock over their heads, but it was too late for him to follow. He hugged the wall and prayed as the backhoe crashed in front of him and a jagged piece of twisted metal slammed into the rock directly beside his head. Slowly, he took in a breath and opened his eyes. He was alive. The backhoe had missed him by inches.

John could feel Ariella’s small hand tugging at his shirt and pulling him back under the rock slab. The three huddled together, bathed in the smoky red light coming from the tunnel. Leo stood his ground in front of the entrance, peering inside at moving shadows beyond the opening. Would the thing, whatever it was, come after them?

He remained standing at the entrance, a human barricade between the tunnel entrance and the others, afraid to blink while staring into the reddish gloom. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. In the haze beyond, he could make out something moving just within his field of vision. His eyes burned as he continued to stare into the void. He saw something move. He focused and then recoiled when he saw what appeared to be the shape of an ancient winged beast silhouetted against the misty red light.

Leo reached into his shirt and pulled out the large golden pectoral cross given to him by Father Morelli. Placing the cross in front of his body at arm’s length, he began to pray loudly. He kept his eyes focused directly ahead at the thing in the tunnel. John could hear Leo praying in Latin and recognized bits and pieces of the prayers; they were directly from the rite of exorcism.