“Well, thank you for that. I guess it’s because I go swimming every day. It keeps me young,” Betty said, brushing back her hair in an exaggerated way, like she was pretending to be a model posing at a photo shoot.
They snacked on some papayas they discovered near the cenote and resumed their journey up the jungle path. It occurred to William that he could no longer hear the drum beat that he had heard before, and he assumed that it meant the restaurant had already closed. He checked his watch, which read 10:03. “You know my watch is way ahead for some reason. What time do you think it is?”
Betty peered through the thick canopy of palm and mahogany trees overhead. “Hard to say… maybe four or five.”
“That’s what I’d guess too,” William said. Yet he recalled that is was almost 4:00 when he first went after Betty. He had been with her for five or six hours, which would mean that his watch was correct. As they plodded forward, he contemplated the time issue with a perplexed expression frozen on his face, recalculating the hours again to try to make sense of it.
A short distance ahead, the trail took on a groomed appearance. The jungle had been cut back, widening the path. Large rocks lined each side of the trail that extended far ahead. They stopped and hugged each other in celebration. William was certain that they would soon be back at the Cenote Azul.
Although exhausted, the excitement of the improved trail quickened William’s pace. He marched on with renewed energy to reach the end of his adventure, with Betty whistling a happy tune beside him.
After hiking another ten minutes or so, a paved road intersected the trail from their left. “A street!” William said, rushing to the man-made path. He stopped to examine the white road, reaching down to touch its unusual surface.
“What’s the matter?” Betty asked, noticing his look of concern.
“I’ve never seen a road this white before. It feels all… chalky,” he said, rubbing his fingers together. “Well, a road’s a road,” she said.
The white path had two options to travel. After a moment of hesitation, William chose to continue in the same direction that they had been heading. A pleasant smile crossed his face as he thought about how he would soon be back at his grandfather’s estate, in his airconditioned room, soaking his feet in a tub of cool water, and sipping on an ice-cold soda.
Upon rounding a bend in the trail, William’s happy mood dropped with the swiftness that venetian blinds shut out the light. Ahead of them was a horrific sight.
“What the hell!” Betty said, throwing her hands up.
“This… this can’t be real… can it? This must be some sort of bizarre tourist attraction, right?” William asked.
Along the side of the paved trail, William stared at a long pole sticking out of the ground, with what appeared to be, the decapitated head of a man; blood dripped and splattered onto the road below. William reached up and touched the tongue protruding out of its mouth. He snapped his hand back as though it bit him. “It’s real,” he said with certainty. He staggered, feeling dizzy.
“Are you okay?” Betty asked, grabbing his arm to support him.
William took some deep breaths until the lightheaded feeling passed. “I’m fine. I don’t do too well with…” he looked up again, wincing, “rotting decapitated heads on sticks!” he said, fighting off the urge to throw up.
Betty did a double-take at the trail ahead. “Oh, my God. William, look!” she said, pointing down the path; it was lined with dozens of heads on either side of the trail. William continued on, glancing up at the impaled heads above him, smelling the stench of rotting flesh in the air. The heads were of Mayan men; their foreheads sloped back, with scars and tattoos on their faces. Some had even sharpened teeth.
Vultures pecked away at the flesh. One bird glanced down at them as they passed, and then plucked out an eyeball, gobbling it up.
“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” Betty whispered. “I think we should go back.”
“There’s something up there-in the clearing,” William said, pointing ahead. A huge red building was visible at the end of the trail through the foliage.
Betty tugged at William’s arm. “Whoever did this probably lives over there. I don’t want to be added to this collection!”
“We have to see what’s going on here. We have to notify the authorities about this!” William insisted.
When they reached the end of the plaster road, William gawked at the structure ahead. “It’s a Mayan pyramid,” he said in a confused tone.
“It’s painted all red! I say we leave,” Betty said, trying to pull him back.
“Hold on. Let’s see if anyone is around.”
While they crouched behind some brush outside the clearing, William surveyed the area. He felt stunned by the beauty of the large pyramid; it was painted in a striking dark red, a dramatic contrast to the white courtyard that sparkled in the sun’s glare. He could see part of another large building up a hill, with thick vegetation surrounding it.
They waited for ten minutes, but no one showed up. A disturbed look began to cross William’s face as he studied the pyramid, noting its architecture. “I have a funny feeling that I’ve been here before,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“That pyramid… the design of it… the doorways at the top.” He looked around the clearing. “There’s something really familiar about this place.”
“I think you’d remember seeing painted Mayan ruins, William.”
“I’m going up there-to the top of that pyramid. I need to check something.”
“Are you insane?” Betty said, grabbing his arm.
“I have to know for sure,” he said, pulling away. “I’ll run up there real quick and come right back. Just stay here, okay?”
“Like I’m going anywhere,” she said, sinking deeper into the brush.
William bolted from the cover of the jungle and sprinted to the pyramid, glancing around as he ran, half- expecting someone to chase after him. He reached the base of the pyramid and paused for a second, struck by the building’s perfection-not a single chipped or eroded stone-stuccoed and painted like… his eyes grew wide at the thought. He scrambled up the steep stairway. Upon reaching the top, he went to the entrance at the far right and looked up, mouth agape, staring in disbelief at the engraving on the three wooden support beams above the doorway. “That’s impossible,” he said.
Moving further inside, he studied the narrow chamber. Square openings along the back wall cast light in the shadowy corners where decorative animal masks were hanging.
He heard Betty calling for him. As William exited the chamber, she had just reached the final steps at the top of the pyramid; a frightened look was affixed on her face. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“They’re coming!” she blurted. “I heard their drums down the trail.”
He cocked his head to listen. “I hear them too.” He grabbed Betty’s arm, pulling her inside the chamber just as men poured into the courtyard below them.
“I told you this was a stupid idea!” Betty said. “Now we’re really in a pickle.”
“Quiet!” he whispered, and peeked around the entrance for a better view.
More than a hundred men wearing loincloths and colorful feathered headdresses marched from the jungle’s edge into the courtyard. Moving in two separate columns, they formed a big circle in front of the pyramid. As they came to a stop, they each turned to face the center and aimed their spears skyward.
“What’s happening?” Betty asked.
He turned to her and slumped against the stone wall, letting out a big sigh. “I
“What are you talking about?”
A thumping noise drew his attention back outside, where he witnessed the warriors smacking the bottom of their spears against the hard plaster floor in unison, while at the same time chanting, “Chun… chun… chun.”
Another group of men emerged from the jungle with exaggerated headdresses. Behind them, a dozen men wearing only a loincloth carried a litter supporting a man who was likely their leader, William assumed. He wore a feathered headdress of a jaguar’s head, and he was covered in jewelry that sparkled as he approached.
The warriors continued to chant, “Chun… chun… chun…” They thumped their spears against the floor while the leader was carried to the center of the courtyard. After setting the litter down at the base of the pyramid steps,
