Lost Contact (The Bridge Sequence Book One), Nathan Hystad [primary phonics books .TXT] 📗

Dirk said, turning his attention to the artifact once again. It was ready. From the information he’d compiled on the Bridge, he was confident the hexagons had been placed correctly. All they needed to do was activate it. Hardy would be so proud of them. Hunter Madison would be furious.

Clay returned, white as a ghost and clearly terrified.

“We’re about to uncover the truth,” Dirk said, smiling widely despite his own apprehension.

The torches flickered again, though Dirk didn’t feel any wind, and he lowered the artifact to the center of the stone podium. It was directly in the middle of the cave, and was twenty yards from any edge of the room. The ceiling was lofty; an opening overhead showcased the stars in a perfectly clear night sky.

Dirk stayed on one side of the podium, with Clay on the other as they’d practiced, and both set their hands to the device. It was made from an otherworldly material, a dense matte-black metal, and it was cool to the touch, even after spending most of the night in Dirk’s clammy grip. He rotated it, ensuring the switch atop the cube faced up.

“Are you ready?” Dirk asked. The nerves he’d been ignoring surged forward, threatening to overtake his actions. He considered leaving. Maybe it was better not knowing what lay beyond the Bridge. He’d likely wasted the last seventeen years of his life on this fool’s errand.

Clay watched patiently with eyes darting behind his spectacles, and Dirk waited for him to nod curtly before pressing the switch.

Nothing happened.

Relief flooded his mind, and his shoulders promptly relaxed. He laughed, unable to stop the feeling of joy.

Clay didn’t join him. “The fifth Token. It’s sideways.”

Dirk turned it, realizing his mistake. “I was sure I had them in the proper placement.” He stepped away from the stone lectern, hands shaking, but Clay took hold of his wrist and dragged him back.

“You’re not going anywhere. Fix it, and try again. You spent all this time convincing me, and now you’re too afraid?” Clay was angry.

Dirk planted his feet and only nodded in response. He corrected the Token, sliding it from its metal arms. He swiveled the hexagon, the peaks directing upward, and set it on the surface again.

“Here we go.” The apprehension withdrew this time, and when he triggered the device, sparks ignited from the corners of the artifact. Neither of them let go as the specks of light grew in intensity, swirling around the cave. The wind tunnel blew out the torches, and a calmness overtook Dirk. Unabashed tears streamed down his cheeks as the brightness increased, and he craned his neck upwards, no longer able to see the same stars through the aperture in the cave’s ceiling.

Blue light rushed from above, enveloping the pair of treasure hunters, and Dirk smiled as he was thrust to the sky.

He’d done it.

Part I

The Trail

 

1

August 11th, 2025

 

I waved off the swarm of insects hovering in front of my face and stopped in my tracks. Angry welts burned on my arms, and at that moment, I hated myself for ever coming.

“This has to be it,” I muttered, holding the GPS unit two feet from my eyes. The glow was bright under the dark canopy of heavy Ceiba tree leaves, which drooped ponderously with rainwater.

“You’ve been saying that for hours,” Marcus responded. His forehead was covered in bites, and he tugged at his bandana, trying to conceal them.

“The main ruins are half a mile to our west, so the causeways ended around here. We know they built them for a reason,” I told him.

“Rex, they wanted to relocate supplies around the swamps. It’s the only reason for the roads.” It was clear Marcus was losing his motivation for adventure, but I didn’t blame him. The trek to El Mirador had taken three days on foot, thanks to the summer storms, and this wasn’t his idea of a holiday.

I hunted for the stone path, noting it fifty yards to my left. “There it is.” My heart sped up at the sight of the crumbling square rocks. Just as I’d expected, the trail halted abruptly. My boots sank a good foot into the mud as I stepped closer, and Marcus stayed put on solid ground.

“You’ve got to be out of your mind. Tell me why I agreed to this again?” Marcus asked.

“Because you were my favorite student, and I’ve inspired you to leave your comfort zone,” I suggested. My boots squelched with suction, but they landed on something stable again a moment later.

“You do know I’m not a student anymore, right? This is the third trip around the world, and it’s always the same thing. We go home empty-handed, occasionally with some exotic disease,” he mumbled, but I hardly heard him. “I can only imagine how many locals have come out here and robbed this temple clean of any artifacts since they discovered this place.”

I glanced at the sky, seeing the glimmer of stars behind the thinning clouds. We’d already devoted two days to searching through the main complex, each of the three pyramids, and every abandoned structure, but my gut had led us to this spot. My father had always said to question the obvious route first, because it often led you in the right direction.

I took a step to the side, finding that the slab beneath my feet remained. This was the entrance. It was raining, but it had eased up, and a snapping twig caught my attention in the dense rainforest a short distance away. “Did you hear that?

Marcus tilted his head, setting a pack on the ground. “Hear what?”

I waited another minute, but finally ceased my worry. No one in their right mind would have followed us this far.

“This was a huge waste of time, Rex. I can’t believe you convinced me to join you. Come to Guatemala, you said. It’ll be a hoot, you said. And there I was, hoping for a trip to the beach, chilling at a pool with a cerveza, but no…”

“Marcus,