The rest period ended quietly.
The sun had shifted, its light now angled deeper into the sinkhole. The golden beams stretched longer across the grass, casting shadows of the great tree like protective arms around the clearing.
Men rose slowly from where they had been sitting.
Boots tightened.
Magazines checked.
Water bottles emptied.
Elias lifted his radio once more.
"Hello. Status."
Static answered.
He adjusted the dial.
Nothing.
Only a faint hiss of interference.
Kaelo crossed his arms.
"So they are gone?"
Elias lowered the device but did not show fear.
"We cannot say yet. It could just be the signal failing. This place is deep."
Monk's eyes remained on the massive stone door.
"We must prepare for the worst."
Elias laughed loudly, the sound echoing against the stone walls of the sinkhole.
"What are you talking about, Monk? We are about to be rich for generations. Why do those men matter? They are sacrifices we had to make to reach here."
