Vincent struggled to steady his confused mind and finally made a decision.
This is twenty years of my life's work. Everything is finally falling into place. I can't ruin it now.
With that thought firmly in his mind, he continued his research.
He took the 5,000-year calculation he had obtained and divided it into BC and AD.
The timeline reached the 21st century.
Vincent continued adding the years.
2012… 2017… 2020…
He was getting closer and closer to the final answer.
But when Vincent tried to complete the calculation, his brain refused to cooperate.
The intense cold inside the cave was also giving him a terrible headache.
To ease the pain, he drank some of the warm water Amanda had left in the bottle.
Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
4:00 AM — The Next Morning
Vincent woke up suddenly.
As he walked out of the chamber, he kept wondering how he had managed to fall asleep the previous night.
After walking for a while, he noticed cracks beginning to appear in some of the rocks around him.
The sight immediately made him realize that it would be better for them to leave the cave as soon as possible.
Vincent tried calling George.
There was no signal inside the cave.
So Vincent walked outside and reached the large rock that had been blocking the entrance to the Galendria Cave.
But the rock was gone.
Vincent stared at the empty entrance in shock.
Just then, his phone rang.
It was George.
Vincent: "George, did you guys reach here? The rock that was blocking the cave has moved."
George: "No, no, Vincent. We didn't do that. Are you safe? We're on our way there right now. Vincent… Vincent…"
Before George could finish speaking—
A strange white smoke began spreading throughout the cave.
Vincent inhaled it.
His vision blurred.
He collapsed.
When he regained consciousness, his hands were tied to the wall.
Beside him were David, Beulah, and Amanda, all tied up in a row.
Meanwhile, George was approaching the mountain in a jeep accompanied by Mexican soldiers.
But the information George had received was very different from what he had expected.
George: "Major, are you sure we have to use guns?"
Major: "Yes, sir. You know what they're capable of."
George understood what he meant and fell silent.
Vincent slowly opened his eyes.
His entire team was still unconscious and bound.
He turned toward David.
"David… David…"
He tried to wake him.
Before David could respond, a group of wild-looking Sakala tribesmen entered the chamber.
And among them stood Sam.
He was almost unrecognizable.
All of them were bare-chested, wearing loincloths, feathers in their hair, and colorful paint across their faces.
The sharp axes and knives in their hands terrified Vincent.
Then the elder of the Sakala tribe entered.
Behind him, several men carried the enormous boar statue into the cave.
A few moments later, David slowly began to regain consciousness.
Beulah and Amanda were still unconscious.
George continued toward the mountain, praying silently to his own gods for Vincent's safety.
The entire cave was surrounded by Sakala tribesmen.
The Galendria Cave was now completely under their control.
The old tribal elder suddenly shouted,
"HEY!"
Every tribesman gathered together in a circle.
The old man shouted something in their language—
"E Patti Ida Nirmula!"
The tribesmen charged forward like possessed men, gripping their axes tightly.
Sam picked up a flaming torch and followed them.
Vincent was in no condition to speak.
Inside the chamber, the Sakala tribesmen began smashing the statue of Kukulkan, the Mayan god, with their axes.
Sam moved from one place to another, setting fire to the ancient Mayan maps.
To David, the sight was like watching a group of rabid men who had completely lost their minds.
The Sakala tribesmen hacked Kukulkan's statue into pieces.
One of them raised his axe and smashed the statue's head.
CRACK!
The sound jolted Beulah and Amanda awake.
Fear filled Beulah's eyes the moment she saw the tribesmen.
How did I get here?
She tried desperately to remember.
But the only thing she could recall was falling asleep beside David the previous night.
The frenzied tribesmen continued destroying the cave Cheran had created.
The old elder stood nearby, watching and enjoying the destruction.
Then, suddenly, he walked toward the prisoners.
He began chanting something.
The others immediately repeated the same chant, shouting in unison.
At that moment, the enormous boar statue was brought forward and placed in the center.
Vincent, David, and Beulah were conscious now, but the smoke made from the black mamba venom continued affecting them, repeatedly making them weak and dizzy.
The old man suddenly stopped chanting.
Four members of the Sakala tribe stood up and began walking around the boar statue.
One of them took a knife and made a small cut down the center of his tongue.
Blood began to flow.
He smeared the blood across the tongue of the giant boar statue.
The four men continued circling the statue while chanting:
"Naran Bale Dasa…"
Vincent immediately understood.
It was a ritual meant to prepare them for a human sacrifice.
Meanwhile, George finally reached Caracol Mountain with the military convoy.
Only then did he feel a sense of relief.
The Mexican commander ordered 27 soldiers, arriving in four jeeps, to enter the cave.
But there were 44 Sakala tribesmen inside.
The Sakala completed their ritual and prepared to carry out the sacrifice.
Suddenly, Amanda regained consciousness.
Amanda: "Hey! What are you doing? These are all part of Mayan history!"
The tribesmen who had been destroying the cave turned toward her.
Their eyes seemed to burn with rage.
The old elder became furious.
He grabbed a wooden water container and hurled it at them.
The water drenched all four prisoners, soaking them completely.
The old man glared at Amanda.
"You dare speak proudly about those dogs in front of us?
"We are the ones who wiped out their entire bloodline.
"Especially those Itzá Maya…"
He laughed with a strange, sinister meaning.
The tribesmen behind him joined in.
Their laughter echoed throughout the cave.
The Mexican soldiers heard the commotion and began climbing rapidly up the ropes.
George watched them from below with a deeply worried expression.
After the elder finished laughing, Sam approached him and handed him a knife.
The old man raised his head proudly.
"I am the priest of the Sakala tribe."
He said it with immense pride before walking toward David.
The moment he approached him, all three prisoners became fully conscious.
Vincent closed his eyes.
"Jesus… whatever happens to me, I don't care.
"But please don't let anything happen to the people who came here trusting me."
He opened his eyes.
Blood splattered across his face.
Beulah's throat had been cut.
In her final moments, she looked directly at David before losing her life.
"Beulah!"
David screamed.
He desperately pulled at the rope around his hands.
The rope snapped loose from his wrist.
David immediately lunged at the priest standing in front of him and tackled him to the ground.
The priest's head struck a rock with tremendous force.
He died instantly.
The Sakala tribesmen erupted in rage.
They drew their knives and charged toward David.
David grabbed a knife lying on the ground and attacked them wildly.
The four men who had rushed toward him were struck in the neck and abdomen.
All four collapsed dead.
The remaining 40 Sakala tribesmen charged toward David.
As they attacked, one of their blows struck the rope binding Vincent.
The rope snapped.
At that exact moment, Sam rushed forward and drove a knife into David's chest.
The blade pierced straight through him and emerged from his back, blood pouring from the wound.
Vincent immediately ran toward Amanda.
He cut the rope binding her and grabbed her hand.
Amanda was frozen with shock, but she ran with Vincent.
George suddenly felt that something terrible had happened.
He jumped into the jeep himself and drove up the mountain.
By then, the Mexican soldiers had reached Caracol Mountain and were entering the Galendria Cave.
Vincent and Amanda ran toward the exit.
Suddenly, arrows began flying toward them.
Three arrows were aimed directly at Vincent.
Amanda jumped in front of him.
The arrows struck her instead.
The force of the impact sent her collapsing to the ground.
"Amanda!"
Vincent's scream echoed outside the cave.
Hearing the cry, the Mexican soldiers rushed toward them.
Vincent grabbed a knife and drove it into the throat of an approaching tribesman.
Sam saw what happened and charged toward Vincent.
Vincent charged toward him as well.
He kicked Sam hard in the chest.
Sam was thrown backward nearly three feet.
Two Mexican soldiers positioned an XM307 Advanced Crew Sniper inside the cave.
The massive 23-kilogram weapon continued firing until all 47 rounds were exhausted.
More Mexican soldiers entered the cave with sniper rifles and began firing.
Even then, they struggled to advance as quickly as they wanted.
Sam was lying near a rock, clutching his head after hitting it against the ground.
Vincent rushed toward him and attacked him repeatedly.
The very first strike was enough to kill him.
But Vincent's anger still hadn't subsided.
Several Sakala tribesmen had hidden behind rocks, terrified of the Mexican soldiers.
Vincent moved behind them.
He attacked one of them, striking him down.
Before another could raise his knife, Vincent drove his own blade into the man's mouth.
He then kicked another tribesman hard.
The man stumbled backward into the line of fire and was torn apart by bullets.
Realizing that the situation was slipping completely out of their control, the Sakala tribesmen took out poison-tipped arrows.
Just then, George entered the cave.
He pulled a helmet over his head and charged inside.
The helmet fit perfectly over his broad forehead and prominent nose.
His entire body was protected by a bulletproof vest, though his coat concealed it.
The moment George entered, a barrage of arrows flew toward him.
But not a single arrow was able to penetrate his protective gear.
The Mexican soldiers obtained permission from the Major and loaded four rounds into the XM307 sniper.
Each round tore through the Sakala ranks, spraying blood and flesh across the cave.
"Vincent! Vincent!"
George shouted as he ran deeper into the cave.
Vincent was sitting beside Amanda's body.
The moment he saw George, he stood up and walked toward him.
He took only two steps.
His legs suddenly began to give way.
George rushed forward to support him.
But Vincent collapsed.
Only then did George realize that Vincent had also been struck by an arrow.
George immediately lifted Vincent's head onto his lap.
"Vincent, don't close your eyes.
"That's it… whatever happens, just don't close your eyes.
"Soldier! Water!"
As George desperately called for water, Vincent began speaking.
"George… I'm not going to survive."
"Don't say that, Vincent. I'll save you. I promise."
"George… you can't.
"It's too late.
"So many of us have died.
"There has to be a reason for all of this."
Vincent reached inside his coat and pulled out the Mayan Calendar scrolls.
He handed them to George.
The arrow that had been coated with the venom of a Vep spider, a poison said to kill a person within a minute, had already done its work.
The moment George took the Mayan Calendar scrolls from Vincent's hands—
Vincent's life slipped away.
George realized that Vincent was dead.
For nearly two full minutes, he couldn't speak.
Then—
his phone rang.
It was a call from an unknown number.