Chapter 12-"Lost in the Dark: Uncovering a Dangerous Secret in the Inkara Ruins"
Emi, Jia, and James stumbled through the desert, searching for their missing friends. Fear and uncertainty lingered in the air as they desperately tried to find their way back to the Inkara excavation site.
"Emi, I don't think we're getting anywhere," Jia said, her voice trembling with fear. "Maybe we should try to find a way back to the site and get some additional help."
Emi nodded in agreement. "You're right, Jia. We can't do this alone. Let's try to find a way back to the site and see if we can get some help."
As they continued walking, the sun beat down on them relentlessly, and their water supply dwindled. They were all feeling weak and scared, but they knew they had to keep going.
After walking for what felt like hours, Emi took out her compass to check their direction. To her horror, the needle was spinning in every direction, and she couldn't get a clear reading.
"Guys, we're lost," Emi said, her voice shaking. "The compass isn't working. We have no way of knowing which way to go."
Jia and James looked equally scared, but they tried to stay strong for each other. "We'll figure it out, Emi. We have to keep going," James said.
But as they walked, they felt like they were only going deeper into the desert. They were starting to lose hope when James stumbled over something in the sand.
"What's this?" James asked, picking up a small stone with a peacock symbol engraved on it.
Jia's eyes widened in recognition. "That's the symbol of Queen Xiamen! The queen who was said to have ruled over Inkara with black magic!"
Emi tried to calm them down. "It's just a story, guys. We can't let our fears get the best of us."
James, however, was fascinated by the stone. He touched it, and suddenly, the earth beneath them shook, and the ground opened up beneath them.
They fell into a dark, underground chamber, sand raining down on them from above. They looked around, disoriented and scared, as the mechanism that had opened the chamber closed behind them.
"What the hell was that?" James asked, his voice shaking.
Emi tried to keep calm. "We need to find a way out of here," she said, looking around for any sign of a way out.
They stumbled through the dark chamber, their eyes adjusting slowly to the dim light. As they walked, they heard the distant sound of voices echoing through the chamber.
"Did you guys hear that?" Jia asked, her voice trembling.
James nodded. "Yeah, let's follow the sound. It might be our friends."
They followed the sound of the voices, their hearts pounding with fear and hope. As they turned a corner, they saw a faint light in the distance.
"We're getting closer," Emi said, her voice filled with relief.
But as they got closer to the light, they realized that it was not their friends they were hearing, but something else entirely.
It was the sound of chanting, echoing through the dark chamber. They crept closer, trying to stay hidden, and saw a group of people gathered around a strange altar.
Jia gasped in horror. "They're performing some kind of ritual!"
James stepped forward, trying to get a better look. "What are they doing?" he asked.
Emi pulled him back, her voice urgent. "We need to get out of here. This is not safe."
But as they turned to leave, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching. They hid in the shadows, hoping to avoid detection.
Suddenly, the group of people turned towards them, and the chanting grew louder and more intense.
"We have to get out of here!" Emi shouted, pulling Jia and James .
"But how? The entrance from where we came is already closed."Jia screamed.
"Just run for now. We'll find a place to hide first. " Emi shouted while running forward.
They ran as fast as they could, their hearts racing with fear.
They knew that they had stumbled upon something dangerous, something that could threaten their very lives. They had to find their friends and get out of the Inkara ruins before it was too late.