Chapter 6: The Ancient Door
The group stood before the massive stone door, its surface carved with intricate patterns of warriors and strange creatures locked in eternal battle. The air was thick with the scent of earth and damp stone, and the faint echoes of their movements added to the eerie silence.
"This door is too heavy to move by force," Bhoumik said, his gaze sweeping over its surface. "There must be a hidden mechanism to open it. Let's split up and search the walls there might be something that triggers it."
"Alright," Tsering replied with a nod. She moved toward the left side of the wall, brushing her fingers over the ancient stones in search of a clue.
The walls appeared untouched by time, their surfaces worn smooth by eons. Long, twisting roots spread across the stone like veins, clinging to the structure as if guarding its secrets. Tsering carefully traced her fingers along the cracks and crevices, hoping to find something unusual.
On the right side, Bhoumik and Riddhi worked together. Bhoumik tapped along the wall, listening for hollow spots that might indicate a hidden passage, while Riddhi ran her hands over the rough surface, searching for any irregularities.
"These walls… they feel ancient, like they've been sealed off for centuries," Riddhi murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Bhoumik nodded, his focus unbroken. "We just need to find the right spot. Keep looking."
After several minutes of examining the area, Tsering froze. Her fingers brushed against a loose stone, different from the others. It shifted slightly under her touch, as if waiting to be pressed.
"Bhoumik! Riddhi! Come here I've found something!" Tsering called out, her voice echoing in the cavern.
The two hurried over, their flashlights casting shifting beams of light against the walls.
"What is it?" Riddhi asked, her curiosity piqued.
Tsering pointed to the loose stone, a triumphant smile on her face. "This brick it feels different, like it's part of a mechanism. I think it might open the door."
Bhoumik stepped forward, studying the brick carefully. He pressed his palm against it, feeling the subtle shift as it gave way under his weight.
The air grew tense. A low rumble began to resonate through the cavern, like the earth itself was stirring. The sound grew louder, accompanied by the grinding of stone against stone.
With a deafening crash, the massive door began to move. Dust and debris fell from its edges as the ancient mechanism sprang to life, and the heavy stone slabs creaked open slowly, revealing a dark passage beyond.
The group exchanged uneasy glances, the excitement of discovery mingling with the weight of the unknown.
"It's open," Bhoumik said quietly, his voice carrying both awe and apprehension.
The stone door groaned as it fully opened, revealing a vast, open area beyond. The trio stepped inside cautiously, their flashlights cutting through the darkness. What lay before them was breathtaking a massive hall, its sheer size dwarfing anything they had imagined. The walls stretched high into the darkness, and from the center of the hall, numerous paths branched out in different directions like the spokes of a wheel.
"How is this even possible?" Riddhi whispered, her voice filled with awe. "This place feels… endless."
"It's not just endless," Tsering said, her tone reverent. "It's ancient. This must have been built thousands of years ago, but it's so well preserved."
Bhoumik's gaze swept over the hall, his mind racing. The air was thick with an unplaceable tension, as if the very walls were alive and watching them. "We need to be careful. Let's pick one path and see where it leads. The others might have fallen into one of these too."
Tsering nodded. "We'll have to move quickly if we're going to find them."
After a brief moment of deliberation, the trio chose a path that curved slightly to the left. The stone floor was smooth but worn, as if countless feet had once walked it. Their footsteps echoed eerily as they ventured deeper, the light of their flashlights illuminating the intricate carvings on the walls.
As they followed the path, they came upon a line of towering statues that lined either side of the corridor. Each statue depicted a warrior in full armor, clutching a weapon swords, spears, axes, and shields held at the ready. The craftsmanship was impeccable, so lifelike that the statues seemed ready to spring to life.
"These statues…" Tsering said, stopping in her tracks. "They're warriors. Guardians, maybe. Look at the details every muscle, every weapon. It's like they were carved yesterday."
Riddhi stepped closer to one of the statues, her flashlight highlighting the intricate engravings on the blade it held. "They're so lifelike. It's almost creepy. You'd think they were alive."
"Don't get too close," Bhoumik warned, his voice low. "If we've learned anything so far, it's that this place is full of surprises."
Riddhi scoffed playfully but backed away. "Alright, alright. I'm not touching anything."
They continued down the corridor, the line of statues stretching endlessly ahead. The atmosphere grew heavier with each step, the silence pressing down on them like a weight. The flickering shadows cast by their flashlights made the warriors' faces seem almost animated, as if their eyes were following the trio's every move.
Then, as if fate itself had heard Bhoumik's warning, Riddhi's foot caught on a loose stone. She stumbled slightly, and the sound of stone grinding against stone echoed through the corridor.
"Uh… what was that?" Riddhi asked, freezing in place.
Before anyone could answer, the path behind them rumbled loudly. A large slab of stone descended from the ceiling, sealing off the way they had come.
"We're trapped!" Tsering exclaimed, spinning around to face the now-sealed passage.
The rumbling didn't stop. From somewhere high above, a massive, round boulder began descending. Its smooth surface gleamed ominously in the light, and as it hit the ground, it started rolling toward them with terrifying speed.
"Run!" Bhoumik shouted.
The trio bolted down the corridor, their footsteps pounding against the stone floor as the boulder gained on them. The sound of its relentless pursuit filled the air, a deafening roar of stone grinding against stone.
"It's getting closer!" Riddhi yelled, panic rising in her voice.
"Keep running!" Bhoumik called back, his eyes darting frantically for any sign of an escape.
The corridor stretched endlessly ahead, the line of warrior statues seemingly mocking their plight. The boulder was closing in fast, its size and speed making the ground tremble beneath their feet.
Then Bhoumik's flashlight caught a narrow opening in the wall up ahead a small alcove, just large enough to fit them.
"There!" he shouted, pointing toward the opening. "Get inside! Now!"
Without hesitation, Riddhi and Tsering veered toward the alcove. Bhoumik slowed his pace slightly, ensuring they both made it safely inside. "Go, go!" he urged, pushing them forward.
Once they were safely inside, Bhoumik turned back toward the boulder. It was almost upon him, the massive stone dominating his vision. Summoning every ounce of strength, he dived into the alcove just as the boulder thundered past, brushing against his heels with terrifying closeness.
He landed hard, gasping for breath. "Is… everyone okay?" he managed to ask between pants.
Riddhi and Tsering nodded, their faces pale but otherwise unharmed. "We're fine," Riddhi said, though her voice was shaky. "But that was way too close."
As they caught their breath, Bhoumik lifted his flashlight to survey the alcove. The beam of light illuminated the space around them, and what they saw made their blood run cold.
The floor was littered with bones thousands of them, scattered haphazardly across the ground. Skulls, ribs, and femurs lay in heaps, some broken, others disturbingly intact. The skeletal remains ranged in size, from humans to creatures they couldn't identify.
"This is…" Tsering whispered, her voice barely audible. "A graveyard."
Riddhi took a step back, her hand covering her mouth. "What… what happened here? What kind of place is this?"
Bhoumik crouched down, his flashlight sweeping over the remains. Many of the bones were scorched, as if they had been burned. Others bore deep cuts, as though they had been shattered by something immensely powerful.
"This isn't just a graveyard," he said grimly. "It's a battlefield. These people didn't just die they were slaughtered."
Tsering's expression darkened. "The statues… the warriors… maybe they're connected to this."
Riddhi shivered, stepping closer to Bhoumik. "We have to get out of here. This place… it's not just ancient. It's dangerous."
Bhoumik nodded, though his gaze lingered on the bones. Something about them felt significant, as if they held a story that was yet to be uncovered.
"We'll move forward," he said firmly. "But stay close. Whatever happened here, we're not sticking around to find out if it'll happen again."
The trio gathered their courage and began walking deeper into the unknown, their flashlights the only source of light in the sea of darkness and bones.