Her shouts echoed against the grand cavern walls, the torch still flickering from above but darkness all around her. They had taken the flashlight and she sat alone, edgy and in pain.

Great, she thought to herself, they have fallen into some other bottomless pit and left her there to die! She stood up, wheezing slightly and started to walk toward the path they had taken, dimly seen by the torch light from the ceiling.

*********************************************************

Rollie had fallen first, the hole near the torch camouflaged as he dropped like lead, sliding down a small tunnel with Lucinda falling on top of him at the bottom. After both getting up and finding they were uninjured, they called back up to Angie but heard no reply. Rollie took the flashlight and directed it around the new tunnel they were in and smiled.

"Hey, you see that Luce? No wonder I felt every little rock in that fall, they were steps, see?" and he flashed the light back up the shaft they had fallen from and she could see the steep steps that made their way down to the present cavern flooring they were standing on.

"Great! My back is going to be out of whack for months," she complained, rubbing her hip, "so, where are we?"

"Dunno, but I smell fresh air, don't you?" Rollie replied, pointed the light toward the forward end of the tunnel.

"Yeah, hey! What about Angie? Should we go back and get her?" Lucinda asked, concerned.

"She's in no condition to get down here. Let's find the way out and come back with help, alright?" Rollie told her, starting to go forward, Lucinda grabbing the bottom of his jacket.

"Luce! Do you have to hold on to me so tightly?" he asked her stopping as she bumped into him, clinging to him.

"Sorry, Rollie! I'm a little jumpy right now," she said, apologizing and released him, taking a deep breath.

They crept onward, noting the strange paintings on the walls of the cave on either side. Lucinda was noticing that their progression through the tunnel was mirrored on the walls in ancient diagrams.

"Hey, do you see these people coming along here, just like us?" she asked him, as he flashed the light up to the wall.

"Yep, they look like they are being herded along, like cattle, don’t they?" he remarked, flashing the light along the painting of ancient Indians being moved with threatening spears from larger half-human, half-birdlike creatures.

"Like sacrifices!" Lucinda said, almost in a whisper, shivering. Rollie took a deep breath and started moving again.

"Come on, we can look at the art work later, Luce. We need to get help back to Ange!"

"Yeah," Luce replied, frowning as she felt a rush of cold air hit them and Rollie moving ahead of her. She could see from the cave wall painting that the herd of people were depicted as being moved to an entranceway, the menacing spears pointed at them. She stopped breathing, almost in a panic. The next series of paintings showed the people being pushed, stabbed, or thrown out, and the detailed paintings showed the height of the large temple like structure they were falling from. The paintings were still vivid and frightening.

"Rollie!" she screamed as she heard his feet shuffling, rocks, and gravel being loosened ahead of her.

She ran and almost knocked him out of the entranceway as she stopped, grabbing him around the waist as he swung back in against her, breathing hard.

"Big step down," he said, gritting his teeth, as she stepped around him and peered out the entrance. Although the temple they were standing in was overgrown with vegetation from the outside, and the drop below hard to estimate in feet, she could see tiny people below. She could see the rooftops of the Lodge and the waterfall that drove the hydroelectric energy for the entire complex nearby.

"What the hell are we going to do?" she said, stepping back and looking at his face.

"We go back, those Indians certainly didn't come this way," he told her, stepping back down into the tunnel.

"Rollie, I'm so tired. Can we just get out of here, now!" Lucinda said, whining.

"I hate it when you whine," he replied, cringing as she made a face.

"Lucky thing then, that you didn't marry me," she said in hot retort as she walked past him in a huff, taking the flashlight from him.

"And when did I ever think, even the remote possibility of that?" he answered, following her.

"When you met me, of course, everyone does, you know," she replied, nonchalantly as her light flashed into the pained blue eyes of Angie coming slowly but surely to find them.

"Angie!"

"Oh, do go on! The conversation was getting good!" Angie said, grunting as Rollie came up to her and hugged her carefully.

"Awwh!" she remarked as he smiled and then scolded her;

"You were supposed to stay put!"

"Well, someone had to save you and tell you that you were going the wrong way!" she replied, smiling.

"We did finally come to that conclusion," Lucinda replied, hands on her hips.

"Good, cause I think I found the real way out!" Angie replied, holding up a Zagnut candy wrapper in her hand.

"You ate it and didn't offer us any?" Lucinda asked, mortified, thinking about the last time she had eaten.

"No, silly- one of those "ancient" Indians dropped this back at the other tunnel just after the steps back there," Angie replied as Rollie looked down at the paper.

"Ange, this could have been here for awhile," he remarked, frowning.

"Nope, smell it- fresh, still has some melted chocolate inside and look at the contest dates inside. See, fresh!" she claimed, as he nodded and smiled.

"Come on, I always have to rescue you two," she joked, as she moved back against Rollie who tousled her dirty hair.

"My hero!" he said as Lucinda watched the display between the two of them and shook her head.

"I'm hungry and pissed off," Lucinda told them, flashing the light down toward the steps, "Let's get the hell out of here!"

They followed her as Angie directed her to the rather hidden tunnel entrance to the side and back of the steps. No wonder Lucinda and Rollie had not seen it! Angie told them that after she fell just as they had done and found herself face to face with the candy wrapper, she looked up and saw the tunnel off the main one. The entrance to it was partially obscured by the steps.

"Hmmm, you should name your firstborn, 'Zagnut' after this lucky find!" Luce told them both, grinning.

Angie scoffed at her, "Yeah, when you are sitting in your wheelchair in a nursing home, don't hold your breath!"

"Does that mean, the use of the name or when you will be thinking about little Tylers…?" Lucinda said, throwing it back at Angie.

"Jeez, the later!" Angie replied, shaking her head. The two walked ahead, leaving a somewhat surprised Rollie behind them. He was thrown off by Angie's answer to Lucinda about children. Although he had remembered Angie telling him that she didn't want children anytime soon, he thought at least not in the first year or so. This was news to him and left him wondering as he followed. Angie stopped suddenly, holding her sides, in pain as he came up to her.

"What? You okay?" he asked her, as Lucinda came back, flashing the light at them both.

"Yeah, give me a moment!" Angie replied, taking short, shallow breaths.

"Hey, it feels like we are going down, you know!" Lucinda said, triumphantly, "I think this is the way out!"

After resting, Angie was able to walk again, holding on to Rollie at times for support. Her sheer determination not to be a burden was admirable but at times, frustrated Rollie. Along the way now, they were starting to see debris, broken clay pots and trash. This had been the smugglers way out, along with the Indians who had removed King Bolsaque's remains. They could see light now at the end of the tunnel and they were all smiling as they reached level ground and the floor of the jungle met them at the entranceway. As they took in fresh humid air, they could see where trucks had been lined up and loaded. The tracks from the tires in the mud were fresh. They could see that they were around the bottom of the temple; that from this vantage point, it looked like nothing more than the side of a mountain. Slowly, they made their way around to the dig site.

The archeologists were packing up and the police were there. Syd Waterstreet and several other people from the set were standing around, talking with the police. All three looked for Michael Sanchez and all three knew in the back of their mind, that he would not be there.

Syd was the first to see them. His worried expression broke into laughter as he saw the condition they were in and he came over and hugged Rollie and Lucinda at the same time. Angie begged off as Syd realized she was injured. They brought a jeep around and they all got in, Syd driving. The police would question them along with the group of archeologists back at the lodge.

Driving back slowly, Syd was doing all the talking; "Bloody awful news, I'm afraid, they found poor Roddy Demhurst this morning! Seems he had been drinking, driving a jeep and went over the side of a cliff late last night. What a waste!" he remarked, shaking his head as the three in the seat beside him and in back of him, kept silent.

"You still have me, Syd!" Lucinda remarked, smiling, trying to fix her hair and wipe the dirt off her face.

"Yeah, but no leading man…we have major problems! I have a call into Production. We are having a big meet tonight! So, Lucinda, where's Ricardo? We tried to find him at the Lodge this morning. Your room was an absolute wreck. Bullet holes and a dead woman yesterday and all your things gone?"

"I am afraid, the honeymoon is over…" she replied, closing her eyes for a moment and then looking back at Angie and Rollie in the back seat, "but then, I'm used to short-term relationships."

Rollie looked down at Angie who had fallen asleep beside him, nestled against his shoulder. She looked so childlike next to him, her dark, long lashes resting on dirty, smeared cheeks as she slept.

Once the police interrogation was over and it was brief to the surprise of Rollie and Angie, they went back up to their room. The lodge doctor had seen Angie and taped her ribs adequately.

"Hey guys, I just checked with the front desk and there is a vacancy so I am taking that bungalow. I getting my things and will be out of your hair, okay?" Lucinda told them as she packed her bags.

Angie was sitting on the edge of the bed, too tired to move. Rollie helped Lucinda with her stuff as they placed it all the porch of the bungalow. Luce came back in and stooped in front of Angie, smiling;

"Hey, thanks for all that you did, really! You and Rollie saved my life back there in the cave. I know you were only thinking of me, when you didn't tell me about Michael Sanchez at first. Hey, I am going to chalk this one up to experience. It's obvious that you can't copy someone else's happiness. Shame on me for trying," she told Angie, making a face.

"Luce! I really wanted to tell you!" Angie began but Lucinda stopped her, putting her fingers to Angie's lips, "you need to rest. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

Angie could see the tears welling in Lucinda's eyes but she didn't try to talk anymore. Lucinda stood up and walked over to Rollie who had put the last bag out the door and was standing there, unsure what to do at the moment.

"Hey, Rollie, I am sorry I slapped you earlier. I was so hurt, you know," she started to say but Rollie just pulled her to him and hugged her, rocking her back and forth gently.

Angie wiped a tear from her eye as Luce pushed away from him, "Oh, gotta get out of here, now. You guys try to get back to thinking about this picture and I will do the same. The show must go on, right?"

"Right!" both Rollie and Angie answered as Lucinda stepped back and walked out the door, the Lodge assistants helping her with her bags.

Rollie stood by the door still, hands in his pockets and looking out the door. Angie stood up, walked over, and put her arms around him. He kissed the top of her dirty head and smiled, with a pained expression on his face.

"She's got nerves of steel, she's one brave lady!" he said, softly.

"She'll be alright, I think."

"Hey, what say we get you bathed? You look like you had a ton of dirt dropped on you!" Rollie said, chuckling.

"I guess this adhesive tape isn't going to wash off," she said, unbuttoning her shirt.

"No, but it will be hell when you have it taken off," he replied, making a horrible face at her.

She sat in the tub, the warm water feeling so wonderful as Rollie helped get the dirt off her back and poured endless pitchers of water over her head. He shampooed her hair as she smiled and washed her face. He sponged her softly as she laid back, easing herself against the back of the tub, taking short breaths as the pain darted across her chest. She shut her eyes and felt him move the sponge over her skin, her breasts and abdomen.

"I think you must have taken all the skin off my chest," she remarked, grinning as she opened her eyes, looking into his brown, mischievous ones'.

"I was admiring your attributes, guess I got carried away…" he replied.

She stood up in the bath water, looking down at the dark water leaving a ring as Rollie pulled out the plug, letting the water drain.

"You were one filthy lady," he remarked, covering her in an oversized bath towel. She smiled and laughed as she tried to climb over the tub side but Rollie swooped her up, carefully into his arms and carried her over to the bed.

"Wonderful service in this hotel!" she said, touching his biceps as he lowered her onto the bed.

They didn't talk about Michael or where he had disappeared to; nor did they talk about the movie or if they were staying now. After drying her hair, Rollie put Angie to bed and took his pills in front of her as requested, drinking two glasses of spring water just to show her he was getting his fluids.

"Now, go to sleep, love- I will catch a nap myself here," he told her, stretching out beside her, careful not to jar her in the bed.

"Yes, wonderful idea," she murmured as she placed his hand on her chest, holding it with both her hands as he felt her strong heart beating.

He moved up beside her on his side and watched her fall asleep, still clutching his hand to her breast; "I love you, Angie- you scared me to death, you hear?" he whispered softly.

Her hands slackened as she fell into a deeper sleep and he softly touched her breast, the outline of the nipple and curve of the soft flesh. He closed his eyes, kissing her shoulder and fell asleep.

**************************************************************

Michael Sanchez moved across the room slowly, softly as he did not want to wake the sleeping couple. It did matter to him that they had made it out alive. It mattered to him that Lucinda had made it out as well. He envied Rollie, sleeping next to Angie, his face pressed against her naked shoulder, his hand resting against her breast. His thoughts were of Mira and in the end, what he would do next was all for Mira. He placed a note on the bedstand next to Rollie propped up against the lamp. With a deep breath, he took a last look at them and walked out. He made his way down to the bullet-infested bungalow that had been taped off by the police. Making his way inside, he pushed the door up against its frame to obscure the view inside. He made his way over to the chair by the bed and paused. The sound of a single gunshot rang out throughout the rain forest basin with the echo reverberating throughout the lodge.