Journey to the Temple

[Likesn]

I should start by acknowledging and crediting the inspiration to this story. There's an unfinished story by NoV called "The Lost City of Sneezing", which got me really into the scenario of a jungle expedition to a mysterious site. I read it again recently and started forming an idea to a story of my own. This idea took form so much faster than I expected, so I had to finish "Deja Choo" in order to start writing this story. I hope you'll enjoy this and I want to thank NoV once again for the inspiration.

Part 1:

The hour was pretty late. Not exactly the middle of the night but not a time people should be in their office, especially when said office was at the archeology department of a university. And yet, that's exactly where Alex Lopez was. Getting a P.H.D meant working long hours, but Alex was sometimes taking it too far. She was tired. Pushing her long dark hair behind her ears, she tried to focus on the screen of her computer. Just a few more emails and she'll finally be done for the day. Emails were one of the things she liked least about her job, but since she had to go over them she usually did so at the end of the day.

At first, her eyes almost skipped over one particular email from the department. She was about to delete it when she noticed one word in the title: "Colaxu". That word snapped her out of her tired trance in an instant.

"No way" she thought. "No frickin' way".

She almost finished reading the email when a knock on her office door startled her.

"Gahhh! What?! Who is it?" she called, her heart racing.

"No need to shout, Miss Lopez, it's just me" came a cold, calm voice from the other side of the door.

"Jared? Come in" Alex said, trying to calm herself.

The door opened and a man in his late 50's came in. Professor Jared Howell has been Alex's mentor for many years, He was also the man overseeing her P.H.D. and a well known persona in the academic community. Alex was surprise to see him in her office in such a late hour and even more surprised when she noticed that he was dressed like a man on his way to a very important meeting.

"Sorry about shouting" said Alex. "You just startled me, that's all. What are you doing here so late"?

"I can ask you the same question, but I already know the answer" said Jared. He was well aware of Alex's habit of reading her emails at the end of the day. "I assume you've heard the exciting news"?

"Yes, I was just about the finish reading about it when you knocked" Alex replied. "Is this for real"?

"Absolutely" said Jared. "The final bureaucratic setbacks should be removed within days".

"Maybe I should pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming" said Alex. "Local authorities made it sound like it would be impossible".

"Fortunately for us, the university has a considerable amount of resources and influence" said Jared. "That would make some impossibilities possible".

"In that case, we should start planning an expedition" said Alex. "We will have to act fast. I assume that's why you came here as soon as you heard"?

"Not exactly" Jared replied. "I came here to make sure you're aware of the news. Now that I know you are, I trust you to take it from here".

"What do you mean?" asked Alex. "We've been talking about this for years. Researching the temple of Colaxu is basically a dream coming true for us".

"For you, perhaps" said Jared. "You're the one who can benefit most from such research. It's exactly what you need to complete your P.H.D".

"But you're the one who told me about the temple in the first place" said Alex. "You're the one who always talked about the benefits of researching it and now that it can finally be done you're gonna sit this one out? I don't understand. This could be a huge career boost".

"Miss Lopez, I've established my career for many years. I hardly need more boosting" said Jared. "You, on the other hand, are only beginning to make a name for yourself. If you handle this research well your ascent could be meteoric".

"So you're telling me you won't join me in this research?" Alex asked. "You're not even a little bit curious to see the temple yourself"?

"As exciting as that might be, I have previous engagements" said Jared. "I'll be going away to an important convention in a few days".

"What convention could be more important than this? We're talking about potentially groundbreaking discoveries" said Alex.

"Conventions are the places where old-timers like me must be" said Jared. "Field expeditions are for the young. I advise you to start arranging your expedition with haste. As you've mentioned - time is of the outmost importance here. Plan your expedition well and choose your coworkers wisely".

*****

Wet.

If there was one word that could be used to describe the situation it would've been "wet".

It hasn't been raining for a few days and yet the air was still saturated with dampness. Some sort of tropical humidity rested over the jungle, much like the cloud of fog that often covered large vast of it.

Wetness has also been increasing inside Bethany's nose.

"Oh that's just great" she thought bitterly as she tried to keep her sniffles as quiet as possible "On top of everything else I'm catching a cold".

Being the junior member of the expedition, Bethany was already having a pretty hard time. She was not only the junior member because she was the youngest. The other members of the expedition were only a few years older than her. However, Bethany was the only member of the expedition who didn't have a specific role. Alex, the archeologist, was the head of the expedition and she was the one who formed it and brought them all there. Kora was a brilliant young woman expert in linguistics. Her vast knowledge in various languages, including ancient ones, was very useful for the expedition. Amy was a technological genius and they needed her expertise as they headed deeper into the jungle. That's when they also needed Kat, a long time member of many expeditions who was capable of handling the various logistical aspects of such endeavors. Bethany, an archeology student working on her masters degree, was brought mainly to assist the others, especially Alex. She's never been a part of such expedition and as they went deeper into the jungle she realized that before she could contribute something the best thing she could do would be not to interfere with the other members doing their jobs. She was a bit clumsy and that was enough to get her tired, disappointed or just plain angry looks whenever she did something clumsy near another member of the expedition. Catching a cold would be a sure way to get similar looks from the others. She hoped that she'll be able to shake it off without anyone else noticing.

TBC

[Kiwifruit]

Oooh I like where this is going! Looking forward to more!

[CantDoThisAnymore]

Great opening scene, really exciting to see where you take it.

[Motgen]

Definitely keep going with this!

[Likesn]

Part 2:

Colaxu. For years it was almost a myth. People researching the ancient civilization that once resided deep inside the jungle regarded Colaxu as the holy grail of their research. There wasn't much left of the rumored magnificent cities of the ancient civilization, cities that were built around the jungle rather than inside it. Civilizations that came later were not always peaceful ones, and some of them destroyed the cities almost completely. That's why the temple was assumed to be the missing piece needed to complete the research about the ancient civilization. The temple of Colaxu was rumored to be located deep inside the jungle, an area that had an aura of mystery surrounding it. Even people of different civilizations that came later preferred to reside far away from where the temple was supposed to be. There were many superstitions about the temple that lasted even into modern times. Thus, any attempt to get to the area where the temple was supposed to be has been met with strong opposition from the locals and their authorities.

The members of the expedition could feel that opposition whenever they encountered the locals. It wasn't very present at the airport or in the big city, but as they traveled to the rural area it became much more tangible. Before they started the actual journey into the jungle they stopped at a village to get supplies. The village was located right next to the jungle and it seemed that all the people in it knew exactly what the group of five foreign women came there to do. Bethany felt very uncomfortable when people stared at her. The children were mostly curious, having never seen foreigners before, and the women looked worried. It was the men that made Bethany feel most uncomfortable. Some of them, especially young ones, looked downright angry.

"What's with the people here?" Bethany asked Alex. "They're making me feel nervous. We're only here to do some research".

"They're superstitious" said Alex. "They fear we might disturb or anger any supernatural forces connected with the temple".

"It's not just that" said Kat. "From what I heard, women were never allowed near the temple, not to mention inside it".

"Great" Alex sighed tiredly. "As if we don't have enough to deal with already, now we have to add classic misogyny to the list".

"Don't worry - I have means to make sure they'll stay out of our way" said Kat.

Alex knew exactly what "means" Kat was referring to. She would've preferred it if Kat didn't carry a gun, but Kat made it very clear to her that she won't be joining the expedition without it. Alex had to live with that, since Kat turned out to be crucial to the expedition right from the start. Her ability to haggle with the locals, even though she only partially spoke their language, was impressive. She managed to get them a lot of high-quality equipment, including an old vehicle which they could use to travel deep into the jungle. However, the vehicle could only get them so far and they had to make the last stage of their journey on foot.

"Judging by the maps, it should be a 3-4 day journey to where the temple is supposed to be" Kat said when she parked the vehicle at the point beyond which they were no longer able to use it. The expedition then started unpacking the equipment and getting ready to travel on foot.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked Kat when she saw her messing with the fuel tank.

"Draining the tank" Kat replied as she used a tube to empty the tank into a jerrycan she was holding.

"I can see that" said Alex. "The question is why"?

"If we leave it here with fuel still in the tank, you might as well leave the keys in the ignition" said Kat.

"Are you serious? You think someone is gonna steal the vehicle?" asked Alex.

"Did you happen to look around while I drove us here?" Kat replied with a question of her own.

"I didn't see any car-stealing monkeys in the trees, if that's what your talking about" Alex said jokingly.

"You also didn't see signs of other vehicles around didn't you? Well I did" said Kat. "The signs could be a few weeks old or a few days old, but if someone finds the vehicle here with fuel still in the tank we'll have to make it back to the village on foot and we're not prepared for that".

"So now we're gonna carry a fuel jerrycan with us on top of all the other equipment?" asked Alex.

"Relax - I'll carry it" said Kat.

"We're ready to go" said Kora.

"Oh shoot!" Bethany called. "My phone's got no signal".

"Mine too" said Kora.

"I've heard that technology doesn't work very well in these parts of the jungle. Guess that must be true" said Kat. "Locals say that it's because of supernatural powers connected to the temple, blah blah blah".

"Or maybe it's because we're so deep inside the jungle" said Alex. "Anyway, that's what Amy is for".

"Don't worry you guys - I got your back" said Amy.

*****

They've been walking in the jungle for a few hours when Bethany noticed she was coming down with a cold.

It wasn't very surprising. The flight was only a few days earlier and Bethany often got sick after flights. Something about the low temperature in airplanes combined with so many people inside them was something her immune system had a hard time dealing with. The stress of the expedition didn't help.

"*sniffle* her nose was starting to run, but she didn't want to blow it. There was no need to let the others know something might be wrong with her.

As they continued to walk she would often sniffle or wipe her nose with the back of her hand, trying to deal with the growing wetness inside it. She longed for the touch of a soft tissue around her nostrils. It got even worse when a tickle started building up inside her nose.

"I can't sneeze" she thought. Her sneezes weren't particularly loud, but the jungle was pretty quiet and she knew that if she sneeze it would immediately draw the others' attention.

"Hih" a soft breath hitched out of her lips. No one noticed, but she knew she won't be able to hold her sneezes in for long.

"We should camp for the night soon" Alex told Kat. "It's getting dark".

"Alright" said Kat. "Let me just find a good place for"

"Ha Ishoo!" Bethany hoped that her sneeze would be masked by the conversation. It didn't happen. The others turned around to look at her.

"Bless you" Amy told her.

"You alright?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, I'b fide" Bethany replied and sniffled.

"Don't tell me you're getting allergic now as well" said Kat. "I don't have enough pills".

Amy, Kora and Alex all had allergies. Kat managed to get them a supply of medicine, but not enough split between four people.

"Do" said Bethany. "Really *sniffle* I'b Ishoo! fide".

"You're not getting sick, are you?" asked Kora. "We can't have that".

"Guys come on - leave her alone" said Alex. "Let's focus on finding a place to camp".

They continued walking for a while until they found a place to camp for the night. Bethany used that time to finally blow her nose. It felt good, but her nose filled back up almost immediately after. By the time they camped it was clear that Bethany had a cold. Amy would sometimes ask Bethany how she was doing, but the other three kept their distance.

"Ha Ishoo, Hi Ishoo!" Bethany sneezed by the campfire that evening.

"Bless you" Amy told her. "Here - I got you more tissues from Kat. I can see you're running out".

"Thadks Aby" Bethany said and blew her nose wetly.

"Hey Amy - why don't you go and see if there's anything you can help Kat with?" Alex said as she sat down by the campfire.

"Right away" said Amy. She already did that earlier, but she figured Alex must've had a reason to tell her that.

"How are you holding out?" Alex asked Bethany.

"I'b Ishoo! O.K." Bethany replied. "Sorry I got sick".

"Don't be silly" said Alex. "It's not your fault".

"I should've beed bore careful" Bethany said and sniffled. "The others bust hate be right dow".

"Nobody hates you" said Alex.

"You will if I keep Ha Ishoo! sdeezig all the tibe" said Bethany.

"Listen - if it wasn't for the pills Kat got us I would've been sneezing a whole lot more than you are right now" said Alex.

"Your allergies are *sniffle* that bad?" asked Bethany.

"Terrible" Alex replied. "And don't tell anyone, but my sneezes are much more distracting than yours".

"I wod't say a word, I Hi Ishoo! probise" said Bethany.

"Good" said Alex. "Now go to bed. Try to sleep this cold off".

TBC

[Kiwifruit]

Nice scenario! Good luck to the group, they're doomed to all fall prey to the sickness haha

[Likesn]

Part 3:

The following morning, Alex woke up before the others. It was still pretty dark when she got out of her tent and walked to the edge of the area where they camped. She liked the opportunity to have a moment of peace by herself in the middle of such a stressful expedition. The jungle itself seemed to be somewhat sleepy. Alex heard nothing but faint sounds of insects or maybe small animals. And yet, something felt off. As she stood there, breathing the cool morning air, she felt strange, as if she was being watched. The possibility that an animal might be watching her from the bushes did occur to her, but the feeling was different. She felt like she was being watched by something, or someone, with much more... consciousness, for lack of a better word. Trying to calm herself, she took a deep breath. This action reminded her that she better take her allergy medicine or the others might find themselves waking up to the sound of her sneezes.

"Ha Ishoo!" the sound of a sneeze did echo through the jungle, but it was Bethany's. The sick young woman herself emerged from her tent a few minutes later. She was sniffling and her nose was bright pink.

"Morning, Bethany" Alex told her. "Did you sleep well"?

"*sniffle* Dot really" Bethany replied. "Ih Shoo, Hi Ishoo!" her sneezes weren't very loud, but in the quiet early morning around them they seemed to be amplified to the level of screaming.

"I'm up, I'm up. You don't have to shout" a grumpy Kora said as she tiredly got out of her tent.

"I wasd't shoutig *sniffle* I just sIshoo! sdeezed" said Bethany.

"That cold still bothering you, huh? Poor Bethany" Amy said as she got out of her tent and stretched.

"It's just a cold *sniffle* I'll be fide" said Bethany.

"Good" said Kat. "Since everyone's awake now, we better pack our stuff and get going soon".

"Kat's right" said Alex. "If we start walking early we might"

But she never got a chance to finish her sentence. A weird noise was heard from one of the trees above them, like something was crawling very quickly through the treetop. Then, something fell down from the tree and landed straight on Bethany's tent. Bethany screamed, but Alex moved closer to the tent.

"Be careful" Kat told her.

Alex knelt down next to the tent and took a closer look at the object that laid on top of it.

"What is it?" Bethany asked, still startled.

"It looks like some sort of fruit" Alex replied.

"Breakfast?" Amy suggested with a smile.

"That's not funny" Kat told her.

"It really isn't" said Alex. "I think the tent is ruined. We're very lucky that Bethany wasn't inside it when it happened".

"By tedt is ruided?" Bethany looked like she was about to cry.

"Don't worry - we can share my tent" said Amy. "It should be big enough for both of us".

"Thadk you so buch Ha Ishoo! Aby" said Bethany.

"Are you sure about this, Amy? You might not want to share a tent with someone who's sick" said Kora.

"Well, I can't just let Bethany sleep without a tent, especially not when she's sick" said Amy.

"Kora, don't be ridiculous" said Alex. "We're all in this together, so we should support each other. Amy, you did good".

"This should be a lesson to us all" said Kat. "Be careful where you place your tents".

"Alright, no need to discuss this any further" said Alex. "Let's get ready to go".

And so they set out once more into the jungle, hoping to be on the right way to the temple.

TBC

[Likesn]

Part 4:

It was raining for most of their second day in the jungle. Kora, Amy and Alex were somewhat grateful for that, since it cleared the air of all the pollen that might've triggered their allergies. Bethany, however, was miserable.

"Ishoo, Ishoo, Ishoo, Ha Ishoo!" she sneezed as they walked in the rain.

"Bless you, Bethany" Amy told her. "You sound like me when the pollen-count is high".

"I'b so tired of sdeezig" Bethany said and sniffled. "I wish I could be id a wrab bed right dow".

"We all do" said Kora. It was clear that she meant that in more than one meaning.

"This raid is bakig be feel eved worse" said Bethany.

"The real problem with the rain is that it's slowing us down" said Alex. "Kat - how are we doing"?

"According to the maps, we're on the right way" Kat replied. "The temple shouldn't be more than two days away from us".

Just then, they heard a loud cracking noise.

"What was that?" Amy asked.

"It seemed to be coming from up ahead" said Alex. "I'll go check it out".

"Do you want me to come with you?" Kat suggested. "It could be dangerous".

"Thanks, but I'll manage" Alex replied. "You should stay here and make sure the others are safe".

Alex then went ahead and returned a few minutes later.

"Looks like there's a fallen tree blocking our way" she informed the others. "We'll have to find an alternate path".

"That's just great" Kat said, frustrated. "Are you sure we can't go over or around it"?

"Sadly, I'm sure" Alex replied. "It's a pretty massive tree".

"Wow, first a fallen fruit and then a fallen tree? It's almost as if the jungle itself doesn't want us to get to the temple" said Amy.

"Dod't say stuff like that" said Bethany.

"Bethany - relax. Things fall in the jungle all the time" said Alex. "Let's leave the superstitions to the locals".

*****

Finding an alternate path took a while, but by nightfall they still managed to go through a considerable portion of the way, as well as find a good place to camp. The rain had stopped during the afternoon, but it was still hard for them to make a campfire. Thus, they decided to hang their wet clothes up to dry inside their tents and call it an early night. After what happened that morning, they were all very careful with the location of their tents.

Alex changed into some dry clothes and was ready to go to sleep when she heard a conversation from a nearby tent. It was Amy's tent, which she shared with Bethany after the sick girl's tent was ruined that morning.

"Hi Umpsh, Hi Umpsh!" went Bethany.

"Stop doing that. You'll hurt yourself" Amy told her.

"I just dod't wadt to Ishoo! sdeeze idside the tedt" said Bethany.

"You can't help it, you're sick" said Amy.

"Still *sniffle* I dod't wadt to gross you out add I defiditely dod't wadt to get you sick" said Bethany.

"Don't worry about grossing me out" said Amy. "I'm a total snot factory when my allergies act up".

"Ha Ishoo! *sniffle* Ugh *sniffle* I thidk by cold got worse after walkig id the raid all day" said Bethany.

"Yeah, no way that was good for your cold" said Amy. "We should go to sleep. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning".

"I really Hi Ishoo! hope so" said Bethany.

Alex then went to sleep as well.

TBC

[Engmanny]

Love how this story is developing 👏

[Likesn]

Part 5:

"Ye Tshoo!" the sound of a loud sneeze sent a flock of birds flying from the trees on top of which they were sleeping. It also woke Alex up.

Getting out of her tent and stretching, Alex saw Bethany blowing her nose.

"Bless you" she told her.

"I did't sdeeze" said Bethany.

The question on Alex's mind was answered a moment later, when Amy got out of the tent she shared with Bethany.

"Ya Tshoo!" she sneezed wetly into her hands.

"Is there any chance that's just your allergies acting up?" Alex asked Amy without much hope.

"Dot likely" Amy replied and sniffled. "It looks like I'b catchig your cold, Bethady".

"That's what I was Ha Ishoo, Hi Ishoo! afraid of" said Bethany. "I'b really sorry *sniffle* Aby".

"Oh that's just rich" Kora said as she got out of her tent. "Now we have to deal with the two of you being sick"?

"It's not you that's going to deal with that, they are" Alex told her.

"Yeah *sniffle* add you dod't have to be so adgry about it" Amy told Kora. "It's dot like we Ye Tshoo! got sick od purpose".

"Sorry, but kora has a point" Kat said as she joined the others. She looked like she'd been awake for some time and ready to go. "One person being sick is something we could've handled without losing too much time, but two sick people are really gonna slow us down".

"I don't see why" said Alex. "It's just a cold, they're not too sick to walk".

"Ha I Shoo!" "Ya Tshoo!" Bethany and Amy sneezed simultaneously.

"At least I think so..." Alex added.

*****

Judging by the maps they had, the expedition was about two days away from the supposed location of the temple. There were no rainclouds in the sky when they started walking and the weather seemed warmer than it was the previous day. That made them all feel a bit better, especially Bethany and Amy. As the day went on, they started noticing large amounts of what looked like some yellow pollen floating in the air around them. They weren't sure where it came from, but Alex guessed the source was some sort of tropical flowers blooming at the top of the trees, out of sight for the people walking below. Luckily for Alex, the pollen didn't seem to trigger her allergies. Amy was already sneezing because of her worsening cold, so she wasn't particularly worried about the pollen. The problem was Kora.

"He Tshoosh! Ugh! * cough cough* What kidd of dabd pladts grow id this dabd judgle? Hie Tshoosh! I cad't be the odly ode bothered by this" Kora complained through swollen sinuses. She was sneezing, coughing and wheezing so often that she had a very hard time breathing at all.

"Dot you want another pill?" Kat suggested.

"It wod't help" Kora said and blew her nose loudly. "Whatever polled is id the air *sniffle* it's He A Tshoosh! strodger thad adythig I've ever seed".

"Bust be sobe kidd of tropical polled Ye Tshoo! different thad the ode we're used to back hobe" said Amy.

"So it's gettig to you as well, Aby?" Kora asked.

"Do Ha Ya Tshoo! Just the cold" Amy replied. The loud sneezes from both her and Kora were scaring wild animals within a two-mile radius.

"I'm actually surprised it's not getting to me at all" said Alex.

"Ishoo, Ha Ishoo! Kdock od wood" Bethany said, knocking three times on the bark of a nearby tree.

"Stop that" Alex told her. "You know that I think about superstitions".

"Sorry" Bethany said and sniffled. "It's just that we've beed dealig with so buch bad luck these past few days, so I'b willig to try adythig that bight help".

"We're just dealing with some setbacks, that's all" said Alex. "We are getting closer to the temple, aren't we?" she asked Kat.

"Very slowly, but I think so" Kat replied.

"Then that's what's important". said Alex.

"Haaa Tshoosh, Hue Tshoosh! Cad we please *cough* bove alodg? I dod't kdow how buch lodger I cad keep walkig with all this polled aroudd" said Kora. She was struggling to breath and had to stop often as they walked.

The yellow pollen continued to float around them as they walked. By the afternoon, Kora's allergies got so bad Kat and Alex had to help her walk. As the sun was setting they started looking for a place to camp. They found a place near a wide stream that didn't have a lot of trees around and decided to camp there and cross the stream the next day.

"Cad you help be get to the streab" Kora asked Alex and Kat. "I deed to wash by face frob all this *cough cough* polled.

Kat and Alex supported Kora and together they got to the bank of the stream.

"Hua TshooEsh!" Kora let out a strong sneeze. She lost her balance and tripped. Since she was still holding on to Alex and Kat, she knocked all three of them right into the stream.

"Oh that's just great" Kat said as the three of them got out of the stream, dripping wet.

"Yeah, that wasn't exactly the hot shower I had in mind" said Alex. The water in the stream were pretty cold and the three of them shivered a bit.

"I'm so sorry" said Kora. "On the bright side: I think the water cleared my sinuses".

"That's good" said Alex. "Let's hope there won't be so much pollen on the other side of the stream, because I don't think we can keep carrying you".

"Let's light a campfire so we could dry up" said Kat. "If we're lucky, we should at least be able to see the temple sometime tomorrow".

TBC

Edited February 20, 2022 by Likesn

[Chiguy]

Great story, Likesn!

Looking forward to that pollen doing its fine work.

😁

[Likesn]

Part 6:

The following day brought good news and bad news. The good news was that they all noticed the pollen count wasn't very high on the other side of the stream. The bad news was that it didn't really matter a lot.

"Haaa Haaa Hoa Tshoooooooooooooooooo!" Alex bent double with a strong sneeze. After spending a few days next to sick Bethany (and one of them next to sick Amy as well), falling into the cold stream seemed to be the final straw for Alex's immune system. It had the same effect on Kora and Kat.

"I'b sorry you Hue Tshoosh, Ha TshooEsh! got sick because of be" Kora told Alex.

"It wasd't your fault" said Alex. She took a tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose wetly for about a minute. The cold made her nose sensitive, so while the pollen count was lower than the previous day it was now bothering her like it didn't do then.

"You're right *sniffle* it was by fault Ha Ishoo, Ishoo, Haa I Shoo!" sneezed Bethany.

"Ha Ye Tshoo! Bide too" said Amy.

"We should just keep goig add dot dwell od that" said Kat. "The four of you are sick add we're just godda have to He Rashoo! deal with it".

"Whed are you godda adbit that you're Ya Tshoo! sick too?" Amy asked her.

"I dod't Ra Shoo! get sick *sniffle* Aby" said Kat. "This stradge polled is just botherig by dose today".

"Thed why did't it Haa Tshoosh! bother you He Tshoosh! yesterday?" asked Kora.

"How the hell should I kdow?! I'b dot ad expert od polled" Kora said angrily before giving her nose a gurgling blow.

"Kat's right about ode thig though - we better just keep goig" said Alex.

She tried to lead by example, but after less than a minute she had to stop again.

"He Aaaaaaaaaaaa Tshoooooooooooooooo!" another sneezed bent her double. Her sneezes were so strong that she had to stop almost every time she sneezed, fearing that she might fall over.

"Sheesh *sniffle* you wered't kiddig whed you told be about your sdeezes the other day" Bethany told Alex quietly some time later.

"Yup" Alex said and sniffled. "That's what I'b like durig allergy seasod if I dod't take by beds".

"I hope we have edough beds for you, Aby add Kora" said Bethany.

"We should be alright *sniffle* Kat brought a big supply of pills" said Alex. "It's the tissues I'b bore worried about".

"Sorry I *sniffle* used so bady of theb" said Bethany.

"You did't have a choice" said Alex. "Let's just hope we'll get to that tebple before we'll have to start blowig our doses with leaves".

On that front, the day brought some more good news. A little after lunchtime, Amy pointed ahead and said "Look". The others did. Over the top of the trees, an old building could clearly be seen on top of a hill.

"That's it!" Alex called. "That has to be the Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa Tshooooooooooooo! tebple"!

"Thadk god" said Kora. "I'b so tired".

"Try to hold od just a little lodger" Kat told her. "If we pick up our pace we should be able to set cabp at the foot of the tebple".

As tired as they all were, that statement made them go faster. It was almost completely dark by the time they got to the bottom of the hill the temple was on. They set up camp as quickly as they could and went to bed early, looking forward to exploring the temple the next day.

*****

"Hoa TshooAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Alex woke up to a loud, messy sneeze that echoed all around.

"Bless you" came the voices from the other tents. Her sneeze clearly woke the others up as well.

Sniffling and blowing their red noses, the girls got out of their tents. Alex, Amy and Kora rubbed their itchy eyes and they all looked at the temple.

"It's buch bore ibpressive id the daylight" said Bethany.

"Yeah *sniffle* that's ode hell of a tebple" said Kat.

"Let's have sobe breakfast add thed we cad start explorig it" said Alex.

After breakfast, Amy stayed at the camp to rest and watch over their equipment while the others climbed up the hill to the temple.

"Ha Tshoosh, Hie Tshoosh, He TshooEsh! It's so dusty id here" Kora said when they entered the temple.

"Well what did you expect? This place is huddreds of years old" said Alex. "It's also bigger thad it looks od the outside".

"What do you bead?" asked Bethany.

"This is just the top floor" Alex replied. "See those stairs? This tebple bust be goig dowd deep idto the hill".

"Lots of roobs for us to explore thed" said Bethany.

"That's right He Umptsh, Ha UmptshA!" Alex cupped both hands to her face to stifle two sneezes. That left a wet mess on her hands.

"You should't stifle your sdeeze" Kora told her. "You bight hurt yourself".

"I kdow *sniffle* but this place is so quiet add by sdeezes are so loud" said Alex.

"Do you have ady idea what you bight fidd id here?" Kat asked.

"Hopefully, sobe evidedce that would she light od what life was like for the adciedt judgle civilizatiod" Alex replied. "I expect bost of the roobs will be related to religious rituals. There bight be tobbs od the lower levels".

"Tobbs?" Bethany shuddered and clearly it wasn't just because of her cold.

"Dod't worry Bethady - the dead cad't hurt you" said Alex.

"Hu Resha!" Kat's sneeze made the other three jump. "Sorry" she said and sniffled.

"Before we start explorig the roobs, let's check the flashlights Aby bade for us" said Alex.

"That's sobe strodg light" Kat said after they checked the flashlights. "Aby really kdows what she's doig".

"Which is why I chose her for this expeditiod" said Alex. "Dow let's turd the flashlights off. We're probably godda deed theb later".

They then started exploring the rooms of the top floor. Some of the rooms were empty. Others had some tools in them, which Alex assumed have been used for various religious rituals. The first major revelation was in the main chamber of the floor. That chamber had writings on the walls.

"Cad you read that?" Alex asked Kora.

"Let be try" said Kora. She took a flashlight and examined the writings more closely.

"It's coded" she told the others after a while. "I cad read the letters, but I deed ad edcryptiod key id order for what I read to bake sedse".

"Where cad we fidd such key?" asked Kat.

"I bet we cad fidd it sobewhere id the tebple" said Alex. "By guess is that it would be writted od a stode plate".

"You bead like the Rosetta Stode?" Bethany asked.

"Sobethig like that" Alex replied.

"If there are tobbs id here *sniffle* baybe that's where we'll fidd the key" Kat suggested. "It would bake sedse for theb to keep the key buried dext to theb, especially id a place like a tebple".

"That's sobe great deductiod, Kat" said Alex. "Baybe you should codsider beig ad archeologist as well".

"Do thadks" said Kat. "I'b bore idterested id the presedt thad the past".

"Ishoo! *sniffle* Sorry *sniffle* Dust" said Bethany.

"Baybe we should take a break" Kora suggested. "Let's go outside add have ludch or sobethig".

"I'd like that" Bethany said and blew her nose. "This place is so chilly".

"Good idea" said Alex.

"Hoa Tshoooooooooooooooooooooo!" the bright sunlight caused Alex to sneeze when they got out of the temple. She had to hold on to Bethany to prevent herself from falling over.

"Hue Tshoosh, He TshooEsh!" Kora sneezed as well. "I thidk by allergy beds are startig to wear off" she said.

"Bide too" Alex said and sniffled. "You three stay here add I'll go get us sobe bore frob cabp, as well as sobethig to eat".

"Ye Tshoo!" Alex heard Amy sneezing in her tent when she returned to camp.

"How are you feelig, Aby?" she asked her when she stuck her head inside the tent and saw her blowing her nose.

"A little better, I thidk" Amy replied. "I slept for bost of the tibe".

"That's good" said Alex. "I deed sobe bore of Kat's pills. Kora add I are startig to get allergies agaid".

"It bust be hard, what with the cold od top of the allergies" said Amy.

"You should kdow" Alex said and blew her nose.

"Yeah, you're right" said Amy. "That's stradge" she said after looking for allergy pills. "I could've sword we had bore".

"How bady did you take?" asked Alex.

"Ode or two. The sabe as I always do" Amy replied.

"Baybe you got codfused because you're sick add tired" Alex suggested.

"I dod't kdow *sniffle* baybe" said Amy. "Adyway, we dod't have bady pills left, so use theb wisely".

Alex took a handful of pills, grabbed some sandwiches they made that morning and headed back up the hill.

TBC

[Saimou]

I’m loving this so far; and Alex’s sneezes are impressive .

[Anonymace]

You're spoiling us, Likesn! I always love your works so much dfuhcbgxjdhd honestly ;-; 

I've been lurking in the forum for about 3-4 years (yay for a new wave of members!!! that's me!) and I always always always read your threads ❤️ It's so cool to see how much your writing has improved over the years (not that it was bad to begin with! I just mean you've gotten even better with plot and characters and pacing), and it's awesome to finally be able to tell you!

Anyways, looking forward to the next part, as always 😊 Take your time though! I don't mean to pressure you or anything

[Moose]

Im loving all the different causes, super fun to read! 😊 

[Likesn]

On 3/2/2022 at 10:11 AM, Anonymace said:

You're spoiling us, Likesn! I always love your works so much dfuhcbgxjdhd honestly ;-; 

I've been lurking in the forum for about 3-4 years (yay for a new wave of members!!! that's me!) and I always always always read your threads ❤️ It's so cool to see how much your writing has improved over the years (not that it was bad to begin with! I just mean you've gotten even better with plot and characters and pacing), and it's awesome to finally be able to tell you!

Anyways, looking forward to the next part, as always 😊 Take your time though! I don't mean to pressure you or anything

Oh wow, thanks! It's always nice to know your work is appreciated 😃 And you're right: I do feel that my writing has improved through the years. Experience is meaningful. That would be my advice to aspiring writers - just start writing. Who knows? Maybe in the future people will be inspired by your works in a similar way (that is if you decide you want to write stuff as well, no pressure 😉).

[Likesn]

And that last comment wasn't just to tease you lot.  Here's the next part:

Part 7:

After they had lunch, Alex, Kora, Kat and Bethany explored the second floor of the temple. It was very similar to the first floor, but in this one there were several rooms with writings on the walls. The encryption key, however, wasn't found in that floor either. Judging by the light coming from a few small windows in the walls, they could tell that it was getting dark by the time they finished exploring the floor. Alex suggested that they go back to camp and explore the rest of the temple the next day. Her assumption was that there should by one more floor for them to explore and that the encryption key should be there.

That night, Alex had trouble sleeping. The falling asleep part was easy, since she was very tired, but once she fell asleep she found herself having some pretty strange dreams. This was not something that she was used to, since she normally didn't dream at all. Strange unknown characters went in and out of her dreams and she had trouble figuring out what was going on. The only constant was her sensation that there was an ominous presence nearby.

"Ha Haaaaaaaaaaaa Tshoooooooooooooooooooo!" a gigantic sneeze woke her up. Looking around her tent, she noticed that it was still dark, probably the middle of the night. It was quiet all around and she hoped she didn't wake any of the others. After blowing her nose thoroughly, she went back to sleep.

The following day, it was Bethany who decided to stay in camp while the others climbed up to the temple. She said that it was because she wasn't feeling well, but Alex knew that she was afraid of finding tombs.

"She won't make it far as an archeologist unless she finds a way to get over her fear of tombs" Alex thought.

As they climbed up the hill, they noticed that the pollen count was high that day. They left their dwindling supply of allergy meds down in the camp, knowing that Bethany won't be needing it and thus won't take any of it.

"Ha TshooEsh! Ugh! *sniffle* This cobbidatiod of allergies add a cold is really doig a dubber od by dose" said Kora.

Alex knew just what she meant. She only took one pill that morning and her nose felt like it was on fire.

"He Rashoo! It's rough eved if it's just allergies" said Kat. "Whatever it is that you're allergic to bust be gettig to be as well". She still refused to admit that she had a cold and the others gave up on arguing with her.

Their allergies calmed down a bit when they were inside the temple.

"This place is really cool Ya Tshoo!" Amy said and sneezed. "Udfortudately *sniffle* I dod't thidk it's doig by cold ady good to be here".

"Would you rather Hie Tshoosh! deal with your allergies outside?" asked Kora.

"Actually *sniffle* before we wedt id I saw ad observatory" said Amy. "It should be a good place to test sobe of by gear".

"Thed you should go do that" said Alex. "We'll be fide id here".

Amy then went to the observatory while the other three went down to the third and final floor.

"Whoa! This floor is huge!" Kora exclaimed. "Haa Tshoosh! Excuse be" she apologized as her sneeze echoed through the silence of the floor.

"Sidce this is the base of the tebple, it bakes sedse that it's this big" said Alex.

"So this is where we'll fidd the tobbs?" asked Kat.

"It has to be *sniffle* add hopefully we'll fidd the edcryptiod key idside ode of theb" Alex replied.

*****

"Ye Tshoo!" Amy sneezed, sniffled and blew her nose. While she liked being outside, where it was warmer, her allergies were bothering her.

After she finished making sure that all of her equipment was working properly, she decided to have a look around. She was in an observatory after all. Using her advanced binoculars, she scoured the area and looked for something interesting. She saw miles and miles of jungle all around, which was pretty disappointing. Then, she noticed something different. At first she thought it was just light coming from the sun, but after taking a closer look she noticed something in the trees. it was coming from somewhere about an hours walk from the hill they were on. She used the zoom-in function of her special binoculars to take a closer look. What she saw made her get her stuff and rush back into the temple to find her friends.

*****

"Ha Ishoo, Ishoo, Hi Ishoo, Ishoo!" even though Bethany wasn't suffering from allergies, her cold seemed to be worse that day.

She blew her nose and sighed. With all the others up in the temple, she was bored. Most of all she was tired. After days of walking through the jungle with a cold, she felt exhausted. Sitting there all by herself, all she wanted to do was sleep. She knew that she probably should've gone to the temple as well, but the thought of finding tombs was too much for her at that point. Even down in the camp, Bethany had a bad feeling that had nothing to do with her cold. There was a feeling like something was lurking somewhere, something bad. Every now and then she though she heard a noise, but when she looked out of the tent she saw nothing. Her eyes were starting to get heavy and even what looked like an ominous shadow on the wall of the tent couldn't stop her from eventually falling asleep.

*****

"Hoa Tshooooooooooooooooooooooo! Ugh! I wish there wasd't so buch dust id here" said Alex.

The rooms in the bottom floor were huge, but the ones they explored were mostly empty. They didn't find any tombs, not to mention the encryption key, just a lot of dust. This made Alex very frustrated.

"Hey Alex He Tshoosh! You better cobe see this" Kora called.

Alex joined her and found herself standing inside a large hall, one that had writings on the walls.

"That's all very well, but it's still dot buch use to us without the edcryptiod key" said Alex.

"Do look, look at the walls" Kora said excitedly.

"I see the writigs, Kora, but I told you it wod't.... oh... dow I see it" Alex said when she noticed what Kora was pointing at. Soft light was coming into the room through an elaborate system of openings in the walls, which made it easier for them to see the writings.

"This place bust be Hu Resha! ibportadt" said Kat.

"Kat? Alex? Is adyode dowd there?" they heard Amy calling from upstairs.

"Yes Aby, we're dowd here" Alex called back.

Amy soon joined them. She seemed out of breath.

"What's the batter?" Alex asked her.

"Whed I was id the observatory, I used by bidoculars to look aroudd add I saw sobethig that caught by eye" said Amy. "At first I wasd't sure what it was, but thed I took a closer look add dow I'b sure - there's a cabp dearby".

"You bead adother cabp? Other thad ours?" Kat asked.

"Exactly" Amy replied. "It's about ad hour walk frob our cabp add it looks like there are people id there".

"Did you see who those people are?" asked Alex.

"Do" Amy replied. "By bidoculars cad odly zoob-id so buch".

"That's bad dews either way" said Kat. "There shouldd't be other people aroudd. I'b sure they're up to do good".

"As buch as I dislike your pessibisb *sniffle* I have to Heaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Tshooooooooooooooooooooooo! agree" said Alex.

"I better try add get a closer look at that cabp" said Kat. "Aby, cad I borrow your bidoculars"?

"Ha Ya Tshoo! Of course" Amy replied.

"He Haa Tshoosh! I'll go with you, Kat" said Kora. "I have to get back to cabp add take adother allergy pill".

"Thed I'll stay here with Alex" said Amy.

*****

"Hi Impsh, Impsh!" two wet sneezes woke Bethany up.

The first thing she noticed was that something muffled her sneezes, causing them to cover her face with snot.

The second thing she noticed was that the thing that muffled her sneezes was some sort of bandana covering her mouth and nose.

When she tried to take the bandana off her face she noticed a third thing - her arms and legs were tied.

She tried to call for help but the bandana was gagging her.

Bethany realized that she was alone and helpless.

*****

"Hu Rashoo!" Kat sneezed as she and Kora were making their way up the temple. They were on the first floor.

"Bless you K... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!" Kora screamed as she fell forward. Kat looked down and saw a hole where a moment earlier was just floor. Kora fell into that hole and was unable to climb out.

"Booby trap" said Kat. "I should've doticed it if by head wasd't so full of sdot".

"How cobe we did't trigger it whed we were here before?" Kora asked from inside the hole.

"Baybe we were lucky *sniffle* or baybe sobeode had to activate it rebotely" Kat replied. "Are you hurt"?

"Do *sniffle* but please hurry up add get by out of here. Tight spaces bake be really dervous" said Kora.

"Dod't worry - I got a rope back id cabp" said Kat. "I'll get you out of there id do tibe".

Carefully, Kat made her way out of the temple. She felt relieved when she got out, until something fell on her from above.

*****

"Who do you thidk the people id the other cabp are?" Amy asked Alex. They moved into another room, which was smaller and didn't have the elaborate openings system of the great hall.

"I have do idea" Alex replied.

"But you still thidk they're Ye Tshoo! up to do good" said Amy.

"Sadly, I do" said Alex. "I just cad't thidk of ady other reasod for theb to be here".

"Wait, did you hear that?" Amy asked suddenly.

"Hear what Hoa Tshoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" sneezed Alex.

"Well, we wod't be able to hear adythig with those sdeeze of yours" said Amy.

Alex wanted to tell her something about it, but at that moment the both heard a noise. It was coming from the doors. They tried to go back into the hall but found out that the door somehow got locked from outside and they couldn't open it. The door to the next room was locked as well.

"We're stuck id here" said Alex.

TBC

[Likesn]

I must admit - I was expecting at least a few comments after the cliffhanger of the last part, but since when do I get what I want, eh? 🤷‍♂️ Anyway, I hope you're all ready for the last part of this story:

Part 8:

"Ya Tshoo! Ugh! *sniffle* It's bad edough to be stuck id here sick *sniffle* but why does this place has to be so dusty?" Amy complained and wiped her nose.

"I'b bore worried that we bight turd idto dust ourselves before adyode gets us out of here" said Alex.

"I hope the others are alright" said Amy. "The persod that locked us here bust have sobe terrible stuff pladded for theb as well".

"That's what I'b afraid of" said Alex.

"Well *sniffle* at least Kat is with theb" said Amy. "She'd keep theb safe *sniffle* right"?

*****

"Ho Ra Sha!" Kat let out a bellowing sneeze.

She was trapped under a heavy net, which kept her pinned to the ground.

"Argh!" she growled as she tried to break free. It was no use.

Her pocket knife was left down in camp. She lent it to Bethany that morning.

"Just id case sobethig happeds" were the words she told Bethany.

The thing Kat was most worried about was not the fact that she was trapped, but the person who trapped her. She couldn't quite see who it was, but after the net fell on her she saw someone running into the temple. Her friends were still in there and she feared that person might harm them. Then she remembered something else she saw when that person went into the temple. It seemed that person was carrying a big knife. That though only got her more worried.

A noise from another direction snapped Kat out of her thoughts. Someone was getting closer. Any moment now she'll be able to see them. Even though she was trapped, Kat tensed as if ready to attack.

*****

"O.K. Bethany, just breath" the tied up girl thought. As a matter of fact, breathing was something she struggled with at that moment.

 "I wish Kat was here" she thought. "Wait, that's it! Kat left her pocket knife in the tent somewhere. I just need to find it".

She looked across the tent and then she saw it - lying in the corner of the tent.

"Thank god whoever tied me up didn't take it" she thought.

Crawling, Bethany made her way to the knife. The next problem was how to open it.

"Hi Impshoo!" she sneezed. The bandana covering her face made the snot splatter all over her nose and mouth. That made breathing even more difficult.

"I have to get this stupid thing off my face" she thought.

Then, Bethany had an idea. She rolled over, pressed her face to the floor of the tent and waited.

"Hi Impsh, Impsh, Impshoo!" the sneezes caused a friction between her face and the floor of the tent. That friction enabled her to move the bandana just enough to free her mouth. She then used her mouth to grab the knife and switch it open with her teeth. Then, she carefully placed the knife on the floor of the tent and rubbed the rope on her hands against it. Once the rope was cut and her hands were free she cut the rope around her legs as well. She grabbed the knife, got up slowly and got out of the tent. When she got out she looked around but saw no one. She looked up towards the temple but didn't see any movement there. Still, she feared her friends might be in trouble. Now was her time to be brave.

*****

"Quiet. I thidk I heard sobethig outside" Alex told Amy.

A moment later, Amy heard it as well - someone was trying to open the door from outside.

"Stadd back" Alex whispered to Amy. "The two of us cad take theb by surprise whed they get id. We'll just have to act fast".

They waited in silence for a few moments and then they heard a clicking sound, as if someone pressed a button or a switch.

"Brace yourself" Alex said but then she felt a tickle in her nose.

"Oh no, not now" she thought.

The door opened and Amy was ready to act, but when she looked at Alex she saw that she was about to sneeze.

"Hold it id!" she tried to tell her, but it was too late.

"Hoa Tshoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Alex almost fell over from the force of the sneeze.

"Bless you" Alex looked up and saw Bethany standing in front of her. The door was open.

"Bethady! Boy, ab I glad to see you" said Alex.

"I'b glad to see you too" said Bethany. "Thadk god you add Aby are safe".

"What about the others? Are they safe as well?" Amy asked.

"Kat was trapped udder a det whed I foudd her" said Bethany. "I freed her add thed she told be Kora fell idto a booby trap. She wedt to get her rope so she could get her out of there. I foudd Kora od by way dowd add told her to wait for Kat. Did you see the persod who lockd you id here"?

"Do, we did't" Alex replied.

"Whed I freed Kat she told be she saw sobeode go idto the tebple" said Bethany. It bust be the sabe persod who tied be up add trapped Kat add Kora".

"Probably sobeode frob the other cabp, the ode I saw frob the observatory" said Amy.

"Wait *sniffle* there's adother cabp?" Bethany asked.

"We dod't have tibe to talk about it right dow" said Alex. "Bethady, do you have adythig that cad be used as a weapod"?

"Kat's pocket kdife" Bethany replied.

"Good" said Alex. "I deed you to give it to be. You add Aby go back add bake sure Kat gets Kora out of the trap".

"What would Ye Tshoo! you do?" asked Amy.

"I'b goig to fidd the persod that locked us id here" Alex replied.

"That's dadgerous!" Bethany called. "kat told be she thidks that persod has a kdife".

"Well, dow so do I" said Alex.

"But what if bore people cobe?" asked Bethany.

"That's why I'b seddig you two back up" said Alex. "I deed all four of you to guard the edtradce to the tebple, so do ode gets id or out".

"Are you sure you'll be O.K. by yourself? Ishoo, Hi Ishoo, Ha Ishoo!" sneezed Bethany.

"I'll be fide" said Alex. "Dow go"!

*****

It took Alex a little while, but she found another way to get into the next hall. From what she saw, that was the entrance to the tomb rooms. She made her way through some small rooms until she got to a hall that seemed to be a dead end. That hall was bigger than any other hall she saw in the temple and from what she could tell it contained a few large tombs.

"These are some fancy tombs" she thought. "They must be important, like the tombs of the elders or high priests".

The room had the same lighting system she saw in previous halls. A sudden movement caught her eye - someone was kneeling next to a large tomb in the center of the room. She heard whispers. That person seemed to be praying.

Alex quickly hid behind one of the tombs. After a few moments, she saw the person picking up a stone tablet off the floor.

"The encryption key!" she thought.

When the person got up she could see that it was a young man, probably local. He had a machete.

"Kat's knife won't do against that" Alex thought. "Good thing she has a gun as well".

Alex's plan was to follow the man back up the temple and make sure Kat disarms him at the entrance. However, her nose had different plans.

"Not again!" she thought when she felt the strong tickle in her nose.

The man started making his way out of the hall. Alex knew that he would probably pass her by and not notice her as long as she doesn't sneeze.

"Ha... Ha.." the tickle grew stronger. It was almost unbearable.

"He... Ha..." just a few moments longer.

"Ha Haaaaaaaaaaaaa Tshoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" the man was almost at the entrance to the hall when Alex sneezed.

He turned and looked towards the place where the noise came from. Alex knew he would get to her in seconds. There was only one thing left to do.

"Run!" her mind screamed. And she did.

The young man was very fast and he almost caught Alex halfway into the next room. Fortunately for her, she found some sort of vase on one of the tombs and threw it on him. By some miracle she managed not to miss him and the hit made him stop running long enough for her to escape.

Up the temple she ran, occasionally grabbing stuff she found and throwing them on the man to slow him down. Still, he was getting closer. They were almost at the top floor when she felt his hand grabbing her. Instinctively, she turned around and hit his face with her elbow. This surprise attack caused him to drop the stone tablet and the machete, but he quickly regained his senses, pushed her down on the ground and grabbed the machete.

"Drop it!" Kat called as she appeared at the entrance to the floor. She was pointing her gun at the man. He obeyed.

Alex picked the stone tabled off the floor. Thankfully, the encryption key seemed to be intact.

"Dow *sniffle* get dowd od the groudd add..." Kat started to say but then the expression on her face changed into one Alex knew all too well.

"Heh...." Kat was about to sneeze and she had trouble keeping the gun steady.

The man saw a window of opportunity. He knew the woman in front of him was about to sneeze and that he could take her out once she does.

"Hu Rea Shoooooooooooooooo!" Kat sneezed strongly and the man reached for the machete, ready to jump on her.

However, the man was so focused on Kat he forgot about Alex, who hit him in the head with the stone tablet and knocked him out.

"Dice job" Kat told Alex when she recovered from her sneeze and saw what happened.

"Let's just say you're dot the odly ode who had to sdeeze at the worst possible tibe today" said Alex. "Are the others alright"?

"They are" Kat replied. "Dow let's tie hib up add take hib back to cabp".

*****

"He Tshoosh, Ha TshooEsh, Haa Tshoosh!" the sound of Kora's sneezes woke the young man up.

"look - he's wake" Kora informed the others before blowing her nose.

"Good" Alex said and turned to the man. "Dow *sniffle* tell us who you are add what you're doig here".

"I'b dot sure he's speaks Edglish" said Kora.

"Whatever he speaks, I'b sure you add I cad figure it out" Kat told Kora.

It turned out that the young man was able to understand them, but he's English was broken and they couldn't decipher it. With Kat's limited abilities to speak with the locals and Kora's language skills they managed to figure out what he was saying. The things he told them shocked them. It turned out that he was sabotaging their journey from the moment they entered the jungle. He was the one who dropped the hard fruit on Amy's tent, the one who took a tree down to block their path and even the one responsible for the high amount of pollen they encountered the other day. He was also the one who stole some of their allergy meds and of course the one who knew about the booby traps in the temple and triggered them.

"There's ode thig I dod't get" said Kat. "If he wadted to stop us frob gettig to the tebple - why did't he just take us all out od our first dight here"?

"Add how did he Ye Tshoo! kdow that sobe of us have allergies?" asked Amy.

"Hold od He Ha TshooEsh! Let be ask" said Kora.

The man's answer to those question was the thing that shocked them most.

*****

It was almost completely dark when the young man reached the entrance to the other camp.

"Pao, you're finally back" said a voice from the camp. "What took you so long? Did you bring me the key"?

The young man stepped into the clearing, where the was still a bit of light. He was holding the stone tablet, but his hands were tied.

"What's this? What happened?" asked the man in the camp.

"Hello, Jared" Alex said as she appeared behind the young man, holding Kat's gun.

"Miss Lopez? What are you doing here? What did you do to Pao?" Jared asked, shocked.

"I thidk the bore ibportadt questiod is what are you doig here add why are you dot at the codventiod *sniffle* but we both dow there is do codventiod" said Alex. "This bad here, Pao you say? He told be everythig".

"Well, that's disappointing" said Jared.

"Ibagide how I feel thed" said Alex. "You were behidd this all alodg".

"I was also the one who told Pao not to harm any of you" said Jared. "He wanted to kill you all for violating the sanctity of the temple. I ordered him not to".

"You're also the ode who got hib here id the first place, so dod't expect a thadk you dote" said Alex. "What I dod't get is why? Why did you sedd hib to sabotage our efforts add why did you tell hib to get you the edcryptiod key? You could've just joided us".

"And share the glory of this monumental revelation with you? I think not" said Jared. "Your mission was supposed to be a failure. Sure, you'd make it to the temple, but the road there was supposed to be so harsh you'd be completely desperate by the time you do. Then, to top it all, you were supposed to search for the encryption key only to fail miserably and leave empty-handed".

"Let be guess: Your plad was to swoop id with ad expeditiod of your owd sobetime later, fidd the 'bissig' edcryptiod key add have the glory all to yourself, so you wod't have to share it with ode of your studedts?" Alex asked.

"Finally, you're starting to get it" said Jared. "Maybe you have learned something from me after all these years".

"I did study sobethig - archeology" said Alex. "Add dow the whole world would be able to better udderstadd the archeology of this place thadks to by discoveries. The world will also leard what a liar you are".

"Is that so? You have no proof of anything" said Jared. "Even if Pao was willing to testify, which he will not be, no one would believe him. It will be your word against mine and who do you think the world will believe"?

"Actually, it will be your words agaidst you" said Alex. "I'b sure you thought cellphodes dod't work here, but that's because you haved't bet by friedd Aby. Everythig you just said is recorded. Good luck disprovig that, Professor.

"So now what? You're going to shoot me" Jared asked.

"Dod't be ridiculous" said Alex. "What's goig to happed is you're goig to take Pao here add get out of by sight. I dod't ever wadt to see you agaid".

"That would be hard, if your plan involves ever returning to the university" said Jared.

"Dot so hard, sidce you wod't be returdig to the udiversity, ever" said Alex. "You'll retire frob all acadebic activity, udless you wadt be to give the recodig of this codversatiod to the press. Be add by expeditiod will fidish researchig the tedple without ady further idterruptiods".

"Very well, Miss Lopez, you won" said Jared. "Can I just have a look at the encryption key before you leave? I assume this will be my only chance to set eyes on this important archeological finding".

"You kdow what? Go ahead" said Alex. "I'b feelig gederous today".

Alex took the stone tablet from Pao and was about hand it to Jared, but then "Hoa Tshooooooooooooo!" she sneezed all over it.

"On second thought, never mind" said Jared.

***** A Few Months Later *****

The hour was pretty late. Definitely past office hours. And yet, the office is exactly where Alex was. However, this office was much bigger than her previous one. It once belonged to Professor Howell, but since his surprising decision to retire it became Alex's office. After checking her email one last time, Alex turned her laptop off and took it off the desk. Then, she placed a bowl of hot water on it, put a towel over her head, sat down and started inhaling the fumes.

"Knock knock" Alex raised her head from the bowl and saw Bethany standing in the doorway.

"Bethady? What are you doig here?" asked Alex.

"I could ask you the same question" said Bethany. "They told me you're still here, so I came to congratulate you in person".

"Codgratulate be for what? Oh *sniffle* you bead the Ha Haaa Haaaa Tshooooooooooooooo!" Alex sneezed the towel off her head.

"The fact that you just became the youngest person to get a P.H.D in archeology in the history of this university, yes" Bethany said as Alex got up to pick the towel off the floor. "Bless you, by the way. Don't tell me you're still not over the cold from the expedition? Or is it your allergies"?

"Do *sniffle* it's a cold" said Alex. "A differedt ode though. It's like the third our fourth ode I got sidce we cabe back frob the judgle".

"Well, after everything we've been through there it's not very surprising" said Bethany. "I've had a cold or two myself since then, but I was always like that".

"Which is why you were the first ode who got sick back thed" Alex said and blew her nose.

"Don't tell me you're still mad at me for that" said Bethany.

"Of course dot" said Alex. "I wasd't eved bad at you thed".

"Yeah, I know" said Bethany. "Thank you for that, by the way. Also, I came here to thank you for another thing - thanks to our work at the temple I got my M.A and I'm gonna start working on my own P.H.D soon".

"That's great dews" said Alex. "I'b very happy for you".

"Thanks. Actually, I was wondering if you might consider being my mentor for that" said Bethany.

"A bedtor? Dod't you thik I'b a little too youdg for that? Baybe you should fidd sobeode else to oversee your P.H.D" said Alex.

"Are you kidding me? After everything we've been through, there's no one else I'd rather have as my mentor" said Bethany.

"Id that case *sniffle* it would be by hodor" said Alex.

"Really? That's great! Anyway, it's getting pretty late and I don't want to keep you from... what exactly are you doing?" Bethany asked.

"Oh this? It's just sobethig by graddba suggested for treatig a cold" Alex replied. "You probably should't stay here too lodg or you bight catch it".

"That's probably true" said Bethany. "Anyway, congratulations again and thank you for agreeing to be my mentor. I can't wait to start".

"Be too" said Alex.

"Oh, and with all due respect to your grandma, maybe you should see a medical doctor about your cold, doctor Lopez" said Bethany.

"Ha Ha Ha Hoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Tshooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" she heard Alex sneezing in her office as she walked away.

The End

Much more plot than sneezes in this last part, but I think you'll agree there's been plenty of sneezes in this story overall.

[Klingon]

well written as usual Likesn!

[Anonymace]

!!! 2 whole updates since the last time I checked the forum? lucky me  really nice job as always Likesn ❤️ excited to see whatever you write next!