I had spotted several security cameras in the trees, but none of them were active. For all intensive purposes this facility appeared to be deserted. That was a good thing right?
Hopefully they'd left some merchandise behind or I might be up the creek without a paddle so to speak. I eased through the heavy fronds of some tropical giant sized plant and almost stepped on to the carcass at my feet before I realized it.
Despite how the jungle floor had already begun to digest its victim into obscurity I could tell several things. One, it hadn't been so long since the individual had been alive, maybe a little less than a year. Two, it wasn't a native, as it was much too tall and heavy of bone structure. Three, the head was missing, which likely meant that native headhunters were to blame.
I had forgotten to include headhunters in my litany of horrors. What rousing adventure into the jungle in search of something of great value, hidden in an ancient temple, would be complete without the inclusion of poison dart wielding natives cursed with the need to collect heads?
Sweat ran down off my forehead to drip burningly into my eyes at a renewed pace that had nothing to do with how much exertion I was under in the humid forest. There was no way of avoiding it. The mission was before me and I had a job to do.
I warily coasted up the mossy steps of the temple toward a pillared opening. More dead bodies lay headless around me on the stairs. It would appear that the natives had cleaned house after the Code had fallen, go them. Hopefully they were all back in their little tree huts busy feasting on whatever it was they feasted on.
I slipped inside the dark interior of the temple. I flipped my flashlight on, thankfully no scene of writhing snakes was illuminated upon the floor, but there were a few spiders. Most notable about the space though was that it was filled with metallic compartment like structures that had been fitted to take advantage of all the interior available space of the vault roofed temple.
The doors of most of the compartments were open and it looked like the natives had made a mess of things. I started at door number one and then moved on to the next. I quickly lost heart though of the chance of finding what I needed. The place was a shambles with stuff gone or in pieces everywhere.
I came to one of the few doors that was still closed. It was locked and from the looks of it the natives had beat long and hard at it. It was really a simple lock and I was surprised that their efforts hadn't been successful.