[ TT ] `` Treasure hunter ? No , I 'm more of a treasure protector . ''

The darkness of the cave hid bats, snakes, and spiders. It also hid the treasure of the Egyptian Pharaohs. The cave greeted the explorers with a musty smell forcing them to cover their noses. Their journey had already cost two of the members their lives and there was little to force them to back out now. The point man pulled out a torch. The rest of the team moved to the cave walls. The torch illuminated the cave tunnel but didn ’ t cause any unexpected ruckus from deep inside the cave. 
 
 The crew moved through the tunnels formed from a millennia's of water and wind corrosion. After twenty minutes the crew reached the beginning of a man-made hollowing in the cave. The point man continued exploring the new direction. His eyes scanned for possible traps. He placed his feet carefully. He spotted a raised mark on the ground and motioned for the crew to avoid it. The last man passed the mark when a spider fell on his hand. The surprise caused him to step back and his foot landed on the mark and pushed it flush with the floor. His eyes darted quickly to see what trap he would need to dodge, but it was too late. A stalagmite fell from the roof and pinned his foot. The crushing sound of stone hitting stone echoed down the tunnel drowning his screams. 
 
 The leader of the expedition sighed. He hated losing people on the crew, well, he hated breaking in new people. He turned and examined the rock pinning the man. He did not see a way to release his foot. He leaned into the man ’ s ear and whispered, “ Everything will be okay ” as he pulled a knife and slit the trapped teammate ’ s neck. He knew to dig deep enough to make the death swift. The rest of the team wasn ’ t shocked by the ruthlessness of their leader, they expected it. 
 
 They continued down the path avoiding obstacle after obstacle for about twenty minutes, though they felt that two hours had passed. They tunnel opened into a large chamber. The leader estimated the height to be twenty-five feet. The width of the room bordered another twenty-five feet. Their quick survey did reveal any new exits. They had finally reached the heart of the cave and the storage of the treasure. 
 
 The only problem was that center of the room did not contain a mountain of treasure. There was nothing, but a handwritten note. The leader picked up the note and read: 
 
 Hello George, I know that which you seek and I have moved it. The treasure contains some artifacts necessary for the restoration of the Egyptian Kingdom. I have restored the treasure to the proper clan. If you do not leave the clan alone, I will be forced to kill you. 
 - Shawn Larpon, Treasure Protector 
 
 The leader ’ s eyes glowed with hatred. This was not the first time that Shawn had beaten them to the treasure, but it was finally the straw that broke the camel ’ s back. He cursed as he crumpled the paper. 
 
 “ George, don ’ t tell me that Shawn beat us to the treasure, again, ” commented one of the crewmen. George couldn ’ t tell who and he didn ’ t care. 
 
 George responded to the critique, “ Alright, we have a new treasure. I want the head of this Shawn Larpon on my wall. ” He was never one for speeches, as he preferred to let his massive appearance speak for him. He stood at 6 ’ 10 ” and had the build of a freight train. His dark hair and eyes added a mix of intimidation and mystery. His intelligence completed him as a force to be reckoned with. He turned and motioned to the demolition expert to make a hole. 
 
 Maya was the smallest person on the team, but more than made up for the size difference with her explosives. Her brown hair tucked beneath a worn ball cap, she looked around the cave for a possible exit. She noticed a small dot of light to the far left of the entrance. She found the source about two feet from the cave wave. Maya pulled out her climbing gear, so she could examine the rock for possible weaknesses. 
 
 The two surviving members of the team, Rick and Nikki, followed her lead and pulled out their gear. George made his way over to Maya to assist her in starting up the cave wall. She quickly made her way up the wall placing a couple anchors to make future ascents easier. Maya was unable to find any weaknesses that would result in a cave in, so she placed a couple small charges and detonated them. 
 
 A decently sized hole opened allowing the crew a way to the surface and some fresh sand poured in from the surface. Rick was the first out of the hole, followed by Nikki. They each wore tan clothes that covered their limbs and provided limited camouflage against the desert. They examined the horizon looking for any signs of life. Seeing none, Nikki called down the hole, “ Clear. ” 
 
 George and Maya made their way out of the cave. As they were climbing out, Rick plotted the way back to the cave entrance. Together they trekked over the sand dunes to their jeep. As Rick reached the top of the last dune, he stopped and made everyone else wait. They had visitors. 
 
 One of the figures called out to them, “ George! I was wondering when you ’ d be back. We ’ ve been waiting. ” 
 
 George weighed his options before responding, “ Shawn! I was wondering when we finally meet. ” He rose from behind the dune. Rick and Nikki looked at him and motioned for him to get down. 
 
 Shawn answered, “ It is! Come on down and let ’ s see if we can come to an agreement. My friends will keep their guns down, if your friends do the same. ” 
 
 George motioned for his crew to follow and keep their guns up. “ I think it ’ ll go smoother if the guns stay where they are. ” He continued closing the now forty foot gap. 
 
 “ What ’ s the matter, George? You don ’ t trust me, ” Shawn taunted and, then, as if resigned, “ Fine, fine. Keep your guns. ” 
 
 Nikki and Rick trained their AK-47s on Shawn, each ready to place the kill shot. Maya kept herself below the dune ’ s crest and out of sight of Shawn ’ s friends. George stopped about fifteen feet from Shawn. Shawn looked diminutive at his 5 ’ 8 ” and lean muscular frame compared to George. Shawn ’ s green eyes were careful and calculating as they analyzed George ’ s facial expression looking for weakness. 
 
 Shawn made a signal nod and initiated the conversation, “ George, the artifacts aren ’ t yours. They belong to the people. ” 
 
 “ Exactly, the museum. There are plenty of museums that would pay well for a chance to let people see the wonders of previous civilizations. ” 
 
 “ These people, ” Shawn motioned to the armed people gathered at the cave ’ s entrance, “ are not ‘ previous civilizations. ’ What you are doing is theft. ” 
 
 “ Is it theft to enrich the culture of the world, so we can better understand our own history? ” 
 
 “ I see there, ” Shawn answered amid the firing of multiple AK-47s, “ will be no bargaining. ” Shawn had decided this ending before they had arrived at the cave to set the trap. When they finally met eyes, Shawn confirmed that he had made the right call. 
 
 George, Rick, and Nikki all died as George ’ s friends took their cue from Shawn before Rick and Nikki could return fire. Rick ’ s AK slid down the dune next to Maya. Maya climbed up the dune with the AK in hand. She fired the AK blindly over the crest in a desperate attempt to stay alive. Some of the Egyptians scurried at the return fire as though they could avoid the spray and pray by moving. Maya managed to hit two of the Egyptians killing one of them. 
 
 Shawn reached out his hand expecting someone to put a rifle in it. When that didn ’ t happen, he huffed and walked over to the dead Egyptian and grabbed his. He walked toward the dune. Whenever he saw the rifle peek over the crest, he dropped and pushed himself into the sand, which only happened twice before he heard the click of an empty clip. He sprinted the rest of way to the top of the crest. 
 
 Maya pressed the trigger twice after hearing the first empty click. She dropped the AK-47 and dove for Nikki ’ s. Her fingers wrapped around the barrel to pull it away, when the first round entered her back. Shawn didn ’ t wait after passing the crest. He put two rounds into her back and another into the back of her head. He put one additional round into Rick and Nikki to ensure they were dead. Satisfied, he returned to the Egyptians. 
 
 “ Your artifacts are safe. I expect the other half of my payment by tonight, ” Shawn spoke to them in Arabic as he jumped into George ’ s jeep. “ If you need anything else or know anyone else in need of my services, contact me. ” He started the jeep and drove off leaving them to clean up the bodies.
