The Special People

Chapter 3

"Do you see?Leo declared, "Everything is in order."Continue moving.

Steve reluctantly joined the group, keeping his eyes open for any indication of danger.As they moved through the forest, they made several stops to admire the cave's various plant life and structures.Everything was so fascinating.

James's legs started to itch as they moved deeper into the cavern;At first, it was just annoying, but the itching got worse over time until he started scratching his legs constantly.

"What's your issue?"inquired Leo.

"My legs hurt.He stated, "I think I'm allergic to something in here."

Oh, please stop complaining.Let's keep moving, please."

Jeff replied, "Actually, I'm also having an itchy feeling."

Lucas said, "So am I."I'm wondering why it's happening.It might be time to leave.What we are exposed to down here is unknown.

"You guys carried on then.I am not squandering this chance.Leo said, "I want to keep looking around."

Jeff said, "We shouldn't separate."Since only my legs itch, there must be something in the mist.He took a look at Leo's legs.You probably don't feel anything because your boots are tucked into your thickest pants.Because Steve only wears shorts, he probably felt it first.Before things get any worse, we ought to seek a clearing.

Leo replied, "Okay, but let's look for one further in."

They persevered through the forest, attempting to ignore their burning legs, until they discovered a tree-lined clearing.Here, the glow was brighter.They could make out a small lake through the thin mist.A structure that appeared to be made by humans stood in the middle of the lake.It was a four-foot-high, fifteen-foot-diameter, wide, cylindrical stone platform above the lake's surface.Spikes with sharp edges covered the platform's sides.

Lucas responded, "Well, we know where the plants get their water."

James stated, "I don't think that is water."

To get a closer look, they went to the shore;The liquid itself produced the brighter glow.Jeffcuriously crouching, he reached out to touch it.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t touch that!”Steve ordered him to stop right away.

Leo agreed, "He's right."It matches the temple's description.It might be very risky.Avoid putting any on your skin.

Jeff took out a metal canteen, poured water into it, and sucked some of it up.It melted through the metal like acid as he turned the cap.He was alarmed and threw the canteen's remaining contents away, but he was too slow.His skin had been splattered by the liquid.As his hand disintegrated in front of his eyes, he screamed in agony, but it didn't stop there.His skin, muscle, and bone were being eaten away by the chemical reaction as it traveled up his arm.Jeff passed out quickly from shock.Leo, James, and James rushed to use the water from their canteens to get rid of the acid, but it was useless.It had gotten under his neck and chest, past his shoulder.As it devoured his entire body, leaving nothing but a bloody, gooey mess, the others could only watch in horror.

"We have to leave here!"Steve said in a panic.

How do we use our bodies?Lucas enquired.

"Which body?There is no more thing!”Steve yelled with hilarity.

Leo attempted to conceal his trembling voice by saying, "Okay, let's not lose our heads here."This clearly poses a greater risk than we anticipated.We need assistance.He made a brief pause.He has 3 children.What will I say to them?”

James held Leo steady by placing his hand on his shoulder.

"We must leave.We ought not to be here."

Leo gave a nod, and the group quickly turned around and headed back into the forest in the direction they thought they had come from. However, they soon came across a new clearing with a glowing green lake.

Leo said, "This wasn't there before."

"You idiot, we're going around in circles!"Steve spoke in haste.

You are unaware of that.Leo said, "This might be a different lake."

However, the stone platform remained in the lake's center, as before;They also came across Jeff's bloody goop a little further on.

Steve appeared to be considering hitting Leo.See?I warned you!We're at a loss!

We are not alone.We must have taken the wrong path just now.“It has to be this way,” Leo said as he determinedly returned to the forest.

But they were back at the lake once more, this time a little further down the shore.

"Who wasn't paying attention to where we were coming from?"Leo yelled.

The group looked accusatory and enraged, but everyone was equally to blame.Leo looked around, frustrated and beginning to feel a little desperate, for a landmark other than the lake to use as a guide;A few dozen yards down the shore, he saw something that looked like another man-made structure.The others followed him as he hurried over to it.An enormous wall of stone with ancient Aztec runes engraved on it.

Leo exclaimed with glee, "These symbols match the ones in the temple."

"What are you engaged in?We must leave this place!Have you already forgotten what took place?”Steve was firm.

Leo yelled, "Unless you have a better idea, these markings may tell us the way out."

"What is it saying?"Lucas enquired.

It tells the story of Isaac, which is similar to the one told in the temple but has a unique twist.The wall that specifies the precise moment when Isaac will return must be this one, as it is mentioned in the temple.

His theory was proven correct as he read the Aztec glyphs.

“It is.It roughly translates as "The demon king will destroy or enslave all mankind through his rage and hatred."The demon king will rise from the dead five hundred and fifty years later, on the third full moon.The king will return to finish his mission of destruction, and his bones, which were laid to rest on his altar, will be revived.Hmm . . .the third full moon550 years . . .”He lost himself in thought and lost his voice.

Steve yelled out of fear and pain at the sudden sight of his legs.They were already blistering and bleeding.Acid is what makes up the mist!I must perish, right?I'm going to die!"

Steve ignored James' attempt to reassure him and began frantically slapping and rubbing his skin in an effort to eliminate as much of the mist as possible.Leo seemed to realize something as he flailed around in panic.

“Wait!Stop!”he instructed.Nothing should be touched!”

But Steve didn't pay attention.He slipped and hit a wall-carved sculpture in his last-ditch attempt to escape the mist.When it started to shake and move, he stopped breathing and felt the ground shake.The cave's walls were buffeted by the tremors.A wave of acid splashed onto a shallow dust mound on the platform as the three men looked up at the ceiling as some loose rocks were dislodged and fell into the lake.The dust quickly began to take shape, forming a strange dough-like blob that moved and twisted to their complete surprise.It stretched out in sections to resemble bones.Skin followed shortly after muscle development.The men stared in horror and fascination at the macabre sight as it transformed into a human man who appeared to be sleeping.As he took his first breaths, his muscular chest began to contract and expand.

It appeared that the man was in his late twenties.His facial hair was long and dirty-blond, and his skin was light.His eyes opened through his hair.He slowly and carefully got up and started looking at himself.As if he were taking inventory of his newly resurrected body, his every move was deliberate, deliberate, and calculated.His expression of unwavering confidence grew as he saw more.The time had come, after centuries of waiting:Isaac had regained his life.

He looked across the lake at the explorers.As he assessed his audience with the same calculated deliberation, his silver-green eyes flashed.He jumped from the stone platform over the lake and onto the shore all at once in one fluid motion.Unsure of what to do or how to react, the three men stared in shock at this impossible acrobatic performance.

As he walked up to them, his domineering presence made them feel uneasy.This was unquestionably a person to be feared and revered;Even the mist seemed to be aware of this, as it kept its distance and swirled away, creating a clearing that was approximately five feet wide in all directions from the intimidating figure.Isaac towered over them, particularly Lucas and Steve, as he approached.Leo was only a few inches shorter than him, making him stand closer to his height.Due to Leo's pale skin, Isaac seemed more interested in Leo than the others.Isaac had never seen anyone with such a light complexion, despite the fact that Leo had very dark hair.

He started talking to them.He clearly spoke a native language, but none of them had ever heard of the dialect he used.

"What was he saying?"James questioned Leo.

As perplexed by their language as he was by theirs, Isaac turned to Lucas.

Leo tried to translate Isaac's words with some concentration.The way he says the words is different.Please allow me a minute.