Nazca: A Nick Randall Short Story Read online

  NAZCA

  A Nick Randall Short Story

  Robert Rapoza

  Where did that spider go?

  Nick Randall opened drawers and turned over boxes that lined the shelves next to his work station, searching for the missing spider idol the team had discovered yesterday, buried in the sand near a geoglyph. This part-time job, working in the Nazca Desert—about 250 miles south of Lima, Peru—had been a dream come true. But that dream would crash to the earth if he couldn’t find the most significant artifact the team had discovered: an incredibly lifelike spider figurine with multifaceted, blood-red ruby eyes. Slightly larger than his palm, its eight legs had spilled over the side of his fingers … when he had possessed it.

  It has to be here somewhere.

  The craftsmanship of the spider was superb, each detail—down to the small hair-like projectiles on its legs—rendered in realistic fashion. Perfect, except for one small detail: the artist who had created the figurine had failed to complete a narrow red painted band, which began on the left midsection of the figure and ran around the entire spider, terminating about half an inch from the starting point.

  Nick dug his fingers into his hair, his eyes darting back and forth, searching for the artifact. He was expected to diligently care for every specimen discovered on the dig. If he had lost one, his mentor, Dr. Ben Samuelson, and the other lead professor, Dr. Liam Watkins, would lose all faith in him. As an archaeologist in training, this was akin to committing professional suicide. Worse, he would have to live with the knowledge that he had disappointed Dr. Samuelson, a man he deeply admired.

  Nick searched the entire storage room. No luck. He walked back to his desk and picked up the artifact log. This was how he tracked the location of each item the research team brought to him. The lights flickered off, then back on. The generator was acting up again. He checked the log and confirmed that no one had checked out the spider.

  “Excuse me,” a voice called out from behind him.

  Nick spun his head, his eyes landing on his visitor. It was Holly, the student charged with creating a photographic record of all items found on the site. She was dressed in faded blue jeans, and a white t-shirt, her brown hair in a ponytail, protruding from the back of a sun worn Red Sox hat. Her brown eyes gazed at Nick, over the brim of her Ray Bans, a faint smile playing at her lips. She was standing at the entrance to the storage area, her body framed by the glowing daylight behind her. Nick swallowed hard. Wow!

  He turned to face her, his foot catching on his desk chair, causing him to tumble over. He grabbed the edge of his desk, arresting his fall and preventing a nasty face plant into the ground.

  “Are you okay?” Holly asked, stepping next to Nick, touching his arm.

  Nick smiled. “I’m good. What can I do for you?”

  “I heard about the spider idol and wanted to shoot some pictures. Can I check it out?”

  Nick’s mouth dropped open for a moment, then he recovered. “It’s not here. Someone just beat you to it.”

  Holly raised an eyebrow and placed her hand on her hip. “Do you know when it’ll be back?

  “It should be back this afternoon,” Nick said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Do you want me to swing by your tent and let you know when it’s here?”

  “That would be great! Thanks Nick!” Holly said, squeezing Nick’s hand and smiling. She turned and walked back out. Nick shook his head. Now if he didn’t find the spider, he’d be in hot water with Holly too. A moment later, the lights went out entirely. He waited a moment, but they didn’t come back on. The circuit breaker must have popped again, I’ll have to reset it.

  He stepped outside, but only walked a few steps before running into Dr. Watkins.

  “Just the man I wanted to see. Are you taking good care of our artifacts?” Liam asked, smiling. A tussle of dark brown hair escaping from the brim of his safari hat framed his hazel eyes, which twinkled with mischief.

  Nick grimaced. “Doing the best I can.”

  “I’m sure you are. We’ve all seen how hard you work.” Liam patted Nick on the shoulder. “The real reason I’m here is to invite you on a trip. I’m taking an aerial survey team up today to snap some photos. Would you like to come?”

  Nick’s eyes went wide. “That would be great!”

  “There are a couple of things I need to take care of first, so I’ll see you back here an hour. Cheers, Nick.”

  Nick watched as Liam walked away, thrilled at the chance to see the glyphs from the air. Reality quickly set back in as he remembered the missing spider idol. He took a deep breath and sighed. Despite the impending sense of doom over losing the idol, he might as well enjoy the flight. Nick hustled to his tent to gather some supplies. He’d look for the spider, and reset the generator when they got back.

  An hour later, Nick was gliding over the expansive Nazca plateau. Wispy clouds played against a beautiful cobalt blue sky that stretched for miles. From their vantage, Nick, Liam, and the survey team had a breathtaking view of the sights below. The scenery didn’t disappoint. Stretching out for thousands of meters in different directions were figures etched into the red pebbled landscape. Nick marveled at the geoglyphs, which included birds, fish, llamas, jaguars, and monkeys. As wonderful as these sites were, the humanoid figures drew Nick’s greatest attention. One in particular resembled a human with a bulbous head, not unlike the visage of a modern day astronaut.

  “This is amazing,” Nick said from the passenger seat next to Liam.

  The professor smiled. “My wife Meredith loved seeing the world from the air, too.”

  “Loved? She doesn’t like to fly with you anymore?” Nick asked.

  Liam’s eyes glassed over. “She passed away five years ago.”

  Blood rushed to Nick’s cheeks, which glowed red. “I’m sorry to hear about that.”

  Liam nodded, “We met in graduate school. She was one of the finest scientists I’ve ever known. She was also my best friend.”

  “Was she an archaeologist too?”

  “She taught anthropology, in fact, she was one of the most popular teachers at her school.”

  “Kind of like you.”

  Liam laughed. “I don’t know about that, but Meredith certainly was. On more than one occasion, she invited students to join us for dinner, and each one told me that having her as their instructor, changed their lives.”

  “She sounds like a really special person.”

  “She was, and she really loved teaching. But the thing she loved most was the adventure of discovery. She was fascinated by mysteries. Take those glyphs for instance,” Liam replied, pointing toward a giant bird-like creature, outlined on the ground below. “There are theories about their purpose but no one knows for sure why they were created.”

  Nick turned to look back through the window at the Nazca Lines. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Don’t feel badly Nick, most people don’t. Not even many of my peers. Meredith used to tell me that there are still many mysteries out there, and she was right. Remember that Nick, and never blindly accept an explanation that doesn’t make sense. Always do your homework and expect your peers, even tenured professors who’ve been at this for years, to be willing to back up their claims with tangible evidence.”

  “Thanks for the advice Dr. Watkins,” Nick said, taking Liam’s opinion to heart. The plane crested a small hill, and Nick spotted something that made his heart jump. Carved into the sands of a flat section of the valley was the clearly defined outline of a spider. Nick craned his neck to get a better look at the shape, realizing that the dimensions matched perfectly with the spider figurine he had cataloged the previous day.

  “That’s interesting. I just catal
oged a spider figurine yesterday, and now I’m seeing the same shape down there,” Nick said. He winced, remembering it was missing. Liam didn’t respond. Nick turned to face him and found him looking out the side window, a serious expression on his face.

  “We’re going to have to cut our flight short. I just received word that there’s a sand storm approaching and we need to get back to camp before we’re caught in it. Buckle up and hang on!” Liam announced.

  As Liam banked the plane, Nick scanned the horizon and saw a towering wall of dust barreling across the desert. The wave of sand blotted out the sun, swallowing everything in its path like an evil plague descending upon the land. Liam brought the plane down on the makeshift landing strip adjacent to the camp. The storm was closing in.

  “Get to the main tent!” Liam yelled, directing the team out of the plane and into the Quonset hut in the center of the camp. Nick scrambled from the craft, then glanced back at the approaching wall of darkness. From the ground, the storm loomed taller than a Manhattan skyscraper. It easily spanned several miles in width and rushed toward the camp at a frightening speed. Nick’s heart raced as he sprinted to the main tent, joining the rest of the team. He peeled back the door, discovering an emergency meeting already in progress.

  Dr. Samuelson was addressing the troops. “Everyone, make sure you have water and rations in your tent so you can hunker down until you get the all clear signal,” Samuelson said in a calm but firm voice. “Your shelters are designed to withstand these storms. As long as you remain inside and keep the flaps secured, you’ll be fine. Now let’s move!”

  Nick saw Holly, who spotted him as well and walked to him. “I’m glad you’re okay. I heard you were flying with Dr. Watkins and might have been caught in the storm.”

  “It’s huge, there’s a mile wide wall of sand coming our way.”

  “I know, can you believe it? We’re going to experience our first sand storm! This is so exciting!” Holly said, her eyes wide, her smile beaming.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” Nick replied.

  Holly grabbed his hands. “Who knows what we’ll find after it passes. The storm might expose artifacts that are buried in the sand. I’ve got to get back to my tent and get a pack ready to explore after this is over.” She released Nick’s hands and turned to walk out. She paused at the entrance and turned back to Nick. “Do you want to come with me to see what’s out there, after the storm ends?”

  Nick smiled. “Sounds like fun!”

  Holly smiled back, then turned and walked out. Nick grinned at his good fortune, then realized he needed to get moving. He sped across the camp, arriving at his tent. He dropped his supplies and turned to secure his door. The spider idol! Nick froze, recalling the missing artifact. If he couldn’t find it, he could forget about exploring with Holly…or staying on the team. Nick decided to ride out the storm in the storage room and search for the missing spider. He grabbed his pack and bolted from his tent.

  A tsunami of dirt bore down on the camp. Nick’s heart thumped wildly and sweat streaked down his face. He suddenly remembered that the power to the work station was out and he hadn’t reset the fuse. Nick turned and headed for the generators. He arrived out of breath and flipped open the panel. Where’s the damn breaker for the work station? Finally finding the switch, he clicked it off, then back on. He turned to go, but caught the glint of something reflecting the sun several feet away. Nick jogged to it, dropped to his knees and plucked it from the sand. It was the spider idol, but how had it gotten here?

  A sudden gust of wind blown sand pounded Nick from the side. He needed to get to the work station before the dust storm swallowed him like Jonah’s whale. Looking up, he spotted the wall of sand edging closer to the outer rim of the camp. He was cutting it close.

  The force of the wind increased as the storm drew near. Nick struggled to make forward progress, fighting against the strong air currents. His legs burned with fatigue and his mouth tasted like dirt as the storm pummeled him. The work station loomed ten yards ahead now. No other living thing moved in the camp. Nick glanced up momentarily and regretted the decision. The storm was nearly on top of him. He put his head down and made a final push, willing his body forward.

  I’m almost there.

  The door to the work station swung violently in the gale force winds. Finally reaching the structure, he dove inside. He sprinted to his desk, placed the spider down, then ran back to the door. He leaned into it, trying to close the door as sand and wind poured in. The door resisted, opening slightly wider against the tremendous force of the storm. Nick pushed with all of his strength, digging his boot heels into the ground, his back straining against the force of the wind. With a final protest, the door moved, finally slamming shut, leaving Nick in complete darkness. He dropped to a seated position on the floor.

  Breathing in gulps, he sat motionless, exhausted from his battle with the storm. He heard a creaking sound above his head, growing louder and louder. He fumbled for his light, hit the switch, and aimed the beam up just in time to see the shelf above him collapse. A lantern, heavy tent tarps, and rope tumbled down on him. He covered his head, trying to protect himself from the impending collision. The lantern struck first, hitting him on the head, knocking him out.

  ***

  Nick found himself in complete darkness as he fought his way back to consciousness. He lay on the floor of the workstation, his hands still covering his head. He struggled to move, but something held him down. Panicking, Nick pushed and kicked, trying to free himself, still unable to see. His flailing left arm finally pushed away whatever was covering his head. He breathed rapidly, his pulse racing. His eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness and he made out a small cylindrical object on the floor. He picked it up. It was his flashlight. He hit the switch and looked around, seeing the tents that still covered his lower body. He rolled them back, releasing himself from the tangle of tarps and ropes.

  Intense pain in his head throbbed with each heartbeat. He ran a hand along his scalp and winced, feeling a large lump where the lantern had impacted his skull. He glanced at the dial of his watch and realized that he had been unconscious for over three hours. Rubbing his head, he sat up, shaking off the cobwebs of sleep. He pushed himself to his feet and shuffled to the door. He hit the light switch on the wall. Nothing happened.

  I must not have properly reset the generator.

  A sudden realization struck him. If the storm had passed while he was unconscious, Ben would have checked to make sure everyone was okay. If he had checked Nick’s tent, he would have discovered that Nick was missing and assumed that something had happened to him. The archaeology team could easily be in a panic looking for him. Nick needed to check in before the professor organized a search party.

  He listened to the door of the work station. Hearing no trace of the storm, he cracked the door open to make sure it had passed. Sunlight spilled through the opening and Nick quickly concluded that the squall had ended. He stepped out into the daylight, shielding his eyes from the harsh glare. As his pupils adjusted, he scanned the camp for signs of movement. There was no one outside.

  A fine layer of dirt covered everything in the camp and small earthen mounds had formed on the sides of the structures that had borne the brunt of the sand storm. Nick jogged to the main hut in the center of the base. He arrived and opened the door, but found it empty. Thinking that everyone must still be in their own tents, Nick decided to visit Ben’s tent first.

  As he made his way across the compound, unease crept into his consciousness. He listened for other people but heard only an eerie quiet, the wind-blown tent flaps offering the only sound in the otherwise dead stillness. Nick hurried his pace, wanting to find someone else, anyone else. He arrived at Ben’s tent and paused outside the flap.

  “Dr. Samuelson, it’s Nick. Are you in there?”

  No response. He waited a moment longer, pulled back the flap, and looked inside. The tent was empty.

  Full blown panic set in as Nick raced acr
oss the compound to Liam’s tent.

  “Dr. Watkins, are you there?”

  This time he didn’t wait. He tossed aside the opening, and peered inside. Empty as well.

  What in the hell is going on?

  Nick’s heart raced as he sprinted to the other tents, finding each one as empty as the last. In a last ditch effort to find someone, Nick ran to the center of the compound and yelled out, “Is anyone here?” His words echoed into the vast openness, carried away by the unrelenting desert wind.

  Nick walked back to the work station. He pushed the door open and spotted the lantern on the floor. Picking it up, he flicked the switch. It still worked. He decided to call the university to see if anyone had checked in. He walked to the back of the room, making his way to the radio. Passing by his work table, he stopped and shined the light on the desk top. The spider was gone. He studied the table more closely, noticing multiple long scratches running from the center of the workstation to the edge.

  Those weren’t there before.

  Nick trained his light to the ground and noticed dirty footprints leading away from the table and straight to the door of the facility. As he reached the entrance, the footprints went straight past where he had lain unconscious a short time ago. He compared them to his own shoes’ prints. They didn’t match.

  Did someone come into the storage room and take the spider while I was unconscious?

  Nick jogged back to the radio, hitting the power button to turn it on. It didn’t work. Dead battery. He’d need to plug it in. Nick left the work station, and sprinted to the trailers housing the generators. He threw open the panel exposing the circuitry and recoiled. Someone had deliberately cut the power, severing the wires and smashing the panel.

  A picture of what might have happened formed in Nick’s mind: someone had come into the camp, taken artifacts, and kidnapped the team, possibly for ransom. They must not have realized that he was buried under the debris in the workstation and walked right past his unconscious body.