Assuming he didn’t hit something first.
But it was either that or climb back up and remain trapped in the tunnels. ‘Okay,’ he said, taking a deep breath as he psyched himself up. ‘One, two—’
The rope snapped — and he fell.
29
A brief sickening feeling of free-fall and fear—
Impact.
Pain flared through Eddie’s back — then the water crashed over his face, causing a moment of panic before he regained his senses. He thrashed his limbs. No sharp agony from broken bones. Relieved, he tipped himself upright and breached the surface to draw breath, probing with his feet. They touched an uneven floor about five feet below, strewn with debris. Landing flat had saved his life; if he had dropped straight down, he would have hit solid rock and broken both ankles.
‘Eddie! Are you okay?’ cried Nina.
‘I’m fine!’ he shouted, straightening to his full height and bringing the waterproof flashlight above the rippling surface. The water was littered with splintered wood and mushrooms stripped from the walls by the explosion.
The latter reminded him what he was looking for. He surveyed the walls. The cenote widened out at its base to form a bulbous, lopsided cavern, but there were no exits above water level. He lowered the torch under the surface and submerged again.
Nothing was visible. The falling wreckage had churned up the pool, disturbing long-settled sediment. He resurfaced, swearing under his breath. He would have to search blind…
Or would he? ‘Nina! Switch off your light!’ he called, clicking off his own torch.
‘You sure?’ she asked.
‘If there’s a way through to the sinkhole, I might be able to see daylight.’
‘Okay!’ Her light went out. Eddie closed his eyes, letting them adjust to the darkness, then opened them again.
At first he saw only blackness. But then a vague cyan haze took on form to one side. He waded closer. The ghostly sheen gradually became more distinct. Dropping below the water, he saw a rough rectangle of dim light lower in the wall. ‘I think I’ve found a way out,’ he told the others after surfacing.
‘Big enough to get through?’ asked Jared.
‘I’ll find out in a minute!’ He swam across the pool, then submerged again.
There was a passage through the rock, around five feet wide — but far shallower, two feet high at most. That he could see daylight on the far side suggested the tunnel was not long, but if he got caught on a jutting rock…
He resurfaced. ‘Okay, I’m going to try to reach the sinkhole. If I get through—’
‘When you get through,’ Nina corrected. ‘Daughter waiting, remember?’
‘When I get through, I’ll fetch the rest of our gear, then try to push that rock out of the way so I can throw another rope across to you.’
‘See you soon,’ she said. He switched his torch back on and waved it at her, then took several deep breaths and plunged back under the water.
The passage took on form, a pale blue void in the surrounding darkness. He swam into it, finding the highest point. Even that was uncomfortably claustrophobic, and it quickly became even tighter as he advanced. Stone scraped his head. He angled downwards, but within seconds felt rock brush his chest.
He switched tack, using his hands as much to pull himself forward as to swim. The light ahead grew brighter, but the ceiling and floor continued to close in. His heels struck the stone above, forcing him to slow and switch to a more frog-like kick.
The end of the underwater tunnel was now in sight, though. He kept kicking, dragging himself along—
An overhanging protrusion caught his shoulder. He tried to drop under it — only to find he had no more room to manoeuvre, his chest flat against the floor. He shoved himself sideways, but found his way blocked in that direction as well.
He backtracked, heart starting to race as the remaining oxygen in his lungs was consumed. A crab-like crawl across the passage, then he started forward again. This time the floor rose up to meet him, pushing him against the ceiling. Rock nudged his body from above and below.
He was running out of air! Clawing at the floor, he hauled himself through the fissure. The slabs of stone squeezed more tightly against him, his clothing catching on rough edges—
His other shoulder became wedged.
No time to back up and try another route. It was either onwards — or nowhere. A fist clenched around his lungs. He dug his fingernails against the rough surface and pulled, writhing as he tried to break loose…
His pinned shoulder shifted slightly, jacket slipping against the rock — then with a jerk he pulled free. He squirmed past the obstacle and kicked out of the passage.
The sinkhole waited above, a near-perfect circle of blue. He swam to it, breaking the surface with a gasp—
And immediately clamped his mouth shut as he heard voices.
Heart thudding, breathing heavily through his nostrils, he eased himself to the pool’s side. He had emerged near the cave dug out below ground level — and somebody was inside it.
Eddie brought his breath under control, then carefully moved along the pool’s edge until he could see into the cavern. Two of Cross’s men, armed with MP5s, stood within. Both thankfully had their backs to him, watching the tunnel leading to the cenote. A rearguard.
He looked up at the lip of the sinkhole. Nobody else was there, as far as he could see. But he couldn’t hear any engine noises either. For a moment he was worried that Cross had already left, but decided, based on the time between the helicopter’s arrival and the bad guys entering the temple, that they had not yet made it back to their aircraft.
As much as he wanted to help Nina, she and the others would be safe where they were for now. If there was a chance to prevent Cross from leaving, he had to take it. But he would have to deal with the sentries first.
He held on to the ledge with his left hand, then quietly drew the Desert Eagle and brought it above the surface, tipping it to drain the water from its barrel and receiver. He knew he ought to eject the magazine and rack the slide to make sure the mechanism was fully cleared, but doing so would make a noise that the guards couldn’t possibly miss.
He would just have to take his first shot — and hope the second didn’t jam.
The two men were halfway between the pool and the tunnel entrance, both facing away from him, though the man on the left had turned his head towards his companion as they talked. He would be the quickest to react — which made him the first target.
The Englishman raised himself higher in the water, then aligned the Desert Eagle’s sights on the man’s back. A .50-cal shot would go right through him at this range, but it was the second guard who concerned Eddie. If the guy was quick, he might be able to spin around and retaliate before the Englishman could recover from the recoil of firing the huge gun one-handed…
Eddie steeled himself — and pulled the trigger.
The gun’s boom was near-deafening, resounding like the striking of a massive bell. Even with his arm tensed, the recoil kicked it backwards. But the impact on the first guard was far greater. A great burst of gore exploded from the exit wound, blood and viscera splashing over the walls. Already dead, he crumpled to the floor.
The second man jumped in shock, but recovered almost instantly, whirling to face the threat—
The Yorkshireman hauled the gun back down and unleashed a second ear-pounding gunshot. The bullet shattered the man’s shoulder, almost severing his left arm. He was flung backwards, sending a wild spray of fire against the cavern’s ceiling.
Eddie pulled himself from the water. His opponent was down, but not out. The MP5 flailed towards him—