MYSTober 2024

31 vignettes based on single-word prompts. One story.

22. Vault

Marie ran her scanner back and forth along the forest floor. Her team had been here a full week, and it seemed like they'd uncovered a hundred questions without finding answers for any of them. Out of all the sites her team had investigated, this one was simultaneously the most frustrating and the most intriguing.

"Hey, Marie?" came Omar's voice over the intercom. He was scanning about twenty metres to her right.

"Yes, Omar?"

"I've found something strange over here. You'd better come see this."

"At this point it would be more strange to find something normal here. I'm on my way." She corralled her apprentice, Stuart, and led him to Omar's location.

As they approached him, Omar pointed towards the ground in front of him. "Look at what my scanner picked up."

Marie and Stuart crowded in beside him to look over his shoulders. The screen of the scanner appeared to show in green LEDs an opening beneath several fallen branches and leaves. Stuart said, "You're right, that's pretty strange."

"It's a good thing I had my scanner with me. I might have fallen straight in otherwise."

Marie patted him on the back. "It's a good find. Let's clear it off and see what's down there."

Stuart shot her a confused look. "You don't want to leave it in situ and just scan the details?"

Marie answered as she tossed a heavy branch out of the way, "We're here for ruins and remnants, Stuart. Moving some foliage aside doesn't harm anything, it reveals it."

The three of them working together made quick work of the detritus. When they were done, they'd uncovered a set of metal stairs descending into the earth. "Huh," offered Omar.

Marie brushed her hands off on her pants. "Well, at least we know where the answer to this mystery is." She leaned down and scooped the twigs and dirt off of the top step, then activated her flashlight and began the slow descent.

The stairs were narrow enough that they had to proceed single file behind her. She took each one carefully, sweeping it clean with her foot before stepping down and continuing to the next one. It was a tedious process, but such is the life of an archaeologist. When she reached the bottom she had to push all the fallen biological matter against the walls to create a clear landing. Then she raised her flashlight forward and found herself in front of a large steel door, with a big metal wheel.

"What on earth would the people of this island need an underground vault for?"

MYSTober 2024

Table of Contents

22. Vault