The Messiah Secret

69

Cross darted through the opening, Masters barely a yard behind him. Bronson pushed Angela into the fast-closing gap.

It was now so narrow that she had to turn sideways to slide through. The moment she stepped into the outer cave she reached back for Bronson. But before she could grab his arm, a powerful hand seized her from behind and pulled her away from the entrance.

Masters reached into the gap and jammed the crowbar lengthwise at chest-height between the cave wall and the moving stone door, and the rumbling sound suddenly diminished.

‘Now!’ he yelled. ‘Get out now! This won’t hold it for long.’

Bronson didn’t hesitate, just ducked down and forced himself head-first into the gap. As he eased his body through, he could feel the stone door vibrating as some ancient unseen mechanism tried to force it closed against the flimsy steel barrier of the crowbar.

‘Chris!’ Angela was growing frantic in the outer cave.

Bronson thrust his torso through the gap at the base of the stone door, kicking out strongly with his legs to force his body through.

In the cave’s inner chamber, Donovan kicked Killian’s unconscious body to one side and dived across the stone floor. Somebody was in front of him, trying to wriggle through the remaining gap. Donovan reached out, grabbed the man’s leg and pulled as hard as he could.

Bronson felt the tug on his leg and looked back. He could see Donovan right behind him, doing his best to drag him back into the inner chamber, and kicked out. The sole of his foot connected with Donovan’s face, and he lurched backwards, blood streaming from his broken nose, his grip on Bronson’s leg instantly loosening.

Bronson made a final effort and pulled himself through the gap, rolling across the floor of the cave to clear the opening as quickly as possible.

On the other side of the moving door, Donovan thrust himself forward, diving headlong into the narrow space.

‘Nick, help me!’ he shouted as he started to force his way through the gap.

Masters stepped forward and reached down to grab Donovan’s out-stretched arm.

Then the stone door gave a sudden lurch and Masters looked up. The crowbar was starting to bend under the enormous pressure of the moving slab of stone. He grabbed Donovan’s hand and started to pull, but even as he did so he knew it was too late.

Donovan felt an enormous, intolerable pressure on his chest as the stone door started moving again, started closing the gap. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move.

He felt a snap as the first of his ribs broke, then his chest caved in, a sudden excruciating shaft of agony that seared through his very being. And then he felt nothing at all as the crowbar snapped and the stone slab finally slammed into place, the ancient stone rollers crumbling to dust with the impact, jamming the door closed for another eternity.