He needed to come up with an escape plan soon. Once Khaliq and his team found an entrance into the pyramidal rock formation, he would officially be expendable. Not even Zahra would be able to save him.
The cities that made up the Bahariya Oasis were large enough for one man to disappear into. That was now Baahir’s goal. He was going to do the opposite of what Khaliq had said and attempt to “get lost.”
The climb to the top of the Gebel Dist rock formation was an infuriating one — one full of sandy gusts and near-death falls. Baahir’s rage was aided by two other sources. The first was the oppressive heat combined with the unbearable sun shining down from above. On multiple occasions, Baahir had looked up and raised a hand to block out the fiery ball. Each time, he swore he thought the damn thing had grown brighter and gotten closer.
The second origin of his anger was his present company. There wasn’t an archaeologist in their ranks, which meant they didn’t plan on doing any exploratory research.
This was a demolitions team.
Baahir hated the fact that these men were content with destroying whatever it was they were about to find up there. He was also interested in exactly what it would be. The area was typically rife with hikers. Baahir couldn’t imagine the entry point was an exquisite one. If it had been, it would have been found long ago.
“Spread out!” Khaliq ordered. “Feroz, with me. Search everywhere. I want that entrance found.” He turned to Baahir. “You too…and take Ajmal with you.”
Baahir’s shoulders dropped. He, once more, was provided with a babysitter. Escaping would be all but impossible now. Patience would be vital. The key to his bondage would come in the way of oversight. Khaliq’s men were under a great deal of pressure, and soon, even a man like Ajmal, would screw up. Baahir turned to the southeast and shielded his eyes. There were farms, campsites, and what passed for hotels less than a mile off. If he could make it there, without getting shot in the back, he was confident he could disappear for good.
Well,
Khaliq had made another decision was in Baahir’s favor. Two of the men were left at the outskirts of town to keep watch. That left six people in total, including Baahir, left to climb to the top of Gebel Dist.
He and Ajmal headed west. Baahir took his time, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The summit wasn’t all that large and would be easy to comb before the sun began to dip. As much as Baahir didn’t want to help Khaliq find what he was looking for, he needed to do his part to stay alive.
Assorted rock piles took up most of the area atop the pyramid mountain. Baahir did his best to mentally trace his steps, but quickly became lost. Every new angle presented the same pile with a new look. One such group to the east caught his eye. He squinted at it, trying to figure out what seemed off about it. Normally, he would never have stopped scanning the horizon — this divot, in his view, seemed to be just like all the others.
But now that he was here, actually
But he didn’t waste much time investigating. He wasn’t about to give Khaliq and his team the satisfaction — not yet. But this one did look forced, as if it were constructed with purpose. It would make sense that the entrance was sealed.
“Or, I’m just seeing things,” Baahir mumbled to himself.
“What?” Ajmal asked, hearing him.
Baahir stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “You say something?”
Ajmal didn’t reply. He just stood there, as stiff as one of the boulders. Baahir stepped away, but not before giving the rock pile a second look.
“Come on. There’s nothing here.”
Ajmal eyed the same mound and stared at it for a moment, eventually falling in line behind Baahir. They searched for some time before they were summoned across the plateau. Two of Khaliq’s other men waved frantically and shouted for everyone to come. Baahir was tired and sauntered over, but Ajmal made him move faster. The larger man shoved Baahir along. He abided to the big man’s will and sped up, more to stay out of arm’s reach than anything else.
He didn’t speak up, instead he allowed Khaliq to waste more time. The smaller stones were moved by hand. Even Baahir assisted. The only one who didn’t help was Khaliq. His glare had intensified — borderline manic.
Baahir wished to stay out of his crosshairs. He figured helping to move the rocks would be a good way to do that.
It took forty minutes and an untold number of water bottles to finish the task. That it was a waste of time was obvious to Baahir, and that only made the mindless work that much harder.
Finally, the only thing left to do was blast through the bigger, unmovable boulders.
Ajmal did just that.
