Inside the temple stood a colossal stone statue.
A warrior nearly fifteen feet tall.
Its body resembled an armored soldier.
But its face looked like a desert jackal.
Strange symbols covered the statue's chest.
Martin folded his arms.
"Please don't tell me that thing moves."
Mehta nodded grimly.
"I wish it didn't."
He explained that ancient writings described the statue as a guardian created to protect the city's sacred treasure.
For centuries the mechanism remained dormant.
Until Mehta's excavation team accidentally triggered it.
"The statue began moving," Mehta said. "Slowly… like a machine waking from sleep."
Rathore frowned.
"A machine?"
Jones examined the statue carefully.
His eyes lit up.
"Of course!"
"What?" Martin asked.
"It's not supernatural at all."
Jones pointed to the joints.
"Ancient engineers created a mechanical guardian powered by counterweights and underground water pressure."
Martin blinked.
"Two thousand years ago?"
"Yes," Jones said calmly.
"Ancient civilizations were far more advanced than we often assume."
Suddenly the ground trembled again.
A grinding sound echoed through the temple.
The statue's head slowly turned.
Stone eyes glowing in the lantern light.
Martin whispered,
"Oh no."
The enormous guardian stepped forward.
The floor shook with each movement.
Rathore fired his revolver.
The bullets bounced harmlessly off the stone armor.
Jones shouted,
"Run!"
They fled through the temple corridors as the massive stone guardian pursued them through the ancient city.