The Death of 1977 (Book 3)

Chapter 38

The four German Shepherds barked ceaselessly as the billowing smoke engulfed the small space within the cave. Both small and medium sized rocks were still tumbling to the ground as the coughing and gagging of human beings could be heard clear outside the mouth of the cave.

"Alright, everyone, follow me!" Livingston shouted as he carefully marched back into the cave's entrance, waving noxious smoke and debris away from his face.

One by one Livingston's henchmen and the workers all filtered back into the cave. Once enough smoke had been cleared away Livingston knelt down to the ground and shoved as many rocks aside as he could before spotting something shine out of the corner of his right eye.

"Bring the light down here!" Livingston feverishly panted.

At once, one of the workers shined their lantern towards the ground. Livingston's heart dropped to his knees at that very instant before he shoved and scattered even more rocks away that ended up revealing a cluster of sparkling diamonds.

"My God," one of the female workers joyfully screamed.

Everyone behind him all rejoiced in song and dance, but Livingston remained on his knees in a stunned storm. Yes, he too was elated; his face was blushing so much that it resembled a ripe tomato. But expressing his ecstasy was akin to squeezing blood from a stone, it was beyond impossible. The man just couldn't bring himself to leap out of his shoes. He was too jolted to even utter a simple grunt.

"We've done it, mon!" Philippe yelled into Livingston's ear. "We've finally done it!"

Livingston scooped up a mass of tiny diamonds into his jittery hands before standing to his feet. "You see?" His body shook. "You see what happens when you work hard and never give up? This be the fruit of all labor!"Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

The crowd hollered for joy as the dogs barked and howled. Soon, everyone, with their own bags in hand, got down to their knees and began gathering as much booty as they could before throwing it into their separate cloth satchels. Livingston stood and studied both the diamonds in his warm hands and the people on the ground collecting their work.

He looked back and forth until he managed to concentrate solely on the shiny treasure in his hands. The smoke from the explosion was still prevalent inside the cave, but as hard as it was for him to breathe, the rampant thoughts and aspirations of what his wealth could bring him overwhelmed Livingston to where he couldn't stop shaking.

The men and women were all hooting and hollering with their newfound fortune before Livingston. The man had gone deaf for a few moments. All he could see was smoke, people dancing and the fire of his existence. Every so often his eyes would glance back down at the ground where more diamonds just happened to be lying. Nearby was the line from where more dynamite was still connected. There was so much shininess on the ground that gathering as much as one could seemed nearly impossible. He never realized just how much was actually hidden within the cave's walls.

"Okay, okay!" Livingston shook his self back to life and shouted as he picked up his own bag from off the ground and dropped his handful into the satchel. "Listen, get as much as you can and head out the rear of the cave. There's a good chance that the villagers down below heard the blast, and if that's the case then they'll be up here sooner than later. Taking the rear out of here will leave us undetected."

Everyone did as ordered. They scooped up and filled their bags with as much wealth as they could. Livingston spotted a wheelbarrow to his immediate left. The man tossed his full bag into the cart.

"Here, fill this cart with everything and I'll make double sure no one is coming up the mountain!" Livingston yelled before racing back to the cave's entrance.

He poked his head out while glancing behind him to find everyone doing as they were told to do. They all carelessly placed their bags into the wheelbarrow, and like giddy young people took off down the opposite end of the cave laughing and cavorting as though their lives were suddenly trouble free.

The very second the last henchman was out of sight Livingston ran back to a corner of the cave where the fuse box was still resting. He picked up the box and listened until the barking of the dogs became more distant before he sparked the fuses on the trigger, one, two, three times, which in turn activated a second explosion that caused the rear section of the cave to rumble and collapse. Livingston picked up the wheelbarrow full of satchels and hurriedly carted it out of the cave's entrance while leaving the screaming workers to their ultimate fate back inside.

Smoke came flowing out of the cave's mouth like it was on fire. Livingston dragged the wheelbarrow down a trail and to the waterfall where his truck was parked next to several brightly lit lamps. The man gathered and tossed every bag of diamonds into the back of the truck before he looked back at the top of the trail where a plume of smoke was still curling out.

For the first time in years the man had not a care in the world. The night in all its sprinkling glory was perfectly still. The flowing waterfall beside him looked so effervescent in the lamplight that it was nearly poetic. Livingston then turned the wheelbarrow over onto its side before making his way back around to the driver's side of the truck. However, just before he could even climb inside, there erupted a moving sound right behind him. With the quickness of an on duty soldier Livingston whipped out his gun and spun around only to find Arthur standing there. Livingston almost fell backwards at the sight of the man. He was already a sweaty mess, but right then the man's face drowned in wetness.

Arthur was a soggy, soaking mess of a man. Gone was the dapper, well-trimmed gentleman that had intrigued an entire Parliament cabinet.

"I...I was waiting for you." Livingston stammered.

Arthur uttered not one word; he just began walking about in the lamplight until he managed to stand right in front of the waterfall.

"I see you and your crew have at last unearthed heaven." Arthur steadily stated.

Squirming back and forth, Livingston replied, "Oh yes, finally got the dynamite to work. The job's all done."

Arthur nodded his head with a curt grin. "Were you planning on leaving without saying goodbye?"

Rolling his eyes and sniggering, "Are you serious? Even I know better than that. I was waiting for you to get back so we could split this stuff." He said as he walked to the back of the truck.

"Is it really ten million dollars' worth as you said?" Arthur slowly inquired.

"Possibly more than that," Livingston laughed out loud as he reluctantly rummaged through the bags. "Let's hurry and split this up before the villagers get up here."

But when Arthur stopped speaking that only caused Livingston's heart to race all the more furiously. He knew that the man was still behind him, and his ominous silence was unnerving to the point where his shaking began all over again, only by then it had intensified to where he couldn't even hold a cluster of diamonds in his hands without dropping a few in the truck's bed.

"Is dere a problem, Mr. Livingston?" Arthur's voice deepened.

Livingston's body immediately tensed up so much that he could hardly even move at that instant. "I...I was just getting your share of the—

Without thinking, Livingston grabbed his gun and spun around to find Arthur still standing there, but with fangs drawn and a pair of white eyes staring back at him.

"Were you planning on disrespecting my family by leaving us out?" Arthur growled.

"No, no, I swear down, I didn't do it!" Livingston slobbered.

"You kill all de workers, and I am glad, but you dishonor my name by trying to escape me."

"You killed your own brother and sister!" Livingston screamed. "What's gotten into you? How can anyone fucking trust you?"

Grunting at the man, Arthur remarked, "Yes...I killed my brother and sister. I killed dem both, and now...now, I won't kill you."

Livingston's body at that second began to gradually ease down. He kept his gun tuned at Arthur's face, and no matter what, he would not part eyes with him.

"I shall see to it dat you are well taken care of for all your service to my family." Arthur bowed his head.

"Taken care of?" Livingston sneered.

Just like that, Arthur rushed at Livingston with the speed of a mountain lion. Livingston was entirely too taken off guard to even mount his own defense before he was snatched by the throat and tossed into the side of the truck. The man yelled and hollered as Arthur and his fangs ferociously tore and ripped across the man's body, leaving blood smeared on the truck and the rocks on the ground. Livingston saw his gun on the ground, but every time he attempted to reach for it Arthur managed to grab him in time and pull him backwards.

Livingston fought as hard as he could against the attack, but Arthur was entirely too strong and vicious to be withstood. Livingston kicked, clawed and screamed, but no matter what he was powerless. Soon, he found himself being hoisted in the air by Arthur's strong arms. Livingston looked down at the cavern where the waterfall was ending. All the man could do was close his eyes.

Just as he thought he was going to be tossed into oblivion, Livingston instead felt his body crash through the glass of his truck.

The man laid there prostrate and near death while catching glimpses of Arthur taking the bags from out of the truck's bed and growling out of sight.

Livingston shut his eyes.