"Road Not Taken." [Lee Know] HORROR

Chapter 3: Seo Changbin

"Hm. Interesting." I whisper softly as I write down the details. I get up to my feet and walk over to the two men to see it for myself. When they noticed my presence, they stepped back so I can study it. Sergio's assistant had it in a small wooden box to keep it in tact. It sat upon some hay to cushion it.
It was.... breathtaking to say the least. I couldn't describe the feeling I was getting off of it. It was like I had been bathed in a warm glow. I wanted to see more of it. I leaned forward to give it a closer look.
I hummed softly.
"I've never seen anything like it. It doesn't look that old. It's in pretty good condition." I say into my recorder then quickly wrote it down on my notepad. Sergio looked at me while I worked. I felt his eyes boring into the back of my skull. "You are quite young, but you are so observant. To think you have only done this work for a year and a half."
I chuckled.
"Thank you, sir. I worked my ass off to get this degree. Took like 8 classes at once and went 7 days a week. I love History and I love learning," I nod my head at him and continue.
"Okay, I've written down everything I can here. How about we bring it back to camp so I can truly nose dive into the lore of this piece of jewelry?" I raise an eyebrow and dust off my hands. Sergio laughed with his hands on his belly.
"See what I mean? There you go again! Your charisma is quite remarkable, boy."

"Whatever pays the bills, ya know?" I slapped him on the arm. He bellowed out a laugh and nodded his head.
"You are right. You are older than you look. I like you. We outta go get a drink after this is done. You and I!"
I bow to him, and close my book.
"Sure, I could use one. If you are offering, I won't turn you down."
"Atta boy! Now, scurry on up. I'll help this struggling baffoon up the ladder with the box."

"Yes, sir." I turn to go grab the ladder handles, but I hear the other man speak to me before I had a chance to climb up. "I heard from the other scientists that it was an object used by a Shaman who lived here thousands of years ago."
I froze in my tracks when I heard him say that. Shamans? Like voodoo magic?

I turn my head to glance over in his direction.
"Really, now? What's that?" I ask curiously. Sergio clicked his tongue and smacked the other boy on the arm. "Aish! Don't be tellin' this boy those ghost stories. He isn't from here. We don't wanna scare him off. I swear, Romov if you don't shut up, I'll stuff your mouth with old rags!" He growled.
The boy gasped. His skeleton nearly ejected itself from his body.
"N-no, sir! Sorry, sir. It's just what I heard." He spoke in broken English. Then again, I couldn't blame him. I wasn't well versed in the English language either. Once again, thank God for my assistant. She was my translator.
I didn't move. I was so infatuated with what the other male said. It was sudden, yet seemed to also peak my interest. Whatever it meant, I made sure to make a mental note of it anyway.
Sergio turned to me.
"Just ignore him. Go on up!"
I nod and begin to climb the ladder, but a sudden flash behind me caught my attention. When I looked back, Romov was coughing and choking. Sergio was on his knees, clawing at his face. I was in shock. I didn't know what the hell was happening.
"Sergio?! Romov? What's wrong?!" I jumped down off the ladder and ran over to Romov to take the Ancient relic that he was holding in his gloved hand. The stone necklace seemed to glow. I don't know if it was because of the sun, or if I was witnessing a pulsing energy beaming off of it. I tried to grab it out of Romov's hands, but I was blasted back by something. Screams erupted in the air, when the others figured out what was going on. When I opened my eyes, Sergio and Romov were lying on the ground motionless. My breathing hitched as I tried to digest what exactly happened. I slowly pulled myself up, but I cried out in pain when I moved. I landed hard against a large crate. It was hard to move. I was in pain, bruised, but I wasn't dead.
What the fuck is happening? W-what happened?