The year was 2000, and the heat in the Chihuahuan Desert was unforgiving. But for brothers Eloy and Javier Delgado, the real heat was waiting 300 meters underground.
They were miners in the Naica complex, digging for lead and silver in the dark, cramped tunnels. It was a routine shift. The drill roared, biting into the limestone rock face just as it had a thousand times before.
Suddenly, the resistance on the drill vanished. The machine lurched forward. They had punched through into a void.
Silence followed the roar of the drill. A strange, warm breeze hissed out of the small hole they had created. It wasn’t the stale air of a mine shaft. It smelled… ancient.
Eloy grabbed his flashlight and widened the opening. He leaned in to see what was on the other side.
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