Taking a deep breath, Johnny slowly stepped forward up to the curtains in front of him, he could hear the cacophonous sound of voices beyond. Excited whooping and chatter ringing out all around the arena, as the crowd eagerly awaited him to reveal himself as the challenger. He knew without a doubt though, they were more looking forward to seeing him lose against their champion. He sighed and prepared himself, as he stood waiting. Defeat them in this wrestling bout, and he could win a cash prize. He needed that money, and that was the reason he'd volunteered in the first place. He was in debt to a pair of local ruthless loansharks, and this was the only opportunity he could get the money he owed before they came for him. "Hey Johnny! You gonna do it or what?" shouted one of the backstage staff. "Come on, show 'em your manly stuff!" Johnny gave a sigh and nodded, limbering himself up as his chosen music started blaring out of the speakers. With his head down, emerging out from the
The 'Long' Way Down by LongitudoDraco90, literature
Literature
The 'Long' Way Down
There it was, he'd found it. Hidden deep within a great sprawling mass of bamboo forest, hours away from civilization and right amidst a clearing in front of him. Was the legendary place that he'd so struggled to find, an ancient Chinese temple thousands of years old. The place rumored in which imperial riches were stashed and maybe still after all this time. Slowly Joe the aspiring treasure hunter, and enthusiast for all tales of the unexplained. Shut off the engine of his quad bike he'd rolled in on, the low rumbling fading as he excitedly slipped his legs over the seat and hopped down onto the grass. Surveying the scene laid out before him, a frown quickly forming across his lips. There wasn't much of this temple left to see here. All but a great thick base of stone covered in clumps of moss, tangled vine, the shattered remnants of a wall and the crumbling stump of what used to be a pillar were all that remained. It wasn't as he expected. It was difficult enough to piece together