It is night. You are standing on the flat top of a stone pyramid. Men dressed in long green robes crowd around you. They chant and sing in a language you don’t understand.
You look into the misty light for your friend Tom. Suddenly, you see him - struggling for his life. He is strapped to an altar, his arms and legs tied down. Tom’s terrified eyes meet yours and you see him mouth the words, “Help me. Please!”
A man in robes steps forward and begins to slide a knife across Tom’s throat.
“Noooooo!” you scream, reaching out.
You lunge forward. But the only thing you clasp is the lamp next to your bed. You jerk awake and sit up, looking around. You are home in your own room. There’s no altar. No singing men. You take some deep breaths. It was just a bad dream.
Three days ago, your best friend Tom disappeared on assignment in Mexico. He was doing a piece for cable TV on the ancient Mayan temples at Chichen Itza. His assistant Amanda called to tell you the news.
“Tom was onto a hot story. But he wouldn’t say what on the phone. After he was reported missing, the police found fresh blood on the altar used for human sacrifice by the Mayans. No one has seen him since,” Amanda tells you.
“Who called to tell you?” you ask.
“Tom’s guide Manuel. Tom said that if anything happened to him, I should call you right away,” she replies. “Do you think you could go down there to look for him? I’m really worried.”