Hershel and Randall had been traveling deeper and deeper into these ruins for some time now. The Puzzle and Mummy chambers were becoming more difficult every level, but the two teens continued to push on.

"No risk, no glory," Randall reminded him. Although he would prefer to turn back and go home, Hershel wasn't about to abandon his best friend and he had also promised Angela that he'd watch out for him.

"Lets see what's over this path." Randall stepped forward when suddenly a boulder came crashing down onto the path between them. "Oh my, what shall we do now?" Hershel asked Randall. "Well there are two paths so we'll just split up and meet when the paths come back together." "Right."

He listened as Randall's footsteps echoed off into the distance, then continued his way down the remaining unblocked path. A new puzzle chamber came into view and he rushed forward to complete it so he wouldn't leave Randall waiting. After pushing back all the boulders he continued down the narrow winding path to the next room.

He set foot into the new chamber just as the path behind him was shut out by a stone door. He jumped and turned to the door when he heard a clanging noise. He turned back to see a new room full of mummies ready to attack, on;y this time he was alone and there seemed to be more than usual.

"Hershel look out!" Randall! But where was he? He looked up to where the noise was coming from and saw Randall standing on a ledge a few meters above. Randall pushed a large boulder over the edge which came down, crushing the mummies in it's path as it rolled by. "I'm going to try to find a way down to your path, but you need to get to the other side of the chamber to open the door." "Got it."

He ran through the obstacles of the chamber, avoiding the mummies and boulders coming his way. He could see it. The switch that opened the door was right up ahead.

Suddenly as if out of nowhere a mummy, one of the quicker ones, came charging toward him. In a panic he turned left, but found himself at a dead end. He knew if he tried to run back out the mummies would catch up to him and get him. He dug a hole in front of himself letting one of the mummies fall in and become buried, but that wouldn't stop the rest of them from coming his way.

"Hershel run!" Randall shouted at the top of his lungs. But there was no where left to run, and he was running out of ideas. He flung his shovel at the closest mummy, momentarily knocking it down as the rest of the mummies continued on toward him. There's nothing else I can do what should I do?

"I'm out of boulders to push down on them you have to run Hershel!" "I can't they've cornered me!" "You can just try to dodge them! I'll try to climb down there!" "RANDAL HELP! PLEASE!" Hershel pleaded. Randall had started to climb down the ledge but he wasn;t sure if he should let go because the drop was quite a few feet down.

Suddenly he he a swoosh of air and the sound of metal hitting the stone wall as Hershel's last cry for help echoed through the chamber. "Hershel!" Randall jumped down forgetting how high the ledge was. He hit the chamber floor as a sharp pain shot up his leg. He took a sharp breath standing up, he didn't have time to deal with a twisted ankle he had to save Hershel.

"Hershel where are you!?" He sprinted around the corner to where he has last heard his friend. He gasped and stopped in his tracks. There he saw the last mummy that Hershel had failed to knockdown holding a sword out. Randall slowly turned his gaze to the other end of the sword.

There, half standing half leaning against the wall, was his best friend covered in blood as the rusty weapon pierced through his stomach. The mummy pulled the sword back and turned toward him now. "HERSHEL NO!" The mummy began to move toward him, sword at the ready. "...Randall the shovel..." Hershel muttered as he slowly sank down from the wall. Randall look to his right where the shovel lay a few feet from him. He dove grabbing a hold of his trusty shovel and turning to block the mummy's blade just in time.

He knocked the weapon down, forcing the end of the shovel at the mummy and causing it to break in half. The mummy grew still as Randall stood and faced his friend. Suddenly he felt numb, gazing upon the sight of Hershel drenched in red. He threw the shovel down and ran toward his injured friend.

"Hershel! Are you okay!? Can you hear me!?" He kneeled down next to his friend who was sitting, but leaning against the chamber wall. "Randall... I'm..." he paused coughing, choking up blood. "Don;t worry I won't let you die! We'll go home right now, we'll-" "Randall, I'm...sorry..." Randall could feel tears welling up in his eyes but he tried to hold them back. "No, this is my fault Hershel, everyone was telling me not to go but I wouldn't listen. And now I've dragged you along into this fine mess. And for what? Puzzles? Fuck puzzles we need to get you out of here right now."

Hershel chuckled and then coughed again closing his eyes. "But I wouldn't have heard the end of it if we didn't let you go. I shouldn't have let you..." "Let's stop waisting time! We need to go!" Randall lifted him onto his back and began to limp back toward the chamber entrance which had opened up again.

His eyes watered up as he slowly went back to the surface. He could feel the warmth of the blood seeping through his shirt, and Hershel has grown silent. He continued on anyways, dragging his twisted ankle along, as a trail of scarlet followed behind.

He reached the surface, the warm sun hitting him on the face, where his horse and cart waited for him. He set his friend down in the seat of the cart. "Hershel?..." He felt pressure in his chest as he looked down on his defeated friend, who had turned pale and cold on the journey back up. "hersh?..."

He covered him with a sheet from the cart so he wouldn't have to see his him on the journey back home. He whipped the reigns and the horse set off across the sand. Tears ran down his cheeks, smearing his glasses and soaking his scarf.

The ruins shrank until he could no longer see them. He looked onward to the edge of town as the city grew before his eyes. There at the beginning of the road stood Angela, the love of his life and his other best friend Henry.

How will I ever tell them?...