It never failed. Not after the war and what he saw when he was with the French Foreign Legion. He was always winding up in trouble. No matter where he went. And I was tasked with fallowing him, and saving his ass every time. Only this time, it was different. Much different.
I didn't particularly enjoy going into and Egyptian jail. But with what I had been told on my brothers situation, it needed to be done. Rick O'Connell wasn't going to die on my watch. No god damned way.
The guard that lead me to the cell where I would finally come face to face with my brother gave me an odd look as I asked him about that prisoner. I didn't know until moments later what that look was about. He had wondered why, a girl like me, all five foot five with long blonde locks and deep blue eyes, would ever want to come see someone about to be hanged.
As he pointed me in the direction, I realized quite quickly that I wasn't the only person who was interested in my brothers affairs.
"You lied to me." I heard the woman say, a radiant beauty with long dark hair called, as she looked to the man who stood beside her. She didn't look pleased with him, which brought a smile to my face. So I wasn't the only woman in the world who felt that men were idiots.
"I lie to everybody; what makes you so special?" The man replied, grinning.
"I am your sister!" The woman said back. Ah, so I wasn't the only woman in the world who had an idiot brother either.
"Yes, well, that just makes you more gullible."
"Excuse me!" I called, rushing over to them.
"Ah. Miss O'Connell I take it?" A rather disgusting and fat man asked, smiling at me. "I was informed that you had arrived yesterday."
"Ah yes. I was hoping to speak to you about my brother." I smiled at him politly. It was the only thing I felt I could do as he looked me up and down like I was a piece of property.
"Pardon me?" The woman called, after arguing with her brother about steeling something from 'a local drunker at a bar.' Whom I deduced was my dear brother. "What exactly is this man in prison for?"
"Yes please, enlighten me. What did he do this time?" I asked, sighing.
"This I do not know. But when I heard you were coming I asked him that myself."
"And what did he say?" The woman and I both asked, before we shared a glance.
"He said he was 'just looking for a good time.'" The man smiled.
"Course." I sighed.
"Excuse me." The man, the woman's brother called, looking to me. "Would you happen to be this man's wife?"
"Hardly." I laughed. "I'm his sister." I smiled then, holding out my hand. "Ellen O'Connell."
"Pleasure...under the circumstances. Jonathan Carnahan." He smiled, taking my hand and shacking it. "And this is my sister Evelyn."
"Hi." I waved to her, but she didn't seem to notice. Just then, the guards opened the doors and there he was. My brother in all his dirty glory, being slumped onto the ground harshly.
"This...this is the man you stole it from?"
"Yes, exactly, so why don't you go-" He began, just as Rick spoke.
"Who are you?" He asked, looking up slightly and glancing at Evelyn and Johnath. And then slowly, his eyes trailed farther to the left and landed on me. "Ellen..." He sighed.
"Rick." I smiled. "Hot water again?"
"Boiling." He gave me a grin. At least he hadn't lost his sense of humor. "How'd you find me? Matter of fact, what the hell are you doing back in Egypt? Aren't you supposed to be on your way to France with that... what's his name again?"
"Travis, Rick. His name is Travis." I sighed angrily, seeing the smirk appear across my brothers face. "Just...leave it alone. Please." I whispered, not wanting to bring bad memories. And even worse feelings.
"Whatever you say sis. So, who's the broad?" He asked, turning and looking to Evy.
"Richard!" I snapped.
"Broad?" The woman echoed looking utterly shocked. Jonathan quickly explained something to him that I didn't catch as I slowly moved closer. "But this is my sister," He added, pulling her forward, "Evy."
"How do you do?" Evy asked him politely, smiling as she did.
"Ah well. Guess she's not such a loss." Rick comment, glancing over at me.
"Rick!" I cried out, shocked. Suddenly, the small fat man, who I suddenly realized was the warden shouted something in a language that I didn't understand before telling us he'd 'be right back'. "Honestly..." I sighed, coming closer to the bars that held him belong my reach. "What did you do that got you..."
"Ask him about the box." Jonathan whispered to Evy quite suddenly, catching me off guard and pulling my focus away from my brother.
"Right. Um...we, uh, found...Hello, excuse me?" Rick turned away from me and looked to her, looking less them interested, "We both found your...your puzzle box, and we've come to ask you about it." She explained. He tilted his head towards me and I mouthed the words 'puzzle box?'. He simply shook his head and looked back to Evy.
"No," Rick instantly answered.
"No?" She echoed.
"No. You came to ask me about Hamunaptra." Once again, he turned and glanced at me and I mouthed 'Hamunaptra?' and he simply shook his head.
"How do you know that the box pertains to Hamunaptra?" She asked curiously, whispering as she spoke, her eyes suddenly large with excitement.
"Because that's where I was when I found it. I was there." I hadn't the slightest idea where the hell Hamunaptra was, but I got the sickening feeling that he had been there not too long ago...during the war.
"How do we know that's not a whole load of pig-swallow?" Jonathan asked, leaning into the bars, getting close to Rick.
"Hey, do I know you?" Rick asked, looking at him seriously, examining his features.
Jonathan suddenly looked nervous. "What? No...no no. I've just got one of those faces-" In that instant, Rick's fist flew through the bars and collided with Johnathan's face.
I gasped in shock. "Rick!" I cried out, as the guards stepped forwards and laid a beating on him. "Oh god, are you okay? Jonathan? Hello? Can you hear me?" I called, as I bent down and tended to Jonathan, while Evy simply stepped over him and moved even closer to the bars.
"You were actually at...Hamunaptra?" She asked, and i looked up at her to see the excitement just building behind her eyes.
"Yeah, I was there," Rick answered with a cocky smile.
"You swear?" Evy asked, her voice stern.
"Every damn day."
"He's not lying." I noted sadly, still looking over Jonathan.
Evy looked up at me, snickering lightly, before looking back to Rick. "No, I don't mean that."
"Oh yeah, I know what you mean. I was there. Pharaoh Seti's place. 'City of the Dead'."
"Could you...could you tell me how to get there?" She begged. The warden, who was slowly returning to our position, shouted something in the distance, and Evy lowered her hat when Rick looked at what was going on, trying to grab his attention. "I mean, the exact location?"
"You wanna know?"
"Well...well yes."
"Do you really wanna know?" Rick asked, as she stepped closer.
"Yes."
I saw it coming from a mile away and new that this girl, this Evy was headed for trouble. "Rick don't you..."
He beckoned her closer, then reached out through the bars and grabbed her chine, before kissing her right on the lips. "Then get me the hell outta here." As the guards appeared, hauling him away, he glanced at me giving me one last Rick O'Connell smirk, then looked back to Evy who was utterly shocked. "Do it, lady!" He yelled, as the guards pulled him trough the door and slammed it shut.
"Rick! Rick!" I cried out, rushing to the bars as he was dragged away. "Where are they taking him?" I demanded as I shot up, facing the warden as he appeared, looking pleased with himself.
"To be hanged." He smiled.
My eye went wide as my stomach turned. "What?" I cried out, my heart suddenly racing a million miles a minute. He simply shrugged. "But he...how could you...No!" I cried out, tears stinging my eyes.
"Apparently, he had a very good time." The warden said to Evy, giving her a grin.
It took all my might to remain slightly lady like and not punch the smug bastard in the face.
V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
"I think I'm going to be sick..." I mumbled, as we sat down high above the floor below, looking down at the hang man's noose where my brother was about to be killed. I had never felt so utterly destroyed inside. "I can't watch this...I can't just sit here and..."
"I will give you 100 pounds for this man's life!" Evy said suddenly, catching me so off guard that I turned towards her so rapidly I might have pulled a muscle in my neck.
"What?" I gasped, a little ray of hope suddenly rising inside of me.
"Madame, I would pay one hundred pounds just to see him hanged," Replied the stupid little fat man. I quickly leaned towards him, giving him and evil glance that he paid no mind to. He was to busy and clearly interested in seeing Rick get hanged. That dirty little bastard...
"Two! Two hundred pounds!" Evy cried out then.
"And I'll add another hundred!" I added, fueling the fire that might very well save my dear brothers life. Evy quickly glanced at me with a smile.
"Proceed!" The warden called, showing no interest in our transactions.
"Four hundred pounds!" Evy yelled out then. But I hardly paid attention as I watched the hangman tie the noose around my brothers throat.
"Oh God..." I moaned, tears coming to my eyes. Quite suddenly, the hangman called up to the warden, something in that language that I didn't understand.
The warden quickly answered in the same language before continuing in English, "Of course we don not let him go!"
"Five hundred pounds!"
I turned once again and looked to Evy, utterly amazed that this woman, this random woman would willingly pay that much to spare my brother's life. A man whom she didn't know.
The warden then once again said something in that language to the hangman, and everything stopped. Another ray of hope hit my heart as I looked down to my brother. "And what else?" The warden asked, as I turned my attention back to him, watching as he placed his hand onto Evy's leg. "I am a very lonely man." He said softly. A look of disgust passed over Evy's face before she slapped his hand away with her wallet, the inmates all laughing at this, which...pulled out anger in the warden as he cried out in that language once again. Only this time, I knew exactly what he had said...Drop him.
"RICK!" I screamed out, jumping to my feet, as tears streamed down my cheeks, watching as my big brother fell though the small hole and started dangling.
"NO!" Evy screamed, standing up too.
"Haha! His neck did not break!" He called happily before turning to me. "Oh I'm so sorry. Now we must watch him strangle to death."
I rose up at once and faced him, rage pulsing through me. "You filthy son of a bitch if you don't...!"
"He knows the location to Hamunaptra." Evy blurted out, and the warden turned away from me and looked at her fast.
"You lie."
"I would never!" She cried out.
"Are you telling me this filthy, godless, son of a pig knows where to find the City of the Dead?"
"That's my brother you're talking about you stupid little..."
"Yes!" Evy interjected, and I soon realized I wasn't helping her cause.
"Truly?"
"Yes!" Evy and I screamed together this time, as the warden looked at her, then me, then back to her.
"And if you cut him down, we will give you," She paused a moment and looked to Rick who was still struggling. "Ten percent."
"Fifty percent!" The warden argued.
"Twenty!" Evy fired back.
"Forty."
"Thirty." Evy said.
"Twenty-five."
"Ah!" She cried out, pointing at him smiling. "Deal!"
The warden groaned angrily, before turning to the hangman. "Cut him down!"
A wave of happiness flooded through me as I watched Rick tumble to the floor, alive and, for the most part, very well. All thanks to Evelyn Carnahan.
"Thank god." I mumbled, falling back down to my seat and closing my eyes as Evelyn stood up and looked down at him, smiling.