It wasn't a difficult task, masquerading as one of the diggers on the Hamunaptra excavation. She was already a tall, sturdy built woman with barely any breasts – a small handful at most. Covering her face was expected due to the sand flying up from their dig so she had no worries about her face revealing her. Her obviously feminine figure was well hidden under the bulk of her robes. As a digger you had people speak at you more than to you so she never had to utter a word. All she had to do was stay in the background, keep her head down, and do her work.
Anna had to be cautious, after all. She was a woman hidden amongst a group of people – men – she did not know, deep in the desert. She didn't know these men from a hole in the wall and had no idea what their reaction might be in discovering her. It was in her experience that men believing someone to be a spy or a thief, especially concerning the treasures legend to be buried in Hamunaptra, that violence often came before questions. A situation she'd much rather avoid.
After a strange attack on their boat the travel to Hamunaptra went smoothly enough and the first days work, although brutal to her muscles unused to such work, was finally behind her. She counted herself fortunate to have been placed on the excavation team outside as opposed to the team aiding the Americans inside the chambers. They had released an ancient trap that had been placed as a last attempt to guard whatever treasure lay at the feet of Anubis. The images she was met with at the end of that day back in the diggers section of camp are ones she will never forget. The one man that survived the initial burn was laying, half wrapped, in such pain he was delirious. His kin surrounded him with prayer and whatever comfort they could manage wishing against all odds that he survive the night. Though Anna could see that would not be the case.
Late at night, while the Americans were intoxicated and the diggers were all asleep, Anna crept into the chambers far below the sands. Her steps were cautious after the events of the day, petrified of what other traps she might unknowingly come across. She wandered through the chambers away from the dig sites of the Americans and the English woman, making discreet marks along walls and around corners so as not to get lost in the labyrinth of tunnels. Anna was not after their discoveries, she had no intention of stealing their glory and treasure out from under them as they slept. Instead she moved away and searched for any sign she could find of previous visitors. She looked for any hint that they had not, in fact, been the first people to walk these halls in so many years.
Her search turning up empty so far and her nerves getting the better of her being so alone in such a place she turned back and headed to the surface. The hope of sneaking out and making her way to her tent without being caught was quickly extinguished when she walked outside and straight into a battle. Or the recovery from one, at least. Before she could so much as take in the sight before her the Egyptologist was in her face yelling at her for her absence, his Arabic spitting at her so quickly she could hardly catch the words.
"You coward! Hiding in the tunnels! You're lucky we can't afford to lose any more diggers or you would be beaten within an inch of your life." Keeping her eyes averted, head down, he finally ran out of steam and ordered her to work with the other diggers to reset the camp.
It was as she helped move the bodies of other diggers and bury pools of blood into the sand that she realized just how stupid she had been to be unarmed this entire time. She thought as she worked, figuring out just how she could find a suitable, concealable; weapon and then she saw it. As she lifted horse blankets their mares had thrown during their panic she caught a gleam beckoning her through a thin layer of sand. A small dagger. She could tell by design that this was no American dagger as the handle was inscribed with beautiful lettering and pictographs, things she could not decipher, and the tip curved ever so slightly. Looking about to see if anyone was watching she lifted her robes and tucked the dagger into the wrappings on her legs.
The diggers finished as the Americans slumbered and after what seemed like an eternity she slept as well. Her rest seeming more like minutes than the sparse few hours it was.
The next day seemed to drag on forever. Exhausted and sore from the day before she had to bite her tongue to keep from groaning with every stone she lifted. Being normally such a happy and chatty (though not overly, she enjoyed her silence too much) woman, going so long without uttering a single syllable was beginning to feel like physical torture. Though the day was difficult and almost seemed as though it would never end, night finally fell. The work had been uneventful, no more incidents, though Anna had heard talk from the other group that they had discovered a cursed treasure. What the treasure was she never heard because the diggers had been so petrified of the curse they could talk of nothing else. They spoke of it, prayed, spat, and prayed some more. Though it seemed their prayer did little as the very next moment a fierce wind swept through the camp and a wall of locusts descended upon them.
Anna ran. Her heart hammering, she ran for the tunnels as fast as she could, not stopping even once she was inside. She panicked as she felt the insects trapped in her wrappings and head covers and without a second thought quickly ripped them off. Her arms bare, her head freed, her hair immediately fell it's full length, reaching the middle of her back. She couldn't suppress the moan of disgust as she pried two or three of the locusts from her auburn curls. Shaking herself out, taking a few deep breaths, she centered herself and brushed off the remaining shock of what just happened. It was then she realized her predicament. She had just revealed herself and through the dark she couldn't hope to find her wrappings. Though at this moment the dark was her greatest worry. These tunnels went on forever in a seemingly endless series of twists and turns, she had no idea just how far in she had run. If she ran into someone else she would count herself very lucky considering how difficult it would be to navigate in here without a torch.
Running her hand along the wall as she walked to keep her steady she mustered up her courage to take each step. Her fingers suddenly lost contact with the wall and she realized she found a corner. Turning, feeling braver with every step she took, she began to feel slightly optimistic about finding her way through. If she could find her way into a large chamber there would be light, no matter how dim, and maybe she could make a torch or find the way out from there.
"Oh please.." Came a gurgled plea. The pain and desperation obvious. Anna's confidence crashed immediately and her heart caught in her throat. Had someone been injured? She thought. Fallen into another trap, perhaps? The darkness seemed so much thicker around her now. Her steps fell a little more hesitant than before, not knowing what she was walking into.
"No.. no.." came a sob not too far from her. From the sound of it it came from a chamber that must be close ahead. Perhaps around the corner she could now feel under her fingers. As terrified as she was of what she might find a chamber was her best bet of getting out of here, herself. And, just maybe, she was the best bet of the injured man she could hear moaning ahead of her.
She took a step around the corner and could instantly see again. Although the light was very dim she could easily identify one of the American men, Burns, standing in the center of the room facing away from her. The rest of the scene, however, took longer for her to take in. It was such an absurd scene to walk in on that at first she couldn't understand what it was she was seeing.
A corpse had cornered the English woman on the other side of the chamber. An actual corpse. A mummy, in fact, rotting bandages hanging here and there. A walking.. and talking, evidently, if Anna's ears could be trusted right now.. corpse. To say she was in shock was putting it lightly. But then things moved too fast for her to even process. Another man ran around the corner yelling "Eve!" before being startled by the creature before him. Quick to act, O'Connell shot the mummy and they ran from the room before they even saw it fall to the ground. For a second all that could be heard was the gurgles and groans from Burns. Before Anna could even let out the breath she had no idea she had even been holding, the creature was back up and snarling. As it stood full form, its anger obvious, and made towards Burns Anna let out a small noise. Barely even a strangled squeak but loud enough to draw the creatures attention to her presence. It worked its way towards her and her entire body froze in absolute horror.
When it reached barely two feet from her something snapped inside of her and she ripped the dagger from its hiding place. A surprisingly sturdy hand held the dagger out before her, her feet backing her away from the rot moving towards her. Through the pounding in her ears she thought she heard a nearly demonic chuckle come from it. Just as she was backing into the hall hands grabbed her from behind and pulled her away, a man in black robes with an unsheathed scythe jumped between her and the mummy.
"Get the American!" Came the loud Arabic command from somewhere beside her. "Get the woman out of here!" Came another.
Anna was almost dizzy with the speed at which she was ushered back to the surface. Before she knew it she was brought to a group of people standing just outside the tunnels entrance. Some she recognized – Eve and her brother, O'Connell, and some of the other Americans – others, the ones in black garb, she didn't. When she was brought to them everyone did a double take to this woman they had never seen before. Auburn curls frizzed from heat and sand, pale as a ghost from fear, diggers robes dulled from the sand, and knuckles white with the grip on her dagger.
"Who in the hell –" Henderson began, only to the cut off by the appearance of Burns as he was dragged in by the ones that saved them. "What did you do to him?!" He yelled at the men in black before eying the dagger still in her hand and rushing at her, "Did you do this?!" He made to grab her but another man stood between them. She blinked and looked down seeing that only now had her hands begun to shake.
"It was the creature. We saved him. You should be grateful he was interrupted before he could finish his work."
"Look," O'Connell started, his voice smug. "I told you, I got him. It's over."
"And I told you," the man in front of Anna turned towards O'Connell to make sure his words were heard. "No mortal weapon can kill him. This creature is the bringer of death. He will not eat, he will never sleep, and he will never stop."
The man turned to leave when his eyes caught sight of Anna, still visibly shaken, and the dagger she clutched for dear life.
"Miss.." He started but when he saw her jump, still not making eye contact, he softened his voice and reached out to gently touch the wrist of the hands holding the dagger. "Miss.." She looked at him, eyes wide, but said nothing. "It's alright." He took the dagger out of her grip despite her muttered protests. "The creature is not here. You did well." He assured her and Anna calmed noticeably. He looked at the inscriptions on the dagger and drew a sad smile. "Ahmir.. You found this last night, did you not? He perished of his injuries not long after we left your camp. It would help his spirit rest to know he is still of some help. Here.." He handed it back to Anna, hilt first. "Use it well." With that he entered the tunnel. As he moved Anna fully snapped out of her shock, a thought striking her.
"Wait!" She ran up to him, grabbing his arm to keep him from leaving. "Please. That thing.. Has it been here the whole time? Please, I need to know."
"It slumbered here for centuries. Your English friend woke the creature reading from the Book of the Dead. You were not aware she did this?"
"I, um.." She unconsciously began to fidget with her diggers robes, a gesture not missed by him. "No. I missed that part."
"I must go. As should you, as quick as you're able."
She looked back at the others packing up camp and scrambling to their horses. Relief flooded her.. The creature was only a new development. Then, maybe..
"Have you –" She turned back to the man but he had already gone. Anna let out a sigh and turned towards camp, fighting down the anxiety over what will happen now that the others have seen her.
Her fears were forgotten when she saw everyone was too busy to bother with this mysterious woman that had appeared. The American men were too busy tending to their friend to care, the Egyptologist was too busy tending to himself, Eve and O'Connell were in the midst of an argument, and the remaining diggers were so panicked they kept to themselves. Anna rode behind everyone, the very last in the line of people trudging back, defeated, through the desert.
Anna was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that it seemed in no time at all she looked up and knew where she was. A couple hours outside of Cairo in a village she had only ever seen on the way to Hamunaptra but she still remembered enough to slip away and complete the journey on her own. With everyone else so preoccupied she took the opportunity to leave. Breathing a deep sigh that was just as much concern as it was relief. She got away from a terrifying situation but none of her questions were answered in the slightest.