Chapter Seven

After helping Larry get all the exhibits back to their displays, Tally raided the security office for anything and everything related to the Famous Fredricks coctail drink and put them in a garbage bag she'd found looking for what she'd come to find. Only at this point did she clock out and head home.

Brunden was at the threshold of Tally's apartment when she got there, and the two exchanged glares. "What do you want?" she snapped.

Brunden grabbed her wrist and jerked. "What's standing in front of me right now." Tally kicked him in the gut, and the second his grip loosened, she pulled free.

"Get out."

"What?"

"Get out."

Brunden lunged again, and Tally punched him in the face and kicked out his knee. "You stupid-."

"Bitch. I know. I'm just a stupid bitch." Tally kicked him in the side, broke a rib or two, and let herself into her apartment as if nothing had happened.

Tally collapsed on the couch with a heavy sigh, rubbing her eyes. She turned to the photo of her and Cecil in the Diorama Room and smiled softly. "Think I did it?" she asked. "Think I made the countermeasure to the curse?"

"There's more than one," Cecil's voice replied. "Don't think I haven't heard all that Ahkmenrah said."

"You're my ghost, so I'm not really all that surprised."

"Well, good."

"So, can it be done?"

"Of course, but I'm sure it won't be easy. The world works in mysterious ways."

"So does chaos, and so does life, and love."

"Love?"

"I ended up going out with the pharaoh, that one you hate."

"I don't hate him, I just couldn't let him get in the way while I was alive."

"Still, him, or Joshua?"

"The pharaoh, Ahkmenrah."

"Okay, back to the matter at hand, what do I have to do?"

"First of all, watch Brunden. I'm afraid he's been possessed."

"By what?"

"More of a 'who'. There are those here in 'limbo' who seek power in the real world again, and I'm afraid one of them is trying to use Brunden to his ends."

"Why Brunden?"

"Well, if it were me, I'd have chosen you if you had even a slightly weaker mental state."

"Well, I don't."

"And I'm proud of you. Now, as I recall, you wanted some sleep."

"Yes, I did."

"See you, Tally-baby."

"See ya." Tally closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

Ahkmenrah's eyes fluttered open and he examined the underside of the lid of his sarcophagus. He could hear the pins being pulled from their places, but he didn't want to leave just yet. He ran his fingers along the side of his sarcophagus before he pushed the lid open and climbed out. As usual, he greeted Tally with a kiss. "You seem more ready to face the day than I am."

"Well, I've gotta be."

"So you feel it, as well?"

"Yeah, if 'it' is a sense of foreboding and impending doom."

"That's the one."

"Now, then. Let's do this."

"How is it you're so optimistic?"

"I'm at home here, and I'm not losing it to some guy possessed by a psycho spirit from ghost world."

"So it isn't really optimism as it is a sense of duty."

"Yeah, that's it."

Ahkmenrah kissed her again and pulled her into an embrace, stroking her hair. "Tally, will I lose you?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it. I'm not asking you to trust me, because I know you do, but I want you to let me at least try to stop this."

"You've done too much since you've come here."

"And I want to do some more."

"So tell me your plan. Perhaps I can help."

Octavius issued an order to his men in Latin, while Jedediah, his cowboys, the Mayans, the Civil War guys, and everyone else stood by in the lobby, watching Brunden. Brunden had been whispering incantations and such and not, while all the lights around them dimmed, replaced solely by a light blue light emanating from the center of the lobby, where Brunden stood. The light glowed brigher and brighter with each passing moment, and most of the miniatures shied away in sheer terror. "Archers, one shot into the light," Octavius said, and the archers fired once, watching their arrows disappear. "Fall back, but don't retreat." The diorama figures took a few steps back and reformed their lines.

Brunden continued to chant and the light continued to glow and spread until the former began to hover and the latter began to eat away the floor of the lobby as if it were acid. Jed crept closer to Octavius, who aided him by pulling him closer. Brunden threw his hands into the air and cried out a phrase in Egyptian, and Octavius whispered, "He must be possessed."

"So, what, do we try to find the real Brunden or something?"

"Too risky, and too contrite. We need something else."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know, kill him?"

"Kill him? We gotta kill him?"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"Well, we ain't got anything to kill a gigantor thing with, so we gotta at least get rid of whatever's possessing him."

"That's the best plan I've heard all night."

"So let's do it."

"Yes, let's."