Chapter Nine
Ahkmenrah's day's sleep was troubled by thoughts about whether or not he would die entirely. At least, as long as he thought, his soul lived, and it lived through a very long day with very few visitors. At one point, he fully became aware of McPhee saying, "That was painful," just before he lapsed into awareness of himself.
He was still alive, and he could check the wound, which had clotted over. He found he could freely open his sarcophagus and climb out, which he did, and he found his brother waiting for him.
"Slept well, I see," Kahmunrah said.
"Actually, not as well as one might hope," Ahkmenrah replied.
"How so?"
"I kept thinking about whether or not I was going to die, and it must've kept me alive."
"Perhaps, perhaps it was the gods who aided you."
"Either way, I am still here, and I am thankful for that. My worries now pass to Tally."
"You do not believe her to be in safe hands?"
"She's in the hands of the man who shot me."
"Even so, she'll find a way out."
"I'm supposed to bank on the fact that you're right?"
"You don't have to, but if you want to ease your mind, I recommend it."
"Well, then, I suppose I must," Ahkmenrah said with a sigh.
Tally awoke more to the sound of a vicious roar than anything else, and lo and behold, the Destroyer was after them again. She shook Jesse awake and dragged him behind her as she took off.
While still half-asleep, Jesse asked, "What's going on?"
"We're being hunted again," Tally replied.
"Now where do we go?"
"If I'm right, and we keep going straight, we should end up somewhere-" Tally suddenly ran smack into a wall and was knocked backwards, stumbling.
"Think we made it." Jesse kicked open a door and gestured for Tally to follow him inside.
Tally allowed herself to look around for a second when a woman asked her, "How's your shoulder?"
"Better," she replied before knowing exactly who she was talking to.
The woman rested a hand on her shoulder and Tally tensed at first. After a second, she relaxed and the woman removed her hand. Tally gingerly peeled off the jacket and tossed it to Jesse, who quickly shrugged it on.
"What was all that about?" Jesse asked.
"No crack comments. These people could order your death within five seconds."
"Why do you keep thinking I'm gonna say something stupid?"
"Because I can't trust you to not do anything stupid."
"I honestly doubt you can argue with that logic," the woman said. "In any event, my husband will see you now." She took a few steps toward another door and gestured for Tally and Jesse to follow.
In the next room, the woman announced the visitors, in Egyptian, Tally noted, to a guy on a throne who was wrapped in bandages all the way up to the top of his neck, his arms forever crossed on his chest.
"Ah, the two young survivors," he said in a raspy voice. "Welcome."
Jesse moved to launch into some tirade or another, but Tally stopped him. "Excuse our intrusion, but we were trapped here by Set, and all we want is to get back home."
"To the museum? Ah, yes, of course. You're unwilling travelers from the upper world."
"Yes, exactly."
"Do you know exactly how you were trapped here?"
"The picture which placed us here was sealed and frozen."
"Ah, I see."
"Are we gonna die down here?" Jesse asked.
"You might, if you aren't careful, especially around Set's forces. I am afraid I can't do much, but already I see great changes in play."
"So, as long as we're stuck down here, pretty much everyone's trying to kill us?"
"Yes."
"Sound familiar, Jesse?" Tally asked.
Jesse took a step backwards, toward Tally, and fell silent.
One of the doors leading to the room burst into several pieces around the form of a man with a dog's head. "Oh, God," Tally whispered.
In the doorframe that remained was a bald man with a knife in one hand. "Were you just talking about me?" he asked.
Jesse stepped between Set and Tally, his gun drawn, causing the latter to snap, "Are you out of your mind?"
"Nope," Jesse replied. "Just returnin' the favor."
The man disappeared, only to try to grab Tally from behind. She had maintained her freedom long enough to throw him to the side and usher Jesse out the door into the Underworld's court.
Set shot to his feet and lunged for Tally, slashing across her abdomen. She grabbed his wrist and tried to force the knife into Set's chest, but again, she was thrown off.
Jesse fired two shots into Set's body, which distracted him enough to allow Tally to get to her feet and gain some distance. His attempt to fire a third shot was thwarted when he was grabbed from behind by someone who spoke predominately German.
Tally attempted to warn Jesse about the incoming threat from behind, but it had come too quickly, so she simply shouted, "Shoot!"
Set took another lunge at Tally, who made another attempt to drive the knife into his chest. After a violent struggle, she finally succeeded, when colored spots filled her vision again, and she blacked out.
Jesse managed to gain enough space to fire a shot into the German's chest, and once the man had crumpled to the ground, Jesse used the butt of his pistol to bash his face in. To his amazement, once he finished, the man disintegrated into dust. From what he could tell, aside from the dog-headed man awaking out of an unconscious stupor, the woman bent over Tally and the bandaged man overseeing, everything was deserted.
"Congratulations," the bandaged man said, gesturing with his head to a portal forming in thin air. "You've won your freedom."
"What about her?" Jesse asked, gesturing to Tally.
"She will come with you," the woman said. "She will live, but she needs medical attention."
Jesse helped the woman carry Tally into the portal, which spit them out in the Western Wing as if nothing ever happened.
Larry stood in the door, aghast, before he fished out his phone and called for help.