(I'm back from my great Egypt-tour, and here it is, the next chapter!)
The gates of hell will open wide
Welcome to the night - Rising spirits breathe Evil legacy (Holy Hell, song "Gates of Hell")
=== The temple of Apepi ===
The yellow-green, sulphur smelling haze and the sounds of the released creatures of the underworld swept against the mortal intruders, when they walked down the steps into the heart of evil. Imhotep went first. He had cast away most of the hindering modern clothing and the shoes as well. If he had to fight, it was better to feel the ground beneath the feet! Ardeth was only some steps left of him, a scimitar in his hand. Both men stared ahead with a grim determination.
It was a dark temple indeed. Instinctively, Imhotep touched his medallion and murmured a prayer to Osiris. Hearing him speak in the ancient language, Ardeth turned his head – and his expression turned to fright. Imhotep frowned. It weren't his words intriguing the Medjai that way, were they?! This incredule… The thought stopped in his mind. Following Ardeth's look, Imhotep discovered what worried him: a long golden spear lying on the ground. He reached out.
"Don't touch it", warned Ardeth. "I saw one of these bas-reliefs on the portal come to life and getting ready to attack. As you spoke the prayer, the demon crumbled into dust. Only this spear remained."
"If it remained, it was the sign of the Gods I prayed for," Imhotep answered after a short hesitation and grabbed the weapon. It felt not cold like metal at all, but like a warm living thing blending comfortably with his hand. Perfect… he thought with a short, nearly boyish smile on his lips. He felt strong suddenly. Either it was the power of Osiris in this weapon or in him – it did not matter. He prayed for a weapon, and he got one. He was full of confidence now. He would win! With the help of his God! This bearing in his mind like a shield, he turned around in Evelyn's direction one last time. He gave her a reassuring smile, too. Then he stormed against the seething hordes of darkness. He heard shots behind him, fired from Gordon Cramer or Rick O Connell, however did not pay attention.
The undead semi-human creatures ran towards him with blind hate. But all of a sudden, as Imhotep stepped closer, they whinced. It was as if they remembered that once he had been the master of the undead, while cursed with the Hom-Dai. The last remains of this darkness now bought him precious time to look for Ani. His son stood encircled by a giant snake. Apepi had reached his full power now. His scales glinted, and his fiery breath hovered through the dark temple. Imhotep called out for Ani, but got no answer. Fear clutched his heart. Was his boy already too far gone, too tightly in the grip of the Dark Ones? He pierced his spear through the rotten chest of one of the attackers, who finally had realized the man in front of him was NOT his master anymore. From the snake like head of the creature came an evil hiss, when he went down and dissolved into dust. Imhotep tried to make his way past new attackers and reach Apepi.
…
Gordon Cramer had rested at Evelyn's side as promised before. "Because you have a wise and rational mind", Imhotep had explained his decision. Wish my ex-wife could hear that, Cramer thought wryly now and regarded the chaos around him. As if rationality would help here! Holy cow! I should write my memoirs! Would either end up in a clinic judged mentally ill or become famous…
Evelyn's gaze followed her husband while her heart felt as heavy as a stone. I had to let him go twice… I thought saving his life the first time, and condemned him to the Hom-Dai with my actions… And the next time we were blinded by the Dark Ones and I helped to kill him… She closed her eyes for a brief moment. She wished so much to be able to do something, to HELP Imhotep. However, she felt as helpless as in the ancient times! Should she have to watch him die again? And this spear he had picked up… was it really the weapon of which the old prophecy spoke? Deep inside, she sensed, this could not be the answer. Not the only one at least. Perhaps something that gave the fighters a little respite to find the real weapon. The weapon to defeat Apepi forever…
Evelyn turned away when Imhotep jumped right across two leering creatures and prodded the spear through another's head. At his side, the blood from the knife wound formed a red spot. He did not seem to feel anything anymore, no pain, and no weakness. But she felt it, as if she was wounded herself. In that moment, Evelyn's eyes caught a set of hieroglyphs beneath the place where the spear had been. "The power to vanquish the old deceiver…" she began to decipher. The rest of the inscription was covered in sand. However, none of the unearthly creatures ventured as far to the entrance, where Cramer and she had taken cover. Therefore, it might be time to dig out the rest and find the answer… Evelyn turned to her companion for help.
…
Imhotep still tried to get Ani's attention, but the boy did not react. Had he lost him? No, this COULD not be! Not Ani, not his first born son! The Gods could not allow that! He evaded the flames spit by the angry Apepi and found himself face to face with Gemar… or rather the exterior shell of the Bedouin leader, through which shone Seti's mind and hate. He had thrown away his gown as well. Eons had passed, but the scene mirrored the events in the ancient times. With the exception that it was Seti who had the blade ready to strike the final blow, not the Highpriest.
"Now you die!" The old soul of the pharaoh cried. His eyes had a red glow similar to the one of Apepi. "I waited centuries to let you feel the moment of death and enjoy seeing you walk into hell right in front of my eyes!" He stroke down, but Imhotep moved aside fast and his enemy missed him.
"Your son Ramses buried me under the Hom-Dai!" he retorted. "I have suffered enough for ten deaths, believe me!"
"And you'll do it again, traitor!" Another blow.
Imhotep blocked it with the spear and was on his feet again the next second. "I'm not a traitor!"
"You were after my crow from the beginning!" Seti shouted. "Since you first put your foot in my palace, treacherous bastard! I should've never allowed you to take the honors of your father!" The sword scratched the skin on Imhotep's right leg, but he managed to wound his opponent as well.
"This will get you nowhere! You are lost either way! You are the sacrifice for Apepi's pleasure, Imhotep!" Behind Gemar-Seti, a bunch of hideous creatures congregated, ready to tear Imhotep apart in their claws.
"I was not after your crown! Not even your life! You are a prey of the Dark Ones yourself! They use you as they did with Ramses! You are their tool!" he shouted back, but was cornered more and more. He couldn't discern Ani anymore. But he couldn't call him for help anyway. Of course, his son would do everything to rescue him. And this would finally throw him into the abyss of the Dark Ones, undeliverable forever!
"You are a lying rat! You betrayed your God and ME!"
"All I cared about was Ancksunamun! You treated her like a vile slave!" Yes, Imhotep had waited for eons, too, to spit this in the pharaoh's face.
"She was a slave! MY slave!" Seti's voice became an inhuman snarl while he approached together with the creatures surrounding him.
…
Meanwhile, Rick O'Connell stood near one of the pillars and was about emptying an ammo pack on the gigantic monster trampling in his direction. The beast looked like the mixture of a hippo and a crocodile and had the size of an elephant. Moreover, it rested absolutely unimpressed by the bullets fired on him. "Shit!" Rick threw his empty gun against the head of the monster and jumped to safety over some debris the very next second. There he grabbed his elephant-gun and loaded. There had to be a way to bring this thing down!!! Even magically reanimated mummies could be smashed, if you tried hard enough, he remembered his past experiences. He fired; till the beast nearly had reached him and he saw its yellow teeth and the drool dripping down. Shouting some violent curses, Rick set his last shot right between the monster's eyes. Finally, it went down. Rick cried triumphantly like an Indian on his warpath, and then ran upwards where Gemar-Seti and Imhotep fought. Not to help the Highpriest, but more to get a hold on the man on whose orders his comrade Giulio had been killed. For a damned bracelet! In attacking Gemar from behind, Rick accidentally saved Imhotep's life. However, he did not finish the enemy, because in a whirlwind of dust and fire, another squadron of Apepi's armies swept against him.
…
"You should not go too far inside", Gordon Cramer warned Evelyn. He was no coward, but it would be of no use, if she and he got sucked into the mess below as well. Someone had to be able to go back to McClellan, to the plane, and organize help. He was a police officer, not a hero… and right now it seemed as if they had to run for their life very soon… Very close to him Ardeth fought, being pushed back against a wall by his enemies. Having killed them with his scimitar, the Medjai stormed against the Snake-God. The demon looks more and more powerful, with every little victory against his creatures… Cramer mused uneasily. He tried to calculate his odds and then the slight possibility he might just stuck in an evil nightmare and wake up every second. He would never complain about boredom in Luxor village again!
Evelyn studied the hieroglyphs anxiously. Some parts were missing due to broken rock. She hoped it would not be the essential part! The power to bring down the birth-bringer of evil.. what could bring down evil itself?! The unborn child in her moved. Did it know the answer? In the ancient times, it was believed the unborn were still linked to the gods and thus knew things hidden to the born ones… What could bring down the evil itself? Evelyn tried to decipher the worn out signs near the bottom. They told about the coming to life of Apepi. The God Ptah had created the earth out of the dark and silence, but there were forces not willing to leave the darkness and the chaos….
…
Imhotep and Ardeth attacked Apepi from different sides, but with combined force. However, their weapons and their skills were useless, nothing more than needles trying to scratch a stone. Ardeth's scimitar shattered into pieces, and only a fast move spared the Medjai's life. A fast move and – Imhotep's reckless attack from the front. Among the smoke, fire and dust that filled the temple, the Medjai thought to see a tiny smile on Imhotep's lips. A spark of understanding between the two men or only the priest's satisfaction having distracted Apepi successfully? It was no time to ponder about this!
Imhotep got eye-contact with Ani. Finally! But it was a look too long, too intense. He didn't see Gemar-Seti closing in again from behind, he only sensed his enemy, when the sharpness of his blade cut through the muscles of his back. Imhotep fell, hearing the frightened cry of Evelyn and the angry one of Ani, blending with the snake's hungry hiss. He tried to get up and reach his weapon again. It rained lightning all around him now. Apepi's hiss became a roar. The world turned darker yet, and from the darkness sounded the chatter of royal scarabs and then… Gemar-Seti's fearful shrieks. After that, the snake god was attacked himself.
Cracks opened in the floor, deep and glowing red. The undead creatures seemed to grow again and gain strength, while the bodiless shadows bounded with them. "Ani! Don't use your powers!" Imhotep wanted to command his son. "Don't do it whatever will happen!" The call rested a miserable whisper, not to hear at all! Would he die now? Loose Ani to the Dark Ones? Loose Evelyn and their other precious child? No… NO! This would NOT happen!!! He could not leave her alone! Near the claws of the winding Apepi who attempted to crush Ani, but could not anymore because he was too strong, Imhotep got on his feet again. Half of his body felt numb and blood ran down his legs. Only one thought had still room in him. Ani had to stop his fury! Nothing else mattered, Imhotep ordered himself with clenched teeth and struggled forward. The spear was in his hands again. He could see nearly nothing because of the darkness now. Not Ardeth nor O'Connell. Were they dead? But he had to reach Ani, make him stop! The names of his gods on his lips, Imhotep stepped further in the direction of Apepi's glowing eyes. The snake god could not kill him, even if he was an easy prey now. Apepi had found his master. Until the Dark Ones were strong enough on their own for letting Ani fall into the red glowing abyss! A useless tool…
…
What was the weapon that could conquer the primeval chaos? What could bind Apepi again? Think, Evie, think! Her father had said so quite often to instigate her to find out something. But then, she sat in front of her books – not in a dark temple which was on the brink of becoming pitch black, and the life of her family at stake! Think, think! Darkness. Chaos. Death. Pain. Evil. The God created the world in opposition to these things. In opposition to the Dark Ones. What was the opposite?! LIGHT! First of all! Evelyn turned to Gordon Cramer and took the flashlight from his hand. Before he could say anything, she stepped down, carefully, now both lights in her hand like swords.
The opposite of chaos? PEACE. CALM. Desperately, she tried to calm down and bring peace in her mind despite her fear. Actually, the creatures in front of her backed off slowly. What else? Light. Peace. Life! LOVE! Exactly! That was, what her unborn child wanted to tell her, she was certain. So, if Apepi was the death, she bore life, light and peace to destroy him! Everything condensed in love, her love for Imhotep and their children. She would overcome Apepi and the Dark Ones with love!
…
"Ani…" A weak breeze, nothing more. Imhotep forced his body to function. Because he failed to raise his voice, he shouted in his mind "Stop it, stop it!" again and again. "My son, listen to me! Blood of my heart, Ani, stop it!"
All of a sudden, a hand grabbed out of the darkness and pushed him down. A moment later, Imhotep looked again in Gemar-Seti's face. He had escaped the scarabs, because they had been burned by Apepi's breath. He was wounded, though, but hate let him feel no pain. He raised a dagger and grinned evilly.
…
Love. Evelyn walked further. She had nearly reached the center of the temple. This was, when she saw Gemar-Seti and Imhotep fighting. When she saw Imhotep sink down, the dagger piercing through his chest. Incredulity was painted all over his face. His God left him to die, after all, and abandoned him…?
Evelyn could not cry. She just stood there like frozen. The world seemed to have stopped abruptly….
But Osiris was not shrouded in silence. … Trust…. Evelyn heard spoken in her mind, and she felt like pulled forward through a shining white light. ….Trust me, Ancksunamun, as you did before…. She strode on like in trance. She did not realize the shot of O'Connell bringing Gemar down, nor the fact that the creatures around her dissolved completely. And that the frightening Snake-God was shrinking until it was not more than a small viper disappearing between the stones.
…Trust…
The rifts in the floor started to close again, the smoke began to settle down.
…Trust…
Evelyn kneeled down besides Imhotep. She did not sense Ardeth's hand on her shoulder, she did not hear Cramer's worried questions. She placed her hands on the lifeless chest of her beloved.
…Trust…
"How far?!" She wanted to cry out, but was not able to do so. Then… a third hand, with tiny fingers, was placed in between hers. Evelyn raised her head and discovered Ani. He looked like any 8-year-old tired child. Tears had left broad streams on his dirty face.
"Dad…?" he murmured shaky, and more tears poured down. "You cannot be gone, wake up!" Without realizing it consciously, the boy switched to the ancient language. "Wake up! Wake up!"
Suddenly, thin flashes emanated from the boy's fingers, soon covering the whole body of his father like a cocoon. Then they disappeared again. And Evelyn watched the wound from Gemar's dagger becoming smaller and smaller within instants and finally vanishing completely as if it had never been there. A single breath lifted Imhoteps chest, then another deep one, and he opened his eyes. "Osiris… spoke to me…" he whispered. He reached out and touched Ani. "The Dark Ones are confined to their prison forever… Every trace of the curse has been wiped out… Ani is free, because he has given all his powers to bring me back to life…"
"I know. Osiris spoke to me as well."
Imhotep leaned back against Evelyn and felt his own tears flow over her hands, which caressed his face.
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(One little chappie is still coming)