Larry swerved out of the way of another pedestrian. People were running all around the city, frantically, and it was getting very hard to drive anywhere without ending up partially on the side of the road. Every so often, he would hear emergency vehicles race down the roads. This was by far the worst traffic Larry'd ever been in.
"Are you seeing these sand people?" Lancelot asked from the backseat.
"Yeah, I think I ran one over," Larry told him, frantically. "Zalaam must've released his army already."
"Then we don't have a lot of time," Teddy said, sitting beside him.
"But we don't even know where they are!" the knight yelled.
The car shook as Larry went over a speed bump. He was going over the speed limit and wondered if this was how Jedediah would normally drive. "Well, we gotta think of something." He turned the car down another road. "The roads are only gonna get worse and the more time we give Zalaam, the more time he's got to destroy the city."
"And the more time Ahkmenrah has to be used as his vessel," Lancelot added sourly.
Larry tightened his grip on the wheel, involuntarily. Just the mention of Ahkmenrah was putting his stomach in knots all over again. He dared to look away from the road for just a moment, gazing at the Mirror in Teddy's hands. Please know which soul is Zalaam's, he begged. Don't trap him when he's done nothing wrong. Please, just know which one to take.
Ahkmenrah curled into himself and hugged his knees even tighter. Cold tears had dried on his cheeks. His wrists were red from his many attempts at fighting his restraints. His breathing was quick and frequent, like no matter what he did, his lungs weren't satisfied. The breathing techniques Larry had taught him years ago when he'd expressed how fearful the sarcophagus made him hadn't worked at all.
Some time ago, he had no idea how long, he'd heard Zalaam's voice somewhere. He'd given orders to his army. His plans were fully in motion now, Ahkmenrah was sure of that. And he couldn't do a thing about it. After that, the silence had returned and he was left with only his panicked thoughts: He was alone, it was dark, and he couldn't move. His family was in danger and there was no way he could save them. He was alone, it was dark, and he couldn't move. His family was in danger…
New York was in such turmoil, no one took note of the tall man in the large hat and outlandish clothing, nor the miniatures that sat on his shoulder. Along the way, Kahmunrah had somehow managed to avoid the sand soldiers that were mentioned on the news report. There were so many people, so many places for them to be, it seemed he was just in the right place at the right time.
By the time he'd followed Jedediah's instructions to Central Park, the new night had started to age. The moon glowed high above, but it was getting lower. Time was starting to become a worry. "This monkey had better be around here still," he growled. His sandals met the cold, dew-covered grass as he started to walk around the park.
"With all these trees, I would think it would be a good hiding spot for Dexter," Octavius observed.
"Yeah, but there sure are a lot in here. We gotta find him quick, b'fore Zalaam does somethin'," the cowboy added.
"And before Larry gets a chance to use that Mirror."
With that, the two miniatures began to call out for Dexter as Kahmunrah's eyes looked around the area. Octavius was correct, Central Park had hundreds of trees and bushes, all of which were good spots to hide. Not to mention, the park was very large from what he could tell in the dark. How are we going to find something so small?
"Come on, Rahme- er, Kahmunrah," Jedediah began. "Yer big mouth is gonna do a lot more good than ours will."
He wasn't sure if "big mouth" was meant as an insult or if the cowboy just meant that his was larger compared to theirs. Either way, he sighed, feeling a bit ridiculous, and followed suit. "Dexter?!"
"Come on, Dex, we ain't got time fer games! Ya gotta help us save Ahkmenrah!"
They carried on like that for who knew how long as Kahmunrah walked around the park, looking for any sign that a monkey had been there recently. Of all the animals Ahkmenrah had to get attached to, Kahmunrah thought as he continued to shout, it had to be a monkey. Could have been a snake, or a cat, but no. He had to go with the one that throws things and doesn't listen when you call its name. Amongst their shouting and the loud noises from the chaotic city, he heard the sound of a dog barking somewhere nearby. It was a loud, frequent noise that only got more pronounced as he kept walking. I even would have preferred one of those compared to a monkey. A dog would at least come when called if trained. How would you even train a monkey?...Then again, at least the monkey is quieter. I can't focus with all the barking it's doing. What in the world could be bothering it so… Kahmunrah's head snapped towards the loud noise. Please be what I think it is.
He quickened his pace a little, looking at his shoulder every so often to make sure the miniatures were still there. If they got lost again, he'd never get into the museum without a fight. As he got closer, the source of the sound came into view. As it turned out, it wasn't a real dog making all the racket, but rather the statue of Balto that had come to life. Its curled, bronze tail was wagging frantically and its front paws were on the trunk of the tree it was barking up.
"Look! There he is!" The Roman pointed his finger, and Kahmunrah's eyes followed the trunk of the tree upwards until he saw a long tail up on a high branch.
"We found 'em! That dog musta scared him up there," Jedediah said happily.
It's about time, Kahmunrah complained. He quickly walked up to the tree and saw the dog's head turn to him. "Shoo," he ordered. The statue merely looked at him with large eyes and whined a bit. "Go on, get out of here. Go chase your own tail or something." He waved it off. Balto surrendered and trotted off towards another group of trees, his tail wagging behind him.
"You really ain't good with animals, are ya?" the cowboy asked.
Kahmunrah brushed off the question and looked up into the tree again. Dexter's brown eyes were on him and the backpack was hanging on a sturdy branch. "Well?" he asked. "Are you going to stay up there all night?"
The capuchin blew a raspberry in response and Kahmunrah furrowed his brow.
"I don't have time for your monkey business." He ignored the snickering miniatures. "I am not going to climb up there and get you. Give me the Tablet before Zalaam can do any more damage."
"Yes, come on, Dexter," Octavius told him. "We really do need that backpack."
"I know ya don't like Kahmunrah, but ya love Ahk, don't ya? We need yer help if you want him to come back."
Dexter made a few chattering sounds and looked at Kahmunrah. "Are you going to come down or not?" he snarled. "We are wasting time."
"C'mon, Dex, it's okay. Kahmunrah wants to help this time, ya ain't gotta worry."
"We have to trust him, for Ahkmenrah's sake," Octavius told him.
"This is ridiculous," the Egyptian stated. He glared at the miniatures. "It can't understand what we're saying! Reasoning with it isn't going to do a thing! I'm just going to have to climb up there and-"
A loud thump was heard and Kahmunrah looked to the ground. Larry's backpack was a few steps in front of him. Kahmunrah looked down at it, flabbergasted. Dexter climbed down the tree and looked up at him, standing on his back legs.
"Well, wouldja look at that." Jedidiah grinned. "Guess he's smarter than ya think."
Kahmunrah shot him a glare and picked up the bag, feeling the weight of the Tablet. His eyes went up to the sky and checked the moon again. That took too long, he realized. We need to keep going, and quickly. Just as he was about to start walking again, however, a pair of furry paws grasped the end of his tunic. Before he could stop him, Dexter climbed up his torso and onto his other shoulder. Kahmunrah scowled at the animal. "I don't recall giving you permission to do this. Ahkmenrah may tolerate it, but I-"
"Aww, just suck it up," Jedediah told him. The amount of confidence the cowboy had around him was starting to get on his nerves. "'Sides, with the city as crazy as it is, yer gonna want 'em near ya."
"Ahkmenrah would be devastated if something were to happen to him," Octavius added.
The monkey gave him a toothy grin and Kahmunrah restrained himself from pushing the animal off of him. He had bigger things to concern himself with. "Tell me how to get to your museum," he ordered.
"A'right, we gotta make our way back to the streets," Jed explained. "From there it should be just like a big square."
As he started to walk out of the park, Kahmunrah did his best to ignore the miniatures and monkey on his shoulders. Ahkmenrah had better be grateful for this, he grumbled. Once out of Central Park and back on the sidewalk, the chaos of the city became clearer again. Every so often, red lights would flash nearby, and loud sirens would wail down the road.
"New York's losin' its mind," the cowboy said.
"The sooner we stop Zalaam, the better," Octavius agreed. Dexter made a strange chattering sound as if he was contributing to the conversation.
After walking a bit more, they saw a large, white building across the road. "There it is, there's home," Jedediah told him happily. Cautiously, Kahmunrah crossed the street, which was thankfully not busy what with all the chaos, and approached the Museum of Natural History. As he walked, he figured out how to use the strange "zipper" on the bag and opened it to look at the Tablet. It was glowing like a star and he could almost feel its energy. With every step he took, Kahmunrah got a bit more apprehensive, knowing he would not be getting a warm welcome once inside the building. He glanced at the cowboy on his shoulder. If you don't get them on my side, I swear...
Kahmunrah jumped a bit as the statue in front of the museum awoke. The horse reared on its back legs with a whinny and its rider shouted, excitedly. He took a deep breath and walked up the steps, past the tall, white pillars. Finally, the only thing in the way was the glass door. "A'right," Jedediah began. "Here's the tricky part."
"This is the 'tricky part'?" Kahmunrah repeated.
"Yeah, 'cause the door's gonna be locked, an' if ya bust it, alarms are probably gonna go off. So," he clapped his hands, "what ya gotta do is find a way to reach the roof. Maybe climb up the building an' use the windowsills to get a good grip. From there, ya have ta-"
Kahmunrah blocked out the rest of the insane idea. Curious, he reached out for the handle and pushed it a bit. The door opened easily, and he looked back at the miniatures.
"Now, assumin' you can fit down that, it should land us by the Hall 'a African Mammals. There's lions there, but Egypt had a buncha cats in it, right? So-"
"Jedediah," Octavius said. He pointed to the door.
"Hm? Oh!...Well, whaddaya know, McPhee fergot ta...huh." The cowboy looked a bit sheepish. Kahmunrah glared at him and got a weak smile in return. "...Guess that's gonna make it easier for ya. Let's get goin' then."
"If you don't convince your friends that I'm not a threat, I promise you-"
"Hey, hey, no worries," Jedediah told him. "I gave ya my word. You just walk in, an' I'll show ya what to do."
The Egyptian held his gaze for a moment longer before opening the door more. As he took a step inside, the Tablet gleamed even brighter. He hadn't taken more than ten steps before his eyes landed on the enormous dinosaur skeleton a few feet away. Kahmunrah froze in place as the bones began to move. The eye socket opened and closed, like it was blinking. The ground shook a bit under his feet as it stepped off its pedestal.
"Well?" Kahmunrah whispered, trying not to let the fear come out in his voice. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Just stay where ya are and don't make any sudden moves," the cowboy instructed. "Don't go to him, let him come to you."
"I don't want it near me."
"Well the only way he's gonna let you keep goin' is if you let him get ta know ya and figure out you ain't a threat."
"But what if it-"
A thunderous roar cut him off and Kahmunrah's heart skipped a beat. Rexy lowered his head down and growled, stomping over to him. Oh, Ra.
"Don't get squirrely, that'll make him feel threatened," Jedediah ordered. "An' don't panic, he can smell fear."
"How? It's a skeleton."
"Yeah, I was messin' with ya on that one. But really, don't move."
"Rexy won't attack unless you give him reason to," Octavius said.
The tyrannosaurus stomped up to him and Kahmunrah couldn't help but notice its large teeth. The cowboy wasn't kidding. Rexy stopped a few steps away from him and brought his nose down to Kahmunrah's face. He could feel its breathing.
"Don't do anything," Jedediah told him. "He's just feelin' you out is all."
Kahmunrah held his breath as the dinosaur narrowed his eyes. Ahkmenrah, if I survive this, I swear... Rexy seemed to study him for a moment and after what felt like forever, backed up a bit.
"There ya go," Jedediah said. "That means yer okay. He backed up, that means he knows you ain't a threat."
The Egyptian exhaled but the dinosaur continued to look at him.
"Now reach yer hand out slowly an' pet him."
"What?"
"Reach yer hand out and pet his nose. It lets him know you're friendly."
Kahmunrah set down the backpack and looked down at his hand. He slowly brought it up, hoping it would still be there in a moment. Cautiously, he extended his arm and let it meet the space between the dino's nostrils. After his arm wasn't viciously bitten off, he moved his fingers a bit across the smooth bone. A gust of wind moved his hair as Rexy's tail wagged behind him. He heard it start to pant, happily.
"Man, I wish I could film this." The cowboy smiled.
"Are we done?" Kahmunrah asked, trying hard not to sound desperate. "We do have a reason for being here, you know."
"Well, Rexy seems to like you, so ya should be okay."
He put his hand down slowly and the dinosaur stood tall again, cocking his head a bit.
"Go on, Rex, go play," Jedediah told him.
Like magic, the dinosaur turned around and walked off as if the Egyptian had never been there. Kahmunrah finally relaxed a bit, hoping that would be the worst of it. And that, he thought, is why we worshipped cats. He picked the backpack up again.
"We have to find Dr. McPhee, the curator," Octavius told him. "He'll be able to rally the museum together."
"Gotta be 'round here somewhere. Try going down that hall."
Kahmunrah did as he said while his eyes scanned his new surroundings. By this time, the exhibits were out and about. A few antelope ran down the hall past him, their hooves clomping on the hard floor. A few men in uniform with bayonets walked by but did not look at him. At least, Kahmunrah assumed so. They didn't exactly have eyes.
"Just what am I supposed to say to this curator?" the Egyptian asked. "That some crazed sand-welding Sorcerer is going to take over the world unless we all go stop him? And we have to find him before a magic mirror potentially traps Ahkmenrah's soul forever?"
"You jus' let us do the talkin', Rahmenoodle."
"I thought I told you to stop calling me that. What does that even mean?"
Jedediah opened his mouth but was cut off as Dexter let out a shriek and jumped off of Kahmunrah's shoulder. He ran down the hallway on all fours and was quickly out of sight. "Dex, where ya goin'?" the cowboy called.
Good riddance, Kahmunrah thought. Just as he began to brush the fur off his shoulder, a loud voice rang out. He looked up and saw four men on the second floor near the stairs. Attila the Hun, who he recalled from the Smithsonian, was pointing a furious finger right at him. He could see the pink in the Mongol's face even with the distance. With another yell to his men, they drew their weapons and began to run to the staircase.
"Aw, Hell!" Jedediah shouted in his ear. "Quick! Speak their language!"
"What?" Kahmunrah yelled, his eyes widening. "I don't know what they're saying!"
"You don't speak Hun?!"
"Why would you think I speak Hun?!"
The shouting got louder and Kahmunrah looked back to see Attila with a large blade in his hand getting dangerously close.
"Run, man, run!" the cowboy shouted. "Run like the wind!"
Kahmunrah didn't waste another second. He raced down the hallway, dodging the passing exhibits. The miniatures were hanging from a strand of his hair, but they were no longer a priority. The angry yelling behind him was still getting closer. He charged up another staircase, having no real idea where he was going. Attila was shouting furious gibberish behind him and it only seemed to be getting closer.
A/N: I sure do love making Kahmunrah run for his life. The museum is alive again! Also, in regards to the virus, I just hope you all stay safe and DON'T PANIC. Things will get better. Thank you for reading as always and for any favorites follows, and reviews.
