Disclaimer: I do not own the Mummy.

Chapter 17: Live Today

The fireballs in the sky had been a new one for Rory. It was literally like the world was falling apart around her when it had happened, while Rick and Jonathan were trying to collect the Egyptologist. Unfortunately, the Mummy had killed him before they could get to him. Jonathan explained that part to her pretty well. She shuddered as she fought the image appearing in her mind of what the Egyptologist's death would be like. Probably strewn on the floor, sucked dry, much like poor Burns had been in a crowd that was now fearful of a possible world coming to an end.

None of this made sense. Rory wondered why the Medjai would even perform such a curse if they feared it so. Punishment? That's all she could come up with. Rick parked the car to the side of the museum and the remaining survivors of Rick and co. followed Evelyn inside the halls again.

Evelyn had explained to Rory on the way that Thebes was the birthplace of Anuk-Su-Na-Mun. Imhotep was a high priest. It was dangerous for any of them to get together in those days since she was betrothed to Seti the first. The more Rory learned about Egypt's history, the more she grew fascinated with the ancient stories.

"Well, according to legend," Evelyn began as they followed her up the stairs. "The black book that the Americans found in Hamunaptra and the one you're obsessed with," she duly noted Rory. Rory nodded. "Is supposed to bring people back from the dead. Until now it was a notion that I was unwilling to believe."

"Better believe it sister, that's what brought our buddy back to life," Rick said sarcastically.

They headed towards the tablets, but then stopped when something eerie sounded through the walls of the museum and out the window. Rory shuttered and glanced warily at Rick. They looked at each other and then turned to look outside the window to see what it was.

Rory widened her eyes, and her mouth dropped. "Oh my God," she breathed out in pure shock to see that he had accumulated such an army behind him.

"Last but not least my favorite plague," Jonathan said softly. "Bolls and sores."

Another shiver swept over Rory. "What happened to them?" Rory asked.

The medjai leader glanced at her and then back at the window. "They have become his slaves."

"Do me a favor, Rory," Evelyn said, noticing her fear. Rory glanced at her. "Never subject yourself to such a thing. Never."

Rory gulped and swallowed hard. She nodded. She would never subject herself to anything of the sort. They were trying to move on, break free from that mindset.

"So it has begun," the medjai leader continued. "The beginning of the end."

Evelyn looked determined, "Not quite yet it hasn't. Come on." She gently tugged Rory away from the window.

They followed Evelyn into the other room, down the hallway of the second floor of the museum.

"According to Bembridge scholars, the Golden book of Amun-Ra is located inside the statue of Anubis," Evelyn explained in haste.

"That's where we found the black book," Daniels said.

Evelyn nodded. "Exactly."

"Looks like the old boys at Bembridge were mistaken," Jonathan said.

"Yes. They mixed the books up. They mixed up where they were buried. So if the black book was inside the statue of Anubis, then the golden book must be at…"Evelyn said to herself as she scanned the hieroglyphics with her finger. She looked on top of the tablets, while Dr. Bey looked on the bottom. Rick and the others kept an eye on their creature that was coming after them. Daniels was left. Henderson had been killed much to Rory's dismay.

"Come on faster, Evie, faster!" Jonathan cried frantically.

"Patience is a virtue!" she chimed right back as she scoured the tablet for answers.

"Not right now it doesn't!" Rick cried as the doors suddenly. Rory glanced down over the banister balcony.

"I think I'll uh, get the car started," Jonathan said, and hopped on his feet, rushing back outside to start the car.

Back inside, Evelyn was still frantically looking until she finally found it.

"I got it! The golden book of Amun-Ra is buried at Hamunaptra, inside the statue of Horus! Take that Bembridge scholars!" she cried happily in her own accomplishments. She grinned excitedly and Rory grinned at her.

"Go!" Rick cried, as the slaves burst in the museum's closed doors. The others ran as he grabbed Evelyn by the arm. The medjai leader grabbed Rory's hand for a split moment. Another spark sparked between them making them jump. He narrowed his eyes at her and then darted towards her hand. Rory gulped, and swallowed hard. What did that mean? She drew in a deep breath and when he relaxed his hand on hers one more time, he was finally able to pull her along quickly, followed by Daniels, and Dr. Bey in toe.

Outside the museum, Jonathan had suddenly found himself with the slaves of Imhotep. He glanced around nervously, realizing there was no escape. He sucked in and widened his eyes to pretend like he was one of them and started chanting the monster's name, hoping it would work.

As they started to move away from the museum, Jonathan drifted the other way back to the car. And when they were out of sight, he ran to the car, and hopped in to get it started.

"Ah! Go! Go! Get this thing in gear, boy!" Daniels cried as he hopped over the car. "Let's get out of here!"

"Hurry Evie!" Jonathan cried frantically for his sister. "Rory?" he asked, and she nodded as he saw the medjai warror help her inside.

Rick helped Evelyn as they all squeezed inside the backseat. Rick got in the passenger seat and sat atop of it with his shotgun ready to fire as Jonathan got the engine running.

"Imhotep! Imhotep!" Benji cried out, rushing out the doors, calling out to the slaves to head this way where his old friends were. Another cry and a roar sounded throughout the museum, causing Rory to cringe at the sound and cover her ears, looking at the museum. She looked up and saw the monster in front of the window, looking down angrily at them, and commanded his slaves to follow after them. He was almost completely regenerated, just had his jaw creepy looking like a gooey skeleton.

Jonathan drove off once everyone was inside the car.

"You're gonna get yours Beni! You hear me!" Rick pointed at the creeper. "You're gonna get yours!" he pointed at him.

"Oh! Like I've never heard that before!" He yelled right back making Rory frown.

"Rick, you know Beni's not like that. Not really. He must've been seduced by the mummy."

"How exactly?" Rick asked her as they drove away.

Rory shrugged. "The spoils of gold maybe? You know Beni's always been hungry for that among other things."

Rick sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

"He'll come around," Rory said.

"Why do you have to do that?"

"What?" Rory asked.

"See the good in people," Rick said.

"It's a curse," Rory said.

"Or the contrary," the medjai warrior said next to her that had caught her off guard.

Rory bit her bottom lip as they raced through the market place. The slaves had found them once more as Jonathan tried to drive in and out of the allies of Cairo. It became too cramped for Rory's tastes as the slaves got closer and closer and stared to try and climb on top of the car. All the men tried to push the slaves off of them, including Rory and Evelyn.

Jonathan turned the corner and then suddenly stopped when the slaves cornered them. He was afraid of going through them. Rick could see it. Everyone was in shock to see them blocking their way. But Rick didn't want to stay here any longer than anyone of them did, so he slammed Jonathan's foot and the brake going forward, crashing into the slaves.

"Rick!" Rory cried frantically as the slaves piled on top of the car. "Not your best idea ever!"

"I know! I'm sorry! Fight them off!" Rick yelled back at her. Rory groaned and she elbowed one of the slaves off of her. Evelyn stuck a finger in one of its eyes. Another one had grabbed Daniels and then another grabbed the other arm while Daniels' struggled to get away from them.

"O'Connell!" Daniels suddenly cried out, making him turn around as more than a couple slaves had gotten on top of him. The slaves were overpowering and piling on top of them. He was about to go help him until one slave got in his way, preventing him from going to help Daniels. They pulled him off of the yellow convertible, tumbling over to his looming fate.

Jonathan had suddenly ran the car into a blockage causing them to jump out of the car. A dead end. They climbed out of the car and turned around. Rick grabbed a nearby torch by one of the market tents and charged at the slaves, challenging them to even dare to come near them.

The medjai warrior, Dr. Bey, Jonathan, Evelyn, and Rick were left of the group, all cornered. Rick waved the torch at them, protecting them.

The creature soon made his way forward along with Beni in toe. It didn't take him long to take Daniels' life. It wasn't just the jar he wanted, it was his organs as well.

"It's the creature," Dr. Bey announced.

"And he's fully regenerated,"

"Not helping," Rory whispered, glancing at him as he made his way through the pathway that the slaves had created for him. Beni followed by his side. Rory gulped, and noticed how fully human the creature looked now. Bald head. Sacred robes and necklaces. He was the epitome of an Egyptian high priest regenerated that is.

"Come with me my princess," Imhotep began in ancient Egyptian. Beni translated it for them. "It is time to make you mine forever." Beni finished for the priest.

"For all eternity, idiot," Evelyn clarified for Beni. Beni scrunched up his nose and scoffed at her.

Rory smirked.

"Take my hand, and I will spare your friends," Beni continued.

"Oh dear," Evelyn said, glancing at him, noticing how serious he was. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute, and her mind was racing. It looked like she had no choice but to go with him. "Got any bright ideas?" she asked Rick.

"I'm thinking," he nodded, tightening his grip on his torch.

"Well, you better think fast because if he turns me into a mummy, you're the first person I'm coming after," Evelyn explained glancing at him.

Rick widened his eyes at her, suddenly realizing what she meant by that.

"No!" he quickly reached for his handgun out of its holster and cocked the trigger.

"Don't!" Evelyn exclaimed.

"No," the medjai warrior reached for Rick's arm, holding him gently.

"No mortal weapons, Rick," Rory whispered, glancing at the creature then back at him. Rick glanced back at her, and then at the medjai, and then at Evelyn.

"He still has to take me to Hamunaptra to perform the ritual," Evelyn explained to him tentatively.

"She's right. Live today, fight tomorrow," the medjai warrior promised.

"I'll be seeing you again," Rick sneered at him. Imhotep smirked at him as he took Evelyn by his side and started to walk away, while Beni reached into Jonathan's pocket to grab something in peticular.

"Thank you!" he grinned.

"Hey! That's mine!" Jonathan cried out, but Rory stopped him from going after the little weasel.

Rory frowned at Beni as he walked away with the creature and Evelyn by his side.

"Good bye my friend," Beni said to Rick. "Rory. Sorry old girl."

"Hey come back here you little!" Rick said, aiming to charge after him.

"Rick, no," Rory cried, noticing the slaves were cornering them. "Look!"

"Kill them all!"

"What?! No! Let go of me!" Evelyn cried as she tried to get away from his tight grip, while the slaves cornered them against the wall. "Jonathan! O'Connell!"

Rick glanced around them only to realized they were trapped. He threw the torch at the slaves, and it landed on the ground, keeping them somewhat at bay. He looked down at the ground and pulled the sewer open. He grabbed Rory and started to put her inside. "Ugh, no, no, please, I'm not going in there!" she cried out.

"Rory!" Rick exclaimed. "You're just going to have to trust me. Have I ever steered you wrong in life?"

Rory bit her bottom lip, contemplating all the times they shared together especially during the Great War.

"Well…"

"You know what I mean! It's either this or that," he pointed to the slaves as they stared hungrily at them. She gulped, and she shook her head and jumped down into the sewer. Jonathan was next. He grabbed Jonathan who was hesitant to go inside. "What about my sister?"

"We're gonna get her back!" Rick cried. Jonathan jumped down next. "Come on, you're next," he said to the medjai warrior who climbed inside after fighting the slaves beside him. "Come on,"

"Ah, go!" the curator said as he'd reached for his sword and was stabbing the slaves, trying to hold them off while Rick tried to save him.

"Go!"

Rick frowned at this, but then he jumped down inside, and closed the sewer over his head.

Rory looked up, hearing the curator's screams as the slaves all climbed on top of him, and probably tore him apart. Rory cringed at his cries and couldn't bear to hear anymore so she started down for the sewer to drown out his cries of sacrifice for them to help stop the creature.

~*TM*~

A/n: Sorry guys. This chapter was in need of an edit. Hope it's a little better! Thank you for reading/following/favoriting! :)