XXII. Nick
Elerie screamed and was suddenly gone. It was an awful scream, one which rang in his ears even long after, a sound he would never forget and that chilled him to the core.
"No – Ellie! Ellie no!" He sank below the surface, searching frantically for her. Squinting he could just make out Ahmanet dragging her down, she letting out an awful, strangled wail, thrashing against the mummy's hold, just as awful as her scream.
His head began to spin and his vision grew fuzzy, leaving him no choice but to go back up for a quick breath of air before hastily dipping back beneath the surface. It was so dark... His chest burned but he continued to search.
And there she was. Floating up ahead, set aglow by some light shining into the water from above. Ahmanet was gone, had left her there.
He grabbed her and pulled them both to the surface.
"Ellie!" he spluttered, trying to catch his breath. "Ellie!"
She didn't answer.
She was dead.
Elerie was dead.
His Ellie was dead.
Truthful to her word, Ahmanet had killed her. She had kept her word, fulfilled her promise.
He knelt at her side, shaking. "E-Ellie-" She lay limp and cold before him, eyes open, lips slightly parted, rigid. Her hair fanned out around her in the water, like an orange halo. The sight, like her scream, which was still ringing in his ears, chilled him to the core.
"Ellie-" His voice broke as a sob caught in his throat. He leaned down and cupped her face in his hands - her skin was ice. "I-I- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry-"
"Do not blame yourself. She was always doomed. She stood in the way. Trust me, there are worse fates than death." Ahmanet's dark voice echoed throughout the room, signaling the mummy's presence. "It hurts, I know," she said as though she could feel his pain. Maybe she could, through their curse-connection. "Just give in, and I will take all the pain away..."
"AHHH!" Nick charged at her, enraged. You killed her! You killed my wife! I loved her!
Ahmanet stood, barely phased by his attack, and simply backhanded him, sending him flying across the room and crashing into one of the stone caskets. It hurt, but not as much as the pain swelling in his heart, quickly turning to anger.
He knew fighting her was useless - she had the stone, set in the dagger clutched in her hand, which meant she was back at her full power. But he didn't care.
Ellie was dead.
Ahmanet killed her.
He got to his feet and charged again, she once again shoving him away. It only took her a moment to notice that something was wrong.
Her gaze snapped to him - eyeing the dagger which was now clutched tightly in his hand.
For the first time, Ahmanet appeared taken aback. "Thief," she hissed.
He couldn't help but grin a little. "Just like my wife said."
With that, he took the dagger and plunged it deep into his own chest.
Only a couple of chapters left until the end!
Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :) See you next time!