Chapter Three
Qena
There was a certain hushed excitement amongst all the excavators deep inside the cave. Lit only by the amber glow of torches, the men squinted and strained to see the roof of the cave where they hacked away at its rocky surface. Dartsmouth could barely contain the glimmer of a laugh in his eyes. In the past week since the discovery of the sarcophagus, the excavators and translators alike were certain that the Book of Thoth must be buried close to where the coffin was found.
Dartsmouth stopped suddenly, and turned to Yussuf, who was crouching under the low roof of the cave, a small smile formed upon his lips, while he unconsciously rubbed his hands together in hopeful anxiety.
"Yussuf, I thought you said the Book of Thoth was thrown into the Nile?"
Yussuf jumped at the sound of Dartsmouth's voice, effectively pulling him out of his trance. He turned to Dartsmouth and scrambled for the correct English words. "Oh, well, that is supposed to have been a lie. We believe that the Book is really buried close to the sarcophagus, and that story was told to lead people astray. Honestly, who would excavate the Nile?" This last part he said with a slight chuckle.
William shrugged. "I would."
One of the diggers yelled in Arabic. Dartsmouth and Yussuf both hurried over. The excavators were pointing to something in the roof, where one of the picks had struck a small hole, and quite visible in the hole, was a glimmer of something very black, very tarnished. Dartsmouth reached up cautiously, and touched it. Nothing happened. He tapped it. His eyes lit up.
"It's metal! Get it out of there!"
Everyone hurried over and all at once began hacking away at the roof, unaware of the potential danger that could overtake them.
~~~
In the great room of the cave, now devoid of the breathtaking sarcophagus, the lone mummified corpse lay shriveled and forgotten on the dirty floor. He was heaped together in the fetus position, eyes black empty sockets, his mouth forever open in an eternal scream. His hands clutched his knees protectively, looking very much the victim of some horrible onslaught. One of the fingers moved.
~~~
In the last of three great strikes that crumbled parts of the roof above them, a large black box came hurtling to the ground, scrambling everyone, and landed with a great thud. No one moved for a few moments, some stared very uncomfortably at the box, some inquisitively. William was the first to approach it. His hands lightly touched the surface, then grasped the sides as if assuring him that it was real and not a dream.
His lips parted and lifted into a huge smile, his eyes twinkled with the thought of gold.
"Woo-hoo!" He yelled, surprising everyone, but then they too joined in a chorus of exuberant whoops and hollers.
~~~
Their hollers of joy echoed throughout the cave and into the great room, darkened and damp. The arm of the finger that had moved, now began to move itself, until it unclasped its knee, and now touched the floor. His entire faced seemed somewhat relaxed now, and his body started to stretch unused decomposed muscles. His hands pushed off the ground until the mummy was now sitting, then attempted to stand. Upon standing, the mummy glanced about him, empty sockets taking in nothing. He opened his mouth in much the same expression he had died in, and let forth a scream so horrific, it were as though hell had just broken through the cave walls.
~~~
The scream echoed through the halls into the lower portion where the excavators were crouched around the box, still hooting away, but this time disrupted by the sudden sound that mixed with their own. They stopped, but then, so too did the odd sound. Everyone looked about questioningly.
"Did you hear that?" Dartsmouth asked in a low tone of voice.
Yussuf, being the only man that could understand William, strained his own ears to hear.
But then another sound started, a low rumbling that was becoming louder and louder. Dust fell from the corners and crevices, covering everyone's hair in a musty yellow. The ground beneath them shook slightly, as everyone cautiously got to their feet. The rumbling had reached a crescendo, sending panic throughout the room. Just as they ran for the opening, the hole above them where the box had been imbedded crushed to the ground underneath a torrent of water.
Weighted by the metal box under his arm, but running at top speed no less, William made his way through the cave, every now and then glancing back to see a tidal wave of water right at his heels, sucking men under that were not fast enough to keep ahead of it.
~~~
The mummy both saw the water, and heard it coming quickly towards him, but did not fear. Neferkaptah knew the water would not touch him.
~~~
William scrambled up the stone steps as fast as he could will himself, followed closely by Yussuf. They gulped down the air graciously upon reaching the surface, staring at the water swelling up the steps, but now calmed.
William glared at Yussuf. "Guess they really did hide it in the Nile, now didn't they?"
~~~
While William and Yussuf huddled around the iron box, Victoria rushed about the tent, throwing articles of clothing into an opened trunk. "Damn flooding cursed land." She muttered under her breath.
William was scratching his chin. "Maybe it has a key or something?"
Yussuf tapped his turban. "Perhaps. Perhaps if we had a crowbar?"
William nodded. He turned around and walked over to the spot where the crowbar should have been. He looked up at Victoria who was consumed with her packing, still muttering away, unaware that William was demanding her attention. Finally he grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Damnit woman! Where's my bloody crowbar?"
She pointed at one of the trunks while glowering at her fiance. William could swear he hear her growling.
William picked up the crowbar and walked back over to Yussuf, shaking his head. "Little bit of water and the broad panics."
Yussuf attempted to ignore it.
Groaning under the strain of trying to open the sealed box, William and Yussuf both attempted to pry open the stubborn iron but to no avail. William whacked the box on the top with the crowbar.
It opened.
Both men stared wild-eyed into the box. There before them, almost radiating, was a gold book, with a large eye on the cover.
Yussuf said a silent prayer. "The eye of Amun-Re."
William carefully lifted the book out of the chest as if he were carrying a newborn. For a long while he gazed at the cover, trembling. As he thought of the welcoming that would come when he reached home, his eyes began to water on account that he had forgotten to blink.
Just as he was about to open the sacred book, they heard a noise so terrifying, Victoria dropped a bottle of wine, shattering it. It was a howl, unlike any they had ever heard. Almost reminiscent of the sound William heard in the cave.
Yussuf shook with fear. "It is the mummy. This place is cursed. We must leave, now!"
As Yussuf ran for the opening in the tent, his throat was caught by a hand. William stared at the hand. It was bones, covered by a thin layer of rotted flesh, the color brown. But as fragile as they may have appeared, Yussuf could not struggle against its grip. Yussuf backed up into the tent, gasping for air and stumbling backwards under the weight of the creature who now could be seen in his entirety.
William was petrified. He could only stare at this decomposed beast, walking before his very eyes. He was awakened by Victoria's horrified shrieks. The mummy raised Yussuf to his head with unreal strength for the mummy only held Yussuf with one arm. The mummy opened his mouth wide, and as Yussuf opened his to scream, something came out of Yussuf's mouth, wisps of purple light almost.
William could only stare at the spectacle. Yussuf's whole body began to shake and convulse, his eyes rolled back into his head, and then, it were as though Yussuf was a deflated balloon; his muscles began to shrink and his skin wrinkled, leathered. The mummy threw Yussuf's useless body to the ground, and faced William.
William swore. New skin formed over the tattered old one; he was regenerating. Black thick hair sprouted magically from the top of his skull, his face filled out. But there were still gaps, in his body and face. His teeth were decayed yellow, or even missing.
The mummy stalked towards William, still clutching the Book of Thoth. The mummy smirked at William's obvious fear. Victoria shrieked again. The mummy stopped. William pointed in Victoria's direction.
The mummy turned to look at Victoria, who covered her mouth which was uncontrollably screaming. William took his opportunity and ran through the tent door. The mummy glanced in his direction, but not for long. His attention was fixed on Victoria. Mascara dripped down her face with the tears that carried it. She crouched as close into the corner as she could, screaming and babbling incoherently. The mummy knealt down, as if to kiss her. Victoria looked up, believing for a moment that perhaps he would spare her. The mummy smiled.
Then grabbed her blonde hair roughly and hoisted her to her feet, producing a new fit of screams.
William was running across the moonlit sand, but stopped and turned towards the tent. From the candles burning in the tent, he could see the shadow outline of Victoria growing thinner every second. William looked at the ground.
"Sorry love, it was you or me."