Before On Miscalculation…
I nodded my head and everything faded back to black. I don't know how long I had been out, but when I came to it was to the sound of people talking and the sounds of guns. I followed the noises and saw two groups of people pointing guns at each other. I saw Evelyn and the two Americans from the plane. But they were in separate groups. I walked up so I was closer to them.
"Evelyn." I said
Both groups turn and point their guns at me. I take a few steps backward. Evelyn moved over to me.
"Amara? What are you doing here?" Evelyn asked
I didn't say anything I just started crying.
"Let's be nice, children, if we're going to play together, we must learn to share. Amara why don't we head back up to the surface, you can have some water and a snack." Evelyn said
I nodded my head and followed Evelyn up and out. We got to the top and Evelyn walked us over to their campsite.
"Eve who is this?" a British man asked
"Amara, she doesn't know her last name I met her two days ago at the museum," Evelyn said
"Two days? I've been out here for two days?" I asked
"Been out here?" an American asked
"I'm Jonathan and that is Ric." the British man said
"I don't want to talk about it yet. What are you guys out here doing?" I asked
With that Evelyn started in on what they were doing out here, and what Evelyn was hoping to find.
"Well then lets head back down there and find it before the others do," I said
"Yes, lets," Evelyn said
We headed back down. Ric and Jonathan are using sled-hammers against the ceiling.
"According to my calculations, we should be right under the statue. We'll come up right between his legs." Evelyn said
Evelyn laughs.
"Oh my," Evelyn said
"Who's legs?" I asked
"Anubis," Evelyn said
"And when those dirty Yanks go to sleep- (to O'Connell) No offense," Jonathan said
"None taken," Ric said
"- We'll sneak up and steal that book right out from under them," Jonathan said
"And you're sure you can find the secret compartment?" Ric asked
"Yes, if their Egyptologist hasn't already found it," Evelyn said
Jonathan looks around.
"I say, what's our smelly little friend got himself up to?" Jonathan asked
"Who?" I asked
"The prison warden from Cairo. It's a long story." Ric said
Ric and Johnathan go back to hitting the ceiling, and Ric starts to ask Evelyn about mummification.
"Lemme get this straight, they stuck a sharp, red hot poker up your nose, cut your brain into small pieces, then ripped it all out through your nostrils?" Ric asked
"That's really got to hurt. Should we really be talking about this in front of a child?" Jonathan asked
They all looked at me.
"It's okay, my Uncle has talked about worst stuff," I said
Evelyn looked at me with pity, but I just ignored the look.
"It's called mummification. You're dead when they do this." Evelyn said
"Still…" Jonathan said
"Yeah, that'd bring you back to life," Ric said
"You two are worse than a couple of schoolboys," Evelyn said
And with that, a huge chunk of the roof suddenly gives out. Ric grabs Evenly and jerks her out of the way. I was standing off to the side so I was free from getting hurt. Jonathan dives for the far wall. A massive stone casement drops out of the ceiling and crashes to the floor. Dust flies into the room, causing us all to cough. Dust starts to clear, we all step towards the massive stone casement. As I get closer I get a bad feeling.
"Oh my god…it looks like, it looks like a sarcophagus," Evelyn said
"Why would they bury somebody in the ceiling?" Ric asked
"They didn't, they buried him at the feet of Anubis. He was either someone of great importance, or he did something very naughty." Evelyn said
The three adults start to clear off the top of the sarcophagus, revealing a single, ominous hieroglyph. Evelyn looks at it strangely, and Jonathan impatiently strums his fingers across the lid.
"Well? Who is it? Who've we found?" Jonathan asked
Evelyn just stares at the hieroglyph, confused and concerned.
" 'He that shall not be named," Evelyn said
Ric dusts off the hug lock looking thing.
"There's some sort of lock here. You say these things are made of granite with a steel interior?" Ric asked
"Quarried granite with a cobalt lining," Evelyn said
"Whoever's in here, sure wasn't getting out," Jonathan said
"No kiddin', without a key, it'll take us a month to crack this thing," Ric said
"A key! That's it! That's what he was talking about." Evelyn said
"Who was talking about what?" Ric asked
Evelyn starts rummaging through the pack on Jonathan's back.
"The man on the barge. The one with the hook, he was looking for a key." Evelyn said
I look at them weirdly. Eve then pulls out a box. Jonathan tries to take it back.
"Hey, that's mine," Jonathan said
Jonathan reaches for the box but Evelyn slaps his hand and quickly unfolds the box, - it's now shaped exactly like the lock's keyhole. Evelyn smiles, and then we all hear a scream. The three adults take off running towards the scream, Evelyn pulls me behind her. We enter a room and see a man who must be the warden they were talking about. He is screaming and dancing insanely around the labyrinth, totally freaked from the extreme pain in his head. The Warden starts to rip out his own hair, Ric and Jonathan grab at his hands, but he's far too crazed, he shoves them aside, he runs full bore down the length of the hall and slams his head straight into a rock wall. The Warden drops to the ground. Dead as lead. Eyes wide open. We all just stand there staring, Evelyn pulls me behind her so I don't look at the dead body.
"Let's call it a day," Ric said
"Yes, lets," Jonathan said
We all head back up to the campsite. We all kind of nuzzled up to the campfire. Fun fact evidently the desert is hot during the day and cold at night.
"What do you suppose killed him?" Evelyn asked
"Did you ever see him eat?" Jonathan asked
Ric walks over to us with some rocks.
"Seems the Americans had a little misadventure of their own today, three of their diggers were killed," Ric said
"How?" Eve asked
"Salt acid. Pressurized salt acid. Some sort of ancient booby-trap." Ric said
"Maybe this place really is cursed," Jonathan said
A gust of wind blows through the camp. The campfire flickers we all share a nervous look.
"Oh, for goodness' sake, you two!" Evelyn said
"Don't believe in curses, huh?" Ric asked
"No, I don't. I believe if I can see it and I can touch it, then it's real. That's what I believe." Evelyn said
Ric cocks his rifle and gives us all a big grin.
"I believe in being prepared," Ric said
Jonathan opens the Warden's pouch. He reaches in and starts scrounging around. Jonathan lets out a scream in pain and rips his hand out of the pouch. Ric, Evelyn, and I jump.
"What?! What is it?!" Ric and Evelyn said
Jonathan sucks his finger, then reaches back into the pouch and pulls out a liquor bottle, the top has been chopped off.
"Seagram's!" Jonathan said
Jonathan smiles at the bottle, then turns the pouch inside-out and shakes it, nothing but sand inside it.
"Well, he may have been a stinky fellow… but he had good taste." Jonathan said
Jonathan takes a swig. Ric and Evelyn laugh, guiltily. Then Ric suddenly kneels down and sticks his ear to the sand. Evelyn, Jonathan, and I watch him. There is a moment then we hear gunfire coming from the American camp. Ric jumps up and throws the elephant gun to Evelyn.
"Stay here! And keep her behind you." Ric said
Ric takes off running through the ruins.
"Evelyn, what's going on?" I asked
"Just stay behind me. Okay?" Evelyn asked
"Okay," I said
"Now come on let's go," Evelyn said
We then followed after Ric. I see Jonathan grab a gun, while still holding his bottle of Seagram's; tight and dashes after us.
"Evy! Excuse me! But didn't then the man just say-!" Jonathan said
We run to see that the American camp is under siege. There are about two dozen men in black on horseback gallop through firing rifles. Several of the American diggers are killed as they run. The American leap out of their tents firing. Killing multiple riders. One of the Americans, named Daniels is shot, spins and falls keeps shooting. Henderson and Burns run to his aid, blasting away as they run. Ric races through the ruins and slams right into Beni who is trying to run and hide. I can hear Ric yell at Beni.
"Goin' somewhere?" Ric asked
"Just looking for you, O'Connell. I wanted to be with my friend." Beni said
Ric drags him back towards the American camp.
"C'mon, friend," Ric said
"Why do you like to fight so much?" Beni asked struggling
"'Cause I look good doin, it," Ric said
One of the men gallops through the camp, cutting diggers down with his scimitar. Ric runs up on top of some rocks, leaps out and tackles the man off his horse. The two men slam to the ground. Ric spins up onto one knee and fires, point-blank. Which blows the scimitar out of man's hand. Ric is about to shoot again when a horse rides up between them.
A scimitar swoops down, almost takes Ric's head off, misses him by an inch. Ric leaps up and blows the rider of his horse. The horse bolts - but the other man is gone.
Evelyn and I hide behind some rocks, watching the scene, we hear something coming up being us we turn. A vicious-looking tattooed rider races at us. Evelyn and I both backpedal over the rocks, terrified. The rider raises his scimitar, about the strike. Evelyn and I both scream Evelyn trips over a rock and accidentally fires the elephant gun, which blows the rider off his mount and catapults him twenty feet back into some ruins. Which at the same time the kick blows Evelyn off her feet and over a ridge. She flies through the air and lands in a sand dune. I run over to her, I pick up the gun. She is knocked out cold. I see Johnathan and some diggers hold their own near the temple door. Four riders come charging right at them. Jonathan takes a swig off the Seagram's.
"Let 'em have it, boys," Jonathan said
Jonathan and the diggers open fire. When the smoke clears, the riders are either dead or gone. Jonathan grins.
"I say, bloody good show," Jonathan said
And then several more men leap off the temple and land behind them. Jonathan and the remaining diggers spin around and suddenly find themselves in hand-to-hand combat. Ric is quickly loading his pistol. He hears something thundering up behind him. He spins around just as the man from before is back on a horse. He swings his scimitar. Ric instinctively raises his hands to protect his face, the scimitar strikes. Hits the gun, Ric's gun flips away. Disarmed, Ric dives and rolls and suddenly comes up with a stick of dynamite in his hand. He shoves the fuse into a fire. It ignites, he faces the man towering above him. The two men lock eyes. The fuse continues to burn down. The man points his scimitar at Ric's head.
"Leave this place. Leave this place or die." the man yelled
The man then gallops off. The remaining men race after him, vanishing into the night. We all watch them leave, I drop the gun and try to wake Evelyn up. She wakes up and looks around in a daze before standing up. Ric pulls the fuse from the dynamite and blows it out. He then turns and runs over to Evelyn and me, but mostly Evelyn. Evelyn looks very shaken, Ric gently takes her and holds her close.
"You alright?" Ric asked
Evelyn looks up into his eyes.
"Yes…fine…thank you." Evelyn said
She turns and looks at me.
"Are you okay Amara?" Evelyn asked
"Yes, that was just a little scary," I said
"But you're not hurt?" Ric asked
"No, I'm okay," I said
"Good," Evelyn said
I see Beni crawl out from under some pillars as Henderson and Burns help Daniels to his feet.
"See. That proves it. Old Seti's fortune's gotta be under this sand." Daniels said
"For them to protect it like this, you just know there's got to be treasure down there," Henderson said
Ric looks up into the surrounding ridges, unsatisfied.
"These men are a desert people they value water, not gold," Ric said
"Protection," I said
They looked at me.
"What?" Ric asked
"People protect things. Maybe there protecting something that beneath the sand." I said
"She has a point. Maybe they are protecting something that is under the sand that they don't want us to find." Henderson said
One of the American's he has shaving cream on has his face, walks over to us.
"You know, maybe just at night, we could combine forces." He said
A little while later, we are all back around the fire. Jonathan is asleep holding the bottle of liquor. Ric is teaching Evelyn how to fight.
"Hey, tough stuff, try a right hook. Ball up your fist and put it… put it up like that. And then mean it. Hit it right here." Ric said
"Mean it," Evelyn said
She throws a punch but stumbles into Ric's arms because she is just a bit drunk.
"Okay," Ric said as he catches her
"It's time for another drink," Ric said
They sit down on the pillar that is in front of the fire. Evelyn reaches over and takes the bottle from Jonathan.
"Unlike my brother, sir, I know when to say no," Evelyn said
Evelyn then takes a big drink of the liquor.
"Unlike your brother, Miss, you I just don't get. " Ric said
Evelyn wipes her face off on the back of her hand.
"I know, you're wondering, what is a place like me doing in a girl like this," Evelyn said
"Yeah, something like that," Ric said
"Egypt is in my blood. You see, my father was a very, very famous explorer. And he loved Egypt so much, he married my mother who was an Egyptian and quite an adventurer herself." Evelyn said
"I get your father and I get your mother, and… I get him (points at Jonathan) but, what are you doing here?" Ric asked
"Look, I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter. Mister O'Connell. But I'm proud of what I am." Evelyn said
She is now standing and looking down at Ric.
"And what is that?" Ric asked
"I…am a librarian," Evelyn said
She then plops back down next to Ric. She is drunk and grins proudly lifts her head. She leans in kind of close.
"And I am going to kiss you. Mr. O'Connell." Evelyn said
"Call me Ric," Ric said
"Oh, okay. Ric." Evelyn said
She leans in to kiss him and right before they do she closes her eyes and falls asleep. Ric looks at me.
"How are you feeling?" Ric asked
"Scared," I said
"Why?" Ric asked
"Because once we leave. I'll have to go back to my relatives… it's late I'm going to go to sleep." I said
I rolled over to my side and closed my eyes.