CHAPTER FOUR

"You scared the Bejezus out of us O'Connell." One of the Americans' said,

"Likewise." Rick said as everyone lowered their guns.

"Hey that's my toolkit." The American with glasses said as he took a step towards Evy.

"No I don't think so." Rick said bringing his guns back up.

Immediately the Americans raised theirs as well,

"Ok, well perhaps I was mistaken." The American with the glasses said as he took a step backwards even as he held up his gun as well.

There was a moment of tense silence before everyone started to lower their guns again when Evy spoke up,

"Well have a nice day gentlemen we have a lot of work to be getting alone with."

Then one of the American's wearing a red fez spoke up,

"Push off this is our dig site." In a very snotty tone of voice.

I clenched Evy's hand tight wanting nothing more than to punch the guy knowing how men like him seemed to think all men were superior to woman.

I had known many guys like that and I had made sure they never acted like that again...although sometimes it got out of hand and they ended up dead.

I shoved my memories back into their little box's although I didn't bother to hide my dark smirk as I stared at annoying American with the red fez who seemed to read my dark intentions as his arrogance look fell a bit.

"We got here first." Evy said as though explaining it to a child.

Immediately all the guns were raised again, I rolled my eyes at this, it was beginning to feel like a dance of sorts.

"I might be able to make this into a martial art's move." I thought as I waited for whatever was going to happen next.

"This here's our statue, friend." One of the Americans said.

"Well I don't see your name written on it, pal." Rick said.

I noticed Evy look downwards and I glanced down to, seeing a crack in the floor that she brushed some sand into with her foot.

As Beni's annoying voice spoke up and Rick and Jon replied, Evy and I exchanged glances and I gave her hand an encouraging squeeze before letting go.

"Oh for goodness sake children, if we are going to play together we must learn to share," Evy said stepping in between the guys, who lowered their guns as soon as she did.

I was tense, not wanting Evy to be in such a position just in case someone got a little to trigger happy.

Evy turned towards Rick as she gently pushed down on the barrel of his gun, "There are other places to dig." She finished saying.

Rick smiled unconvincingly and lowered his guns before putting them away.

Jon and the Warden and I doing the same before the five of us left.

With Evy leading us we went below the statue and began to work on the ceiling.

It was slow going with only one pick-axe and we were all getting thirsty so I went back to our small camp to grab another pick-axe and a canteen of water while the others stayed to work.

"Or in Jon's place act like he was working because he really doesn't like to sweat." I thought with a fond smile and shake of my head as I thought of Jon.

I tied the canteen around my waist and tossed the pick-axe down into the hole before sliding down the hole.
Picking up the pick-axe I made my way back to the others but just as I walked into the room the ceiling fell down.

"Really?!" I said looking at the ceiling in annoyance.

All that energy to climb up and down the stupid rope in the hot weather and extra pick-axe wasn't even needed.

"Sure I'm fit and all but being in this sweltering heat, and being surrounded by annoying and arrogant males not to mention that sand gets EVERYWHERE and creates rashes gives me plenty of reason to complain!"

I mentally complained as I handed the water canteen to Evy who took a sip and handed it off.

Jon, Evy and Rick had turned to me when I spoke up but now they turned back towards what looked to be a sarcophagus.

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked Evy nodding to the item that had fallen out of the ceiling.

"It's a sarcophagus. Buried at the base of Anubis. He must of been someone of great importance or..." Evy said

I finished her train of thought, "Or he did something very naughty."

That's when I noticed we were missing someone, "Hey were did our stinky camel in human form go?" I asked.

Jon snorted at that and Evy smiled and shook her head while Rick gave me an amused half smile and shrugged.

Evy and Rick wipped off the sarcophagus while Jon and I plopped down on nearby statue.

"Well who is it?" Jon and I asked together after a few seconds.

"He that shall not be named." Evy said as she read the hieroglyphs.

Rick blew some of the sand away from a certain place before pointing to it,

"This looks like some sort of lock."

Jon spoke up, "Well whoever's in here sure wasn't getting out."

Rick made a sound of agreement before speaking, "Okay it will take us a month to crack into this thing without a key."

Evy wrinkled her brow as she began to mutter, "A key...a key...A Key! Now that's what he was talking about!" Evy exclaimed as she turned around and went through her bag.

Jon and Rick looked at her in confusion while I cleaned off one of my three throwing knives that I had taken out of my duffel bag upon seeing the men watching us the night before.

"Who was talking about what?" Rick asked looking at Jon and I for an answer, Jon and I shrugged before Evy pipped back up.

"The man, the man on the barge the one with a hook, he was.. he was looking for a key." Evy said turning back towards the sarcophagus holding a strange small box.

"Hey that's mine." Jon said pointing to the small box I snickered and bumped his shoulder with mine.

"Not like you've ever done that." I said quietly to which he tried to give me an innocent look,

"I have no idea what your insinuating." He replied before we both snickered.

I stood up and walked over as Evy placed the key into the key slot.

All the sudden we heard the Warden start screaming from wherever he was and we all raced towards the doorway of the chamber we were in.

Rick had a gun in his one hand and a torch in his other.

I held one of my throwing daggers at the ready as we entered the hallway and saw the Warden coming towards us.

His shirt was ripped open showing his nasty fat and hairy chest and he was holding his head, Rick pointed the gun at him while the rest of us just looked at the crazed Warden.

He didn't speak and just kept screaming as he ran past us and straight into a wall, killing himself on contact with a broken neck.

We all stared at his body before exchanging glances,

"Well not to seem uncaring but do we have to bury him on the surface? He's a bit heavy to lift." I said.

In the end we buried him where he laid and just dug a hole close to him so we could roll him into it.

Then we all went to the surface, not surprisingly it was nightfall by then.

As we sat around the fire minus Rick who had went to talk to the Americans, Evy spoke up,

"What do you suppose killed him?"

Jon spoke up then, "Did you ever see him eat?"

I couldn't help but grin at that and Jon grinned back although Evy didn't find it funny.

Rick walked up to our fire, "Our American friends has a little misfortune of their own today. Three of their diggers were uh-' Rick looked at Evy as he hesitated before he continued, '-melted."

"What?" Evy said at the same time Jon and I asked "How?"

"Salt acid. Pressurized salt acid. It was an ancient booby-trap." Rick said.

"Maybe this place really is cursed." Jon said just as the fire flickered and the wind picked up.

All of us exchanged glances before Evy spoke up, "Oh for goodness sake you three!"