Despite the warning from the night before, the next morning, they were all gathered around the reddish casket. The digger kept a careful distance away but Sam and Andy were all over the writing.
"This chest is cursed," exclaimed Sam, sending Dean a look.
It seemed the Book of the living wasn't going to be their only goal here. They might have just stumbled on a curse and it looked useless to try and talk the English out of tearing the place down in hope of finding gold. As if on cue, Gordon laughed loudly.
"A curse? My ass!"
"Who cares," added Brady, already poking the side, looking for a way to crack it open.
Crowley frowned, seeking Andy's opinion. The little guy didn't look very at ease, visibly he wasn't very keen on trying his luck. For once Dean wouldn't blame him.
"Let's read it all and see," he proposed.
"Good idea, if we read the notice we might manage to get the goods without being melted," agreed Crowley, visibly intelligent enough to know prudence was mother of safety.
Andy and Sam nodded and started their translation.
"Death will come on swift wings to whomsoever opens this chest."
Wind suddenly picked up, even though they were underground. The lights flickered and Dean felt that familiar sense of dread in his stomach, as well as a long and unpleasant shiver running down his spine. This wasn't cheap mojo. He crocked his gun. He wasn't the only one having his survival instinct kicking in, all the diggers had taken their legs to their neck and gotten out.
Ruby didn't budge, nor did Bella or Sam. After a careful silent conversation, Dean nodded, camping firmly on his legs, ready to take anything. They were going to open that chest despite everything. If they knocked them out, they would just come back later. Dean and Sam's job was to help morons like them and he intended to do just that. It was family business.
"There is one, the undead who, if brought back to life, is bound by sacred law to consummate this curse," continued Andy.
Ok so they had to avoid poking the undead and everything would be fine, right? Gordon voiced just that moments later, joking he hadn't planned to bring anyone back from the dead. Andy didn't top readying, looking a bit transfigured, his voice steady.
"He will kill all who open this chest and assimilate their organs and fluids and in so doing, he will regenerate and no longer be the undead but a plague upon this earth."
That is the moment Bella choose to clap her hands and declare she was going back to the camp to check on the diggers, it wouldn't do if they left. Dean didn't even feel like teasing her for being a pussy. Gordon and Brady rolled their eyes, mouthing a rather loud and pejorative "women". Ruby huffed, leaning on the wall a safe distance away but she came to Sam, wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him on the cheek before leaving them. Sam didn't notice she had taken the sarcophagus key.
Dean wasn't going to take any risk; he grabbed his brother by the arm and pulled him away. If they opened it, he didn't want Sammy close. One thing was sure, that sarcophagus they had found? They were burying him as deep as they could and then he would shatter that pretty golden box to pieces. He just had to take it back from Sammy and no amount of puppy dog eyes and babble about precious ancient stuff was going to prevent it to smash it until nothing was left of it.
"Well whatever!" exclaimed Gordon and he yanked the top of the chest clean off.
A big cloud of dust washed over everyone standing close, Gordon, Andy, Brady and Crowley. Silence stretched for a bit, everyone expecting something. Nothing happened. In the now bared compartment there was a very ancient tissue folded with reverence. Andy brushed the folds open and a dark book met their eyes. Next to Dean, Sam gasped in amazed surprise.
"The book of the dead," he and Andy murmured.
Gordon and Brady rolled their eyes at this very intellectual orgasm. It had absolutely no value for them. Crowley got closer; visibly aware knowledge could be worth more than gold if you knew who to sell it to.
"Well crap, all those troubles for a blasted book," grumbled Brady, kicking the chest with the tip of his boot in frustration.
There was a loud clatter and the side opened revealing five sacred canopic jars, used to conserve vital organs removed during mummification. They were made of nacre, gold and precious stones. Each was worth a lot of money for sure. Gordon and Brady had already their hands all over them.
"Well boys, thanks for the help, now go back to your poking around would you?" requested Crowley, visibly wanting them out of here.
Maybe it was the fact Sam's eyes were still glued to the dark book, his hands twitching in their desire to run over his edge, to flip his pages… to make sweet sweet love to each word etched on it like only a scholar knew how to. Dean patted his brother back and resisted the utter heartbreaking look, verging on mourning, he casted one last time to the book before leaving.
"At least you know they won't be able to open it," whispered Dean conspiratorially.
He was sure Sam had noticed it too, on the book was the same star shape lock than on the sarcophagus they had found. Which meant only their key could open the book. Too bad he couldn't stay watch Crowley's and Andy's frustration as they didn't manage to open the book.
"Where did Rbby go?" wondered Sam before suddenly starting to pat frantically his pockets.
"Problem?"
"I can't find the key!"
"That bitch!" hissed Dean, tromping to their digging site.
He could bet the whore had stolen the key when she had made a show of kissing Sam before leaving them. She certainly planned to open the sarcophagus they had found to see if it contained any gold or precious artifacts. He was so going to mummify her alive! Sam followed him silently; eyes frowned but visibly not as pissed at Dean. The little bugger certainly thought his beloved Ruby had a good reason to steal the key.
When they reached the room, Ruby was sitting on the open sarcophagus a very juicy mommy dangling from the open casket. She tossed the key to Sam as soon as he entered the room.
"I was bored," she offered, "and I always wanted to see a mummy. Too bad it's a… strange one."
Dean was fuming; even the big hand Sam placed on his shoulder to calm him down didn't do anything. He shrugged it off rather violently and grabbed Ruby by her collar, wrenching her on her feet and began patting her up and down, not minding the fact she was a woman. On the contrary he was very thoughtfully checking her breasts and crotch since that was a place she shouldn't be checking which meant she had certainly hid something there.
"Well well Dean, if you had told me you had the hot for me, I could have arranged a threesome with your brother…" she purred, licking her lips.
"Dean… she was just curious," chastised Sam, pulling Dean away gently.
He was empty ended but that didn't mean anything! Maybe there was nothing in the sarcophagus and that's why she was playing nice now!
"When you two have fun tonight you better check if she didn't stuff something up there," growled Dean, motioning to her crotch.
"Dean!"
He huffed but stopped as his eyes landed on the top part of the coffin. There were scratch marks on it, familiar ones Dean had seen lots of time during jobs: one made by nails.
"Sam… he was buried alive," he gulped.
"Seems like it indeed, he even craved a message… death is only the beginning."
"Oh I don't like it, I don't like it at all. That dude is certainly the undead thing we should not poke," muttered Dean, caressing his guns in an attempt to soothe himself.
"Ruby, did you read the guy's name on the front?" asked Sam.
"No, the sacred spells were chiseled off," she replied, shrugging.
"That mean he's been cursed in this life and the next," deadpanned Sam, looking at Dean before adding softly for Ruby, "you shouldn't have opened the sarcophagus."
Dean didn't even bother rolling his eyes. He lowered, placed his hands under the top of the human shape coffin and began to lift it.
"We are closing it," he ordered, is voice making clear he wasn't suffering any objections.
Sam was at his side in a heartbeat, helping him push the thing back into place. Excepted it didn't fit. It didn't fucking fit! Once it had sprang open it had certainly inflated because of the moist gathered in it, or something like that, or maybe it was the shock has it clattered to the ground that had slightly changed it shapes? Whatever it was, it didn't fit anymore, they couldn't lock it. Had Dean already mentioned just how much he wanted to rip Ruby's brain out through her nostrils?
"It's ok Dean, let's just salt and burn it," proposed Sam.
"Yeah weren't going to do just that. And burn those little beetles thing littering the bottom of the coffin too."
"Maybe we should look around first, check there isn't anything else we should burn," proposed Ruby.
"She's right, maybe there is some text or object belonging to our mummy that we should destroy too," agreed Sam.
"Crap," muttered Dean, "the jars, that's certainly this dude's organs. We have to destroy them too… and not only the organs but the fancy little boxes too."
"Our friends aren't going to like that."
"Well, we will have to steal them and burn everything. I wanted to burn the mummy first but that would arise attention, better burn everything in one go then run for it."
"We got a plan."
Dean gave one dirty look to Rub\by and started poking the walls. Even if he hated to agree with her, it was indeed a good idea to check nothing else had been left behind. It took them the remaining of the day to turn every cranny and they handed up empty handed.
"So one juicy mummy and lots of dust eh?" teased Bella as she passed their camp fire on his way to her own.
Dean flipped her the finger, gazing in the clear night sky as he heard a falcon chirp. It was a very pretty one, letting the wind carry him before suddenly closing his impressive wings and dashing to the ground, it had certainly found a prey. Not wishing to watch his brother and Ruby make doe-eyes to each other, Dean turned their back to them and settled for the night. Sam would take the first watch.
That's why he didn't see as a triumphal Ruby came back from a "personal time", clutching the book of the dead in her arms. Sam's eyes bulged and he began to protest before she dropped the book in his laps, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I did it for you, it's just a harmless borrow, I know you were dying to read it," she purred.
Sam gave her a timid smile, his eyes already trailing on the book. He just couldn't resist it. After tonight he would never see the book again, never be able to discover its secrets, its wisdom and knowledge. Looking around, still hesitating, he let Ruby take the key.
"It's not a good idea," he half heartedly protested, his voice a bit slurred as Ruby and he had consumed quite a fair amount of alcohol earlier.
"No harm ever came from reading a book, right Sam?" she assured turning the key, "and you know how I love hearing you read Egyptian to me," she teased, her fingers deftly running up his chest.
That prevented Sam from noticing the sudden wind that picked up as the book obediently opened, baring his first page to them. Ruby made a disgusted pout, whining about how her Egyptian was rather rusty and how much she wanted Sam to read to her. As she wiggled on his laps, Sam relented and started reading really softly:
"Amun-Ra. Amun-Dei… ljfsidj mlfksjie nfsiud fmsldifs"
Sam stopped in his track as the meaning of the words reached his cloudy brain. But it was already too late, a bone chilling scream came from underneath, where they had left the mummy. Dean sprang from his bed, his mouth thinning as he saw Sam looking horrified, the book open before him and Ruby. Ruby looked ecstatic, a huge smile lighting her features as she raised her hands to the sky.
"He has risen!" she claimed, laughing in delight, "I have been awaiting your return Master Lucifer!"
All the eyes were now on her, people assuming she had been responsible of what happened, even if Dean knew the one having pronounced the doomed words was no other than his little brother. There wasn't time for any talking, because from behind Ruby the sky was darkening, myriads upon myriads of grasshopper making their way toward them in a cacophony of sound.
"RUN!" yelled Dean, grabbing Sam by the elbow.
Everyone was rushing to get inside the temple, seeking refuge from the insects. Crowley had taken back the book, pressing it against his chest as he hurried to safety. Breathless they stopped in one of the big rooms, visibly the grasshoppers hadn't followed. Dean gave another one spare gun to his brother, surveying the place. If the mummy had risen as Ruby seemed to think… then they weren't really safe here.
"Where is Andy?" he suddenly asked.
Crowley shook his head, Gordon and Brady seemed as clueless. They didn't move a finger to even pretend they were going back for their friend. Dean was used to that, when it came to it most people choose to save their ass. Glancing at Sam he rushed back from where they came to find the poor sap. He didn't call his name however, not wanting to risk giving away his position. It wasn't necessary anyway since he soon could hear the poor sap begging for help.
"I have sand in my eyes! I can't see anything! Someone? Someone help!"
Dean tried to reach him as fast as he could, while still checking every turn. He didn't particularly look forward to colliding with a half rotting mummy. He froze as suddenly Andy began screaming then more like gargling. Ditching prudence, since obviously the mummy was with Andy and not playing seek in the corridors; Dean pulled a handmade Molotov cocktail full of holy water, salt and gasoline.
Skidding to a halt he tried to keep his diner in his stomach at the sight. Andy was kneeling on the floor, his mouth making horrible sounds as it was obvious his tongue have been ripped. His eyes were hollow, sockets empty of their usual content. And there was the juicy mummy, on its legs, Andy's eyes blinking in his sockets, Andy's tongue running across his bare teeth.
Dean lit and threw the bomb at him, making the thing shriek in agony. Not waiting to see if it worked, Dean yanked Andy forward and started running. Just as he reached the place where Sam and the other waited, looking rather worried by the sound they heard, the ground began to shake and fucking grow. Then a horde of flesh-eating beetles sprout from the ground. And behind him, he could hear the mummy coming; visibly salt and burn hadn't been enough.
"Take the others out Sammy!" he ordered, throwing his bag full of Molotov bombs to his little brother, only keeping a few for him, using Andy's shaking hands to carry two of them.
The lit one and sent it on the coming beetles then dashed in the nearest corridor, dragging Andy with him, hoping against hope the blind man wouldn't trip on his feet. They reached an exit, running even faster as the starving insects got closer.
"Fuck!" bellowed Dean, nearly toppling over in his haste to stop.
Right in front of them was Ruby, standing proudly in their path, looking superior and unhealthily pleased with herself. Dean considered throwing a cocktail in her face but didn't have time to decide as she launched on Andy.
"Give him back! He is Master's!"
Dean barely had time to push poor Andy out of the way, on one of the nearest bit of stone that surrounded the bridge like path they were in, and jumping himself on one at the other side, that the flesh eating nightmares were upon them. Or rather upon Ruby, she gave a high pitch scream as she was devoured in seconds, the flood of beetles barely stopping their course to do so.
"That was a close one…" murmured Dean, leaning on the wall.
He gave a startled shout as said wall opened behind him and he collapsed on the ground. He crawled back up only to feel a humid breath at the back of his head. Not bothering to turn and see, he scurried away, the mummy hot on his tail. In an attempt to slow it down, he sent his last cocktail and shot the thing's eyes off. But even without them, and even as they dangled from their sockets they were already growing back, the mummy could pinpoint his exact location.
Thank God the one he would later know as Cas, arrived not long after to save his ass.
*** To be continued ***
Having feedback on this could be nice.